Caddies are fundamental to the game

A good caddie will not give an opinion without being asked. So we asked: What do you think of a national trend that has clubs replacing caddies with golf carts?

"Little do they realize that a caddie is the golf course," said Dwayne Bussey, who loops at Cherry Valley Club in Garden City. "A cart can't find your ball. A cart can't read a green. A cart is not going to keep a golfer's confidence up," Bussey said. "A caddie makes a golfer's life a lot easier and a lot more pleasant."

Tom Kenny, who has been caddying on and off since 1974 (before and after getting a nursing degree) and works at Waccabuc in Westchester, said, "If you go to other areas, they're building golf courses and they just want carts on them. At least around here, they're giving guys like us a chance to come out and make a buck and do some nice work."

That point is not lost on management and membership at Cherry Valley, which on Monday hosted the Third Annual Keith Cerrato Golf Tournament. There was only one requirement to play: You have to be a caddie.

The event (postponed once this year by rain and once by Hurricane Irene) raises funds for scholarships to Chaminade High and Hofstra in memory of Cerrato, a Cherry Valley caddie who was killed by a car while crossing a street in 2006. Cerrato's parents are proud that some underprivileged students couldn't finish their education if not for the funds raised when members at various clubs sponsor their caddies.

Just as important, though, is that the tournament is a de facto caddie appreciation day. The pro and members wait on them, instead of the other way around. There is an awards dinner, too. Cold Spring Country Club's Dan Bohn won with a 74. Nick Patti of Cold Spring and Bennet Fink of Woodmere CC shot 75.

"This is very impressive," said Willie Samuels, who has been caddying for 70 of his 82 years and works at Rockville Links. "They have food in the dining room for us. Caddies are not used to that. We usually eat in the shack. This is really something."

Caddying helped Samuels pay for his school clothes when he was growing up in Far Rockaway. "And it was something to do. Years ago, believe me, there wasn't that much to do. And it's good exercise and you can play free golf," he said, adding that he's still a 12 handicap.

John Hawkins, a retiree and diabetic, said that caddying at Cherry Valley is good for his health. But the real point is that it is good for a golfer's game. "I read these greens seven days a week almost. You might be here one day a week," he said. "I can help, and I can help with the yardages."

Bobby Linning of Elmont, who has been caddying at Long Island clubs for 34 years and works at Rockville Links, said there are three components to being a good caddie: "Keep your eye on the ball, keep up with your player and basically shut up. Don't offer any information unless the member asks you."

Like other players at The Keith (as the tournament is known) said, this has been a good year for caddying, what with the attention Tiger Woods' former caddie, Steve Williams, received.

"The publicity is great for the game. It makes people aware of how valuable a caddie is," Linning said. "Some people I talk to say, 'What does a caddie do? How can he help someone's game?' These are people who don't know anything about golf."

Chip shots

Joe Saladino of Huntington CC won his second consecutive Nassau Invitational Sunday at Nassau Country Club. He beat Walker Cup player Alan Dunbar in the second round and Met Golf Association points leader Mike Miller in the final . . . A Garden City company is pioneering a new device to repair ball marks: teegreentool.com.