#Caddies accuse ‘America’s snootiest golf club’ of stiffing them

Caddies got clubbed on wages at Southampton’s swanky National Links of America, a course favorite of Michael Bloomberg, Michael Jordan and Wall Street billionaires, according to a federal lawsuit they filed in Brooklyn.

Once dubbed “America’s snootiest” golf club, the National took an eight-iron to the earnings of its attendants, paying only for their time carting clubs, though some worked as many as 70 hours per week laundering towels and scrubbing toilets, the class-action suit claims.

Lead plaintiff in gthe caddy smack case, Andrew Rodriguez, carried clubs for former Mayor Bloomberg, President George W. Bush and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters from 2003 to October 2019, the suit says.

And though the bold-faced names were “nice to him and tipped him well” — Waters even kicked in concert tickets — the National stiffed him for the many hours he worked behind the scenes, his lawyer Saul Zabell told The Post.

“Andrew was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by this club for rich people,” he said. “That’s why it’s important that he brings this claim on behalf of himself and every other caddy that was forced to do the same.”

The suit said that “caddies such as Mr. Rodriguez work up to twelve-hour days, seven days a week, [but] are only paid for each golf-bag they carry.” The rate is  $120 per bag.

And by not classifying them as employees or independent contractors, the National “deprives them of the basic rights and entitlements under Federal, State, and Local laws,” the suit says.

It names the club and “caddy master” William Muller as defendants. 

The golf club, nestled between Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and Peconic Bay, charges members $150,000 to join. It declined comment.

The National is ranked 8th on Golf Digest’s “100 Greatest Golf Courses.” The list of original members included The Harrimans, William Vanderbilt II,  and Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Lincoln, patch.com reported.

A 2015 PageSix story said Pink Floyd’s Waters invited Bill Clinton to play golf with him at the National.

The National has between 30 and 80 caddies depending on the time of year, according to the suit.