From Caddie Shack to Caddie Castle, the Professional Caddies Association Foundation will honor its 2006 Hall of Fame inductees at the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla. The induction ceremony will take place on Jan. 26, 2007 at 4 p.m. on the show floor. Several hundred industry leaders and special guests are expected to attend. The honorees slated for induction into the PCA Worldwide Caddie Hall of Fame include the following individuals:
Caddie Division Inductees
Walter "Cricket" Pritchett- 62, resident of Madison, Ala.
Growing up without a father, Pritchett started caddying at the age of nine in Houston, Texas. In 1963, he heard from some traveling caddies that he could work on the PGA Tour and thought that was something that he would like to do, and he was right.
Pritchett was into his sixth year working on Tour when his travels took him to Atlanta, Ga. where he met his wife and settled down to raise his family.
During his tenure on TOUR, Pritchett had 4 wins but his fondest experience happened in 1971 when he won the Masters with Charles Coody. Pritchett just knew Coody was going to win so he took off from work under the guise of finishing up some business in Texas, and instead, headed to Augusta National Golf Club. He wore a towel over his head so his boss wouldn't recognize him and realize he'd skipped work.
Pritchett has never lost his love for the game and recommends that any young person who has the opportunity to do so, should get involved with the game of golf.
Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D.- 52, resident of Bloomfield, Conn.
Klein is a former PGA Tour and club caddie and a longtime advocate for caddies worldwide. A respected golf industry leader, he is the architecture editor for Golfweek and founding editor of SuperNews. He is author of "Rough Meditations: from Tour Caddie to Golf Course Critic, an Insider's Look at the Game" where he devotes an entire section to caddying and the history of caddying. PCA Worldwide was honored by the fact that a majority of the caddies mentioned in Klein's book are former inductees in the PCA Worldwide Caddie Hall of Fame.
Klein owes part of his success to caddying. His hard work and determination qualified him to become a recipient of the Long Island Caddie Scholarship Fund in 1971, which enabled him to attend college and earn a Bachelor's degree and eventually a Ph.D. in political science. While in graduate school and even afterwards, Klein caddied on the PGA Tour, 1976-1986. He has combined his love of golf and writing in form of numerous articles, not only about course design but often about caddying.
Besides His book "Rough Meditations" he is the author of four other books, including "Discovering Donald Ross," which won the USGA International Book Award. Klein, is an expert in golf course architecture and at Golfweek he oversees the "Golfweek's Best" golf course rating program that publishes annual lists of the top-100 Classic and Modern courses. He is a frequent keynote speaker at allied golf association meetings in the United States and Canada.
Willie "Pappy" Stokes- died 2006 at 86, Augusta, Ga.
Stokes worked at Berckman Nurseries before the grounds were converted into a golf course and became Augusta National Golf Club. Often referred to as "the grandfather of caddies" at Augusta, Stokes was also known as the man who knew how to play the greens. He was able to read the course from the fairway and tell you which way the ball would roll and how far from the hole it would be when it hit the green. He taught the young caddies how to play the course and how to club their man.
At age 17, Stokes was on the bag of his first Masters win with 1938 Champion (Henry Picard), and again in 1948 (Claude Harmon), 1951 and 1953 (Ben Hogan) and 1956 (Jack Burke Jr.). Stokes was the only man to have caddied for four different Masters champions.
Roger Martinez- 65, resident of Lake Park, Fla.
Martinez is a former PGA Tour caddie who holds a degree in mechanical engineering. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1941, he hit the ground running and has not looked back. He now lives and works in the U.S., where he became a citizen in 1973.
Martinez has caddied for more than 27 years, from country clubs in Argentina to working five different professional golf tours. He is also a former Argentine Olympic soccer player, and was recruited by the Miami Dolphins as a place kicker at the age of 34 - making him perhaps the oldest rookie drafted in NFL history. He has also worked as a draftsmen/civil engineer for Jack Nicklaus' design firm. During his caddie career, he worked for Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.
NEW Division
Caddie & Coach for the Challenged Golfer with special needs
Gerry W. Barousse Jr.- 47, resident of New Orleans, La.
Barousse is the Caddie & Coach for Pat W. Browne Jr., a talented golfer who happens to be blind. He has been working for the past 21 years as a caddie and coach and has numerous wins and top-ten finishes under his belt as coach for competitor Pat Browne.
The most memorable moment was in the U.S. Blind Golf Association National Championship Tournament held in Greensboro, N.C., when Barousse and Browne won the event. In the early 90's Brown and Barousse went head-to-head against Payne Stewart at an exhibition in Orlando, Fla. Stewart played 9 holes completely blindfolded and shot a 62, while Browne and Barousse shot a 42. Browne contributes his success in great part to the help of Barousse and believes he's the number one caddie/coach in the field, and certainly one with the biggest heart.
Kevin J. Sullivan- 51, resident of Framingham, Mass.
Kevin Sullivan, caddie for William McMahon who competes regularly in United States Blind Golfers Association events, has become more than the caddie; he is also a coach.
Sullivan met McMahon at a Lions Club tournament in Massachusetts, and was so impressed with his ability as a blind golfer, that he offered his guidance on and off the course. They hooked up with PGA Professional Kurt Sokolowski and have logged impressive wins in tournaments across the country for more than 13 years. Sullivan has definitely found his calling in being a caddie/coach. He has had the opportunity to help train and mentor blind golfers of all ages and participates in fundraising activities across the country that benefit golfers with disabilities.
The Caddie Manager Division
Douglas Ellsworth, 68, resident of Morris Plains, N.J.
Douglas Ellsworth gives back to others as camp director at the Sankaty Head Caddie Camp, the last remaining caddie camp in the United States, and possibly last remaining in the world. The camp is for boys between the ages of 14 and 16 and teaches them (under the guidance of the camp staff) how to gain the necessary skills of self-support, self-direction and the ability to reach out to their communities.
The camp is situated between two fairways on the Sankaty Head Golf Course on Nantucket Island in Siasconset, Mass. It's there you'll find 60 caddies, six junior staff members, a caddy master, and its respected camp director, Douglas Ellsworth. According to Ellsworth, the camp participates in two educational scholarship programs: The Norman L. Claxton Educational Scholarship and the Roy E. Larsen Education Scholarship, established by the Sankaty Head Foundation. Through the leadership of Ellsworth and with the help of Camp Sankaty faculty, students are instilled with the skills of responsibility, honesty, integrity, money management, all necessary for young folks who are preparing themselves for the business world.
Lynda Barco Spirit Award- For Distinguished Service to the Association
Michael "Mike" Hartman, 65, resident of Sanford, Fla.
Mike Hartman, owner of J. Michael Hartman & Co., is the recipient of the Lynda Barco Spirit Award for support and service to PCA Worldwide Inc. and its foundation. Owner of an accounting and tax service company, Hartman has diligently assisted the association for more than 15 years.
"I'm excited and honored to receive this award," Hartman says. "The work they do for caddies and kids through PCA is both positive and life-changing, and I'm happy to be a part of it."
