FEATURE STORY

Not just golf eye candy: CaddyChick finds fun and profit on the course

By William K. Wolfrum,
Staff Writer

(March 12, 2007) - Spotting the ad for CaddyChicks, your imagination starts to run wild. Gorgeous girls in bikinis, looking like they just tumbled off the pages of Playboy, pose and prance as you putt. It's a golf guy's fantasy.

For actual CaddyChick Charlotte Hufschmidt, however, it's about more than just being a hot girl for hire.

"I think if you'd have asked me when I was in high school or college if I could handle being paid for being eye candy, I'd have said 'hello, no,'" Hufschmidt said.

But after graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in business administration and spending five years at a well-paid position in the corporate world, Hufschmidt was ready to listen to other ideas. When a friend told her about CaddyChicks, she was intrigued enough to give it a whirl.

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"I was burned out and had decided to do my own thing," she recalled. "Everything I heard about CaddyChicks was good and I thought, Wow, I could do that, it's a great gig."

While she's been out about 10 times with clients, Hufschmidt hasn't spent too much time caddying. Mostly she ends up playing golf with her customers.

"Every time I've been hired by a client, I've golfed with them," said Hufschmidt, who describes herself as great company but not much of a golfer. "I think a lot of people think I'm good because I have good equipment. But that comes from having a prior job where I was compensated very well.

"I have a few drives or putts that are highlight-worthy on ESPN, but for the most part I'm not that good."

Hufschmidt, who has spent some time traveling in Asia, said she was worried at first that CaddyChicks clients would expect her to be more like an escort than a golf buddy, but her fears were quickly put to rest.

"That was one of my biggest concerns," she said. "When you first see the site, you see the girls, many of them dressed quite provocatively, so the first jobs I went on I worried if the guy would be wanting or expecting more. But it never has been the case."

According to Hufschmidt, the presence of a CaddyChick can make a golf outing or event much more fun and relaxing for a group of guys. She recalled playing with a group of orthodontists and dentists at a best-ball tournament.

"One of the guys from Extreme Makeover was there, and they hired me to fill out a foursome," Hufschmidt said. "Afterwards the organizer came up to me and said, 'Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, but we just had a blast the whole time.'

"At the end, the other foursomes were a little ticked because we had such a great time, they told me next time they were only going to set up threesomes and have a CaddyChick make up the foursome."

While her education and corporate background give her plenty of employment opportunities, Hufschmidt said that for now she's more than happy being a CaddyChick. And so far her clients have been more than happy to pay $35 an hour (plus green fees if she plays) to spend their round with a girl who describes herself as "Outgoing, USC-educated, cultured, well-traveled and knows the difference between a wedge and a wood!"

"I think I get booked a lot more because I do know golf, and I am educated," Hufschmidt said. "I've never felt that my morals were compromised by doing this - I'm keeping my clothes on, I'm doing something I enjoy. I'm very proud of it and what it stands for. It's introducing a lot of girls to golf.

"Everyone's quick to pass judgment when they see the site and the girls, and they make broad generalizations. But I say, try CaddyChicks and find out what it's like for yourself."

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed before making reservations and/or travel plans.