8 / 40
The confidence
I gained from
interactingwith
themembers and
professional
staff at Inverness
is leveraged
personally and
professionally
to this day.
Former Local
Caddie Endows
Evans Scholarship
Jay Heintschel and his two
younger brothers, John and
Joel, grew up caddying initially
tohelp their parentswithpaying
tuition to attend St. John’s
High School in Toledo, but it
brought them so much more
than a high school education.
It brought opportunities and
personal growth that has lasted
a lifetime.
When he was younger, Jay’s
father worked for Toledo Trust,
as well as at a night job at
Raceway Park, to keep “food
on the table” for mom and five
kids. Although the family was
always well cared for, there
was not a lot of extra money
floating around the Heintschel
household, so Jay learned early
the basic principal of taking
responsibility and helping to
make ends meet.
Through a friend, Jay’s father
heard of an opportunity where
caddies might be able to earn
a college scholarship through
the Evans Scholars program by
being a caddie at the nearby
Inverness Club. That potential
was good enough for him, so
he enrolled Jay in the program.
At the age of 14, Jay was all
of 5’6” tall and weighed in at
75 pounds; many of the bags
he carried seemed as if they
themselves weighed that much,
especially on an extremely hot
day. On his very first loop, he
struggled, but earned the flat
fee of $3.50 along with a 50-
cent tip. He went home that
night and told his father that
he was done with carrying
someone else’s golf bag and
wasn’t going back. His father,
in so many words, informed
him that he was not going
to give up on something that
easily and yes, he was going to
continue as a caddie.
Jay is glad his father did not
let him take the easy way out.
The lessons of hard work,
interacting with adults and
often being mentored by
successful professionals from
all walks of life on the golf
course served him well in his
own business career.
By the end of that summer, Jay
had started an annual passion,
often logging more than 200
loops per year in his high
school years and even some
while home from college. He
regularly caddied two rounds
each day, except on Mondays,
when he and his fellowcaddies
could play the famous course.
By
Fred Altvater
NWO Golf Links