Eric Otten

Carl: So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas.
Angie: A looper?
Carl: A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a ten-thousand foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga...gunga -- gunga lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

Let's hope so.

 
Wow, so sorry to hear this.

My condolences to Caddies loved ones, family and friends.   He will be very much missed on this board.

Brian

 
Rest in peace brother Eric/Caddie. An awesome HFC member that will be greatly missed...

 
I had so many terrific conversations with the man.    Late night, thoughtful talks about just about everything.   

I did several repairs for him and valued him as a friend.

May God Bless his soul.

 
I didn't have the honor to meet him in person, but I enjoyed Caddie's posts here.  My condolences to his family and friends, of whom there appear to be many.

 
Caddie took whatever life threw at him (and it threw a LOT at him) with a smile, a wink, a self-deprecating joke and optimistic attitude.  He must have had PM conversations with a hundred different HFCers.

I'm proud to have known him and laughed with him.

Cheers, Caddie!  Cheers!

 
R.I.P. Eric and condolences to all of your family. We did meet face to face briefly at a rest stop on my way back from Illinois in the middle of the night to do...what else...a guitar deal! Hell of a nice guy and he sure will be missed!

 
Eric Otten was a remarkable individual who brought joy and laughter to us all. He had an extraordinary sense of humor, wit that could come across at any time, as cantankerous and grumpy, self deprecating, silly, neurotic, sarcastic, risqué, facetious, profound, and sometimes all at the same time! His banter was priceless, and would present unbounded by convention or topic. Everything was fair game and we all came away with a smile on our faces for it. 

The last couple of times that I spoke with him, he was having a very hard time communicating. Not hard enough a time not to tell his nurse to "Leave me the fuck alone damn it! I'm on the phone!" His laughter broke through his words even as he strained to speak them. He found the inner strength to make me laugh, even when he was struggling so much physically. 

I am deeply saddened by Eric's passing, I know however, that he is no longer suffering, and he is, in a better place now. 

...Yes Eric, a better place now. You could be naked hiding inside someone's refrigerator again.

 
For anyone not familiar, the Evans Scholars Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Golf, Illinois that provides full tuition and housing college scholarships to golf caddies. Operated by the Western Golf Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation has helped more than 10,600 caddies graduate from college since its creation in 1930.

 
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