Liberty National expands youth caddie pipeline
GLENVIEW, Ill. – The Western Golf Association (WGA) is helping expand youth caddie opportunities in New Jersey through the Rick “Goose” Evans Youth Caddie Development Program at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, which introduces local high school students to caddying while building a pathway to the Evans Scholarship.
The WGA oversees the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF), which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving golf caddies with financial need. The program has a strong presence in New Jersey, with 10 caddies recently awarded the full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship and 42 Evans Scholars currently attending Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
The Liberty National youth caddie program is designed to prepare students for long-term success as caddies while positioning top participants to become competitive Evans Scholarship applicants.
Launched in honor of longtime Liberty National caddie Rick “Goose” Evans, the program welcomed 13 participants during its inaugural 2025 golf season, with students completing more than 320 caddie rounds. Participants completed classroom instruction and on-course training before working as apprentice caddies during member and guest rounds.
“The Goose Evans Youth Caddie Development Program creates a clear pathway for students to gain valuable job experience, develop leadership skills and work toward college opportunities,” said Brian Bianchi, the ESF’s Vice President of Caddie Development. “It is a powerful example of how golf can positively impact the community far beyond the course.”
The primary focus of the program is to develop local students from Jersey City and surrounding communities in Northern New Jersey, positioning them to pursue the Evans Scholarship in the coming years. Students were trained in all aspects of caddying, including course knowledge, yardage calculation, pace of play, course maintenance and professional conduct. In addition to gaining valuable work experience and mentorship from the club’s members and staff, apprentice caddies also received a subsidized loop fee supported by the generosity of the Liberty National community.
The inaugural class of participants came from Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City, NJ but the program is open to all high school aged youth from Northern New Jersey.
Made possible with support from the Liberty National Foundation, which brings together the club’s members and partners around a shared philanthropic vision, this youth caddie program reflects Liberty National’s broader commitment to community impact, youth development, educational opportunity, and more.
“Liberty National was built to be an iconic championship level golf course, but its greatest test will be measured by the opportunities it creates for the next generation and the impact we have off the course,” said Dan Fireman, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Liberty National Golf Club and Executive Chairman of the Liberty National Foundation. “This program opens doors for kids right here in our community, giving them real responsibility, mentorship, and a pathway to higher education that can change the course of their lives.”
The Liberty National caddie program is part of the WGA’s continued efforts to grow youth caddying nationwide and aligns with major upcoming ESF milestones. Liberty National will host the BMW Championship in August of 2027, all proceeds of which benefit the Evans Scholarship, and ESF leaders will also dedicate the new Liberty National Evans Scholarship House at Rutgers University during championship week, further highlighting the connection between caddying, education and opportunity.
To learn more about the Liberty National Foundation’s philanthropic efforts, visit libertynationalfoundation.org.