“I get a lot of s**t from fellow caddies” – Joel Dahmen’s caddie Geno Bonnalie opens up on the ‘Netflix effect’

Joel Dahmen’s caddie Geno Bonnalie shot to fame after featuring on the Netflix golf docuseries Full Swing. Both Bonnalie and Dahmen impressed golf fans across the world with their emotional story arc in the series. Following this, the caddie has now revealed that he gets a “lot of s**t from fellow caddies” due to the ‘Netflix effect.’

Bonnalie was speaking on the Get a Grip podcast, where he opened up on the fame brought by the Netflix series. The caddie, who’s been carrying PGA Tour pro Dahmen’s bag for 13 years, said that many caddies tease him and bring him hats and Sharpies to sign. Dubbing the new-found fame as being ‘strange,’ the bagman noted that he is sometimes embarrassed by the popularity he’s gained.

Geno Bonnalie was quoted as saying by Golf.com:

“I get a lot of s**t from fellow caddies, for sure… There’s a lot of them coming up to me with their hats and a Sharpie and be like, 'Would you sign this for me?' You know that, and I’m just like, 'Gosh!' I know it’s bad.”

The caddie noted that he doesn’t know what to do when people ask for his autograph.

On this, Bonnalie said:

“I don’t know what to do, and people are so nice and they’re so supportive of us and I want to show that respect and if there’s a kid that wants Geno’s autograph for whatever it may be, to give that to him, but people see that and definitely give me a hard time for it.”

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Podcast host compares Geno Bonnalie's fame to ex-Tiger Woods caddie Mike Cowan

Interestingly, the Get a Grip podcast host Shane Bacon drew parallels between Bonnalie’s recent rise to fame and that of Mike Cowan, the caddie who was famously let go by Tiger Woods because of his rise in popularity. Replying to a query to on how he manages the ‘Netflix effect’ and fame in such a context, Bonnalie said that neither he or Dahmen is bothered about it.

Geno Bonnalie said, as per the aforementioned source:

“Yes, it has been strange and I also understand that if — well, maybe this isn’t true, but this is the way that I think of it in my head — if Joel was to ever fire me, or Rory [McIlroy] calls me next week — he’s like, Geno, I want you to caddie full time — I don’t think my presence on social media can be what it is right now, or in the spotlight.

"Because Joel is a special person to work for, and he’s just so laid back and accepting of all of this hoopla that goes with being on Netflix. And it works really well.”

It is pertinent to note that Geno Bonnalie has been with Joel Dahmen throughout his 13 years as a pro. The two best friends have carved out good careers together on the tour. They even recorded one PGA Tour win together at the 2021 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

The pair have even racked up over $10 million in earnings from the game, before getting the spotlight from Netflix’s Full Swing.