BIRDIES & BOGEYS: BEAR’S BEST FORECADDIES

My eyes don’t see the line, although I had long ago learned that all putts around Las Vegas break toward The Strip. My forecaddie, Ken Jarner, explains that my 15-footer for birdie actually defies that adage. "Two balls outside the left side of the cup will do you fine," Jarner encourages. I still don’t see it, but he has been correct all day. Why doubt him now? He is right again. The putt curves just as he says — birdie four and one shot better for bragging rights, "umpteen points" for Jarner, a forecaddie at Bear’s Best Las Vegas.

In today’s golf world of self-service and riding carts, I am experiencing the equivalent of "golf pampering" — the savvy services of a skilled forecaddie combined with a cart. If you are like most golfers, perhaps you have never experienced such a treat. If you are not even sure what a forecaddie is, picture golf’s version of a personal concierge for a day. These forecaddies are part coaches, storytellers, course marshals, confidants, cheerleaders, and, of course, caddies. Some can even fix your swing or give you lessons. While seamlessly managing a foursome of golfers, a forecaddie turns your golf game from a simple round into an experience.

I have been fortunate to travel around the United States, playing most of the famous courses, and I believe you will be hard-pressed to encounter such a combination of exquisite service and an exciting golf challenge as exists at the Bear’s Best golf clubs. Actually, very few daily fee courses feature a forecaddie service such as the Bear’s Best clubs in Las Vegas and Atlanta. While the Las Vegas version of playing replications of some of the favorite holes of legendary Jack Nicklaus is enough to whet the appetite of any golfer, perhaps it will be the pleasurable memories of playing with a forecaddie that will likely linger in your memory.

At the forefront of Bear’s Best’s superb service is the inclusion of an excellent group of forecaddies. For most, experiencing the services of a caddie is becoming a rarity, though for the majority of golf’s history, playing with a caddie was the norm. The golf cart has taken over as the primary means of playing during the last 30 or so years. Having someone attend to your equipment and help chart your strategy around the golf course is almost a lost practice enjoyed only by tournament players. In many cases, the latest generation of golfers enjoys the convenience and aid of the cart, but they scarcely realize what they are missing in the services of a good caddie.

"We strive to provide the highest service of a golf facility, public or private, and our forecaddie program is an integral part of the equation," explains Adam Owen, Bear’s Best Las Vegas club manager.

The Bear’s Best concept has provided the best of both worlds by providing both a forecaddie and a golf cart, including the charge for both within the green fee. If you are fortunate enough to have had a forecaddie, you will know they are akin to a personal valet, course docent, and golf coach all rolled into one.

Arriving at Bear’s Best, you are immediately introduced to your forecaddie. In my case, Jarner introduces himself as soon as I reach my clubs. He shares that he intends to exceed my every need, beginning that moment and continuing until I drive away. That, he says, includes not only the golf, but also any other needs a concierge might provide. Curious about entertainment? Jarner has recommendations. Need transportation? He queries each of my foursome and orders a taxi for the other three.

IN THE BEGINNING
Jarner starts by thoughtfully directing us to all the facilities, the practice range, locker room, rest areas, dining area, and golf shop. Next, he explains the day’s schedule. Gone is any confusion as to how much time I have to warm up on the practice range. Instead, Jarner takes care of this. Most impressively, he accomplishes this all with a polished friendly enthusiasm. It is a much more relaxed beginning to the golf day than I usually experience, with no wandering about and no confusion. Most important, my mind is settled. My playing partners and I are made to feel like Very Important People. We are armed for the golf challenge ahead.

After the introductions, Jarner watches us warm up and assesses our games, and we learn of his professional golf experience. He confides that by the time we get to the first tee, he’ll know just where we should pull out the drivers and where we should lay up. Just as important, he sizes up our personalities. As astute as any good salesman, he explains, "My real job out here is to help manage your golf day and make it as fun as possible." Accordingly, he knows when to interject himself and when to remain in the background, when to joke and cheer, and when to be silent.

He is proud of the fact that he gets requested by name by golfers who return to the course. In that respect, Jarner is not unique. A testament to the forecaddies is that many of them are requested by previous guests. A few holes into the round, Jarner is like an old friend. Indeed, he proves a worthy adviser to help me decipher the challenges.

While conventional caddies carry one or two bags on their shoulders and walk with golfers, these forecaddies attend to four golfers and literally sprint around the course. Unlike conventional forecaddies, these forecaddies start with you on the tee and explain the strategy and history of each hole. At Bear’s Best, that will include exactly where to aim and perhaps which club to hit, together with the story of the original Nicklaus hole that is being replicated. Then, the forecaddie typically will hop on the back of the cart until the group reaches the first ball. Though several times, we invite Jarner to hop in the cart, he declines. "Riding looks unprofessional and makes me look lazy," he explains. Lazy, Jarner is not. Whether looking for balls, sanding divots, or clubbing the four of us, he still manages somehow to be right at our side when it’s time to play. He even fixes ball marks if you forget. You simply play golf and enjoy the company.

MEASURING UP
How about yardages? Bear’s Best forecaddies don’t have to worry about a wrong distance calculation; they are equipped with optical measuring devices that provide the exact distance to key landmarks. There is no fumbling with clubs or searching for distances; play moves along nicely.

As we near the putting surfaces, Jarner is there to rake the bunker, clean the ball, advise on the green contours and read the putt, tend the flagstick, and hold your clubs to prevent them from getting wet or dirty in the grass. "My, this is how the pros play!" exclaims one of my playing partners.

Just as important is that golfer traffic flows at a faster, more enjoyable pace. During our round, our group was situated behind an individual stroke play tournament. Based upon my experience, I feared a long, long day. Instead, play moved along nicely and we easily finished in just more than four hours with very few waits in spite of the outing. Unquestionably, it was the legion of forecaddies who were responsible for keeping play moving.

Just as there are many grades of caddies, so too there are all sorts of forecaddies. The term "Bear’s Best" might as aptly describe the quality of its forecaddies. At the Las Vegas facility, there are 68 caddies ranging in age from 20 to 60. In addition to a number of university students working their ways through college and several casino workers, the varied backgrounds of the forecaddies include a former Class A PGA member, mini-tour players, musicians, accountants, salesmen, and one woman. Interestingly enough, the club does not use outside agencies to supply their caddies, but rather hires them as employees.

Joe Landsgaard, who has managed the Las Vegas caddie operation since the course opened, says he has a 6-inch-high stack of hopeful applicants. Not just anyone can get hired. "First, the applicant must have had some golf experience, either competitive or in a service capacity," Landsgaard explains. "Even more important, I hire for attitude and personality." It is abundantly clear that Landsgaard has followed his criteria. He continues, "On the surface, we [Bear’s Best] seem like an expensive round of golf until you consider that the cost of the forecaddie is included in the green fee. When you add in the quality of the caddie, we become not only value, but truly a golf experience." According to my playing partners — three athletic "30-something" men from Texas and Tennessee — Landsgaard and Bear’s Best are right on target. Everything Jarner did for me, he accomplished for the other three golfers, and made it look easy. Watching or engaging the forecaddies, their enthusiasm and hustle are readily apparent; essentially, they rely upon the golfer’s gratuity to supplement their living.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Forecaddie Jarner, who hails from Northern California, previously spent time as a PGA apprentice and nearly won the National Assistant Club Professional Championship one year. Quite an athlete, he also spent time playing professional baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization. In fact, surveying the caddies, they all look like athletes, not a flabby one in the bunch. When you consider that they spend half their time sprinting the fairways in advance of their cart-riding golfers, it’s not difficult to figure out why they are all in good shape. The solitary woman forecaddie plays serious amateur soccer several times per week. An interesting aside, you might do a double take when you see the youngest forecaddie, Matt Marino. Marino aspires to be a tour player and often is mistaken for none other than Tiger Woods.

Just as you develop a relationship with your playing partners during a round of golf, so too you get to know your forecaddie, should you wish. If you are a serious sort or a quiet type, forecaddies will sense that and stay in the background. If you look to engage them, he or she will be forthcoming. Heck, want to know good spots to eat dinner, see a show, gamble, whatever? If you need directions, simply consult your forecaddie. It is all part of their service. Want to hear funny stories about the game or how some touring pro may have played a hole, look no farther than your forecaddie.

At Bear’s Best, each forecaddie can immediately name the original course from which Nicklaus replicated the holes for this entertaining layout. This docent quality makes for a much more interesting round. After a few holes, the forecaddie is as much a part of your group as your playing partners. Traveling around and playing different courses as I do, during nearly every round I can count several shots I might have saved had I known the course better. With the forecaddie, that problem is nearly eliminated. Considering how they can save you strokes or often manage to miraculously find your ball, they can be invaluable.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the forecaddie experience is that some golfers arrive at the course and, for one reason or another, are not happy with the requirement to play with a forecaddie. Bear’s Best head golf professional Pat Mastandrea relates, "Every so often, we will encounter a guest who prefers not to have a forecaddie. Almost without exception, that same person will look me up at the end of the round to tell me how much they enjoyed the experience!" And if you are used to relying on yardage markers, GPS systems, or yardage books, you will find that this personal touch and expert advice beats self-service every time.

At the end of my round, something different but welcome occurs. As I exchange business cards with my playing partner friends, our forecaddie also has his Bear’s Best business cards for us. And we all eagerly accept. My newfound friends chime in, "Playing with a forecaddie like Ken should get us ready for the tour!" While you might not play like a touring professional, your day with a Bear’s Best forecaddie will certainly have you feeling as if you are served like one, and that’s memorable!

BEAR’S BEST ATLANTA
BEAR’S BEST LAS VEGAS
Locations: 5342 Aldeburgh Dr., Suwanee, Georgia. 11111 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Operations/club managers: Jeff Whitt (Atlanta), Adam Owen (Las Vegas).
Head golf professionals: Todd Wagoner (Atlanta), Pat Mastandrea (Las Vegas).
Forecaddie managers: Brian Campbell (Atlanta), Joe Landsgaard (Las Vegas).
Golf course superintendents: Kent Cain (Atlanta), Jonathan Dodds (Las Vegas).
Amenities: 18 holes selected by Jack Nicklaus from his more than 200 course designs. Nicklaus has selected holes that flow amid the natural terrains of the Georgia countryside and the Nevada desert. The clubhouses include Nicklaus memorabilia, dining facilities, and pro shop, and are designed to accommodate corporate entertainment.
Web site: www.bearsbest.com

PAIR OF JACK’S OPEN
The 2nd annual "Pair of Jack’s" Open is slated Oct. 23-25 at Bear’s Best Atlanta and Las Vegas. The tournament experience begins at Bear’s Best Atlanta, where a round of 18 holes will be played. After golf in Atlanta, the 60 participants board tour buses for the airport and fly to Las Vegas on the team jet of the Minnesota Timberwolves (the jet also flies the White House press corps in the off-season) and an evening on the Las Vegas Strip. The next morning, players tee off at Bear’s Best Las Vegas for 18 additional holes. Following the round, an awards presentation — with more than $5,000 in prizes — will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Then on Monday morning, participants will be transported back to Atlanta aboard their luxurious aircraft.