I'm a cart girl on a Las Vegas golf course who makes $500 in tips a day. You don't need experience to be successful at this job — here's how I do it.

Cassie Holland.

Courtesy of Cassie Holland

• Cassie Holland started as a cart girl in 2020 and has amassed 2.1 million TikTok followers.
• Her main tips for success are to reach out to anyone you know in the golf world and stay positive.
• Dad jokes, helping the golfers do business, and dressing for holidays all help her maximize tips.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cassie Holland, a 26-year-old cart girl and TikTok influencer in Las Vegas. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I was waitressing at conventions and doing booth-model gigs at trade exhibitions when the pandemic hit in 2020 and I found myself out of a job. Someone told me about this bartending-on-a-golf-course gig. I didn't really know what that meant, but I needed a job, so I looked into it — then it changed my life.

Now I'm a cart girl on a Las Vegas golf course, and I share my experience on TikTok with my 2.1 million followers. I usually make between $400 and $500 in tips a day on top of my salary. Here's my advice for being successful in this job.

My No. 1 recommendation is to find someone you know with a connection to a golf club

Holland with her cart.

Courtesy of Cassie Holland

If you know anybody in the industry, or even a golfer who plays at a course, ask them if they can get you a job there. It's not about what you know; it's about who you know.

When I began carting, I didn't know anything about golf. A lot of girls are nervous to start because they think you have to be well educated in golf, but you'll learn what you need to know by going out there each day.

I've learned a lot from listening to the golfers, even if it's them yelling at me to not make noise during their backswing or to not step on their putting line. I even took up golf myself because it's a great way to stay active and spend time outside. You can have as much fun partying on the golf course as you can at a day club in Vegas.

I didn't even know how to make a bloody mary when I started, either — a golfer on the course had to show me how to make my first one. Even though he made it for me, he still tipped me $20.

The most important key to success is having a good personality

Holland.

Courtesy of Cassie Holland

You need to smile and have fun with it. Looks and outfits get you only so far, so you have to have the personality to make the golfers' day.

The best way to get tips is by being yourself and as positive as possible. I don't think it really matters what you look like, as long as you give the golfers a great experience and make them a good drink.

Winter is a quiet time for people playing golf, but I try to work through it. The tips aren't as good as they are in summer — I also think that might have something to do with the change in my outfits.

There's the option of going to work somewhere like Florida, which always has good weather, if you're prepared to travel.

There's a lot of dads out on the course, so you have to learn dad jokes

Golfers really appreciate a dad joke. Sometimes when I pull up to a group of guys, I'll ask them what they want. They might say something like, "Oh, do you have a better golf game in there?" To that, I'll say, "I'm serving drinks, not miracles." That's always a winner.

"I have swing lube or birdie juice in my cart" is another good one. The key is to just be playful and fun.

Putting effort into outfits and themes helps

I notice better tips when I wear outfits based on a theme of the day and decorate my cart. So far this year, I've done Super Bowl and Valentine's Day themes, and I buy things like heart-shaped cups and make drink specials — anything for a bit of fun around the season.

I can easily make $500 in tips in a day because golfers appreciate my effort. Most of the time, they're going out there to play, and when my disco ball of a cart drives by, and they weren't expecting it, it gets their attention.

A lot of business gets done on the golf course, and you can help

The three most popular places where business gets done are restaurants, strip clubs, and golf courses. These are also the places where we can make the best tips.

Businessmen come here to flex — and they come ready to spend. They're most likely using a company card, and they're going to write it off anyway, so don't be afraid to contribute to that experience.

If they want to buy their new business partner a drink, unless they specifically ask for low-cost liquor, give them the good stuff. How's their new associate going to feel if they see you go for cheap liquor versus top shelf? Not to mention that the guy paying may feel quite stupid if he scrimps on a $4 difference. Help them out.

Unfortunately, sometimes the attention goes too far

Sometimes golfers can be a bit extra. Recently, one guy wanted to buy another cart girl a drink, but she had already moved on to another hole. I offered to take it to her on his behalf.

He wanted to take it himself, and then he said, "Maybe she'll let me give her a hug." I thought to myself, "No way — that's creepy." I wasn't going to let him do it. I basically told him that I wanted to go talk to her anyway, so I would bring her the drink. Cart girls look out for each other.

I'm all about having fun out there. Sometimes I'm having a bad day, and then I remember I'm coming out to play with 200 hot golfers and I can leave with a lot of money. It's a pretty good job.

While there's a plethora of good-looking well-off men out here on the course every day, I keep it professional. But it's true that I date golfers only. They don't have to be good, though.

You can take it a step further by being your authentic self on social media

I post good content on TikTok that I enjoy and that makes me happy. I never post what other people want to see. At the end of the day, I always have fun.

One of my earliest viral videos, which has 3.5 million views, was thanks to a guy who asked for a hug. I said I would do it — but it would cost $100. He took the offer and gave me a hug the three times I came around, for luck. He lost anyway.

I want my TikTok account to be about me and my work, but I do receive a lot of offers for work outside the course. Recently, Cash App sponsored me to go down to Miami.

Driving a cart down South Beach was a dream come true. They paid me for my time and for making videos, but honestly, the money isn't what made me want to do it — I was there for the experience.

I've also been asked to do NASCAR in Vegas for a second time, and I'll do it in a heartbeat because it was so much fun. The manager of the Vegas speedway first reached out to ask whether I wanted to drive the cart at EDC, and then NASCAR. They even provided the cart. I don't have an agency — I just ask to be emailed directly. I'm always open to opportunities.

Are you a cart girl who wants to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@insider.com.

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