This junior golfer’s support for disabled community led to inspiring caddie gig

For as long as she can remember, Andie Greenberg has been invested in giving back.

The high school junior from Bethesda, Md., has been volunteering for various charities with her family since her elementary-school days, but more recently she has taken her charitable initiatives to a new level.

Andie’s first sport was tennis but as a middle-schooler during the pandemic she started playing golf. She has been practicing, playing and improving ever since, with hopes of landing on a college team. But in addition to her busy golf schedule, Andie is also a staunch advocate for the disabled community — a seed that was planted during her grade-school years, volunteering alongside her mom, Michelle, for the Nora Project, a non-profit organization devoted to fostering disability inclusion, empathy and advocacy in Pre-K through 12th grade classrooms.

“At the end of the program, we made documentaries on our buddies and got to share it with the rest of the school on ‘Nora Night,’” Andie told me the other day. “And that’s really what sparked my interest in giving back to the disability community.”

As a high school freshman, Andie became a peer buddy with the Best Buddies program, which facilitates bi-weekly hangouts for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Andie said she and her buddy, Alexa, FaceTime frequently between meet-ups and spend much time talking about typical teenage topics; they also enjoy outings to Max’s Best Ice Cream in Bethesda, which partners with Best Buddies provide jobs to intellectually and/or developmentally disabled adults.

While researching ways to raise money for her bat mitzvah project, Andie discovered Daniel’s Music Foundation, a New York-based non-profit that provides free music programs.

“It’s so inclusive, everyone’s so positive,” Andie said.

Andie raised $2,000 for Daniel’s Music Foundation through the American Junior Golf Association’s Leadership Links program — a joint initiative founded by the USGA and AJGA to further develop junior golfers through volunteerism and philanthropy. In August, Andie was recognized for her fundraising efforts as the female recipient of the 2025 USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award, which was established in 2005 to identify one male and one female junior golfer who demonstrate leadership, character and community service through their involvement with the Leadership Links program.

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While receiving the award was humbling, Andie said her most inspirational moment of the summer happened weeks before the announcement of her honor. The 2025 U.S. Adaptive Open, the USGA’s national championship for golfers with disabilities, was held at Andie’s home club, Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. Andie intended to help with scoring, but then came a DM from Australian competitor Lachlan Wood, who was seeking a caddie. With Andie on the bag, Wood won his division (Lower Limb Impairment) and tied for second place overall.

“They all play golf better than I do,” Andie said. “I learned so much from the whole experience, and it was probably one of the best sporting events I’ve ever been to.”

Andie says she hopes to continue her philanthropic efforts.

“I don’t know if I have a full plan yet, but I definitely want to keep raising awareness and donating to these different charities that have helped out the community,” she said. “I just think it’s such a good cause and I still want to keep helping out.”

As for next summer? One week is already booked.

The U.S. Adaptive Open returns to Woodmont in 2026, and Greenberg will be back on Wood’s bag.