My Very First Job in Golf

I was 13 years old and headed for my first job interview at a very exclusive country club in Western Massachusetts a few years back.

I was very nervous. But I did have one advantage. My older brother worked at the Country Club as a caddie, the very job that I was applying for.

Initially, I was told that the minimum age to caddy was 14 years old. But the caddy master liked my brother and suggested a compromise. He said, “We can hire you on a trial basis but you’ll have to carry singles (one bag).”

That didn’t bother me. I readily accepted the job offer, not fully comprehending that I would make half of what my brother made since he carried doubles.

That summer turned out to be one of my best summers I experienced. Not only did I learn a lot about golf, I got to play at the country club for free on Mondays which was caddies day. And I did play every single Monday.

By the time the summer ended, I felt like a veteran caddy. I knew just about every nook and cranny of that golf course. I couldn’t wait for the following summer.

By the following spring, I had turned 14 and was ready to carry doubles. Now, I had big-time competition at the Caddy Shack---16 and 17 year olds who had been caddying for a few years and many of the members had their favorite caddy. I figured out that the best way to stand out in the crowd was to work hard, gain more knowledge of the course itself and be able to give good advice to the members when asked.

I did all of that and felt pretty confident by the time the summer ended. There was no doubt in my mind that I would return for a third year. While some of my friends at the country club including my older brother began to think about other work for the following summer, I knew I had picked the right job.

I turned 15 the following spring and all of the hard work the previous summer was now beginning to pay off. More members were asking for me and I ended up working six days a week that summer. On the seventh day (Monday) I played golf at the country club.

What was really gratifying and fun was to caddy for members at tournaments, in particular, those tournaments where club pros participated as part of the field. There we would be, on the par-5 fifth hole and one of the guests (sometimes a club pro) would ask me what they should use for their second shot. To be able to hand that guest the right club and have the player hit the green was just an unbelievable feeling

When I think back to those glory days, I recall that I made a lot of money as a young kid, but more importantly, it was the friendships and the camaraderie that gave me the most satisfaction.

So, here I am at Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy, serving as Director of Communications, many years later. I have come full cycle, sort of speak. And the lessons I learned as a teenager apply today….hard work always pays off.

Richard Bisi
Director of Communications
Hank Haney IJGA

School is in Session on the Golf Channel

You can only imagine the excitement and anticipation building here at Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy. We’re about two weeks away from the premiere of the real-life series, “School of Golf Hilton Head Island” on the Golf Channel.

The first of eight episodes featuring students from Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 2 at 11 p.m. and re-air on Wednesday, September 3 at 10 p.m.

More than 3 million people are expected to watch the primetime show on the Golf Channel and another 2.3 million will visit the Golf Channel web site to learn more about the show.

Nearly five months of filming resulted in nearly 1,000 hours of film which were edited down to eight 30 minute segments. Viewers will see students from the United States including Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey and Vermont as well as international students from Denmark, China, Mexico and Spain.

They will witness how the talented students---many of them away from home for the first time---balance the demands of golf competition at the highest level with the normal stresses of teen life, including academics.

Filming began with the start of the second semester at the academy in January and continued through graduation in late May and the Tournament of Champions on the International Junior Golf Tour which took place in Orlando.

It sort of turned our Academy into a television fishbowl for five months but neither students nor parents objected. Participation for students in the show was optional but all agreed to sign releases to appear in the real-life series.

The academy exercised no editorial control over the show. In short, we had no control over what hits the airwaves and what hits the cutting floor. The Golf Channel had creative control over the finished project.

As Hank himself said, “This is not an infomercial for our academy. This is about what happens here.”

He summed it up this way. “If everybody shoots 72 and makes straight A’s, it’s not real interesting, is it? No one would believe it because that’s not reality.”

Along the way, we learned some valuable lessons. One of them---how adaptable young people are. At first, there were some students who were apprehensive about the presence of the camera crews. But after a few short weeks, the camera crews were virtually invisible to the students. It was the adults who were anxious and at times uneasy. The kids---they were fine.

Richard Bisi
Director of Communications
Hank Haney IJGA

Playing Golf With My Dad

Today is my father’s birthday and this post is dedicated to his memory. An avid athlete who took up golf in his late 30’s, only to become a scratch golfer, he would have been proud of the fact that I now work for Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy here on Hilton Head Island.

A few years ago, I persuaded my Dad to come down to this golf mecca and play some golf with me. He stayed for a week and this was our daily routine; play 18 holes every morning at a different course every day, have some lunch and play 9 holes every afternoon, have dinner at home with all the relatives who didn’t play golf followed by a friendly game of cards.

It was nirvana. Maybe it’s a guy thing, but great golf, good food, and a fun card game is about as good as it gets.

With his advancing years, my father was no longer a scratch golfer but he still shot in the mid 80s which was better than me since I have been a bogey golfer all of my adult life.

I got the golf “bug” as a 13-year old caddy but my dad never played the game when I was a youngster. He was an enthusiastic sportsman who especially enjoyed softball but not golf. For some unknown reason, he took up golf when he was in his late 30’s and pretty much taught himself.

He became quite good; in particular with his short game. That proved to be a huge asset as his long drives became shorter drives as he got older. But once he was around the green, he was a scoring machine.

Keep in mind that I had never defeated my dad in golf. I mused that perhaps it would happen on this Hilton Head trip. For the first six days, the result was always was same. My father fired rounds in the 80’s while I played my bogey golf.

But on the very last day we played together, I made a dramatic putt on the 18th to tie him. We had both recorded an 83. For me, it was one of my best rounds. For my dad, it was a typical round even though he was almost 80 years old at the time.

As I think back, I’m glad I didn’t beat him. I’m pleased that we tied. That round turned out to be the very last time we would play golf together.

He returned home to New England and it was another eight months or so before I got back home. By then, his playing days were virtually over.

He died a short time later but I always recall that week of golf on Hilton Head as a memorable moment, frozen in time.

The lessons here---golf can serve as a bond and time is precious. Enjoy every minute of every day.

Richard Bisi
Director of Communications
Hank Haney IJGA

A Lesson With Hank Haney

I recently had my very first lesson with legendary golf coach Hank Haney. In my role as Director of Communications at Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy, I had organized a media day at Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000-acre tract along the May River near the town of Bluffton.

For the avid golfer, a trip to Palmetto Bluff is a journey to heaven. The May River Golf Club is an 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus signature course, weaving throughout the May River Forest and featuring several holes right on the banks of the river.

At 7,171 yards, this amazing course is a spectacular blend of championship-level design and natural beauty that will challenge golfers of all skill levels.

I was playing the eighth hole at Palmetto Bluff. It’s a par 5 and my second shot landed in a fairway bunker. My goal was to simply get back to the fairway with my third shot, land it on the green in four, one-putt and walk away with a par.

Guess I wasn’t focused. I took a seven iron and took my swing but didn’t have the necessary loft to clear the top of the bunker. I was still in sand.

At that very moment, I heard someone yell out, “What club were you using?” Before I even turned around, I recognized the voice and it was Hank Haney. Hank was spending most of his time with the media folks on the course and he was the last person I expected to see since I was playing with staff members.

I was so embarrassed. I told him I used a seven iron. And he said, “you expected to clear that bunker?’

At that point, I was still 210 yards away from the green. Hank was still there. I did not want to be embarrassed again.

I grabbed a rescue club, opened the clubface, and hit the ball as hard as I could. It landed in front of the green and trickled onto the putting surface. And Hank said, “Now, that was a better shot.”

Hank suggested a few lessons down the road. I reminded him that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. To which Hank responded, “It depends on the teacher.” He was so right.

So for me, the lesson was a lesson in life. Don’t ever think you cannot improve, especially if you have the right teacher. Learning lasts a lifetime.

Richard Bisi
Director of Communications
Hank Haney IJGA