NJSGA Caddie Scholars Feted At Galloping Hill
With some with 26 caddies in attendance with members of their immediate families, the New Jersey State Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Foundation hosted its annual caddie scholars gathering at its new facility at the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth on Tuesday, June 24.
Entitled “Keeping the Caddie in Golf,” the event celebrated the 67th anniversary of the NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation and a crowd of nearly 100 including current and former caddie scholars, parents, friends, guest speakers, and administrators of the NJSGA attended.
Guest speakers included Caddie Scholarship Foundation chairman Ed Batta, and vice chairman Ben Del Vento, Caddie Scholar alumnus Bill King, current scholar Brendan Farrell of Echo Lake, NJSGA president Frank O’Brien, NJSGA Director of Education Sheila Menendez and NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation director Johanna Gavin.
It was another banner year for the Caddie Scholarship Foundation which set a new record with $867,680 in donations received. This year, the CSF will surpass $11 million in donations in its 67-year history after surpassing the $10 million mark in 2013.
A total of 203 scholarships were awarded from a pool of 260 applicants. The graduation rate is an astounding 96 percent, highest in the nation.
According to Batta, $446,484 was awarded to 100 automatically renewed scholarships (sophomores and seniors), $159,900 was awarded to 37 juniors who reapplied, $106,600 went to 27 new-in-college recipients, $147,000 to 37 new freshmen, and $7,000 to two Rutgers students in the turfgrass program.
Of interest, the King family of Spring Lake became the second to have father-son recipients in Bill King, the head pro at the club and son, William King IV of St. Rose High School, winner of a $6,000 William Y. Dear Scholarship. Bill King is a lifetime sustaining donor of the CSF.
The Lazzarotti triplets, caddies at Echo Lake, freshmen Chris, Mark and Matt all received CSF awards. There were 14 brother-brother recipients and one brother-sister combination. More than 40 scholarship winners received a minimum of $6,000.
Grade point averages ranged from 3.0 to 3.5 and the average SAT score was nearly 1,200, according to Sheila Menendez, CSF Director of Education.
“When I started caddieing, I was five feet tall. But I grew, both socially and intellectually,” explained Farrell, who attends Virginia Tech and receives a yearly $6,500 Roger Chandler Memorial Scholarship. “I’ve learned so much from the members of Echo Lake.
“They’ve taught me life lessons, a work ethic, golf etiquette, patience and discipline as a caddie. I continually pull from my experiences on the golf course to help me through life. I want to take the opportunity to thank the donors. Without you, I wouldn’t be here,” Farrell said.
“The future of this program depends on the future graduates of the Caddie Scholarship Foundation,” Batta said. “Caddieing is not easy. You love to learn the game. Because you serve us so well as caddies, you become a success in life. Please, when you can later in life, take the opportunity to help other caddies.”
Bill King received a Caddie Scholarship of $750 when he attended Rutgers University in 1976. With the help of golf coach Abe Sivess, he was able to receive another scholarship to cover the full tuition cost of $1,200.
“Please, find a way to give back. I was the first NJSGA Caddie Scholar to become a head golf professional. When I won the New Jersey Senior Open , it was the proudest moment of my career. I donated half of my winnings to the Caddie Scholarship Foundation in honor of my father-in-law, John Farrell,” King said.
“I want you to remember who your mentors are. I’ve touched them as they’ve touched me. It’s 40 years later, and it’s still a big part of my life. Caddie training teaches life lessons. Tell other caddies there are scholarships available,” he said.
NJSGA Caddie Scholars receive a minimum award of $3,500 per year for all incoming freshmen and new in-college recipients. Last year, all existing scholarships were increased by $500 for the upcoming academic year. This action is a continuance of the Foundation’s long-range goal to keep pace with the continued increase in tuition costs.
For this academic year, 203 students received awards totaling $870,484.
The capability to follow through on this plan is the result of increased revenues generated by the Caddie Scholarship Program.
While admittedly a supplemental scholarship in terms of overall college costs, the NJSGA Caddie Scholarship plays an important role for most recipients, given that the main focus is to provide scholarships for those most in need. Since its inception in 1947, the Foundation has funded the costs of higher education to more than 3,200 caddie scholars.
The scholarships are funded through individual member contributions at the NJSGA’s member clubs that sponsor caddie programs. The applicant must have caddied at least two (2) golfing seasons, document financial need, and demonstrate an academic record consistent with college requirements.
Visit our website at NJSGA.org and click on “Caddie Scholarship” or join us on Facebook at “NJSGA Caddie Scholars” to get the latest news on our program. On our web pages, you can read issues of our quarterly e-newsletter “In The Loop;” also, view our “Caddie Scholars of the Month” feature that profiles an outstanding caddie. The website also includes an online donations page.
