By Dan Murphy
As the U.S. Open Golf Championship returns to Westchester, and Winged Foot Golf Club this week, (without spectators), we celebrate the event with a great story from a former caddie at the legendary Mamaroneck links that has hosted the U.S. Open 4 times, with former winners including Bobby Jones.
Most of you do not know the name of Michael O’Keefe, even though he has had a good acting career. O’Keefe’s most famous role was as Danny Noonan, in Caddyshack, to most golfers the greatest Golf comedy movie ever, (Tiger Woods agrees). In a photo from the movie above, O’Keefe is pictured with Chevy Chase.
But what most of us did not know what that O’Keefe, in real life was also a caddy at Winged Foot Golf Club. And as the U.S. Open returns to Winged Foot, O’Keefe made a request offereing his caddying services to anyone who would accept it who was playing in the open.
Writing a story for Golf.com, O’Keefe writes, “When I auditioned for the role of Danny Noonan in Caddyshack, the producers asked me two questions: Can you play golf? Can you caddie?
“I lied that I could play golf. I had to learn quickly…As for my caddying experience, I could be truthful. I had caddied at Winged Foot in 1971 and 1972, having grown up only 15 minutes away, in the village of Larchmont.
Now, almost a half-century later, I’m ready to take my caddying to the next level. I’m 65 and not getting any younger.
“I caddied at Winged Foot when Claude Harmon was the pro… In case my prospective boss is curious, here is my take on the course. The first four holes will test everyone’s confidence and putting skill. Get off the 4th green at even par and you’ve got a chance.
O’Keefe’s brother Bill is a member and fornmer President at Winged Foot and his father got him the job as a caddy in 1979. “If I’m not mistaken, we were paid $12 for each bag we carried 18 holes, so you always wanted a two-bag loop, which was given only to the adult caddies. Let me tell you, after 36 holes, $25 or $30 was quite a payday back then.
“Back to the course. The 5,000-yard 9th hole will blow everyone’s mind, not because it’s long, but because it’s straight. After eight holes of doglegs, that long stark, straight tunnel will be unnerving. The 633-yard par-5 12th hole — yes, I’ve stopped hyperbolizing — will certainly be hit by one or two big hitters in two, but that choked fairway will be the end for many badly played second shots.
“On the 17th hole, the back-right trap will be costly for those who aim toward the back-right pin on Sunday. Beware the urge to go for that delusion.
As for the last hole, I have two words for you: Phil Mickelson. I am still haunted by what happened at the Open in 2006.
A bit more about myself: I am a good person, and father to a 7-year-old boy, Aidan. I can punctuate sentences with the clarity of an English major, and I exercise daily. I may be 65, but I act like I’m 30. Or, at least, I train like I’m 30, an age at which I was still acting out in demonstrably destructive ways.
“Meanwhile, I am still pretty busy as an actor. Most recently, I have been starring opposite Kevin Bacon in his Showtime series City on a Hill. I also have a new horror film on Netflix coming out, Things Heard and Seen.
“There’s one more reason to hire me. I want Aidan to see me being of service to someone else. In America, we are way too concerned with being number one, winning the trophy, getting the girl, making it big! I want my son to know that sometimes it’s better to be in the supporting role, the one who helps someone else realize his or her dream,” writes O’Keefe.
After this story appeared at Golf.com, and was picked up by the NY Post and others, O’Keefe was hired as the caddy for Danny Balin for practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Balin,is a 17-year Westchester resident who’s the head pro at Fresh Meadow Country Club on Long Island.
O’Keefe’s initial motivation in trying to land a loop was to be able to initiate a donation fund for caddie relief to aid the caddies who were out of work during the pandemic. And cheers to the Uniteed States Golf Association, USGA, for embracing this idea and for using it to promote it the open on social media.
O’Keefe, who continues his acting career today has appeared in more than 40 films and 50 TV shows. He received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Ben, the oldest son of a Marine aviator in The Great Santini (1979). “Without ‘Santini,’ my life as an actor would never have had any of the depth or, at least, nothing like the depth it has now.”
He was married, and then divorced, singer Bonnie Raitt, and is now married to Emily Donahoe. O’Keefe is a graduate of Mamaroneck High School.
“Directors, writers, and actors are interested in making movies with me. Producers and movie studio people are not interested in me as they are in Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise. That’s just the fact of the matter,” said O’Keefe.
