Former rugby league athlete Ryan Papenhuyzen is channeling the mental resilience he developed during his time with the Melbourne Storm into a fresh career as a golf caddie, offering his services for hire.
Many were taken aback when Papenhuyzen stepped away from his NRL contract, but the 27-year-old is now fully committed to his passion for golf, set to accompany Australian golfer Daniel Gale around the world this year.
Though he maintains a connection to rugby league through a podcast with former Storm players Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes, Papenhuyzen emphasizes that golf has taken priority as his main sport.
"I wanted to give myself a good separation away (from the NRL) just to learn something else and not consume myself with something I'm familiar with, so just sort of dive in the deep end and see what can come of this," he shared with AAP.
Due to the rescheduling of the Middle East swing for the DP World Tour's secondary circuit amid the Iran conflict, Papenhuyzen will begin his journey at an exclusive golf course in New Zealand to enhance his skills as a caddie.
"I played the other week at a course called Tara Iti and enquired that if Dubai didn't go ahead, would I be able to come over and caddie just for members, or just random people who rock up to play, and they said yes," he explained.
"I'm going to fly over there for three weeks, and play and I guess learn a bit more of that craft."
"Majority of the year will be with Galey but if I have a few gaps here and there, I'm open to working with other people and I've put that out there if people need a caddie for a week."
While he may not have professional golf experience, Papenhuyzen reported positive feedback about his caddying and believes he offers a unique perspective to the role.