U
nlike the male-dominated sport like golf, sophomore Austin Hardman wishes he was a girl. “The only part I dislike is not being a girl caddy.” Hardman says. “They make so much more money in tips for just being a girl. I was caddying with a girl and she made double what I had made in tips. In all honesty, the golfers love girls, so it is very hard to get loops (rounds) sometimes,” Hardman said. As a caddy, Hardman is in his natural habitat working in golf, an activity he loves. Hardman plans on caddying during the summer at Cherry Hills Country Club (CHCC) as a class “B” caddie. As a class “B” caddie he is allowed to use a yardage gun, a device that captures magnets in the flag to find yardage, which helps with the pace of play. Caddies are supposed to pace the game to finish(the whole 18 holes) in approximately four hours. Hardman does more than expected. “I give the players yardages. I carry the player’s bags. I clean the golf ball. I clean their clubs. I fix the divots in the fairway,” Hardman said. “I give them advice The main thing is yardage. It is more like, ‘What do I not do?’” He makes $30 a round plus tips. There have been caddies since Cherry Hills Country Club opened in 1938. During that time, CHCC, which members pay $95,000 to join, has hosted the prestigious professional and amatuar tournaments. Another, The BMW Championship, will be held at CHCC this summer partially because of the caddie program and the course itself. “I heard good things about (CHCC). I have always been a real big fan of the club. I just really wanted to be a part of it. The golf course and the country club itself made me think it was a good fit for me as a caddie,” Hartman said. “The entire caddie program is good for kids to try out,”
“It’s helpful for me to say that I get to work doing the thing I like to do. I find it enjoyable to be out walking the entire time. You are getting some sun.” // Austin Hardman, sophomore //
Hardman said. “It’s helpful for me to say that I get to work doing the thing I like to do. I find it enjoyable to be out walking the entire time. You are getting some sun.” Hardman’s passion is golf, he even wears golf attire to school. “In any other normal job, you don’t walk a golf course for four hours,” Hartman said. “I just like walking the course, meeting new people and getting paid.” Walking a golf course is completely different than any other job. “You don’t walk a golf course for four hours in any other job and you have to give a lot of advice on many things, not just one thing,” Hardman said. Hardman, who is in his second year as a caddy, said he plans to continue caddying through college during the summers in order to make some extra spending money. Caddies are allowed to play the course, free of charge, on Mondays as long as they get two loops in the week before. “Walking the course helps me play better on Mondays. It is nice being able to work and then being able to play the course I walk also,” he said. “My favorite part is walking the course. Not a lot of people do.” Nate Philpott, the brains behind the whole caddy program, is the outside service manager and caddy master. He assigns everyone loops and keeps the members happy. “My favorite memory was playing the course for the first time. It was nothing that I had expected,” Hartman said. Freshman Chris Rapp, who works closely with Hardman as a caddy, said. Hardman is a hard worker and always focused. “He treats people with respect a 100 percent of the tim,” Rapp said. Hardman said he does not have a favorite golfer that he worked alongside. “I like them all. They all are really good golfers. They treat you well, they understand that you are trying your best all the time. I mean they try to help you out as much as they can,” Hardman said. While watching the members golf, Austin critiques his own golf game. “It is really helpful since I am able to see professionals golf because I am able to do stuff when I do play golf,” he said. “I can transform caddying to me actually playing golf. It really does help in the long run.”
WHY WE SELECTED AUSTIN Austin Hardman has a student job that is out of the ordinary. Golf is also his passion, so his job fits him well. Plus, he gets to work next to millionares. Also, his job is not at a yogurt shop where many teenagers work. As a caddy, the harder you work, the more money you make, so it provokes hardwork. The club members also seem to really like the hard work put in by each caddy. Austin’s job is demanding and, as a golfer himself, a great learning experience for him.
// Tara O’Gorman //
Austin Hardman AGE: 16 // GRADE: sophomore // PASSION: golf STORY BY TARA O’GORMAN PHOTOS BY TARA O’GORMAN
Issue 6 // Eagle Eye // 37