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At the age of nine, Kevin Bogrette was riding his bike up to the Hershey Lodge where his siblings worked at the pitch and putt. He could not have imagined those would be the beginning credits to his fairytale golf career.
Twelve years later at the age of 21, Bogrette was working at the Hershey Lodge, just like his siblings. With no caddies in sight, Bogrette stepped up to the tee, offering assistance to an LPGA professional in desperate need of a caddy for her practice round. Unbeknownst to him, he had just offered to caddy for LPGA tour professional Kelly Leadbetter, a one-time deal that turned into the opportunity of a lifetime. This Cinderella story did not come to Bogrette through pure luck. He lives by the idea that “you must give some to get some.”
As the young Bogrette came to find out, he had not just caddied for any golfer; this was David Leadbetter’s wife. David Leadbetter was and is a leading golf instructor, who has shaped techniques, mechanics, and the psychology of the sport.
“As the story unfolds, it ended up that I caddied for this lady for the week. And she ended up being pro David Leadbetter’s wife. He was one of the best golf instructors in the world at that time.”
Leadbetter notably rebuilt the swing of Nick Faldo, who then won six major championships and was listed 2nd in Golf Digest’s 2005 list of the 200 greatest teachers in the United States. Leadbetter’s wife saw talent and drive in Bogrette, and in a whirlwind, he found himself with an invitation to work at Leadbetter’s golf academy and the opportunity to work with the greatest golf minds in the game.
“Three months later I packed my bags and moved to Florida. I was only 21. I met Ernie [Els] a week later, and we have been friends for 29 years.”
Bogrette spent six to seven days a week working on golf and fell into a friendship with Ernie Els, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. Over the past 14 years, Bogrette has been traveling 40 weeks a year with Ernie Els, coaching and training him. Recently he has been with Els at the U.S. Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the Valspar.
Bogrette’s career has now come full circle. After years traveling the globe in more than 12 countries and 35 states, he is returning to teach golf lessons at the Harrisburg Golf Simulator and Rich Valley Golf Course in Mechanicsburg. Through golf, Bogrette wants to touch as many lives as possible and give others the lifetime gift of the game. The next time you get invited to a corporate or charity golf outing, Bogrette says to remember that 89 percent of the people on the course have never had an actual lesson. His take away tips to prepare for your next scramble:
1) Have the right equipment—get fitted for clubs. 2) Focus on the fundamentals: grip, posture, set-up and alignment. 3) Take golf lessons.4) Don’t be intimated by the game.
