NJSGA Caddie Scholars Feted In Annual Event At USGA Musem
Caddie Scholars from left, Troy Skibitsky, John Bartell, Chris Jacques, Kyle D'Amore, Nick Cerilli, Alex Connery, Steve Grobelny, Brendon Farrell, Brandon Theriault & Mike Kane
By Mike Moretti
It was an evening for celebration when the New Jersey State Golf Association hosted its annual caddie scholars gathering at the USGA Museum in Far Hills on Thursday, Jan. 10.
Entitled “Keeping the Caddie in Golf,” the event celebrated the 65th 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 from both the USGA and the NJSGA, were in attendance.
The evening also included networking, reflections and tours of the finest golf museum in existence which predates the Baseball Hall of Fame by two years.
Guest speakers included Caddie Scholarship Foundation chairman Ed Batta, and vice chairman Ben Del Vento, Caddie Scholar alumnus Bill Garbarini, current scholar Troy Skibitsky of Echo Lake, USGA representatives Kim Gianetti and Mike Trostel, and NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation director Johanna Gavin.
Batta announced that the NJSGA CSF raised $794,000 in 2012, with $712,000 used for college tuitions for 178 deserving caddie scholars. He also stated that through the 65 years of the foundation, the graduation rate is an astounding 96 percent.
Batta also noted that the NJSGA is strengthening its relationship with the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship Foundation, which is the largest privately funded college scholarship foundation in the nation. Currently, only one or two full-tuition Evans Scholarships are awarded through the NJSGA CSF. But with Rutgers University joining the Big Ten Conference – where Evans Scholarships are primarily awarded – Batta envisions a day when 40 to 48 full-tuition caddies representing the NJSGA will be residing in an Evans Chapter House on campus.
Batta also stated that in 2013, the NJSGA CSF will surpass $10 million in donations in its history.
Del Vento stated that the late Babs and Warren Collins of Rock Spring Club have willed by far the NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Foundation its largest donation ever. The amount will be announced in the near future.
“These young caddies have the opportunity to use the golf course as a classroom,” Gavin stated. “This scholarship gives caddie scholars a fair chance to play the best shot that they can.
“Although golf is undoubtedly the greatest game, the greatest gift is an education and the Foundation is proud to continue to keep the caddie in golf for 65 consecutive years,” she said.
Garbarini recounted how caddie scholarship monies enabled him to attend Rutgers following the death of his father at age 10, and how he became captain of the Rutgers golf team his senior year. Garbarini went on to found an executive search company.
