Tuesdays with Tom ...

Stan Andrie hit a great golf shot.

But, more importantly, he was a man of his word.

Andrie, a North Muskegon resident and co-owner of Andrie, Inc. in Muskegon, was playing in a member-guest tournament on Friday at Point O’ Woods Country Club in Benton Harbor, a famous club where he is a member that still employs old-fashioned caddies.

When Andrie reached his final hole of the day, the 165-yard ninth hole, he asked 23-year-old caddy Dave Maxey of Dowagiac for his 6-iron.

“I think you should hit a 5-iron,” Andrie recalled Maxey saying.

Andrie replied:

“If I get a hole-in-one, do you want a big tip or the car?” Andrie asked him, referring to the prize for an ace on that hole, a brand-new, black Jeep Wrangler 4x4, valued at $26,500.

Laughing, Maxey, a recent Michigan State University graduate, said he would choose the car because he needed a new one badly and had been driving the same car since high school.

No one was laughing a few minutes later. Andrie, playing partner Rich Parker of Ohio and Maxey were celebrating after Andrie launched his 5-iron just left of the pin, where it bounced to the right and then rolled into the cup.

“Dave, you’ve got yourself a car,” Andrie recalled telling his stunned caddy. “The look on his face was priceless.”

Maxey, who estimates he has caddied 700 rounds during his nine years at Point O’ Woods, has never had one of his players make a hole-in-one. It was the second career ace for the 52-year-old Andrie, who had one 34 years ago when he was 18.

Andrie’s generosity was lauded by fellow club members at the post-golf reception and the story of his promise and the subsequent “caddy shock” was written up in the local newspaper, The Herald-Palladium of Southwest Michigan.

“I don’t think he originally thought I was going to actually give it to him,” said Andrie, who has three college-age daughters of his own. “But I stuck to my word. I was happy to do it. He’s a great kid.”

One month away

Exactly one month from today, most of the area’s high school football teams will kick off another season, which, on paper, should be a lot of fun with many loaded Muskegon-area teams.

Among the big games on that first football Friday, Aug. 27, are Oakridge at Muskegon Heights, Montague at Orchard View, Reeths-Puffer at Fruitport, Muskegon Catholic at Mona Shores and Spring Lake at Whitehall.

One game with plenty of statewide interest comes a day sooner, on Aug. 26, when longtime power Muskegon travels to play at new powerhouse Macomb Dakota.

Quick hits

• It takes talent and luck to make the baseball playoffs. The Tigers have none of the latter, especially after Magglio Ordonez’s devastating broken ankle on Saturday night.

• Jack Roush let Jamie McMurray go last year and now McMurray, with a win at Daytona earlier this year and at the Brickyard on Sunday, is making Rough look like a fool.

• The bikes are coming back. Two weeks after Bike Time roared away, the National Pro Hillclimb is roaring in to Mount Garfield in Norton Shores on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Winderupper

Whaddya doing this Saturday?

Had enough of festivals, golf scrambles and the beach?

Then perhaps it’s time for roller derby.

The Skee Town Skirtz, Muskegon’s first and only flat-track roller derby team, has a home bout against the Fort Wayne Derby Girls at 8 p.m. at the Lakeshore Sports Centre, 4470 Airline. More information on the team and ticket costs is available at www.skeetownskirtz.com.

The team, which does not have another home bout until Sept. 11, is creating quite a buzz around town and has moved to the bigger Lakeshore venue from its original home at Jumpin’ Jupiter. It’s a quasi-sport with a major attitude and those that love it believe in the roller derby motto:

“Derby Girls Rock!”

E-mail: tkendra@muskegonchronicle.com