Baltusrol Top Contributing Club To Caddie Scholar Program
For the fourth consecutive year, Baltusrol Golf Club was presented a recognition flag as the top contributing club to the New Jersey State Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Foundation at the annual CSF Trustees Dinner on Wednesday, June 24, at the Essex Fells Country Club.
Baltusrol was the No. 1 contributing club once more, providing $70,145 to the CSF in 2014. Accepting the award for Baltusrol were former NJSGA president Tom Paluck, who also represents the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundaton and Baltusrol representatives Rick Wolffe and Rick Jenkins.
The other top five contributing clubs that received recognition were Echo Lake Country Club ($47,225), Manasquan River Golf Club ($41,875), Canoe Brook Country Club ($40,301) and Ridgewood Country Club ($38,740).
Upper Montclair Country Club was sixth ($37,505) and had 281 Par Club members (donations of $100 or more). No. 7 Spring Brook ($30,325) was No. 1 in Par Club members with 295.
“At a time when many clubs are struggling to maintain their membership numbers at breakeven levels and affordable dues, these clubs have done a remarkable job of maintaining our contribution income at a level that satisfies our present commitments and also allows us to reward every new qualified Caddie Scholar applicant,” said Ed Batta, CSF Chairman.
It was another banner year for the Caddie Scholarship Foundation which set a new record with $999,902, more than $140,000 than the previous year in donations received. This year, the CSF will surpass $12 million in donations in its 68-year history after surpassing the $11 million mark in 2014 and the $10 million mark in 2013.
“When you see the quality of the Caddie Scholars, their enthusiasm and ability to work hard, it is really gratifying,” said NJSGA president Frank O’Brien. “The Caddie Scholarship Foundation helps give young people a better start in life. That they achieve a 96 percent graduation rate speaks volumes.”
A total of 199 scholarships were awarded with 92 percent of applicants receiving grants. New in-college freshman (54) who received Caddie Scholarships set a record with a 3.60 GPA ad an average SAT score of 1,232.
One NJSGA Caddie Scholar recipient, Tyler Citrin of Baltusrol, who lives in Springfield, became the third New Jersey recipient of a full-tuition Western Golf Association Evans Scholarship. He is a rising sophomore at Indiana University and will reside in a dedicated Evans Scholar House on campus, free of charge.
“Receiving the Evans Scholarship is a life-changing experience,” Citrin said. “What is it worth? You can’t put a value on it. It is virtually priceless. I am receiving a top-flight education. I will be living with other Evans Scholars I can relate to and I will be part of a network that has over 10,000 alumni.
“It’s golf’s untold greatest scholarship. I hope to carry on the tradition and to find more Evans Scholars. There are three from New Jersey, but there are many more to come,” Citrin said.
Other Evans Scholars from the state are Sean Thornton of Green Brook (Michigan Class of 2013) and Tommy Marcus of Knickerbocker (Michigan Class of 2017).
“We receive many thank you letters from Caddies Scholars and their families thanking us for the scholarship. What we’ve discovered is that they have a lot in common. They’re bright, they do work in their communities and obviously, they work hard,” Sheila Menendez, CSF Director of Education, said.
“We are helping these young people reach their goals and we get an incredible feeling to know that we are helping them,” she said.
Batta announced three new CSF special scholarships, the Richard Fahey Scholarship at Roxiticus Golf Club; the Robert J. Burke Award at Plainfield Country Club, and the Steven Benevento Scholarship at Canoe Brook.
“I believe these type of named scholarships are the wave of the future,” Batta said. “They bring more identification to the program and excitement to the clubs.”
“So many more kids need our help. We are preserving the traditions of caddies in golf. We are helping clubs and helping communities. We should all be proud of that,” Batta stated.
