If you’d ask Akshay Bhatia to sum up his 2025 season in one word, he would likely choose “demoralizing.” And he did. Ahead of the 3M Open, the pro candidly confessed that “This is the first year of my life where I’ve felt like I’m on a decline,” and that makes him feel like, “it’s been a demoralizing season for most of the year.” As worrying as his self-assessment is, the pro is definitely looking to change that this month, starting with the 2025 FedEx St. Jude Championship. And he is doing that with a talented bagman right behind him.

John Limanti has been working with Akshay Bhatia since mid-2024. With over 15 years of caddying under his belt, Limanti’s worked with tons of big-name players on the PGA and LPGA Tours.

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Limanti started golfing young. He played college golf at the University of North Florida, where he was named First Team All-Independent in 2001-02. After graduating with a business degree in 2004, Limanti worked as a wind and yardage consultant – keeping him in golf without turning pro right away.

Then in 2009, Chris Stroud asked Limanti to caddie for him, and that’s when Limanti’s caddying career took off. He caddied for Stroud through his career, including that awesome win at the 2013 Travelers Championship – one of Limanti’s greatest memories. Over the years, Limanti has worked with a bunch of top players like Adam Scott, Kyung Kim, Chris Kirk, Keith Mitchell, and, more recently, Akshay Bhatia.

In a 2018 interview with The Caddie Network, Limanti confessed that his best golf memory was making an eagle on a par-4 18th hole at an American Junior Golf Association event to qualify for Match Play. Talking about the same, the former golfer said, “I had 210 yards to the hole, and miraculously made the shot with my 4-iron… I then went on to meet and play Chris Stroud in the first round. We became great friends and now work together on the Tour.” 

And what about his greatest memory as a caddie? Well, it was Chris Stroud’s win at the 2013 Travlers Championship, one that Limanti fondly thinks of as “It was the loudest roar that I had ever heard. It was electric!” But not everything’s been well for him. John Limanti has been through some tough stuff too – like “serious neck surgery” before the 2013 Players Championship, as stated by a PGA Tour report.

The ex-college golfer entered the 2023 caddy competition on the par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass after he’d fully recovered. But things didn’t exactly go as planned. Afterward, Limanti said, “I haven’t played golf at all.” But the following months weren’t all too bad, especially given that Bhaita entered his life following this moment.

Limanti started working with Akshay Bhatia in April 2024, right around the RBC Heritage. The two quickly clicked and built a solid connection. Proof of their fun chemistry was a silly bet they made during the Travelers Championship – they challenged each other to see who could chug the most water in the sweltering heat.

The result? Limanti outdrank him, with Bhatia confessing in 2024, “I’m probably drinking seven, eight bottles of water a day, and then mix that with electrolytes hydration stuff, so it’s a fun battle, it’s good to keep us on our toes about that.” Interestingly, however, John Limanti’s life outside the course is just as vivid – if a little bolder.

John Limanti once worked as an underwear model

To say that John Limanti is an interesting person is an understatement. And nothing speaks about the kind of fun person he can be more than his social media bios. Yes, you read that right. For instance, his Instagram bio reads, “Wind and yardage consultant. Amateur beatboxer. Gourmet sandwich artist. @yeti @fourtane.” And his X bio? That’s even more interesting: “Wind and yardage consultant. Amateur beatboxer. Underwear model. Gourmet sandwich artist. G and Linc’s Dad.” 

John Limanti is a family-oriented person, proud to be a husband to Angela, a dad to his daughter Giana, and a pet parent to Bunker Maximus. Limanti’s family calls Jacksonville, near Jax Beach, home – it’s his hometown. Apart from hanging out with family, he pursues hobbies like amateur beatboxing and modeling underwear.

In 2023, Limanti partnered with SAXX Underwear alongside three other caddies (Geno Bonnalie, Joel Stock, and Aaron Flener) for a noteworthy cause. The caddies sported SAXX underwear and polos to support the Testicular Cancer Foundation, with SAXX donating $100 to the foundation for each birdie made. Clearly, Limanti’s life is full of activity, both on and off the golf course. The caddie is making the most of life.