ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 16, 2024) You don’t often hear someone discussing dairy farming and quarter-zip sweaters in the same sentence, but those topics are always top of mind for MGA Caddie Scholar Marissa Uva, a senior at the University of New Hampshire.
Marissa studies sustainable agriculture and education and lives on a dairy farm while at school, and has spent the past three summers working in the golf shop at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. She was introduced to Quaker Ridge through her father and the current caddie manager, Rich Uva, and spent one summer working as a caddie before transitioning to working in the golf shop.
“If you look at my major, and then you look at what I do during the summer, I always tell people I live two very different lives,” said Marissa. “I don’t want to say I brag about my lifestyle in New Hampshire when I’m home, but the way I balance it is by sharing what my lifestyle in New Hampshire is when I get asked about it, I always tell people, ‘How long do you want to stand here for?’ Because I could talk about it for hours.”
“I bring my clubs up when I’m at school,” she said. “I’m still heading to the driving range with my friends. And I talk about it: we always try to at least go for a round or two while we’re up there.”
Marissa’s high school had an agriculture and technology program, which started her on her current journey. Marissa was a member of the Future Farmers of America, and in addition to her core classes, took agriculture production, animal science, and college vet science, and learned how to grow crops and vegetables in a greenhouse. She developed a love of teaching people about agriculture, which led her to minor in education.
These days, it’s an Uva family affair at Quaker Ridge. Marissa’s younger sister Elena started working as a caddie this summer. Rich, who has been at Quaker Ridge for 31 years, met his wife while she worked at the club.
“Quaker Ridge has played a huge part in my life because it’s where I met my wife. She was working the front desk when we first met in ’97,” he said. “My wife knew nothing about the country club life, and all the phone calls were being sent to me. She’s thought, ‘Man, that guy’s important,’” Rich joked.
Working together has given the Uvas more time to build and see different sides of one another.
“It’s nice,” said Marissa on working with her father. “I also can see why he loves doing it. I love working here, too, and just being able to understand why the members here have become family. And just seeing him in his natural environment is always fun.”
Rich adds, “It’s great. I love it. The best thing about it is that when we get the same hours, we drive a little over an hour from Connecticut. It’s quality time in the car. That’s where the important conversations happen.”
“And having them here at Quaker Ridge, and as kids get older, obviously they start growing apart from us, and it’s valuable time spent together with them,” he said. “I’m lucky, I’m working at the greatest club in the country for the greatest membership, and I have the greatest wife and two kids. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Working for your dad, having your dad be at a club for a long time, and being such a well-respected member of the club staff can be difficult for their kids to live up to.
Melissa added, “I am constantly working hard and trying to prove myself, not only to him but also to myself, and to prove myself to [the MGACSF] because they have helped me so much these past three years, and to make the membership proud because they have watched me grow up.”
Quaker Ridge hosted the MGACSF Pro-Am in July, which was meaningful to Marissa as a caddie scholar, who attended and spoke to the group of MGACSF supporters at the post-golf reception
“Just being able to reach out to people, meet people who have helped me so much, and for them to finally put a face to my name, I put a face to their name, that means that absolute world to me,” she said. “These are people who have helped me so much. And to give back, get to know them, share my experiences, and show them how much their assistance with my college education has helped me excel as a student and person.”
“I studied abroad in Africa, spending a week in the country of Namibia. There we traveled for eight days camping and research. I researched the difference between game meats and livestock meats. This trip changed my college experience and without the MGACSF this trip wouldn’t have been possible.”
It’s clear to see the pride Rich takes in both of his daughters. As Marissa enters her final year of college, the Uvas are enjoying the remainder of the summer season. “I want her to be her own person. That’s good. And I’m confident in her as her father and knowing her well that she’s going to succeed,” he said.
To learn more about the MGACSF visit caddiescholarship.org.