In golf, numbers are everything.
Every golfer wants to shoot a low score. For that to happen, knowing distances, elevations and slopes is key.
A caddie’s duty is to help a golfer navigate all 18 holes on a course. They are expected to be the experts, the ones that know the course inside and out, every nook and cranny. Where to miss, where not to miss.
That’s why it’s so essential for caddies to know them.
Luke Wren, who made his caddie debut this summer at Lancaster Country Club, had a number in his mind that wasn’t the distance to the flag or how much the elevation impacted it.
The number? Well, Wren didn’t know exactly. But he did know it was somewhere in the low 60s.
This time, Wren was lugging around no one else’s bag but his own. The only golfer he needed to guide around Lancaster Country Club was himself.
As Wren stepped up to the tee box of hole No. 17, a par-three, on July 29, he knew that he had a solid round of golf going.
It was Caddie Day at the country club, a flighted tournament specifically for the caddies who guide the members and guests of Lancaster Country Club every day around the course with their unmatched knowledge and insights of the course.
Caddie Luke Wren putts at Lancaster Country Club on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. He recently won the Lancaster Country Club caddie tournament.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer
Wren knew he had his swing that day.
“I felt something halfway through the front nine on (the) Meadow Creek (course),” Wren said. “I felt good.”
Wren hit his first bad shot of the round, blocking an 8-iron into the bunker.
Up to that point, he’d been on “cruise control” through the previous 16 holes before he ran into some adversity in the form of a bunker shot.
After a shaky sand shot, Wren had to settle for a double bogey.
His heart dropped a bit. Wren knew his score up to the 17th was well within the ballpark of the course record, but he didn’t know the exact number he needed.
After the double bogey, Wren was less concerned about a number he couldn’t pinpoint, and shifted his focus.
“I put playing well on the back burner and focused on winning the tournament,” he said.
Wren bounced back well, and ended his round up with a birdie on 18.
“He really pulled it back together,” said Jeff Stoltzfoos, the chair of Lancaster Country Club’s golf committee.
As the ball hit the bottom of the hole on 18, the murmurs began. Had he done it?
In a word, yes. Wren had authored a 62 on the par-70 course, finishing 8-under par, and tying the course record in the process.
But that beautiful number had to take a back seat, at least for a little bit. He had to play a shootout first, in order to win the tournament. He accomplished that, too.
Not a bad exclamation mark for Wren’s first summer as a Lancaster Country Club caddie. Even if he, admittedly, was intimidated by the course during his first week on the job.
The club, which hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 2024, is a daunting test of golf and one of the most difficult tracks to be found in the state.
It is also one of the most breathtaking golfing venues Wren has seen.
“Everyone should get a chance to experience this course,” he said of the club.
Wren, of Hershey, started golfing when he was 10 years old. He played competitively at Lower Dauphin High School and on the club team at Penn State.
Caddie Luke Wren chips onto the green at Lancaster Country Club on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. He recently won the Lancaster Country Club caddie tournament.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer
He credits his time in competitive golf and the ability to adapt quickly to an unfamiliar course, helping him learn every slope, break and green at Lancaster Country Club.
But that knowledge didn’t come overnight.
“It took me three weeks to a month to get used to it,” Wren said. “It is one of the most difficult I’ve ever seen.”
The course record of 62 was initially shot by a name that Lancaster County golf enthusiasts will know very well. Manheim Township grad Craig Hornberger, who has has name on a couple Lanco Amateur trophies, shot the first 62 in 2018.
“What I think is so notable is that for 100 years, people have been coming here to play golf and 62 is the number,” Stoltzfoos said.
Stoltzfoos, who was serving as a beverage cart driver the day of the tournament, was informed by Wren’s playing partner that Wren carded a stretch of birdie, eagle and another birdie on holes three through five.
“I knew something good was happening,” Stoltzfoos said.
But at the time, Stoltzfoos didn’t think the result would be a tie for the course record.
“It took me a day or so to think it through,” he said.
For Wren, the round was a whirlwind. What started as just another competitive round of golf ended with him carving a spot in the history of Lancaster Country Club.
“Luke is a smart young man,” Stoltzfoos said. “It entwines him with the country club in a really unique way.”
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.