Shownotes
This episode of Grilling at the Green features the esteemed PGA Tour caddy, Andy Lano, who shares his profound insights and experiences from a career that has spanned over two decades. Our dialogue delves into the intricacies of the golfing lifestyle, highlighting the delicate balance between competition and camaraderie that exists among caddies on tour. Lano recounts his first significant victory alongside Kenny Perry, illuminating the emotional and exhilarating moments that define a caddy's journey. Throughout our conversation, we also explore the evolution of caddying as a profession, reflecting on the changing dynamics within the sport and the relationships that are forged on the greens. We extend our gratitude to our sponsors and listeners, inviting you to partake in the rich tapestry of golfing stories and experiences shared in this enlightening exchange.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Birdie Ball
- Kenny Perry
- Weston Kia
- Painted Hills Beef
- Squares Golf Shoes
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcripts
It's time for Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:Join Jeff Tracy as he explores a golfing lifestyle and tries to keep it in the short grass for the hackers do sweepers and turf spankers.
Speaker A:Here's Jeff,
Speaker B:Everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to Grilling at the Green.
Speaker B:I'm jt.
Speaker B:We are on radio stations here in the Northwest, in the Midwest, and of course, a very proud part of the Golf News Network.
Speaker B:Let's say thank you.
Speaker B:Especially thank you to John Breaker and his family back there at Birdie Ball.
Speaker B:We just finished the Portland Golf show, which is where I finally connected with our guest today.
Speaker B:But we gave away a lot of birdie balls, and they're a great practice device if you have limited space, like a backyard or a park or something.
Speaker B:So go to birdieball.com okay.
Speaker B:You've probably seen this guy on TV.
Speaker B:You might not remember, but I'm sure you've seen him at some point or another.
Speaker B:Andy Lano and middle name nickname Drano, PGA Tour caddy Supreme, now lives in the Portland area, and it's got quite a story.
Speaker B:Hey, Andy, welcome.
Speaker C:Yeah, welcome, Jeff.
Speaker C:It's great to be on and always great to, you know, promote golf and share experiences with folks.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So let's kind of start at the top real quick.
Speaker B:Was your family really involved with golf when you coming up and growing up and stuff?
Speaker C:Yeah, well, my dad, he was a pretty good.
Speaker C:He was an excellent athlete, actually, in his day, and he took up golf late for him.
Speaker C:You know, he couldn't afford it back in his day.
Speaker C:It was an expensive thing to do, but he got involved with it.
Speaker C:And at two years old, he dropped plastic clubs down on the floor for me, and he didn't, you know, make me do it.
Speaker C:I grabbed him and started swinging.
Speaker C:And then we took off from there.
Speaker B:Did your mom put a kibosh on swinging them in the house?
Speaker C:No, she was okay with it.
Speaker C:You know, it was, they were plastic, so you couldn't really hurt anything.
Speaker C:And, you know, my, my mom actually played, too.
Speaker C:She was pretty athletic.
Speaker C:You know, before she had four kids, golf kind of went to the back.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, we, we.
Speaker C:You know, I was fortunate.
Speaker C:I played the major sports, you know, baseball, basketball, football.
Speaker C:But in the summer, you know, it was nice to do the golf.
Speaker C:And there used to be a, a tournament there in our state, like, kind of like the OGA kind of thing.
Speaker C:But Maine State Golf association, and they had a Father's Day tournament every year on Father's Day, so the fathers and the sons played alternate shot.
Speaker C:So my dad wanted to play in that.
Speaker C:So he started training, training, training me at a young age, and we played in our first one at five years old.
Speaker B:Oh, good for you.
Speaker B:Good for you.
Speaker B:Tell us about your adventures from after you got through high school and all that, and you went off to college and.
Speaker B:And you got more involved with golf and eventually you met Kenny Perry.
Speaker B:I want to hear that story.
Speaker C:Yeah, so, I mean, I was, you know, I played golf in high school and I had to sacrifice baseball, which is, looking back, was a tough one for me because I had aspirations to maybe be a pro golfer.
Speaker C:But so anyway, did pretty well in the states, locally, you know, for, you know, in my age, etc.
Speaker C:And was offered an opportunity to walk on at Western Kentucky University.
Speaker C:So I blindly drove down there.
Speaker C: My parents drove me down: Speaker C:And my parents turned around and patted me on the back and said, enjoy college.
Speaker C:And off they went.
Speaker C:But they were always there for me, and I appreciate everything and every opportunity that they were able to provide.
Speaker C:But I got to tell you, it was an interesting deal to be standing there in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with really no friends.
Speaker C:But what really helped that was the immediate friends that I made on the golf team.
Speaker C:And that was.
Speaker C:Kenny Perry was included in that group.
Speaker B:I have to tell you, when I. I went to two different schools and when I went to the first one, which was in Los Angeles, I showed up there.
Speaker B:I had a suitcase and two kind of good sized cardboard boxes, and the cab took me from the airport, dropped me in front of the dorm, paid the cab driver.
Speaker B:I looked up, I was on the third floor, of course, and no elevators, you know, in those days like that.
Speaker B:And no friends.
Speaker B:Made friends pretty quickly.
Speaker B:But I know that feeling you're talking about where you're just kind of looking and.
Speaker B:And I was a small town country kid, you know, and I was in the big city.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I was a little guy.
Speaker C:I was a guy from Portland, Maine, that really never traveled outside New England.
Speaker C:I mean, we played summer sports and going to the beach was good enough for us.
Speaker C:And I love the beach, you know, and that was only 20 minutes away.
Speaker C:So, you know, as a big family of four, we didn't do any world traveling.
Speaker C:So that was a big extension for me.
Speaker C:But looking back, you know, it was, you know, part of the greatest experience of my life.
Speaker C:I mean, it was, you know, I wasn't able to go home, so I knew I was stuck there for a good three Months.
Speaker C:And I. I overcame homesickness pretty quick because I was able to make some great friends on the golf team.
Speaker B:Yeah, Tell us, tell us when you met Kenny, he seemed like a pretty good guy.
Speaker B:I never met him, but he seemed like pretty good guy.
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, Kenny.
Speaker C:I mean, they broke the mold with Kenny.
Speaker C:I mean, he's just as grounded as you see him and have years.
Speaker C:I mean, he was just a country boy from Franklin, Kentucky.
Speaker C:He was only 20.
Speaker C:20 miles away, actually, from the campus at WKU.
Speaker C:And he loves fast cars and.
Speaker C:And he had a, you know, a unique golf swing, but it repeated and, you know, he was able to, you know, obviously do quite well with it, but ironically, he never won a college golf tournament yet.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:Yet he won 14 tour events and 10 champions events.
Speaker C:So there's not too many of them out on tour that can.
Speaker C:Actually.
Speaker B:I like that a lot.
Speaker B:I want to step aside from your story just for a second and ask you something about caddies.
Speaker B:Most of the caddies are pretty good sticks, aren't they?
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:That's an understatement.
Speaker C:So, I mean, most of them are pluses themselves.
Speaker C:I mean, I can name three or four right now that the world would know.
Speaker C:I mean, Ted Scott Scheffler's guy, he's an easy plus three.
Speaker C:Paul Tesori, who used to caddy for Webb Simpson.
Speaker C:And he's actually back with Web.
Speaker C: ally got his PGA tour card in: Speaker C:So, I mean, there's some great players.
Speaker C:I mean, nine times out of 10, even, even Harry Diamond.
Speaker C:So Harry diamond and Rory, the reason they met is they met at their club and played junior golf against each other growing up.
Speaker C:And so, you know, that's what you have with that, with that relationship.
Speaker C:And Bones was a great player, you know, that caddied for Phil all those years.
Speaker C:And I mean, you can go on and on and on.
Speaker C:I mean, if you name a player and I know they're caddy, I can almost guarantee you they're excellent at golf.
Speaker B:Yeah, I wouldn't want to get on Monday morning if they had time.
Speaker B:Little gambling spree on the course with those guys, I think they're pretty much sharks, for sure.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, and even, even like a Damon Green, for instance, that Zach Johnson, he won the Masters in the British Open with Zach.
Speaker C:I mean, Damon won like 75 mini tour events from Florida.
Speaker C:So anyway, it, it's, it's.
Speaker C:It's a long Lineage of really, really good players.
Speaker C:And it, it's, it still stands today, even for any golfer.
Speaker C:You could, you know, you could, you could.
Speaker C:That you see on tv.
Speaker C:I'm trying to think of the top ones now.
Speaker C:And even, I mean, obviously, I mean, I gave you one and two.
Speaker C:I mean, Sheffler and I think that that's what their rankings are.
Speaker C:But as you even work your way down, they're all excellent players.
Speaker B:How was Fluff as a player?
Speaker C:So Fluff and I, a little interesting history.
Speaker C:You know, Fluffy, he's from Maine, as you know.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:You didn't know that.
Speaker C:And Fluff was outstanding.
Speaker C: out and caddy on the tour in: Speaker C:So he was from Maine and Fluff was, like I said, excellent.
Speaker C:He's still excellent today.
Speaker C:Got a great golf swing and loves to play.
Speaker C:And, you know, he, he really does love to play.
Speaker C:I mean, he still gets out there and does it.
Speaker C:I still chase that egg around too.
Speaker C:But yeah, Fluff had a, you know, he was a terrific player.
Speaker C:And believe it or not, he used to play golf against my dad when I was just a little, you know, a little bit younger than him because I'm about a decade younger or so than Fluff.
Speaker C:So I remember Fluff and growing up in my junior days.
Speaker B:Wow, that's.
Speaker B:And he still listens to Deadhead music.
Speaker C:Loves it.
Speaker C:Loves it.
Speaker C:Are you kidding me?
Speaker C:That was, that was the it for him, man.
Speaker C:I mean, for him to come out to the great Northwest and, and have Peter Jacobson, you know, Peter took him under his wing and, and basically they're like brothers.
Speaker C:I mean, I don't know the particulars, but I know they're tight and they always will be tight.
Speaker C:And, you know, I know that Fluff and Peter, you know, that's a special relationship.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:We're going to take a break.
Speaker B:We're going to be back with Andy Lano.
Speaker B:You might know him as Drano from the PGA Tour.
Speaker B:Great caddy there.
Speaker B:We're going to talk some more caddy stories when we come back.
Speaker B:Stay with us.
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Speaker B:Hey, everybody.
Speaker B:J.T.
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Speaker B:Welcome back to Girling.
Speaker B:It's green.
Speaker E:I'm jt.
Speaker B:Today we're talking with Drano, Andy, Lana ii.
Speaker B:Were you ever able to smoke your dad eventually on the course?
Speaker C:You know, I finally did get there.
Speaker C:I mean, my dad was like a solid like four or five handicap and he basically taught himself.
Speaker C:He was just a great athlete.
Speaker C:And so obviously growing up as kids and younger, you're always out there striving to try to catch up and beat dad.
Speaker C:So I think I ended up catching him when I was like 15, maybe 16, right around there.
Speaker C:We were actually, you know, talking about that, that state tournament.
Speaker C:We actually won the thing when I was like 17 years old, the statewide tournament, you know, in the, in the division.
Speaker C:So, yeah, we won it three times over the years, but they had different, you know, they had different age groups and it was alternate shot.
Speaker C:So that was fun to do.
Speaker C:And that was always a big part of, like, that was quote, quote, unquote, our major for the year.
Speaker B:Okay, what, what was the onus, the impetus, the point in time when you said, I, I don't think I want to pursue being on the tour, but I think I want to be a caddy?
Speaker C:Well, I played one year and a half of college golf and I just couldn't break the lineup to travel.
Speaker C:And I just, I mean, I kind of hit a wall.
Speaker C:And I was, and I was, and I was, I was pretty good, but I wasn't good enough.
Speaker C:And I just realized that I wanted to do some other things.
Speaker C:So I stepped aside from that part of the competition.
Speaker C:I still played amateur golf, but I went ahead and I joined a fraternity and got involved with that and focused more on my studies.
Speaker C:And, you know, I, I, some of those friends today from that move and I are some of my best friends today, and I cherish all those experiences.
Speaker C:So, you know, God has a funny way of directing you, and that's what he did at that point.
Speaker B:Was Kenny your first loop?
Speaker C:He was not.
Speaker C:So a, the short story, short version is, is, you know, I didn't, After Kenny and I graduated, Kenny graduated and he was a couple years ahead of me, and I didn't really see him or talk to him for three or four years or so because, you know, back then you didn't have cell Phones, you didn't have all communication.
Speaker C:But anyway, he took six swipes.
Speaker C:At the Tour school.
Speaker C:I always used to look every year and see, you know, if he could make, you know, if he made it.
Speaker C:But he, he, he would just fall short.
Speaker C:And as good as he was.
Speaker C: But finally in: Speaker C:And you know, from that point, he never looked back.
Speaker C:He kept his card like 23 consecutive years.
Speaker C:He never went back to the tour school.
Speaker C:So I started in 87 and I kind of cut my teeth with some other players along the way.
Speaker C:And then by the time I got hooked up with him in 91, I was kind of doing pretty good at my craft.
Speaker C:And obviously he was comfortable in his fifth year, so it became a good partnership.
Speaker B:What was your first year like?
Speaker B:I don't know who you were, who you were carrying for.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter at this point.
Speaker B:But were the seasoned caddies, if you will, did they take you under their wing or did they just make you go trial by fire all the time?
Speaker C:Well, that's interesting.
Speaker C:So, I mean, historically, I mean, the first tournament that I attended, my first, well, I actually did 1 in 86, kind of exhibition season, I'll call it, I went down and, and did a Disney tournament they used to have down there at magnolia.
Speaker C:But 87, my first tournament was the TPC at Scottsdale, the very first year that that golf course opened.
Speaker C:And I can, you know, I can tell you real quickly that when I did get to the 16th hole that year, there was only 23 people there.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:So the hole hasn't changed and you know the rest of the story.
Speaker C:But getting back to your question, no, there was a lot of people caddies there, they thought I was a narc.
Speaker C:They thought it was a plant.
Speaker C:You weren't really accepted when a new face showed up.
Speaker C:But then once you kind of said, hey, you know, I'm just out here trying to do what you do and this and that, and they learn who you are, then they take you in and everything's okay.
Speaker C: there to be spying on them in: Speaker B:fluff out there doing big Bob Marley roll ups or something?
Speaker C:Or I, I, you know, Fluff was, he was a wily veteran at that point because like I said, he started in 78, so that would have been what, 10?
Speaker C:Yeah, but yeah, no, Fluff was around and he was doing his thing with Peter.
Speaker C:I Mean, he was with Peter all the way right up until Peter released him to go work for Tiger.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So, I mean, you know, he was.
Speaker C: That's close to: Speaker C:I mean, what, in 18, 19 years?
Speaker B:Yeah, they, you know, it's kind of funny because what you were just saying a few minutes ago, most of the caddies are really good sticks back then.
Speaker B:And I've, and I've interviewed other caddies from that era and that they, they could play, but they were out there to have a really good time, too.
Speaker B:You know, the travel and most of them were single.
Speaker B:They didn't have really a care in the world, meeting women, whatever.
Speaker B:You know, just now you look at them and they're very serious.
Speaker B:They're part of the quote team.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:My team and my.
Speaker B:The caddy is the number one guy besides the player.
Speaker B:Totally different perspective as from civilians looking in.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And that's where it's evolved to.
Speaker C:And you're totally correct.
Speaker C:I mean, when I went started out there, the purses, they were like, first prize was like 180,000.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So if you were a caddy and you had a good week, you made 18 grand, you were above the, you know, you were on top of the world.
Speaker C:I mean, you didn't do it, like you said, for the money.
Speaker C:You did it for the experience.
Speaker C:And for me, I hadn't, as I mentioned earlier, I hadn't traveled much.
Speaker C:So I said to myself, you know what?
Speaker C:I go, this will be good.
Speaker C:I'll be able to go travel the country for a year or two.
Speaker C:That was my attitude, just to see how it goes, be able to, you know, stand next to these guys and see how, you know, the difference on, you know, how good they are and so on and so forth.
Speaker C:And then, you know, all of a sudden, I started getting a little bit better at my craft.
Speaker C:I got better jobs, started doing better with results.
Speaker C:And I'm thinking to myself, hey, I go, where am I going to find a job?
Speaker C:You can work 25 weeks a year, have, have 26 off and do okay.
Speaker C:So that's what in 25 years later, I mean, two turned into 25.
Speaker C:I never expected to go 25 years and travel worldwide, but, I mean, that's what it turned into.
Speaker C:And the purses got progressively better.
Speaker C:I caught a little bit of it right in the beginning of the FedEx playoffs, but not what these guys are caddying for now.
Speaker C:I mean, like you said, it's big business.
Speaker B:Yeah, it is big business.
Speaker B:Drano and I are going to take a quick break and we're going to be back with more grilling at the green in just a minute.
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Speaker B:Welcome back to grilling at the Green, proud part of the Golf News Network.
Speaker B:I'm having a great time talking to Andy today.
Speaker B:Like I said, Andy nicknamed Drano.
Speaker B:How did you get that name?
Speaker B:Is it because you drain putts all the time or you fix plumbing?
Speaker B:What is it?
Speaker C:Yeah, so back in the day, I was a short game wizard and I did make mostly all my putts.
Speaker C:So I mean, obviously Lano and Drano, it kind of rhymed.
Speaker C:And you know how that's kind of how nicknames roll, right?
Speaker C:I wish it was that way.
Speaker C:Now it's not.
Speaker C:I'm trying to regain that form.
Speaker C:But as you get older, you know, as you know, golf's a muscle memory game.
Speaker C:I tell people all the time my mind knows how to either putt and play and hit the shots because I've watched and, you know, and been able to walk next to, you know, the greatest in the world, witness history and be able to see them hit these shots.
Speaker C:But the, you know, the body doesn't always want to cooperate.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think, I think my muscle memory developed dementia some days.
Speaker B:I'm pretty sure.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, it's kind of, sometimes, you know, you got to kind of temper your expectations.
Speaker C:I mean, I'm, you know, I'm, I got down as low as a two in the old handicap system is as low as I could get.
Speaker C:And, you know, I was an honest putt out.
Speaker C:You know, I didn't give myself five footers.
Speaker C:I played the game by the rules.
Speaker C:That's how I was Taught, but, you know, now I'm in the, you know, double digits and I'm fighting to get back down.
Speaker C:To try to get the top of singles is my goal.
Speaker C:I don't know if I'll get there, but it's a fun chase, and that's what makes golf a great game.
Speaker C:You know, you can't.
Speaker C:You can't perfect it, but yet you can chase it for as long as you want to.
Speaker B:I think golf is kind of like your first girlfriend.
Speaker B:You never forget, but it didn't work out the first time, so you got to keep trying.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I mean, people don't understand.
Speaker C:I mean, 1% of the, you know, of the golfing population is on the PGA Tour.
Speaker C:And I mean, like, I, I kind of chuckle because I, you know, people, like, get upset when they shoot 80, 85, whatever I said.
Speaker C:You realize that the mean average of a golf score in the United states is like, 92.
Speaker C:So if you beat that score and you're below that, you're really doing quite well.
Speaker C:It doesn't show well on the scorecard.
Speaker C:But you know what?
Speaker C:Sometimes you just gotta, like, settle in and accept it, and it actually helps you actually lower your next score.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, it's good.
Speaker B:So you don't have to name names if you don't want to, but who was the toughest caddy for you to get along with out there?
Speaker B:Was there one guy that was kind of a hard case?
Speaker B:Maybe you made friends with him going forward, but was there a hard case you ran up against when you first started?
Speaker C:Oh, when I first started, yeah.
Speaker C:There was a couple, like, Southern guys that were threatened.
Speaker C:I don't, you know, I, I kind of know who it's been a while.
Speaker C:But I mean, when I say that, I mean, they would just, you know, everyone likes job security.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker C:And, you know, when you're out there and all of a sudden a new face shows up, you know, no one's, you know, really sure what that's going to turn out to be.
Speaker C:There was a lot of caddy changing when I first started.
Speaker C:That was a common thing.
Speaker C:I mean, I mean, Bruce Edwards, he picked up Tom Watson in the parking lot.
Speaker C:How did that work out?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So, I mean, anyway, I mean, so, you know, there were a few, but for the most part, I mean, I never really had a problem with, with, with really anybody.
Speaker C:I mean, Steve Williams, he was a tough cat to get along with, but I was fine with Steve.
Speaker C:He just, he just kind of more separated himself from us and kind of Maybe thought that he was so, you know, he didn't really want to go in and eat caddy at the caddy lunch place or do that kind of stuff.
Speaker C:And that's okay.
Speaker C:That was his choice.
Speaker C:But, like, I got along with Fanny.
Speaker C:I got along.
Speaker C:You know, Pete Bender is a legend out there.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, Pete Fluff, whatever.
Speaker C:Everybody's different.
Speaker C:You're all doing the same thing and you're all trying to, you know, do the same thing every week.
Speaker C:Like, I.
Speaker C:My goal when I started was to be, you know, that, you know, standing there on 18 and get that win because you knew every week when you start there's only one winner, there's only one pro and one caddy that win and the, you know, the adrenaline and thrill of doing that the very first time with Kenny at Memorial was incredible.
Speaker C:And, you know, I didn't even hardly do it.
Speaker C:As much as Bones has got like 50 something wins, and my buddy Joe La Cava, he's got 40 wins with five or six different golfers.
Speaker C:I mean, it's amazing what they've done, but that's kind of what it's all about.
Speaker C:And everybody, even though you're going hard at each other, you respect each other and, and at the end, you know, you shake hands and you move on.
Speaker B: esident's cup team from what,: Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And a lot of those names you just mentioned were.
Speaker B:The players were in the back, caddies were in the front.
Speaker B:La Cabba always, to me, looked like he was kind of a cr.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Just.
Speaker B:And you might find him on a Tuesday, sitting in a bar in his hometown, just having one beer, just chilling and then go back to work type thing.
Speaker C:Yeah, Joe is.
Speaker C:I mean, he's as grounded as they come.
Speaker C:And when he's home, he.
Speaker C:He does spend time with his buddies.
Speaker C:I mean, he.
Speaker C:He.
Speaker C:Who he worked for or what he did that really didn't matter.
Speaker C:I mean, he.
Speaker C:He started with his, you know, you know, Ken Green and, you know, and did really well with him, and then hopped on with Fred for a long time.
Speaker C:And him and Fred, they're like brothers all, you know, I would call them brothers.
Speaker C:And then, you know, obviously his run with Tiger and even whoever he's touched, I mean, he's one with Dustin Johnson.
Speaker C:I mean, we can go down the laundry list.
Speaker C:But yeah, Joe just.
Speaker C:He just goes out and does his thing.
Speaker C:And, you know, he likes to play, too.
Speaker C:You know, he likes to get out there and take, take his cuts as well.
Speaker C:So we always had a good time because I'm a Red Sox fan and he's a Yankee fan and you know, he's.
Speaker C:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker C:You know, that, that time that can get a little, little, little intense sometimes with the rivalry, but it was all friendly.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, yeah.
Speaker E:What.
Speaker B:Tell us about when you started versus where you decided to stop like traveling and you said, you know, you just, you were going to take a couple years, you were going to see the country and all that and that's great.
Speaker B:But were you sharing hotels and motels with 15 other caddies and flip to see whose turn it was to sleep on the bed?
Speaker B:And all those stories I've read.
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean the, well, the golden rule out there is, is that, you know, if you stay with a cat and you win, then you got the rent that week.
Speaker C:So that was always fun to have that opportunity to take care of the rent.
Speaker C:You know, I can say I stayed with Joe one week when, when I won and, and I never did, you know, Joe never paid me back, you know, but anyway, it just turned out that I stayed with him the week that Kenny and John Shark shootout and he was getting for Fred and, and Adam Scott and that was a, that was a fun deal to win, even though it was a two ball unofficial tournament.
Speaker C:But yeah, I mean, you were cutting corners now the purses are so good and the salaries are so great.
Speaker C:You can kind of do a little more independent stuff with the Airbnb.
Speaker C:And a lot of them hardly even don't even stay in hotels.
Speaker C:And they all, like you said, they buddy up just to have the, you know, to be able to spend the time with each other and cook and watch TV and sports and do all that stuff that you would normal do if you were sitting in your living room at home.
Speaker C:But yeah, it's the travel.
Speaker C:I mean, I was fortunate enough to go to the uae.
Speaker C:I spent a month over there with Danny Lee one year and it was interesting and got to go to Taiwan.
Speaker C:Scotland obviously didn't, didn't make it to Australia, which I really wanted.
Speaker C:It's still on my list.
Speaker C:I'll obviously go there with my wife.
Speaker C:But not for caddying.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was fun to do it, but then come towards the end, you know, I pretty much.
Speaker C:You go around the circle so many times.
Speaker C:I had enough and I, I just decided to step away and spend more time with my family and my wife and nieces and nephews, etc, and it wasn't easy to do because I, you know, still miss it.
Speaker C:I still watch the golf and I still know what these guys are trying to do on Sunday afternoon.
Speaker C:But it's, you know, I was there, you know, did that and was, and was lucky and fortunate to do it and, you know, and thankful for the opportunities that all my golfers gave me to, you know, caddy for them.
Speaker B:Were you guys salaried or commission only type thing?
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:Well, most of us were.
Speaker C:Salary and then commission on your finish.
Speaker C:So I mean, generally, you know, you're your own private contractor, so you cut your own deals.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker C:All the deals were different, but I mean, you know, you hear the basic stuff that goes around 10% on a win and you know, maybe seven or eight on a top 10 and then five on everything else.
Speaker C:I mean, that's how it kind of all started with a, you know, you get a salary.
Speaker C:So the salary generally covers your expenses for the week.
Speaker C:You're not going to make much on salary unless you're flat salaried, which some of them are doing now.
Speaker C:You know that they just say, look, you know, I'll give you, you know, 500k and then I'll bonus you at the end of the year.
Speaker C:You want it or not?
Speaker C:Well, I, I didn't get those opportunities.
Speaker C:But that's the money.
Speaker C:So crazy now.
Speaker C:And we're the best write off expense that a player has.
Speaker C:So why not give it to the guy that's busting his tail for you every day?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, now every once in a while like when they go, you know, like Tiger had his own plane for a long time and Phil had a plane and there's lots of them.
Speaker B:Are they, they're going to deal with NetJets or whatever.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker B:I think it's more common too for the caddies to sometimes hit your ride, especially when they're going across the pond.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, it's a package deal instead of just like going home to Charlotte, so to speak, and you got to Chicago the next week.
Speaker B:That's on the caddy kind of.
Speaker B:Is that kind of the way it works?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, I was, I, I moved to Dallas shortly after I started caddying because obviously great airport and I could get to every tour event about directly through American.
Speaker C:So, you know, the way it worked out.
Speaker C:So that was a great place to live.
Speaker B:Drano and I are going to take a quick break and we'll be back here, wrap up this show.
Speaker B:And we've got an after hours coming up, so don't forget everybody.
Speaker B:JT here if you need something to
Speaker E:practice with in the inclement weather, try BIR.
Speaker E:Go to birdieball.com check out the actual birdie balls, their packages, their putting greens, which I happen to have a couple of those and they work great.
Speaker E:Birdieball.com.
Speaker B:Welcome back to grilling.
Speaker B:It's Green.
Speaker B:I'm jt.
Speaker B:We're talking with Andy Greeno Lano today.
Speaker B:The second item.
Speaker B:I forgot the second.
Speaker B:So sorry about that.
Speaker B:We'd like to thank the folks at Squares Golf shoes supporting this show.
Speaker B:You get older, I'm older, Andy's getting older, you get, your feet get a little funkier.
Speaker B:That's all the way I'm just going to put it.
Speaker B:And they, they converted that toe box on that shoe.
Speaker B:I used to sell shoes and boots, so I can tell you, I, I know the lingo, but they, they converted that into a square toes box.
Speaker B:They really didn't widen it as far as the square centimeters, if you will.
Speaker B:They just changed the design and it works out really well.
Speaker B:So get, like I said, you get older, your feet get wider.
Speaker B:Just it's gravity, man.
Speaker B:That's the way it works.
Speaker C:So that's interesting that you say that because my dad, that was like, he sold shoes, leather shoes, right out of college in the early 50s.
Speaker C:And I don't know if you realize, but Maine was like the hotbed for leather shoes.
Speaker C:Wilton, Maine, etc.
Speaker C:So he did that for 23 years.
Speaker C:He sold shoes to like Byron Nelson and Sam Snead, etc, And they put my dad, quote, unquote, kind of on the case because he was the athlete and all that.
Speaker C:So I know what you're talking about when it comes to the shoe stuff.
Speaker B:Andy, what's the wildest time you remember as a caddy?
Speaker B:One event, maybe you guys won, you and Kenny or whoever else you were looping for.
Speaker B:And you, I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but you woke up on Monday morning and went, holy moly, that must have been good.
Speaker C:I mean, I always pivot to, you know, my first, you know, first experience of a win with Kenny.
Speaker C:And that was, I mean, when you start out, you just don't know really when and if.
Speaker C:But as you know, with golf, it has, you know, a lot of, you know, question marks and mystery to it, you know.
Speaker C: n Friday, the cut day, and in: Speaker C:And he was.
Speaker C:He was in a zone, right?
Speaker C:And like I tell in a lot of my other speaks, I say, you know, when you're a pro caddy, you got to know you're pro, and you got to know, like, there's days where you just kind of quote, unquote, stay out of the way.
Speaker C:But Kenny was, you know, he always asked for yardage, wind, and.
Speaker C:And he wondered.
Speaker C:And I read out, you know, help read and pot read, pots.
Speaker C:Anyway, we got to this tee and I gave him the number to the hole.
Speaker C:I think it was like 295 and 13.
Speaker C:He came over and he pulled this five iron out, and he was going through his routine, and I'm ready, you know, I'm sitting there, and all of a sudden he looked up at me right in the middle of his routine before he was going to pull the trigger.
Speaker C:He goes, you like this club?
Speaker C:And I'll.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:Without batting an eyelash.
Speaker C:And this is the truth, I said, no, I really think you can get to six there.
Speaker C:Because the wind had picked up and he was pumped up and this and that and, you know, little things that you kind of just learn.
Speaker C:So he came over and he put the five back and he grabbed the six and he hit this beautiful looking shot.
Speaker C:Just landed on the green three or four paces, and it rolled like 20ft into the hole for a one.
Speaker C:So he makes a one, he goes to nine under, he pars the last two holes, and he breaks the course record.
Speaker C:And he has a three shot lead going into the weekend and goes on to defeat Hale Irwin in a playoff for his first PGA Tour win.
Speaker C:So we're sitting there on the green after the awards ceremony, and I'm standing next to Jack Nicklaus, obviously the host, and I start thinking to myself, did this really just happen?
Speaker C:You know, we.
Speaker C:I mean, what, what.
Speaker C:You know, it was incredible.
Speaker C:The adrenaline rushed and everything that followed.
Speaker C:So that's really what sticks in my mind.
Speaker C:There was some other great ones after that, too, but that first one is the hardest one to get.
Speaker C:And to know that you were, you know, what I spoke about earlier.
Speaker C:You were the twosome that got it done that week and beat everybody in a stellar field.
Speaker C:Yeah, that.
Speaker C:That was something really special.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:I apologize for this, but we are running out of time, but I got a couple minutes here.
Speaker B:Tell us about your foundation.
Speaker C:So the Lano Family Foundation.
Speaker C: We started that in: Speaker C:It's a 501c3 nonprofit registered in the state of Maine.
Speaker C:And what we do is we give a scholarship in my dad's honor.
Speaker C:My dad was a great three sport ace at Portland High School in Portland, Maine.
Speaker C:So we give a scholarship based on the criteria in his memory and honor a ten thousand dollar scholarship for secondary education to a senior girl or boy or girl at Portland High School.
Speaker C:So we're in our getting ready to give away our 12th here in a couple months and it's been a fantastic deal.
Speaker C:We also give to the boys club across the street where my dad actually went as a kid and his picture is still on the wall over there.
Speaker C:So we help them out with their youth basketball in the summer, in the winter.
Speaker B:Cool, very good.
Speaker C:And we also contribute to the main golf association.
Speaker C:We give a scholarship, secondary scholarship there.
Speaker C:My dad loved golf and the Maine Golf association quite similar to the oga, you know, we help them out too.
Speaker C:So it's been fantastic to give back and to help these kids try to achieve their dreams.
Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker B:Andy Drano, Lano the second we got to get out of here.
Speaker B:I want to thank everybody, thank our sponsors, everybody that stopped by at the Portland Golf show and said hi, we appreciate it.
Speaker B:It was met some great people there.
Speaker B:So until next time, go out, play some golf, have some fun.
Speaker B:But most of all, be kind.
Speaker B:Take care everybody.
Speaker A:Grilling at the Green is produced by JTSD Productions, LLC in association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserve.
