23 years old. An age when many young adults are just graduating college and starting their lives in the real world. Whether money is tight or not, the general expenses are usually the same. Food. Entertainment. Transportation. Basic necessities, with a good amount of spending on fun as well. For most 23-year-olds, charitable donations fall towards the very bottom of the list, or more likely don’t make it at all. However, that isn’t the case for Westchester Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund recipient Daniel Meduri.
Meduri is a recent graduate of Manhattanville College, where he played baseball for four years and immersed himself in the world of stock trading. On the weekends, Meduri would caddie at Woodway Country Club in Darien, Connecticut. The Club is just minutes from where Meduri grew up.
After graduation, Meduri was able to land a job on Wall Street, where he currently works. When he isn’t working during the week, he is studying for his Series 7 exam. Even with this hectic schedule, he also continues to caddie on the weekends.
“Yea life is pretty busy right now,” said Meduri. “Most of my free time has been taken up with studying for my Series 7 exam, which is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I’m a grind freak so it works out well.”
Holding a Series 7 license allows the holder to sell almost all individual securities, including common and preferred stocks, call and put options, bonds, and other fixed income. For Meduri, this would be a huge step in his professional life.
“Like I said, the test is incredibly hard,” said Meduri. “No matter how smart you are, you have to put in the time. That’s something being a caddie taught me, you must put in the time to be successful, there are no shortcuts.”
Meduri was never into golf growing up. In fact, he didn’t even find out about the option to caddie for work until he was 14.
“I started at Woodway when I was 14 and when I began, I was a C-rated caddie,” said Meduri. “Fast forward to now and I’m a AA-rated caddie and people will request me by name.”
After starting to caddie, Meduri also started to play golf more frequently. He would go out with fellow caddies and started playing with friends as well. Now, golf is a huge part of his life as well.
“I definitely liked the sport a lot more after I started caddieing,” said Meduri. “Being a caddie really helps with your actual game and it takes it to the next level. I probably shaved 15 strokes off my game from the time I started at Woodway.”
At first, Woodway was just a way to make some money and to save money for Meduri. Then he found out about the WGACSF. Meduri says he is the type of person who sets their mind to a goal and doesn’t rest until that goal is accomplished.
“Once I found out about the scholarship it was one of my main focuses to get one,” said Meduri. “The journey was unbelievable and everyone I met along the way was and has been incredibly supportive of me.”
Meduri was able to secure a scholarship for his years at Manhattanville and because of that graduated with zero debt. All the while, he continued to hone his skills as a caddie.
“Without my summer job at Woodway I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing,” said Meduri “I’ve learned so much as a caddie, but also about life from caddieing. A lot of people I work with at Woodway are very successful and I always took a little bit from everyone I met.”
Meduri’s time at Woodway not only led him to his current job on Wall Street, but it also led him to the scholarship he received from the WGACSF. Meduri was a recipient of the Christopher C. Hickey scholarship. Both Meduri and the late Chris Hickey caddied at Woodway Country Club which Meduri says made it that much more special to receive the scholarship.
“Obviously it meant a lot to me,” said Meduri. “It was truly an honor and it’s an incredible thing to honor [Chris] and give back at the same time like that.”
Although he is less than a full year removed from college, Meduri has already decided to give back to the CSF, as a 23-year-old. Though the CSF has many generous donors, very few alumni choose to donate the year after the graduate college.
“Giving back like that was something I hadn’t really been able to do before but something I really wanted to do,” said Meduri. “I just wanted to show my support because so many people supported me when I was a recipient.”
At only 23, Meduri says he plans to give back to the fund as long as he has the time and means to do so.
Danny Meduri is just one of many outstanding alumni that make the CSF network as special as it is. However, his generosity stands out because of his willingness to donate at such a young age. Meduri said he feels like the CSF is an incredible opportunity that anyone should take advantage of if they have the ability to.
“The reason I’m giving back is because of the tremendous support through the fund, I was able to graduate without any debt and that’s incredible,” said Meduri. “I was never an A student and this scholarship opened doors I didn’t think were possible. You have to take advantage of it though and work hard. There are always people willing to give and it’s an incredible program. I wouldn’t have the relationships I have today without the CSF and my caddie position at Woodway.”
While Meduri continues to grind on his Series 7 exam, he hopes the next generation of caddies are grinding to be as great as they can be in whatever they choose. There’s no doubt Meduri is an exceptional alumnus. With his generosity, who knows, one day the CSF might be awarding the Daniel Meduri Scholarship.