Ryan Papenhuyzen has made a switch in professional codes since his retirement from rugby league last year with the Melbourne Storm.
It shocked the NRL world when Papenhuyzen announced he would be stepping away indefinitely, and later confirming his requirement for good, with speculation mounting he may have been holding off for R360.
Although his new journey won't be with ball-in-hand, with AAP reporting he has changed career paths to become a golfing caddie.
It will see Papenhuyzen surrounded by some of the best golfers, including Australian pro player Daniel Gale.
The 27-year-old will undertake a journey around the globe, starting at New Zealand's Tara Iti golf course to practice his trade, before moving on to Europe to participate in the DP World Tour's pathways circuit.
"I played the other week at a course called Tara Iti and enquired that if Dubai didn't go ahead (due to the war), 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," Papenhuyzen told AAP.
"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."
Despite a late blossom to the sport, he is picking up the trade quickly and receiving positive feedback as a golfer's right-hand man.
"I had a bit of imposter syndrome early because you hear about caddies just being scratch golfers and former pros and so I was like well, I've played golf for a long time but my handicap is 11 so would I be good enough for this role?" he said.
"But then I think with all the experience I've learned through footy and being in a high-performance environment and even just being around golfers and learning the mental side of it, I've got my own little touch on it. I'm aware I'm not the perfect caddie but I'm me as a caddie and I think that's valuable to some people."
Papenhuyzen leaves the NRL with an abundance of accolades, including a 2020 Clive Churchill Medal, 113 NRL games, and 77 tries.
His perseverance with long-term hard tissue injuries and his ability to come back after many setbacks are widely recognised amongst Storm fans and the wider NRL community.
