Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Thomas Larkin.
Larkin speaks about the support of Llanerch Country Club!
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I am 21 years old.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: I am in my senior year at St. Joseph’s University.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: I graduate in 2025.
Q: What is your major?
A: My major is marketing.
Q: How did you decide on that major?
A: I was at the University of Sciences before St. Joseph’s University and was doing pharmaceutical marketing and then when the merger happened I switched to marketing.
Q: Do you participate in activities in school? Clubs?
A: I am on the Golf Team at my school.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Pretty much being with friends and family. Golf keeps me busy year round!
Q: What golf club do you caddie for?
A: Llanerch Country Club.
Q: How long have you been caddying?
A: This is my eighth year at Llanerch.
Q: How did you start caddying?
A: I had some family that did it and it just made sense. I saw my brother, who is a year older than me, who would come home and rave about caddying and how good it was, how great the people were that he was meeting, and the conversations he would have. I jumped on it right away when I was old enough!
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: The people. The people at Llanerch are so awesome. It’s unbelievable the relationships I made over there and the connections that I’ve been able to acquire. It’s really invaluable and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Q: How did you hear about J. Wood Platt?
A: My brother was a Platt Evans Scholar so that was an easy introduction to the program. There’s also a lot of buzz around Lanark about J. Wood Platt. When you tell members you are in your Junior year of high school, the first thing they ask is if you are going to apply for the scholarship.
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: My long term goals are a little on the subjective side. I’d say my number one goal for my long term future is to continue to better my personality and make sure I am constantly good to the people around me. Being genuine and authentic is something I find really important for me so I’d like to set myself on a career path that allows me to use those values as an asset. Lastly I hope I am still playing competitive golf in some capacity, likely on the amateur circuit but that is something that I really enjoy and look forward to doing.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying that you will never forget?
A: There are countless stories that I have gathered in my time caddying at Llanerch. Two summers ago, the PA State Amateur was held at Llanerch and I had been fortunate enough to qualify for it. The weeks following the qualifier and preceding the State Am were unforgettable, it felt like I had a huge support system for this tournament and every one of the members was just as encouraging as the next. Then a week or so before the tournament, I was caddying for the president of the club, and he had told me that the day before the tournament they’d give me full access to the property. To practice, to play, clubhouse access, “whatever I needed” as he put it. It wasn’t necessarily the access to the property that made it special for me, but the message from the membership like “we’ve got your back” was a really awesome feeling and I’ll never forget that hospitality.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self as a caddie or a new caddie just starting?
A: I would say just be yourself. Once you get the basics of caddying mastered and get into a groove, there still has to be something that will separate you from everyone else in the yard. From my experience, using your personality as an asset is a way to get people to remember your name and prefer to have you out there with them. A lot of GAP member clubs (especially Llanerch) are filled with working-class, down-to-earth people who are very easy to talk to and make a connection with. While you’re caddying you will meet a lot of really good people and if you can learn to enjoy that process and not just think of it as a way to get paid, you will succeed (given you have the fundamentals mastered).
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: Caddying in general had changed my life drastically, then J. Wood Platt just took that to another level. I applied for the Platt Scholarship during my senior year of high school and knew the opportunities that would open up for me if I got it. Platt allowed me to continue my golf career, Division II at the University of the Sciences for my freshman year. Then when Saint Joes and Usciences had merged, I ended up playing golf for Saint Joes and this will be my third year as a Hawk, with Llanerch as our home course. I can say that none of this would be possible without J. Wood Platt and being able to further my education at the Haub School of Business will prove to be a massive stepping stone into my career and life going forward. Being able to make connections with the proud donors to J. Wood Platt and other recipients of it has been an absolute pleasure over the last 3 years and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am playing Division I golf around the corner from my house, with our home course being the same place I grew up caddying, and none of it would be possible without J. Wood Platt.
J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust
The J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust was created in 1958 and is the charitable arm of GAP (Golf Association of Philadelphia). The J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust’s mission is to financially aid and empower qualified caddies and those working in golf operations in the pursuit of higher education. Along with aiding caddies financially, J. Wood Platt’s EMPOWER program strengthens scholarship investment dollars by providing caddies with exceptional benefits and leadership training through access to the wide network of J. Wood Platt donors and alumni. To date, more than 3,700 young men and women have received $25 million in aid from the Trust.
