Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Luke Lanzone.
Lanzone talks about his dreams of working in sports.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I am twenty.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: Florida Gulf Coast University.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: Next year, so May 2023.
Q: What is your major?
A: Sports management.
Q: How did you decide on that major?
A: I played sports my whole life so I grew up being around it. I wanted to have a profession in sports, that is mainly why I chose it.
Q: Do you participate in activities in school? Clubs?
A: Yes! I am in a fraternity. I am also a manager for the men’s basketball team, the student manager.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Yes, playing basketball at the gym. I also work at a golf course down here in the bag room so I do that in my free time.
Q: What golf club do you caddie for?
A: Lehigh Country Club.
Q: How long have you been caddying?
A: I have been caddying there for six years now!
Q: How did you start caddying?
A: I had a family friend who was a member there so they helped me out. He gave me an intro training session and ever since then I’ve been caddying.
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: Meeting new people on the course every day and learning different experience from them. It is also nice having a job on a golf course.
Q: How did you hear about J. Wood Platt?
A: My caddy master at Lehigh Country Club told me about it and how it could benefit me. He gave me the application to apply.
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: To be working at a college basketball program, whether it be as a director of operations or an assistant coach.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying that you will never forget?
A: I was caddying for a member in the club championship. The round was very close throughout, in fact, it had to go to a playoff hole after they tied from the 18 holes. My player chipped in for birdie on the first playoff hole to win.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self as a caddie or a new caddie just starting?
A: Don’t be afraid or discouraged if you don’t get consistent loops while starting out. The only way you will caddy more often is by always saying yes and taking any loop, whether it is 1 or 2 bags, or even fore caddying.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: J. Wood Platt has given me the opportunity to attend my dream school in Florida and live where I have always wanted to. I would not be where I am if it wasn’t for this scholarship, and J. Wood Platt has made that possible.
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.
