By Phil Paquette
Through the MGA Foundation’s GOLFWORKS student intern program, 14 young men and women worked at the Golf Club at Middle Bay on Long Island’s South Shore this summer. Middle Bay has supported GOLFWORKS for the past 11 years, and this year they welcomed one of the largest groups of interns to the club in Oceanside, N.Y.
And it’s a win-win. Ron Wright, the director of golf at Middle Bay, loves what the program has done for the club. “It is a fabulous program,” he says. “The GOLFWORKS program has become an essential part of our operation. I don’t know if we could actually survive without it now.”
The 14 interns were responsible for various tasks, including operating the driving range, maintaining the short-game area, washing clubs, cleaning golf carts, setting up for events, and assisting in the pro shop.
Aidan Rodriguez is one of the interns who has worked his way up and grown while with the program at Middle Bay. The senior at Farmingdale State College has worked at the club during the summers since he was in high school, but he still remembers what it was like being a rookie intern.
“My first year here, I was like the most silent kid in the universe,” he recalls. “I wouldn't talk to anyone when I first started working here. I am super grateful for this job; it really broke me out of my shell.”
Eddie Ricottone completed his fourth year at Middle Bay in 2025 and is now studying and playing golf at Penn State Brandywine. Ricottone has been coming to Middle Bay since he was a kid with his dad and attending the golf camp Wright runs. Working at Middle Bay allowed Ricottone to not only keep improving his golf game but his communication skills, too.
The familial connection to Middle Bay doesn't end with Ricottone and his father. His sister, Angelina, has been working in the golf shop for the last three years, and their younger brother, Sebastian, started working at the club this year.
At first, Eddie wasn’t sure about his brother working with him at Middle Bay. “Honestly, I didn’t think that he would want to do it. (But) seeing me come home every day, enjoying work, never really complaining too much about it, and looking at what his other options were, I think that I kind of pushed him into doing this.”
Middle Bay has become a home away from home for them. “I have had relationships with people who work here since I was young,” Angelina says. “The people here are honestly just the sweetest.”
The family ties are there for Wright, too. Each of his five kids worked at Middle Bay through the years, and many kids from the golf camp become interns.
Watching the kids grow from their time as a golf camper to an intern to a young adult when they leave gives Wright a wonderful sense of pride.
“The best thing is to see 14-year-old kids stay here for eight years through college, leave here as young adults, and move on,” he says. “That’s the real benefit and the real thing that gets my blood flowing. It makes me feel like the program and we as a club are doing the right thing.”
The Foundation’s flagship program is in its 31st season in 2025. Launched in 1994, the GOLFWORKS program provides meaningful summer internships for high school students at participating MGA member clubs and courses throughout the Met Area. In 2025, 52 clubs participated in the program, employing 244 interns. The young adults who participate in GOLFWORKS complete an internship in a golf environment, learning the lessons of honor, integrity, and tradition, as well as an activity that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. In addition, GOLFWORKS provides real-world work experiences, networking opportunities, and a way for interns to learn the skills necessary to pursue their career interests. To learn more or to sponsor an intern, contact Lou Cutolo at lcutolo@mgagolf.org.