THE COMEBACK OF CADDIE SHACK; NEW VENTURA PROGRAM POPULAR WITH LOCAL KIDS.

Byline: Chris Branam Daily News Staff Writer

Sometimes, Greg Gilmer looks out his office window and admires the green grass and tall palm trees.

It's a beautiful sight, he mentions to a visitor. Gilmer is the golf services manager for the City of Ventura, and his office is in the southwest corner of the Olivas Park Golf Course clubhouse.

Then Gilmer looks at the caddie shack, just a few yards from his window. This is a view he loves. He sees teen-agers, mostly boys, joking around as they wash clubs and prepare themselves for their round.

When the Oxnard-based Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation came to Gilmer pitching a caddie program earlier this year, Gilmer accepted. Not only would boys be taught the game of golf, they would be put in a safe environment where their parents wouldn't worry.

``Caddies had been on their way out the last several years,'' Gilmer said. ``What really sold me was the value we were providing . . . to the young golfers. I've heard nothing but positives from every caddie in the program.''

Caddies are back at Olivas Park and Buenaventura, Ventura's other municipal course. Ironically, the program is spearheaded by a former NFL running back - Muncie - and an entrepreneur named Bob Allen, who sells a robotic caddie named the ``PK2.''

Muncie, who used to head the Port Hueneme Boys and Girls Club, had just created the foundation that bears his name when he was approached by Allen, who wanted to start a caddie program.

The two men came up with a program that the City of Ventura endorsed after a few experimental runs with caddies being offered to golfers. Caddies have been out on the course full-force since May 1.

``Now you're introducing kids to the game that might not have had any interest before,'' Muncie said.

Before they become a caddie, the boys must learn to play golf. They also are given a training manual prepared by Allen's organization, Golf Group of America.

The caddies earn $20 for each bag for each round and also get an average of $5-10 in tips. Sometimes, they get more than the average.

``I went out with this woman and I started reading her putts for her,'' said 14-year-old caddie Titus Bonney. ``She shot the best round of her life, so I got a big tip.''

Bonney is the youngest of the 30 caddies in the program. He has played almost every day this summer and has become such a good golfer that he sheepishly admits he could beat most of the people for whom he caddies.

At 17, Bryan Edwards is one of the older caddies, and perhaps most dedicated. Edwards, a 6-handicap who won the Ojai City Championship, is always prompt for 5:30 a.m. tee times on Sunday.

``Most people will have a conversation with you,'' said Edwards, who just graduated from Rio Mesa High. ``They are always friendly.''

After completing paperwork for their ``loop,'' the caddies receive a free round.

``It's a safe environment,'' Allen said. ``Parents love having their kids here.''

Muncie said he likes the program because kids become exposed to professionals. He hopes some of that ``shop talk'' that usually goes on during a round will rub off on the caddies.

``These kids get an opportunity to meet people they might never have met,'' he said. ``They get an opportunity to do a little business. Now you have these guys meeting doctors, lawyers . . . it's an automatic mentor program.''

Said Muncie, ``What better setting for a kid from an inner-city neighborhood?''

The percentage of caddies at public golf courses dropped over the past 20 years because of popularity of golf carts.

``As motorized and pull carts grew in popularity,'' Muncie said, ``it became harder for caddies to make a living. Caddies just kind of went away.''

When the caddies program in Ventura started in May, most golfers shrugged and turned their heads when they saw the caddie shack near the first tee. Slowly, and mostly by word-of-mouth, golfers began to sign up.

``As they've continued to come out here,'' Gilmer said, ``people have said, `Let's give it a shot.' ''

The popularity of the caddie program in Ventura creates a circle of success. The golfers don't worry about a cart or carrying their bags, and the kids learn about responsibility and the game.

Everyone wins.

``Now everyone knows me around here,'' Bonney said.

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Photo

PHOTO Greg Glickfeld, left, and Michael Brucato clean clubs in preparation for a round.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News