Courtesy photo From left are former caddies Sheldon Woolridge, John Bottenfield and Joe Burke.

By Ken Love

For the Mirror

During the early 1960s, the young boys who spent long summer days carrying golf bags and learning the game of golf were among the last generation to experience the art and craft of caddying.

Within a few short years, nearly every course in America brought in new-fangled, gas-powered golf carts, and the youthful occupation of being a local, club caddy quickly disappeared.

Three local men who were part of this last generation were Joe Burke, John Bottenfield and Sheldon Woolridge. Each grew up in or around Hollidaysburg, and by the early 1960s, found their way to Blairmont Country Club. In those days, every club needed a slew of caddies, and these boys were among many who knew they could earn some spending money if they could do the job.

“You learned pretty quick the two most important aspects of being a caddy,” said Burke, who now lives in nearby Newry. “Carry the bag, and keep your eye on the ball.”

At Blairmont, all caddies took direction from caddiemaster Jim Hoopes, who worked under head pro Pete Snead (and later, Frank Kiraly). As a rule, the young caddies would show up early and congregate in the club’s caddy shed, located near the parking lot, and pass the time of day playing cards, pitching quarters and playing chew-the-peg until their name was called to carry a member’s bag.

Back in the early 1960s, caddies were paid $2.90 for nine holes and $5.80 for 18. They could earn more if they carried double.

“After I was there for awhile, I found out it was better to carry two and make the extra money,” Bottenfield said. “You just had to make sure you were strong enough, and it was better for your balance if you had bags of equal weight.”

From the 1920s through the 1960s, Blairmont was among the top clubs in Pennsylvania, and its annual Invitational tournament attracted some of the best golfers across the East Coast.

“The course would be packed with spectators during the Invitational week.” Woolridge said. “A caddie would usually hook up with one player and stay with him throughout the whole tournament. You could make a lot of money that week.”

The remainder of the summer was filled with a regular schedule that included “Ladies’ Day” on Tuesday, “Doctor’s Day” on Thursday and “Scottish Foursomes” (for couples) on Friday. Monday mornings were set aside for the caddies.

“We were allowed to play the course until noon-time on Mondays,” Bottenfield said. “And most of the members were very accommodating. Many of them would allow you to use their clubs that day to play.”

Another unique feature at Blairmont was a caddy-ranking system the club employed.

“At the end of each round, we would hand our golfer a small ‘rating card,”’ Burke said. “And the member would rate our performance ‘poor,’ ‘good,’ or ‘excellent.'”

The cards were turned in anonymously and tallied over the course of a month. The youngster with the best cumulative score would win the coveted “Caddy of the Month” prize. Burke remembers winning his award in June of 1966.

“They would take each winner to Joe Cohen’s Young Men’s Shop and give us a new shirt,” Burke said. “A photographer was also there to take our picture for the paper.”

Blairmont members had a particular affinity for their caddies and even hosted annual winter banquets for all the caddies in the club’s impressive banquet room. However, as the 1960s progressed, and gasoline golf carts became more prominent across the country, the days of club caddying were numbered.

“We probably lasted longer at Blairmont than at most other clubs,” Bottenfield said. “Many of the members here were old-fashioned and didn’t want to give up their caddies.”

Eventually, though, the additional revenue stream that golf carts provided was too enticing, and by 1970, nearly all local caddies were a thing of the past, but for Burke, Bottenfield and Woolridge, their days spent as caddies at Blairmont — the memories, lessons-learned and experiences — are something they’ll always remember.