Caddies, members and staff at the Vineyard Golf Club were saddened by the recent death of John (Golf Ball) Cathcart, who died recently at the Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., only a month or so after a diagnosis of liver and lung cancer. He was 60.

Golf Ball came to the Vineyard Golf Club in 2000 from Trump International in West Palm Beach. He began caddying at the club and shortly afterwards picked up a job working in the locker room, where he stayed busy caring for members and guests for the next seven years. He was always upbeat, friendly, humorous, colorfully opinionated, full of stories and intensely supportive of the game of golf. No matter whether you were a scratch golfer or a 30 handicap, Golf Ball would always have a smile for you, ask you how you were hitting them, give a bit of unsolicited friendly advice and wish you luck.

He grew up in Harlem in New York city, fought for his country in Viet Nam, and then joined the golf world for the remainder of his life. He was a caddie on the PGA tour for years, caddying for notables such as Ernie Els and Tom Lehman. He worked at the Westchester Country Club, the Palm Beach Country Club, the Dye Preserve and traveled extensively throughout the United States. He has a large family with many children, including a three-month-old daughter.

Frank Kelly, a friend and locker room attendant at the Dye Preserve said: “I called Golf Ball after he had let me know about his diagnosis. I told him I had tickets to the Red Sox-Marlins exhibition game on Saturday. That was Thursday. On Friday, I got a call from his girlfriend Tika, and he was gone. I’m still in shock a bit. It was so abrupt. He was a good man. He always said to me that he loved the Vineyard.”

In addition to his extended and far-reaching family, he is survived by many friends and confidants. Fellow caddies at the Vineyard Golf Club, including Butch, Val, Wad, Spider, Junior, Mexi, Auggie, caddie master Paul (Crusher) Harrington, and many others will miss him greatly.

I remember one morning this past fall when I came into the caddie pin one morning. It was one of the last times I saw Golf Ball. He said, “Spider, I want you to take a good look around you. It’s a beautiful day on the Vineyard, and even though it may be gray and gloomy right now, this is God at work. He has a plan for you and your family. You just do everything in your power to take care for your daughter. She is the one most important to you, no one else.”

And now it’s Golf Ball’s three-month-old girl who needs care and support.

A fund for Golf Ball’s daughter and his girlfriend Tika is being established. To make a donation, please contact Shannon (Spider) Bianchi at 508-939-1854 or e-mail jsbianchi@yahoo.com.