“Know yourself, accept yourself, better yourself.” (St. Augustine)
During my 9 years of caddying, I had my eyes set on becoming “Caddy of the Year” at Forest Lake Country Club. One of my older brothers, Jim, had reached this goal and for the first 8 years, I was in the running but never quite passed muster. This award was based on your total number of loops (rounds) and double carries, and member recommendations based on your capacity to read putts, clubbing, hustle in finding balls and replacing divots, etc…
It was a good thing for me to attend 8 award ceremonies and not win. Too many parents are concerned about their kids “self-esteem” and “confidence levels”…but learning how to lose and to come back stronger is a huge life lesson. I realized that more work was needed and the details mattered….riding my bike early around the course to gather the fresh pin placements, to go the extra round when your buddies would head off to the pool, studying the member’s game so as to know the right club to recommend, getting to know the greens inside and out, etc… The 9th awards ceremony was so much sweeter as a result.
