Earning a golf scholarship is hardly something new. But what if you don’t play and have no interest in the game? You can still find your way to a full ride. Shawntae Wilson, a senior at Bard High School in Baltimore, earned a four-year full-ride scholarship to the University of Maryland in the fall. “I intend to study biology. I want to be a veterinarian,” she said. Wilson earned an award from the Evans Scholars program, designed specifically for golf caddies. She’s never played golf, but she leapt at the chance to grab a bag two years ago, knowing it meant her college could be paid for.
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PETE GILBERT EXPLAINS. EARNING A GOLF SCHOLARSHIP IS HARDLY SOMETHING NEW. BUT WHAT IF YOU DON’T PLAY THE GAME, HAVE NO INTEREST IN PLAYING? DON’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT. YOU CAN STILL FIND A WAY TO A FULL RIDE HERE ON THE GOLF COURSE. SHANTE WILSON, A SENIOR AT BARD HIGH SCHOOL IN BALTIMORE, HAS
EARNED A FULL FOUR YEAR RIDE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STARTING THIS FALL. I INTEND TO STUDY BIOLOGY. I WANT TO BE A VETERINARIAN ON AN AWAWARD FROM THE EVANS SCHOLS PROGRAM, DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR GOLF CADDIES, SHANTE HAD NEVER PLAYED GOLF, BUT LEAPT AT THE CHANCE TWO YEARS AGO TO GRAB
A BAG IF IT MEANT COLLEGE WAS PAID. SOMEONE FROM THE CITY HAD TOLD US ABOUT A CADDY ACADEMY THAT THEY WOULD BE HOSTING OVER THE SUMMER, WHERE YOU CAN MEET PEOPLE AND GET OUT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT AND GET PAID. WE AT FIRST TEE ARE THE GOLF ALMOST COMES SECONDARY.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE TRYING TO TEACH THE LIFE SKILLS THAT THAT GOLF TEACHES YOU. INHERENTLY. YOU KNOW, HONESTY, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, USING GOOD JUDGMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. AFTER THE ACADEMY, SHANTE BEGAN CADDYING AT BALTIMORE COUNTRY CLUB. BUT AFTER JUST ONE ROUND, SHE THOUGHT SHE MIGHT QUIT. WHEN I INITIALLY STARTED, I WAS CLUELESS.
I HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO. I DIDN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE I’D NEVER REALLY BEEN IN ANYTHING. SPORTS RELATED. JACK PALMER OF THE WESTERN GOLF ASSOCIATION THAT FIRST CREATED THE EVANS SCHOLARS PROGRAM BECAME SHANTE’S REGULAR LOOP AND
LOVED HOW SHE GREW INTO THE JOB. SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT DIRECTION WE WERE GOING, BUT EVERY WEEK SHE CAME BACK. SHE TRIED, SHE CAME BACK, SHE TRIED AND SHE LEARNED TWO WORDS. ALL AND PERSEVERANCE. MY GRANDMOTHER MEDIOCRITY AND QUITTING WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT
SHE ALLOWED US TO DO. I UNDERSTOOD THAT I WASN’T THE BEST INITIALLY, BUT I THOUGHT IF I DIDN’T AT LEAST TRY AND PUSH, THEN I WOULD NEVER KNOW. AND SO I DID. AND IT WORKED OUT. SHANTE IS THE SIXTH CADDY TO EARN AN EVANS SCHOLARSHIP FROM HERE AT BALTIMORE COUNTRY CLUB,
AND THERE’S A HOST OF MORE THAN 20 CADDIES IN THE PIPELINE, HOPING TO FOLLOW IN HER FOOTSTEPS HERE
