With more than 2.7 million followers across social media, Cass Holland, better known as Cart Girl Cass, has become one of the most recognisable personalities in modern golf culture. What began as humorous videos documenting life as a beverage cart girl has evolved into a thriving entertainment and lifestyle brand, helping to reshape perceptions of women in golf while making the sport feel more welcoming, glamorous and entertaining for a new generation.
While golf has long been viewed as traditional, exclusive and male-dominated, Holland has built an audience by revealing the side of the game that rarely makes it into conventional golf media. Looking back, Holland never intended to build a business. It all started with one viral video.
“I remember thinking I could either have one video with all of these views or keep posting and see where it went,” she says. “Every time I went to work, I’d film one or two videos. They started as short, silly clips, but once brands began reaching out and opportunities started landing in my inbox, I realised the content had far more value than just making people laugh. That’s when I began approaching it like a business.”
Much of her success comes from challenging the assumptions many people have about golf itself.
“I think what golf looks like from the outside is very different to what it actually is,” she explains. “Unless it’s in a professional setting or tournament, it’s really just people enjoying themselves with friends. Some are there to play well, some are there to drink and socialise, and some are simply escaping everyday life.”
By documenting those moments, Holland has helped remove much of the intimidation surrounding the sport.
“Golf is hard, but you don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it,” she says. “For women especially, I think it gives permission to enter the space without feeling like they have to be good enough to belong. There are fun outfits, pretty drinks, sunshine and cute animals on the course. There’s not too much to be overly serious about.”
Another reason for Holland’s popularity is her willingness to embrace the stereotypes surrounding beverage cart girls before anyone else has the chance to.
“I’ve always lived by, ‘Don’t let them know how smart you actually are,'” she laughs. “Humour gave me a way to control the narrative before anyone else could.”
She understands that many people arrive with preconceived ideas.
“There’s this idea that the beverage cart girl is supposed to be cute, flirty, there to smile and serve. Whether it’s true or not, you can’t take people’s opinions away from them, so why not flip it and use it to your advantage?”
That approach reflects a deeper understanding of people. Years spent working in hospitality have made Holland remarkably observant, and she believes being underestimated has often worked in her favour.
“When I pull up in my bright, girly golf cart with a bubbly personality, people think they’ve got me figured out,” she says. “Meanwhile, I’ve usually got a good idea what they’re thinking before they’ve even said anything. Allowing people to think you’re more naïve than you are can actually give you control.”
Behind the comedy, however, Holland also speaks candidly about the emotional reality of working in customer-facing roles.
“I’ve had plenty of days where I’m not feeling my best, but you still have to put on a smile for customers,” she says. “People underestimate the weight of hiding your emotions while trying to give everyone else the best experience.”
For women in hospitality, she explains, that emotional labour is often invisible.
“Especially when you know it can affect how much money you make that day. We might be laughing with customers and taking their order, but we may also be crying in the walk-in fridge during our break.”
It is this balance between humour and honesty that has helped distinguish Holland from countless other content creators. Even her first product, Hug Repellant, began with a genuine workplace experience.
“The men who would normally stand a little too close or ask for a hug suddenly kept more of a distance,” she recalls. “Most even pointed out that I had glitter on.”
She soon realised why.
“A lot of men didn’t want glitter on them because they didn’t want to explain it later.”
The observation became the inspiration for Hug Repellant, a playful body glitter that carries a more meaningful message beneath the humour.
“One of the difficult things about being a woman in the service industry is that if someone makes you uncomfortable, it isn’t always easy to call them out because your tips can be affected. Hug Repellant is funny, but it’s also a reminder that women deserve to feel comfortable in any space.”
That ability to transform everyday moments into something larger also shapes her creative process.
“I think every relatable interaction can be capitalised on if you’re creative enough,” she explains. “A joke is usually the first layer.”
One of those ideas became CartGirl CarPool, her popular interview series that swaps formal studios for colourful golf carts driving around the course.
“We’re outside in the sunshine with sparkly drinks, showing guests what it’s like to be a cart girl for the day. They’re interacting with golfers, learning a little golf themselves and you never know what’s going to happen next.”
Although millions first discovered Cart Girl Cass through viral videos, Holland insists social media has never been the final destination.
“I want to build a full entertainment and lifestyle brand that can live beyond any single platform,” she says. “The content is the front door.”
Cass Holland is doing far more than documenting life on the fairways. she is changing how a new generation sees golf, proving that personality can be just as powerful as performance.
