Carlin: Bare knees belie warm heart



BY BRAD KING, , Packet columnist
Published Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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  • Photo: John Carlin poses on the practice green at Harbour Town Golf Links during Monday's media day. Carlin has held many jobs at Sea Pines, but none has made him as iconic as his role as a kilt-clad starter at Harbour Town.
    Jonathan Dyer/The Island Packet
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If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times -- you've got to admire a man willing to wear a skirt to work, particularly when he greets and meets hundreds of people a day.

In John Carlin's case, his workplace attire is a kilt, actually, and though Carlin hasn't been around Harbour Town Golf Links quite as long as the lighthouse, he is nearly as iconic.

Carlin has been the welcoming committee at Harbour Town since 1991, greeting people at the bag drop and seeing them off on the first tee. Weather permitting, you'll find him donning the tartan skirt more common in the Scottish Highlands than the Lowcountry.

Harbour Town head professional John Farrell came up with the idea of having his starter wear a kilt years ago, and Carlin has had no qualms about the somewhat different look. "It keeps me in a job," Carlin said, "because nobody else wants to wear that thing. Which is good. I wear it, and I've got a job."

Golfers playing a world-class PGA Tour stop for the first time typically can be a bit nervous upon arrival, but Carlin can put even the most anxious at ease. He'll ask them where they're from and strike up a conversation from there, often posing for pictures before offering up his vast course knowledge.

He is glib yet utterly sincere, with an infectious, positive demeanor. Ask him how he's doing and Carlin will often reply, "Pair of Ws. Wonderful, wonderful."

His cheerfulness has even gained Carlin the nickname: OB-OP (Old buddy, old pal), and when any of the numerous former Harbour Town golf professionals, now all over the country, will call to check in with Farrell, their first question is often. "How's OB-OP?"

"John is one of those employees and individuals who, when you're very lucky, you get to have part of your team," Farrell said. "The way he treats people at our first tee, the way he greets people and welcomes people -- he's got a gift.

"When he asks you how you're doing, he wants to know the answer. He's very genuine. He's one of those guys who just makes people feel welcome."

Farrell has lost track of the number of times he's looked out of his office window and seen Carlin picking up broken tees and cigarette butts, or gathering range balls, long after he has clocked out for the day. When Farrell used to ask him what he was doing, Carlin would say, "The other guys were busy doing something else. I saw that it wasn't done, so I stayed."

"He never complains, never has a cross word with anyone, he's never fatigued," Farrell said. "He goes above and beyond on everything, and there's no job that he's above. He's willing to do whatever is needed."

With a motor that is constantly running, Carlin wakes up every morning at 5 a.m., to walk his 5-year-old golden retriever, Ojo, around their Sea Pines Club Course neighborhood, arriving at Harbour Town at least one hour before the first tee time of the day. On his days off, Carlin says he has walked Ojo up to five hours in one day -- three in the morning and two at night -- all throughout Sea Pines, and has lost 20 pounds in the process.

Several nights a week, you can catch Carlin and Ojo behind the checkout counter at Roller's Triangle Liquors on Matthews Drive. The rest of the time, Carlin is typically enjoying his favorite pastime ... you guessed it ... playing golf.

A native of New Jersey, Carlin was drafted in 1968, and as a member of the U.S. Army drill team while stationed in Washington, D.C., he performed many ceremonial events such as burials at Arlington Ceremony, and White House arrivals and departures.

But by the mid-1970s, Carlin decided to seek a warmer climate where he could play golf year-round. His brother's father-in-law lived on Hilton Head and suggested Carlin try it out. He was immediately smitten, and moved in 1975 at the age of 28.

"I liked it better than the other places I visited because the golf was accessible," Carlin said. "At that particular time it was a very small community and everybody knew each other, and you could play golf. I worked for Sea Pines and I played those courses more than anybody."

Indeed, Carlin has worn many hats during his three decades on Hilton Head, from the Sea Pines welcome center, to its tennis courts, to behind the bar at the old Hilton Head Inn, and later at the Harbour Town Grill.

Now he finds himself wearing a skirt and making sure every golfers experience at Harbour Town is a memorable one.

"He's like family to the Harbour Town Golf Links members, Sea Pines members and the staff here," said Farrell. "If anybody ever needed anything and they wanted somebody who would be there for them at the drop of a hat, that's John Carlin. He is the true definition of a friend to everybody who comes through here."

Carlin gets a kick out of surprising golfers at the end of their round by saying, "Hey, thanks for playing Harbour Town."

"People typically look at me funny and say, 'Hey, thanks for letting us play,' " he said. "That shows you how happy they are."

When queried about his philosophy on life, Carlin wastes little time: "Try to enjoy things as best you can and do the best you can. Go with the flow. Don't get too excited or bent out of shape about something. Try to keep the stress as low as possible.

"When somebody asks you how you are doing, you always have to say, 'I am excellent. I am fabulous,' even if you're not, because they want to hear something upbeat. The best thing they can do is have a good time. Get out there and enjoy the day."

Music to the ears of any golfer.

Contact Brad King at king@bradkingcommunications.com.

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