UP CLOSE: Antill relishing job, life on golf course

How does an amateur golfer stay close to the sport he loves?

He gets a job at the course, of course.

After all, it worked for B.J. Antill.

The 23-year-old Houma resident competes in amateur tournaments throughout the state but spends the bulk of his time at the Ellendale Country Club, where he works as an assistant to the golf pro.

The Sports Net sat down with Antill to discuss a sport that’s his job, his passion and his life.

Sports Net: Talk a little about your job – is it an ideal job that a lot of golf lovers would enjoy?

B.J. Antill: Definitely. I started back when I was still going to Nicholls State. I thought it would be a great job because I play golf all the time and I would get to be around it all the time – we have year-round golfers and tournaments – we just had one here a few days ago. It’s great to be around this much golf.

SN: How much time do you actually spend here?

BA: (Laughs) I usually work 35 hours a week, but when I’m not working I usually come here on my days off and stay until it gets dark around 8 p.m.

SN: Guess you eat a lot of your meals at the club.

BA: Yeah, all my meals here. I pretty much live here.

SN: When did you get your start in golf?

BA: I started when I was 4. My dad started playing and he kept taking me along. I’d just go out there and hit a few shots. The first time I ever hit a ball, I took a hazard stick out of the ground and hit a ball with it. So he said “I guess it’s time to get you some clubs.”

SN: How big was your first set?

BA: They were ity-bity plastic clubs.

SN: Do you think if you were born 40 years ago you would have been as interested to take up golf as a little kid?

BA: Probably not. My dad probably wouldn’t even be playing. It (golf) is much more popular than it used to be.

More people have opportunities now to take up the game. It’s almost like a national pastime.

It’s not our sport, but it’s on TV every weekend and everyone sees it.

SN: Are there any other ways the game changed?

BA: All the ball changes and equipment changes. Pretty much everything about golf has changed except the game itself. It’s remained the same, and the rules are pretty much the same as they been (dating) way back to Scotland.

There’s a few adaptations every year, but nothing major.

SN: You mentioned Nicholls State. Were you on the golf team there?

BA: I was never on the golf team – I just went a different avenue with it. I may have been able to play, but I learned so much more by working in the golf business. But I think about it often: Would it have been fun to play, or would it not? But I got a lot of opportunities to play through this job and I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great people in this business who really like this game.

SN: So what is your handicap these days?

BA: A zero.

SN: Any career highlights you care to share?

BA: In high school, I was part of the state championship team at Vandebilt in 2000. I also won a couple of amateur tours. Two weeks ago I shot 2-under-par at the TPC (of Louisiana) in Louisiana where there play the Zurich Classic. That was a great accomplishment for me because it’s a tougher golf course than I usually play.

SN: How many amateur tournaments have you won?

BA: In total, I think five.

SN: You have a zero handicap, so do you have any future goals or aspirations?

BA: I don’t know. Was thinking about maybe becoming a golf pro at different golf courses or learning more about the golf business and possibly pursuing a job here at Ellendale. Or I might possibly play. When it comes to playing, there are different avenues you can take.

SN: How far away are you from becoming a pro?

BA: A touring pro – I would just need a little more time and backing. You have to have the funds to be able to play in the events. Pretty much everyone has sponsors.

SN: So it’s still a dream of yours to play professionally?

BA: Definitely. If I can the opportunity to get a hold of proper sponsorship and if I’m able to eventually devote all of my time to golf and make it a job, as opposed to having to work a regularly scheduled job , it would be a lot easier. I know how to get into the events, it’s just that you need the money to play.

SN: When you’re away from the course, what do you do?

BJ: I like to play tennis in the evenings at the courts here (Ellendale) and at Nicholls.

SN: Are you a movie theater guy or a rental guy?

BA: Rentals.

SN: Rent any golf movies?

BA: I’ve seen them – they’re good. But it’s not the kind of movies I usually rent. I like a lot of action movies. My favorite is the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series and “300” was pretty good.

SN: What about video golf?

BA: I have an XBox 360 and mainly play “Rainbow 6” and “Halo.” I play the video golf games when I’m with my friends but I mainly play shooting games. I like action.

SN: So you try to leave the golf at the golf course.

BA: Exactly. I’m calm all day. You have to stay level -headed on the golf course and can’t get all wild and crazy. So when I get home, I like to do other fun things.

SN: What makes golf such a great sport?

BA: I love it because the competition varies. In other sports, you have a definite goal – you’re trying to beat other teams. On the golf course, it’s basically a battle against yourself, and when you get into competitions, it doesn’t matter what everyone else does around you unless you don’t do it. You’re playing the golf course first.

SN: And if you fail, you can’t point the finger anywhere else?

BA: Exactly. It’s not a team sport, per say. I like that about it, because you can play your own game and if you do well, then you can say “I accomplished this.” It’s very fair, and you basically police yourself and grow as a person.

I know that if I didn’t play golf as a youth, I’d be a totally different person than I am now. Golf helps shape you and gives you a lot more character in how you judge things in life.

B.J. Antill is an assistant to the golf pro at the Ellendale Country Club in Houma.