ORLANDO, FL (Aug. 12, 2015) – The Tour Caddies Association has launched a full suite of business services catering to men’s and women’s tour caddies and tour players. These benefits include a caddie benefits plan, caddie/player job connection service, caddie and player financial advisory services, player management services and player agent representation.
The TCA was formed in 2013 by veteran Tour Caddies Dean Herden (LPGA Tour), Gary Matthews (PGA Tour) and Basil van Rooyen (PGA & Champions Tour), along with their Financial Advisor Michael J. Marini. The initial objective was to provide financial and job support to caddies working and traveling on the 15 major professional golf tours of the world.
The operation has since expanded to serve the needs of tour players, creating the industry’s only one-stop shop where tour caddies and players can get everything they need to succeed at the business of professional golf.
“The Tour Caddies Association fills a great need in professional golf,” said Marini, CEO of the organization. “When junior players and their parents set their sights on the professional game, it is very much a “figure it out yourself” business. We want them to know they have mentors and partners at the TCA, ready to assist with business support so they can focus solely on their games. We capitalize on our hundreds of combined years’ experience and worldwide connections in professional golf, making us all the right people in all the right places.”
From a caddie’s perspective, two programs that differentiate the Tour Caddies Association from other similar trade organizations are the TCA Caddie/Player Job Connection Service and the TCA Caddie Benefits Plan.
“When it comes to caddies, jobs and benefits are priority one,” said Marini. “We are utilizing our website to connect tour caddies who are looking for work to tour players who are hiring each week.
The website also serves as a hub for people to run their online travel bookings and retail purchases through as a means to support TCA’s caddie benefits plan.
“Each time a fan, player, caddie, family member or industry member spends money online anywhere in the world, we are asking them to run that purchase through www.tourcads.com,” said Marini. “By clicking our website before you buy, the TCA earns commissions on your purchases and we distribute 100% of that money to our caddie members to assist with healthcare and retirement benefits. It doesn’t cost the consumer a penny, and we even have an app for that.”
Marini and his team are very proud of what they have accomplished in their short two-year existence, including their working relationships with the professional golf tours.
“The TCA has received great support and encouragement from both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour every step of the way,” he said. “We have even developed a nice early presence with European Tour and Ladies European Tour, and we look forward to welcoming more European caddies into the TCA.”
Tour Caddies Association membership is open to caddies working full-time on the 15 major professional golf tours of the world. Caddies pay a $99 annual membership fee at www.tourcads.com, and are immediately eligible to receive quarterly benefit checks, utilize the player/caddie job connection service and receive discounts on valuable products from the TCA’s business partners.
Tour players can visit www.tourcads.com to sign up for the caddie/player job connection service at no charge, and inquire about player financial advisory services, player management services and player agent representation.
About Tour Caddies Association CEO Michael J. Marini
Michael J. Marini is an Orlando, FL-based Financial Adviser and Chief Executive Office of the Tour Caddies Association. A 1989 graduate of the University Of Central Florida, Marini has spent nearly a combined 30 years working in professional sports and financial planning. A former front office executive for the Orlando Magic, Marini drew on his life experiences in sports and financial planning in 2012 to publish Finish Strong: 21 Life And Money Lessons For Professional Athletes (Available on Amazon). He describes the book as a quick-read aimed at helping athletes in their 20’s see the world through the eyes of ex-athletes in their 40’s and 50’s, so they don’t exit the professional game with empty wallets and empty hearts. Marini is also a part-time actor and model, having appeared in 100+ print ads and television commercials since 1999, including several recent commercials airing on the Golf Channel for Capital One and Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. Marini can be reached through the Tour Caddies Association at www.tourcads.com and his financial advisor website at www.whatisproject62.com.
Contact:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kimberly@Jamisongolf.com
407-328-0500
TCA CONTACT:
Michael Marini
info@tourcads.com
407-924-7950
