Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program comes to Cape Region
Over a dozen Cape Region teenagers are busy working a summer job that is rare nowadays, but which used to be common at thousands of golf courses a few decades ago.
They are caddies at Rehoboth Beach Country Club. At the same time, they are earning valuable experience and credits toward a potential Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship.
Each year, the Evans scholarships award more than 800 caddies in the United States a full ride for tuition and housing at 19 universities. The Western Golf Association and Charles “Chick” Evans Jr., a justly celebrated amateur standout in his own right, created the fund in 1930. Participating universities include Notre Dame, Penn State, Washington, Miami and Northwestern.
George Bushby, assistant golf pro at Rehoboth Beach CC, oversees the program along with first assistant pro Pat Mastrian. Bushby credited a member of the club with approaching the club’s pros about starting up an RBCC chapter over the past winter. The club is the first one in Delaware to join the Evans program.
“We reached out to the guidance counselors at Cape Henlopen High School, and they were very interested and cooperative,” Bushby said. “The kids are all ninth and 10th graders, and we brought a dozen of them and their parents to the club to go over what was involved.”
Word of mouth spread among the students, and the program now includes 15 young caddies. Bushby explained that each caddie completed three training sessions, including time on-course and a written examination. The caddies began doing their required loops on the first weekend of May.
Bushby and RBCC head golf pro Charles Schuyler said that each round earns a caddie $40, with the club’s normal cart rental fee supplemented by program funds. The members can always give the caddies a nice tip, of course.
The caddies have already worked well over 100 rounds. Before the summer ends, each caddie could have the chance to complete dozens of loops.
Bushby and Charley stressed that the club members and the professional staff understand and accept that caddie training is a shared responsibility, from the basics of how to carry a bag to how to comport themselves while on the course. “They’re amazing kids,” Bushby said. Dustin Riggs, a new assistant pro at Rehoboth, said, “They’re just like sponges. They want to learn all about this. It’s great.”
For more information about the Evans program, including how to donate, go to www.wgaesf.org, or call the Western Golf Association at 847-724-4600.
Kings Creek tournament results
Kings Creek Country Club held its annual Men’s Invitational Tournament June 18-20, with dozens of participants. The format is a round robin better ball, using five nine-hole matches to determine flight winners and playoff contenders. Don Walker and Chester Davis were the overall champions, with Chase Brockstedt and Boo White winning the gross championship. Brockstedt and White also won the Augusta Flight. Tyson Mayers and Jack Daggett won the Bethpage Flight, with Drew Romans and Walt Hiltabidle winning the Congressional Flight.
Brian Andrews and Paul Andrews took first place in the Pebble Beach Flight, and Steve Montgomery and Matt Bundy won the Pine Valley Flight. Pete Jones and Dennis Ferri won the Pinehurst Flight, with Don Walker and Chester Davis taking the Shinnecock Hills Flight.
Adam Schmidt and Andrew Metz took first in the Southern Hills Flight, with John and Jim Aird winning the Olympic Club Flight. Chris and Philip Kara-Eneff won the Winged Foot Flight. On June 19, Tommy Clayton made a hole in one on the 11th hole during the event.
The Kings Creek CC Ladies Member Guest featured a sell-out crowd June 26 with 124 players. The day’s theme was “It Takes a Woman ... From the Historical to the Fantastica, l” and the two-better balls of four format led to some low scores. Lisa Schofield, Meredith Loosse, Lynn Sweeney and Jan Anderson won the overall low gross competition, with Pattie Magee, Frances Brown, Anita Pettitt and Beverly Bush winning overall low net.
Judy Wetzel, Ruth Lauver, Ann Reed and Betty Minucci won first place gross in the first flight, with Gail Petren, Gayle Truitt, Joan Crowley and Jeanne Allan winning first place net.
Katie Heintz, Arlyce Dubbin, Becky Caprano and Lisa Dillon earned first place gross in the second flight, with Carolyn Ortwein, Trish Carroll, Ann Barry and Gina Luke taking first place net in that grouping.
Joanne Yurik, Mary Gardine, Peggy Castle and Kathy Casey won first place gross in the third flight, while Francie Young, Sue Bardsley, Cyndy Simeone and Robbie Monkman finished in first place net in that category.
Robbie Monkman won the putting contest among the Kings Creek members, with Meredith Loosse finishing first among the guests. Eileen Riddell was closest to the pin on the fifth hole for the members, with Joan Martin best among the guests on that hole. Hope Adams had the member-best shot on the eighth hole, and Sharon Mears was the best guest.
Cyndy Simeone had the best guest approach shot on the 11th hole, while Joan Crowley was the closest member. Anita Pettitt had the closest shot on the 16th hole among the members, with Joan Bixler best among the guests. Meredith Loosse had the longest drive on the second hole, with Gina Luke the longest hitter on the 10th hole.
Local club competition results
The Sussex Pines Ladies 18 Hole Golf Association recently invited the Sussex Pines men to play a Florida Scramble-format Ladies and Gents Tournament.
Hazel Pusey teamed up with Jack Skilling and Bud Townsend for first place, with John and Nancy Terranova, Thomas Love and JoAnn Zorb taking second.
Charles Codrey, Jim Sadowski, Susan Brady and Kim Brooks combined for the third-place spot.
Susan Shockley and Ken Carouthers had the closest to the pin shots on the third hole, while Joann Foster and Gary Allison were best with their approaches to the sixth hole.
See you at the Women’s Open?
I am representing the Cape Gazette at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, held at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. If you see me there, give me a wave.
