Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Joseph Daye.
Daye speaks about his experience with JWP in graduate school at West Chester University.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I will be 27 in June.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: I am currently attending West Chester University
Q: How do you like it there?
A: I love it! I still love it! I’ve been here since my undergrad. Despite Covid, I had a great first year of graduate school.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: I graduate spring of 2022.
Q: So, you are at West Chester for your Master’s degree?
A: I am, yes!
Q: What is your major?
A: I am studying secondary education and I am also hoping to get a teaching certification through the Master’s program.
Q: How did you decide on that major?
A: I decided on this major from working with high school students in an after-school program in Chester County. I’ve been working with them for the last four years helping them get ready for higher education whether it is a four-year degree, two-year degree, or technical trade school.
Q: Do you participate in any activities at West Chester?
A: At the moment I do not, but I was in the marching band during my undergraduate years. I also helped chapter a fraternity on our campus called Sigma Lambda Beta international fraternity.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Instrumentally, I play trombone and tuba. I enjoy traveling, I enjoy following the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). I like to run, I work out a lot. That’s pretty much it. If I do read, I read for information. I totally can grasp knowledge really well.
Q: What golf club do you caddie for?
A: I am currently at Philadelphia Country Club. Which is the first club that I worked at. I am really grateful for my mentor that got me out there years ago who is still there today.
Q: How long have you been caddying?
A: This is my 13th summer. I’ve been in the game for a while.
Q: How did you start caddying?
A: So, I was in the music ministry at church and my mentor, Mr. Chuck Coppege, was a stewardess at my church and he also was a caddy. He introduced me to the game my 9th-grade year and I’ve been there ever since. He took me out every Saturday and personally developed my character. I came out of my own comfort zone to be honest with you since I never knew anything about the game.
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: My favorite thing about caddying is obviously the networking. I am a serious person when it comes to the game but I am just learning. I appreciate, literally, each caddy in my yard because they each teach me something new about the game but also, how to hustle, how to be moral support for the member or your player during that round.
I always say that to the people I caddy with – you know your technique at the end of the day, but I am here to get you through the golf course, to get you through 18, so if you need anything, I am there for you.
Q: How did you hear about J. Wood Platt?
A: Honestly, I didn’t hear anything about it until my junior year of high school. My mentor did say something about possibly earning a scholarship but let’s just say I was a part of upper-bounded high school so I was already finding a pathway into higher education and J. Wood Platt just coincided with everything. It was honestly the biggest gift that I received from getting accepted into West Chester, going to West Chester, even getting any other awards for being in the marching band or just having good grades, it was the biggest award that I received that paid for two-thirds of my tuition for not only four but five years.
I made some mistakes in my first semester. He [Brad Kane] even helped me out my fifth year. I am really grateful that J. Wood Platt is helping out through graduate school, it really means a lot.
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: My long-term goals within a 5 to 10-year span is to build a foundation and stability in the field of education. I plan to also learn about ventures in real estate as I save money. I hope that by being a high school teacher, it will give me a chance to build more experience then focus on my Ph.D in Principal or Educational Administration. I plan to use my summers to golf and caddy, and get into property.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying that you will never forget?
A: It may not be a positive one, but getting hit in the face with a golf ball. It was on hole two as I was running up to forecaddie and the ball shanked off the cart path. I was about 25 yards off the cart path. I joke about it with the member to this day because he “asked if the ball was in play.” Moral of the story, keep your head on a swivel, I still finished the round.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self as a caddie or a new caddie just starting?
A: My mentor who got me out on the course years ago told me to save, save, save. I did not, but I am learning graciously. Another piece of advice is to be comfortable in your own skin and do not get discouraged even if the person you are carrying for 4 putts on a par three (meaning they have to hole-out). I do not come from a golf setting or background, my mom was a CNA and my dad is a retired Custodian. I was introduced at a young age to the discipline, etiquette, and being of support for the player(s) in the sport. If you have a mentor or (OGs) who work in your caddy yard, learn from them, hustle and look at all landscapes of the course. 13 years in, I still learn something new every day.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: This scholarship changed everything for me, I see members who give to the trust and thank them as it alleviated financial burdens. I share with guests what the scholarship has done for me. I am first-generation and the first male in my family to get a degree. I made mistakes during my first undergraduate year and put the scholarship opportunity at risk. However, it is a privilege to receive this award from my ungraduated years into my first year of graduate school. Lastly, if it was not for my mentor Mr. Chuck Coppedge (Reverend Chuck) who gave me a pamphlet after church about caddying, investing time in me at the course, and sharing with me about the scholarship. I would not be here so I thank him.
J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust
The Trust’s mission, which has remained constant since its inception in 1958, is to financially aid deserving caddies in their pursuit of higher education. The J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust was created by GAP through the efforts of then President Walter A. Schmidt; Leo Fraser, President of the local section of Professional Golfers Association of America; and Albert Keeping, Golf Professional at Gulph Mills Golf Club. It was named in honor of Philadelphia’s premier golfer of the era, J. Wood Platt. Not only was Mr. Platt an accomplished player, but he was also the Trust’s co-founder and first contributor.
