The members of El Caballero Country Club have been gracious hosts for the 4th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
But one has gone above and beyond: Dan Schindler.
The reigning senior club champion, who also won the club championship in 2011, has not only hosted the side of Katherine Gravel-Coursol and Paige Nelson at his home, he has carried both of their bags through two practice rounds, two stroke-play rounds, which included five playoff holes to secure the 32nd and final spot in the draw, and three matches.
Oh, and he had never caddied before this week.
“Some of my friends at the club offered to carry one of the bags today, but I just don’t want to change the mojo,” said Schindler, who earned the nickname Duracell back in his school days, a nod to his energetic presence. “The girls are happy where they are. I just want them to enjoy themselves, do their thing and not get flustered. It’s worked so far, why change it?”
“He’s really quick,” said Nelson, laughing. “We don’t move fast enough for him.”
Gravel-Coursol and Nelson advancing to the quarterfinals is due in no small part to Schindler’s extensive local knowledge, especially on the undulating and fast greens that were rolling 12.5 feet on the Stimpmeter on Tuesday morning.
“At these speeds, and with these undulations, you have to know where to hit it. Just getting the line, or just getting the speed, doesn’t do it. You have to get them both. I don’t think anybody [in the championship] is used to playing greens of this caliber. They don’t believe it’s going to break so much or go so fast.”
The 53-year-old Schindler, who owns a Handicap Index® of +1.2, joined El Caballero in 2008. He’s a native of England, where he won three club championships at Coombe Hill Golf Club near London.
Currently on a work sabbatical through the end of the year – he co-founded Donuts Inc., the world’s largest registry for new top-level internet domain addresses, in 2010 – Schindler has plenty of time for golf.
“I want to play some tournament golf myself and I’m not going to do that when I’m older,” he said. “I’ll do that now and then go back to work later.”
His current short-term plan is to hopefully lead Gravel-Coursol and Nelson to their own championship at El Caballero.
“This is a big event, he said. “It would be great to win. It’s like everything in sport though, one shot at a time.”
Arizona resident Tom Mackin is a frequent contributor to USGA websites. Email him at temackinjr@gmail.com.
