ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 26, 2025) – Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Tara Iti Golf Club, and Te Arai Links are three courses that carry prominence across oceans. MGACSF caddie scholar Gavin Furst has collected stamps in his passport and memories along the way from his time caddieing at all three clubs.
Gavin, a sophomore at the University of Buffalo, started caddieing at Sleepy Hollow during the pandemic while he was a junior in high school at Cornwall Central. One of Gavin’s friends' uncles is Greg Elting, the caddie manager at Sleepy Hollow. He made the connection and started working at Sleepy Hollow in 2022.
After discovering his love for the job, he explored ways to continue to grow. The process led him across the world to Tara Iti in New Zealand. The club hosts caddies from all over the world during the offseason in the northern hemisphere. Gavin made the trip down to New Zealand in the fall of 2023 and returned in the spring of 2024, while taking a gap year between high school and college.
"I searched around for clubs that would be open in the winter that had caddie programs,” says Gavin. I sent emails all over the place, and eventually Tara Iti said, 'We'll take you.' They bring in people from all over, mostly from Scotland. They bring in kids roughly my age, 18 to 25, who come down to caddie."
Despite being on the other side of the world, Gavin quickly adjusted to living in New Zealand. The language is mostly the same, along with the customs. The most significant difference was driving on the left side of the road.
"The fact that they brought in all these other kids, it was kind of like when you go to college the first year, nobody knows anybody, so it's easy to talk to people. We all meshed together. It was a cool caddie yard where I made good friends with about 20 to 30 people that I worked with.”
Gavin has stayed in touch with many of his fellow Tara Iti caddies, and even met up with one of them in San Fransico to play some golf along with his roommate from Buffalo while on spring break.
In April 2024, Gavin returned to Sleepy Hollow and worked through the summer before heading off to college. Gavin started at James Madison before transferring to the University at Buffalo between semesters. At Buffalo, Gavin plans to major in economics with an eye on a career on Wall Street.
During a break in the fall semester, Gavin came home to work at Sleepy Hollow and was in fr a great surprise when the pros from Tara Iti happened to be in town.
"I come in, and (caddie manager) Greg's like, 'Hey Gavin, I think you know these guys. They're pros at the club you worked at in New Zealand, and it was two of the pros from Tara Iti. I was smiling like crazy. I couldn't believe it."
Sean Bloomquist, the head pro at Tara Iti, and Dave Fister, director of golf, were there playing with two guests of Sleepy Hollow. Gavin caddied for the group that day, which was special for him.
"Yeah, it was weird. Not only because they are here, but it was also weird that it fit into my school schedule on that one perfect week when I was off from school,” says Gavin. “Like the four days I was at Sleepy Hollow in October, they were there."
Gavin is back at Sleepy Hollow for his fourth summer and plans to caddie until he needs to secure an internship in finance before graduating. He caddied during the MGACSF’s annual Pro-Am presented by Continental Properties on July 21.
[HF1]Do we know where?
