“I get fired every week, but I manage to get re-hired by Monday or Tuesday, usually.” That’s how Geno Bonnalie describes the relationship with his employer, Joel Dahmen. If it shows the humorous side of the veteran looper, it also shows the special relationship they have. Dahmen has only caddied for one player for ten years. 

Dahmen, once a KFT graduate, is now a one-time winner of the PGA Tour and a veteran of 195 starts. What about his caddie? Geno Bonnalie is a popular name for many reasons: his sense of humor, his candor, and, of course, his Full Swing fame. But what about Bonnalie, the person? We take a closer look.

Who is Geno Bonnalie outside the ropes?

Bonnalie was born in Lewiston, Idaho, on March 20, 1973. The veteran bagman, an avid golfer since childhood, attended the University of Idaho. His favorite golfer is Tiger Woods. In a chat with the Caddie Network, Bonnalie revealed that other than golf, he also likes to go fishing and hunting. 

Interestingly, Bonnalie held a Guinness record for playing 2000 holes over a week. He played for the Cystinosis Research Foundation, raising $15,000. That record stood until 2021, but the veteran bagman certainly doesn’t see him breaking it again. 

Geno Bonnalie is married to Holly. In an anniversary post dated September 22, 2021, Joel Dahmen’s caddie wrote, “Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for getting up with the baby every hour. Thank you for allowing me to do whatever I want pretty much all the time.” The couple shares two children, Hud and Wynn. Holly shares the wit of her husband. Her Instagram bio reads, “Golf widow to @genobonnalie.” 

How Bonnalie started caddying for Joel Dahmen?

Caddying for Bonnalie wasn’t a compulsion. He was well settled into his high-paying desk job as an export coordinator. Bonnalie, though, had known Dahmen since their teenage days. The two lived in the same area near the Washington/Idaho border and played junior golf together.

They first paired up in a two-player match. So, when Geno Bonnalie got to know that Dahmen had earned his KFT card, he sent a handwritten letter to the 36-year-old. The one-time PGA Tour winner readily accepted Bonnalie’s request to carry his bag. They have been going strong since 2015. What does caddying look like for a long-time friend? Bonnalie once shared a behind-the-scenes moment on his social media handle. 

The mean prank by Joel Dahmen on his caddie 

Bonnalie was enjoying his off day on a fine Sunday morning. But then came a text from his employer: “When do you get to Houston?” Bonnalie was shocked. Did he mess up the schedule? They weren’t supposed to tee up at the tournament. 

Bonnalie called Dahmen immediately. The one-time PGA Tour winner said he decided to enlist on Friday. Bonnalie rushed and booked a flight, a hotel, and a car. The only thing left was packing his bags, and he would be ready for the Monday flight. 

4.30 PM. Joel Dahmen called to tell him it was a prank. “Haha! I knew you’d fall for that. We’re not playing Houston.” The veteran looper later recounted the entire incident in an X thread, starting with “What it’s like to caddie for Joel Dahmen (a thread)”. But it always isn’t so smooth sailing on the greens. 

Why did Geno Bonnalie almost slap Joel Dahmen?

Bonnalie revealed that there was a ‘lot of anger’ in Dahmen in the early years. The veteran looper believed that with his humor, he could complement that to keep him in the right headspace. In 2015, Dahmen and Bonnalie were sweating it out at the Korn Ferry Tour finals to get his PGA Tour card back. Dahmen, the leader until the eighth hole, used his driver, ignoring Bonnalie’s advice for a hybrid, and blew it past the trees on the right side. Next, his 6-iron from the rough only traveled 10 yards. Things were hitting up. 

After carding a bogey and slipping up on the lead, Joel Dahmen threw the ball at his caddie, which traveled above his head and reached the bunker. “I’ve got a monkey working for me today,” the 36-year-old screamed while going to the next hole. 

Bonnalie thought of letting it pass, although he was fuming inside. But he lost it soon. “Motherf*****r, I could’ve hit that onto the green. If I didn’t think you could hit a 6-iron in the air, I would’ve never let you hit it,” the veteran bagman screamed at Dahmen.

Things, however, calmed down eventually. Dahmen needed a minimum sixth-place finish to earn his card, and he finished sixth. Bonnalie revealed later that, though he didn’t take it personally, he couldn’t let Dahmen call him names on the course. 

The relationship has evolved a lot over the past decade. The Full Swing episode gave a glimpse of how deep their bond runs. It also shot up Bonnalie’s fame—he likes to stay low-key—quite a notch. Not that he dislikes that, but it becomes more acceptable because he is looping for a person he knows very well.