Our Story
Kid Caddie was founded on the belief that an active lifestyle doesn't have to end when you have kids. We set out to combine two of our favorite things... being a parent and playing golf!
2019-2021
How It Began
As a new dad I found myself searching for a way to balance the responsibilities of fatherhood with a desire to stay involved in the active lifestyle I had enjoyed. I would often take my daughter for walks around the neighborhood in a stroller and would go for hikes with her in a backpack and found myself missing the afternoons that would have previously been spent on the golf course. When I searched for something that could help me combine my desire to spend one-on-one time with my kids and play golf there wasn't a product that existed... so I decided to create one. This was when I developed the first prototype of the now award-winning Kid Caddie.
2019-2021
The Journey
The next couple of years were spent enjoying watching my now two kids grow up on the golf course. We played over 50 rounds together over these years alternating between a single and double stroller. I was continually met with so much positivity by other golfers and families on the course who saw my Kid Caddie product that I began to think about making it available to help other golf families. Being based in Minnesota I would business plan during the winter and create prototypes and test during the summer. When product testing was playing golf, life was pretty good. I had tried materials like wood and metal, but they weren't ideal because of the weight and potential damage to the clubs. I had looked at styles where the clubs would hang straight down from the handlebar, but it negatively impacted the weight ratio of the stroller. After testing over 20 prototypes, I finalized my current design that transforms the stroller into a push cart by using the handlebars and basket. To protect the idea from imitation, I patented the utility of a golf club carrier that attaches to a stroller.
2022
Made In The USA
Going to Market - This phase started by bringing the idea to social media where it caught the attention of families all over the world. Now that I knew there was interest, I bootstrapped the company by setting up in home manufacturing. I grew my 3D printing setup from one printer that had been used to make prototypes to a seven printer studio. A small team and I would then work together to print and assemble the eight different parts that went into making a Kid Caddie. We were able to make enough for limited quantity drops each month that quickly disappeared. This phase was an insane amount of work and also brought a sense of true joy that we were creating something that people were excited about and would bring families together.
Manufacturing – In order to grow the family golf movement, we needed to be able to reach more families; this meant finding an injection molding manufacturer. I felt it was important that the Kid Caddie be made in the USA. We wanted to invest in our community and build a relationship with our partners to ensure we created the highest quality product. We chose a 2nd generation family-run business in the Midwest who believed what our product stood for. Making our product in the USA and partnering with families from our local area was one of the best decisions we could have made. It helped us create a truly first class product and ensured that we had no supply chain issues when fulfilling orders.
2023
Golfing Families
The excitement of this year was kicked off by being accepted as an Inventor Spotlight Company at the PGA show in Orlando, FL. This was an exciting moment for the company as it felt like our introduction to the world. We exhibited at the New Product Zone where we were voted 4th out of 110 companies by the PGA members in attendance.
This excitement was followed by a number of media outlets picking up our story of growing the game of golf and making it inclusive for families. This recognition led us to having our product televised on the Golf Channel along with being the featured story on both local and national broadcasts.
Upon the completion of our injection mold we launched the product in North America where we quickly saw all 50 United States and all provinces of Canada have families use the Kid Caddie on their local courses. We quickly followed this with our international launch where we shipped to families in over 20 countries.
2024
A course near you
We are excited for what the future holds and look forward to putting in the work to grow the game and support those golf families looking to stay active as new parents. We'll be working to partner with more retailers, courses, coaches and youth programs during the next year. To connect about opportunities, you can reach our team at team@kidcaddiegolf.com.
As Seen On
Golf Channel
Golf Digest
Fox Business
Golf Trooper
PGA Show
Family Channel
Inside Outdoors
Sioux Links
Huffington Post
Discovery Channel
CBS
True Golf Junkies
Yahoo Sports
Fox News
GolfGroupChat
PGA Memes
MyGolfSpy
Discovery Life
Golf Link
Golf Ledger
Audio Broadcasts
Dad Golf Podcast
BAGS – Below Average Golfers
Save Par Podcast
Ray Adams – Radio Show