The pros and cons of being a golf caddy

I know some of you are surprised, seeing a girl write a story about how she’s a caddy. It may be taboo to some of you. It’s taboo to most of the men I work for too, but if they’ve gotten used to it then so can you.

Throughout all my summers during high school I have woken up before the sun rises in order to be at work when it does. I work at Red Run Country Club, which is one of the several private golf and social clubs in Metro Detroit. This 100-year-old establishment welcomes those who are wealthy enough and have the right connections to come play golf, tennis, swim and hang out. It’s vaguely reminds me of college Greek life but for adults. Similar to the “Who do you know here?” thing. I say this because if you want a membership at Red Run you have to show financial support and have two letters of recommendation from current members who are in good standing at the club.

I jokingly call myself an octopus at work because you have to juggle lots of items while walking down the course. Things such as cleaning the club he just used, carrying his drink, getting his next club, using a range finder to get the correct distance and many others occur all before he takes his next shot. Although carrying a bag  for a rich guy sounds like easy work, it isn’t always fun and games.

Pros:

The money

The money can be amazing, if you work hard enough. With working at Red Run for the past four summers, I know which days are best to caddy on. Normally this means giving up parts of my week in order to get good loops. The course pays me specific amount based on my ranking and the member I work for has to match at least as much as I make. But if I have members who request to have me as their caddy or I work for a member who knows me well, it increases my chances for a big tip.

The business relationships

I can’t even begin to tell you how many of the guys I worked for were doctors, lawyers or successful business owners. They have all given me advice about school, work and other personal things. And in the world of business, connections are everything. I am a journalism major wanting to work in TV and although none of the members I’ve worked for are in this field,  when I tell them I want to be on TV, they put me in contact with their friend who is in the business. In the past, I have been offered shadow jobs and possible intern positions through friends of their.  Building relationships with the people you work for definitely pays off.

Getting out of work early

There is no better feeling than getting done with work at around 1pm or earlier,  especially because you woke up at the crack of dawn. And being able to go home and nap or eat or sleep or swim or do whatever I want for the rest of the day totally makes up for it. Also a round of golf lasts no longer than five hours at a max. So working for five hours or less and making the same amount as someone who is working six or seven hours feels good.

Getting to play for free (sometimes)

Red Run is closed on Mondays, and when there isn’t intense grounds work or a private outing the caddies get to play for free! Now I’m not the best golfer, but it’s so much nicer playing on a private course than a crappy public one. Before I caddied, I never played golf ever. But once I stared working, I became intrigued by all the sweet shots the guys were making and wanted to do the same thing. Golf is one of those sports that you can never really master. Don’t get me wrong, you can get pretty damn good but there is always something you can do better.

Cons:

The farmer’s tan

Oh, the beautiful and bold differentiation between my normal pale Irish skin tone and my summer glow. Sometimes when I look at my feet in the middle of August I think to myself, “How the hell was I ever that pale?”. Having to wear Bermuda shorts and an over-sized mens golf polo doesn’t give me the best tan lines, but I do get some color from working outside and nothing’s better than that.