After spending just three months in the United States back in 1957, German native Joe Meindl was convinced that it was his new home. That excitement and gratitude for America only grew since that year, bringing him to where he is today - living in La Porte as the oldest golf caddy in the world at the age of 85.
The Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Michigan is Meindl’s second home during the summer months where he spends every day walking the course as a golf caddy. Meindl was interested in working on his golf game about 21 years ago when he was prompted by his friend Dave Hetinger, the general manager of the Dunes Club, to come help on the golf course.
“I really wanted to see how good I could get, so I played a lot of golf and tried to get as much out of it that I could, but I had to make a living," said Meindl. "I just had to be happy and take my game with what I got. In the meantime, I played a lot of golf with the general manager who was up at the Dunes. Hetinger called me one day and said, ‘Joe, I need some help. I need a caddy.’ And I said, ‘Of course.’ So the next day at seven o’clock, I showed up. That first day was one of my luckiest days as a caddy. I was so passionate about it, out in the fresh air, meeting so many people, and I got hooked right away.”
That first day as a golf caddy was the first of hundreds of days that Meindl would spend enjoying being on a golf course. For him, the most important part of being a caddy is making the experience memorable for the golfer you are helping.
“Of course you’ve got to understand the game and you’ve got to enjoy being around people. I try to make it as good a day as I can for them. If I can help them with swings or putting and see them start improving in training, then I know I did my job,” said Meindl. “To make a good caddy, sometimes it’s just trying to make it a pleasant day for them.”
Meindl has too many unforgettable memories from his over 20 years of being a caddy to count. One day that stands out was the day he was caddying for someone in a club pro tournament and they chose the wrong club on the fifth hole.
“The golfer said, ‘Joe, give me a six iron.’ I said, ‘Are you sure? I don’t think you’ll get over the water with a six iron.’ And he said, ‘Yes I can.’ I said, ‘I don’t think you can, there’s some wind up there and it’s better to use a five iron or even a four iron.’ And he said, ‘No, I want a six iron.' So I gave him the six iron, and he was ready to hit the golf shot and I said, ‘Wait a second.’ So I bent down to the ball and I said, 'Ball - you better take a big breath because you’re going to be underwater for a long time.’”
The golfer’s shot did indeed end up landing in the water. With Meindl being out on the course every day, watching countless golfers at the same 18 holes, it is safe to say he knows a thing or two about what each club is capable of doing.
“After that, he trusted me. He never doubted my advice for what club to use," Meindl laughed.
It is moments like these that make Meindl feel extreme gratitude for his position as a golf caddy. He noted how going to work every morning does not actually feel much like work at all.
“It’s a good feeling to get up in the morning and enjoy going to work,” said Meindl. “It’s like playing in a sandbox and having fun. It’s my dream. It’s my life.”
Meindl’s dream of being a caddy was even further emphasized the day that he had the opportunity to caddy for Bernard Langer.
“He is my idol. He is a German golfer who has won more tournaments in the senior event than any other guy in the tour, and I was fortunate enough to spend time caddying for him,” said Meindl. “His reputation on the golf tour is that he is the most respected and the most liked individual of the PGA tour. He is a great guy, a good Christian, a good family man, and he’s my idol. I hope I can do it again in the next senior event he has. I’m looking forward to caddying for him again.”
In addition to Meindl having his own idols, many younger golf caddies at the Dunes Club look up to Meindl himself for his spirit and hard work.
“That’s not an easy job for young boys and girls to hustle around the course with a 30-pound bag on them, and it gets pretty hot sometimes. You need to be committed to show up whenever we need you,” said Meindl. “I try to be a good role model to them and keep them going, encouraging them as much as I can.”
A good friend to Meindl, Jon Leetz, shared a few sentiments in regards to their relationship. Though the two only met just last year, Leetz noted how Meindl has quickly grown to be a true role model in his life as he watches him work his heart out on the course every day.
“Caddying is hard. Walking five or six miles through a golf course and doing that in the heat of the summer a hundred or more times a year," said Leetz. "It’s all very physically demanding. This guy carries your bag and does it every single day in the summer, I mean it’s amazing. He’s taught his whole family how to play golf, and now he’s teaching me how to be a better golfer. He’s just such a cool guy. I envision him on the cover of Golf Digest one day to tell his story about coming to this country, learning the game of golf, teaching his family, and going on to be the world’s oldest caddy.”
Not only has Leetz grown to be in awe of Meindl’s work ethic at his age, but he has also grown to admire Meindl’s undeniable appreciation for coming to America.
“To me, he’s like a father figure. He’s helped me a lot with my golf swing, so he’s like a coach, but he’s a friend, and he’s a friend to everyone at that club,” said Leetz. “I wish every American could hear what he went through, to hear the appreciation he has for people, for the freedom, for our country.”
As CEO of Indiana Beverage, Leetz also enjoys the fact that Meindl is a fellow lover of beer.
“Most of the caddies at the end of the day will go home, but Joe always stays to have a beer. He’s a great beer drinker,” said Leetz. “He never drinks while he’s working, but he always has a beer or two afterward. He’s a beloved guy, he’s just so special.”
Growing up in Bavaria, Germany, Meindl has always had an adventurous, likable spirit.
“I worked almost all over Germany in big cities and tourist places, so I worked in the summer and winter times, and I worked in a different area for skiing,” said Meindl. “After all that, I decided I wanted to see the United States, so that’s what made me want to come.”
When he first arrived, he took root in Madison, Wisconsin where he worked for the meatpacking company, Oscar Mayer. Though his excitement for what was yet to come in his new home was prevalent, something else was on his mind - his partner back in Germany.
Meindl and his wife, Cathy, have known each other since kindergarten. After going to school together until high school, the two got engaged before Meindl decided to take a trip to the United States.
“When I told her I wanted to go to the United States, she didn’t like it. So I told her, ‘If I don’t like it, I’m only going to stay for a year, and then I’ll go back, and we obviously can be together. If I do like it, I’ll send for you, and I hope you come.’ Of course, after three months, I told her I’m not coming back,’’ Meindl said with a laugh. “So I made arrangements and sent for her, and then she made the trip from Germany. It was one of the luckiest days of my life when she decided to come. She’s my soulmate.”
Soulmates is an understatement to describe Joe and Cathy. The two not only grew up and went to school together in Germany, but they also lived just three houses apart from one another. With a successful marriage of 63 years that involved raising four children, it is safe to say the two are meant to be.
Though his welcoming to America was initiated in Wisconsin, Meindl later moved to Chicago once he was transferred to a manager position for Oscar Mayer. Two years later, he moved to where he resides today in La Porte, Indiana.
“I have lived in La Porte ever since. I love the city. Me and my wife, we raised four kids here,” said Meindl. “The school system at that time in the ‘60s was absolutely the best school system in Northern Indiana, maybe all of Indiana.”
Meindl has happily and proudly raised three sons, Mike, Chris, and Tony, and one daughter, Angie. He holds fond memories of playing golf and skiing with his children as they grew up.
“My family and I always went skiing in the wintertime. We’d go up to Michigan or down to Colorado and make it a family activity. And when the kids grew up, I always took them golfing,” said Meindl. “It was just a game that we played as a family. We spend a lot of time together.”
In his personal life, when Meindl is not spending time talking about how much he loves his wife or serving as a role model to younger caddies, he enjoys swimming at the YMCA, going for a walk outside to enjoy the fresh air, or playing chess to sharpen his mind. He noted how chess is a challenging game, and simply walking away from the game with a draw means you’ve done well.
After living here in America for over 60 years, Meindl does not have any regrets, but rather, he holds a deep appreciation for where he is today as both a German immigrant and a golf caddy.
“I do know one thing; the United States is the best country in the world. I know so - I experienced it,” said Meindl. “Where I grew up, and the time I grew up, it was very difficult. I recognized the beautiful democracy that we have here in the United States after just three months, and I never regretted it. I would never live any other place in the United States. I am very proud to be an American, a good citizen, and a good shepherd for whatever I do.”