Bobby Collins, Betsy Wintenberger to Receive MGWA Dave Anderson Spotlight Awards

Bobby Collins, Betsy Wintenberger to Receive

MGWA Dave Anderson Spotlight Awards

ELMSFORD, NY (September 30, 2021) --- Betsy Wintenberger, who most recently served as the Director of Bethpage State Park, and Bobby Collins, a former Winged Foot caddie who is retiring at the end of this season after 32 years as the Caddie Manager at Westchester Country Club, will be presented with Dave Anderson Spotlight Awards at the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association’s 69th National Awards Dinner on Wednesday, October 6th, at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY.  The award, given in recognition of “exemplary service by unique individuals in the golf community,” is named in memory of former NY Times Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and longtime MGWA Board Member, Dave Anderson. 

A Long Island native and graduate of Lynbrook H.S. who studied Parks and Recreation Management at SUNY Delhi, Wintenberger joined New York State Parks in 1978. Her career has included senior administrative positions at Jones Beach, Hempstead Lake, Robert Moses/Captree and, from 2011 through 2019, the post of Director at Bethpage State Park.

Assuming the top post at Bethpage after the Black course had hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open golf championships, Wintenberger was significantly active in all logistical aspects for the staging of the PGA Tour’s 2012 and 2016 Barclays events, the 2019 PGA Championship and the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup.

“If you asked me what I considered my skill set, I would tell you that I am a ‘team builder,’ ” said Wintenberger. “I have been fortunate to mentor talented people who advance our Agency’s goals. It has been an extremely satisfying experience.”

For Collins, a career in golf follows in the footsteps of both his parents. His father, Pat Collins, spent a half century at Winged Foot, retiring after several decades as the club’s Caddie Manager. His mother, Nancy Collins, worked for many years at the Metropolitan Golf Association.

A graduate of Iona Prep and Iona College, Bobby Collins first got started in golf as a teenage caddie at Winged Foot where his father was his boss.  He was hired at Westchester Country Club in 1989 to oversee caddie operations.  He is well-respected for his friendly, helpful attitude in dealing with both members and guests, along with his organizational abilities and his understanding demeanor in supervising a large caddie colony at a club that boasts 36 championship holes of golf.

The MGWA National Awards Dinner has raised millions dollars for its charitable beneficiaries: the three primary Caddie Scholarship programs in the Metropolitan New York area; the MGA Foundation; and the Dave Marr Journalism Scholarship at Columbia University.

For additional information, please contact Robin Sauerhaft at rsauerhaft@mgagolf.org.