(Cutline: Craig Burdick and his family, from left, Matt Burdick, Kelly Dibble, Craig Burdick, his wife, Nora Burdick, Maureen Caschera, Harper Caschera, Sean Burdick, Brigid Burdick after his fifth Wellsville Country Club championship victory. Burdick said being with family made this the best win of them all.)

By JOHN ANDERSON

After winning the Club Championship at the Wellsville Country Club in 2018, it looked like that would be the last time to win the highest honor at the course for Wellsville’s Craig Burdick.

As the years increased into the 2020’s, so did the pain in his back and knees. He knew he had to exercise more, watch his diet, and get back to playing for ice cream.

Yes, ice cream.

Burdick, who has above-average power off the tee, has an above average game with his approach, and it’s all because of ice cream.

As a child growing up in Richburg, he tagged along to the Bolivar Country Club with his grandfather, George Burdick. At age 6, he hacked his way around the course when he had a chance.

His neighbor, Ed Thompson, gave him a hickory shaft 9-iron club to practice with that summer. Thompson put a bushel basket 25 yards away and showed Burdick how to chip. He then said “if you make one, I’ll buy you ice cream.”

Burdick went a whole summer without ice cream.

The next summer, Burdick chipped the ball twice into the bucket.

The third year?

“I went for ice cream every night!” Burdick exclaims like it happened yesterday.

That led to his first Junior Club Championship at the Bolivar Country Club at the age of 10. He went on to win Penn-York Junior Championships as well, which pits the best junior golfers in the region together in a tournament each summer.

“I had to start playing with men’s clubs, it wasn’t like today where you can buy youth clubs. I had a driver, a few irons and a putter,” Burdick said. “I was obsessed with the game. When my grandfather was down there at the Bolivar Country Club, I was there every day.”

This past summer, it all came together. Burdick won the 2024 Wellsville Country Club’s Club Championship.

Burdick has now won the club championship in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2024. He said this was a special one because he was going against a very good golfer in Brandon Haas, and his whole family was able to witness the victory.

“They were all special wins. I always said I didn’t want to be a one-and-done, but this year, it was a special thing,” Burdick said. “Brandon is a phenomenal player. Even though neither of us were playing up to where we usually do, but I outlived him!”

Burdick stopped playing gold with a 0 handicap in 1982 to raise a family. Then came starting a business. Less than 2% of all golfers have a zero handicap. When Burdick returned to golf in 2000, it took him 12 to 15 years to get back to a 0 handicap.

“Taking 18 years off golf in my prime did not help my stats, but it was the best for my family … I have no regrets,” Burdick said. “I will leave a legacy of four great kids which is most important for me.”

Over the years, Burdick has a couple hole-in-one’s, he came in 32nd in the New York State Seniors Tournament, has won 12 senior tournaments at Wellsville and several President Cup’s, which is now called the Bill and Charlie Cup.

Getting there was the fun part.

It started in college, where Burdick attended Brockport for soccer. He had a darn good career in high school at Richburg, setting the school record for goals and leading the county in goals playing for Stan Evningham. Little did he know, the 4-year-old ball boy for his soccer team and the coach’s kid who was always hanging around. Scott Evingham wound up scoring 40 and 41 goals his junior and senior year and finished with a then-state record 119 goals to knock Burdick from the record books.

After a few weeks of college soccer in Brockport, Burdick had classes that conflicted with practice and games. He then went into the office of the golf coach. After all, he played in the prestigious Men’s Amateur against Eddie Forrest at Bartlett and Teddy Kochan at Salamanca, two legends. Kochan’s nickname was “Mr. Amateur” for winning nine of them.

“I was 17, they were in their 40’s and they were legends,” Burdick recalls. “I was young and I was scared. But one time at Elkdale, a reporter slapped Kochan on the back, laughed and said ‘see you in the clubhouse.’ After nine holes, I was down four and now I was mad. I came back and lost on 17, but I had him nervous!”

Burdick settled for four second place finishes to the legends including one that came down to the 18th hole. So he thought he could play college golf.

His coach politely explained he had his team set. He had recruited the top players from the top large schools in New York state, from Long Island to Jamestown. But he did allow Burdick to try out.

And try out he did. In Burdick’s very first golf match in college, he was the medalist taking first over a two-day tournament. He solidified himself on the golf team for his college career.

One of Burdick’s favorite club championships came when he was two-down on the second day and scrambling for par. On 16, he was in trouble again. But he got a birdie and a par while the leader double-bogeyed. 

In another club championship, Burdick was two-down in the second day and struggling. He was down the middle, on the green and getting birdies while Burdick was scrambling for par. On 16, Burdick was in trouble again, but on that hole, he fought back to get a par. On 17, his opponent double bogeyed, Burdick sank a 20-foot birdie to go even.

On 18, Burdick knocked his first shot on the green and made par. With the match tied, his opponent bogeyed and Burdick won. There is nothing like that walk up to the final hole of 18 at the Wellsville Country Club with everyone watching on the patio.

“That walk is always too nervous because each time I have done it, I’ve never had the tournament won. It always comes down to 18,” Burdick said. “The way that hole is always laid out, it is special when you knock it on the green, but it doesn’t always happen.”

Despite being a seasoned veteran, the pressure was there on 18. He played through pressure taking 32nd at the New York State Amateur. He played through a member-guest at Bartlett with Steve Kane last year getting in the final playoff for first. There were 50 carts with people watching and another 50 surrounding the greens. Watching you hit and putt.

It reminded him of another club championships.

Burdick needed to make an easy 3-foot putt to win the championship.

“I got up, dressed the ball, got over it and I froze!” he said. “I kept telling myself ‘HIT THE BALL’ but I froze for 30 seconds. People were wondering why I stood over the ball? That never goes away, no matter how much you play.”

But he didn’t freeze.

And he’s working out and getting ready for the 2025 season. Because after all, he wants to spend another summer in the sun earning ice cream.

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