19th Hole: Joe Felicetti
Joe Felicetti
CGCS // Pinehills GC, Plymouth, Mass.
Joe, what can I get you? I’m a Tito’s and tonic guy. I’m not a beer drinker; I like wine and vodka.
Tell me about Pinehills Golf Club. It’s a 36-hole public golf course. We like to consider ourselves the best in the area, but I think everybody feels that way about their course. It’s a Rees Jones that opened in 2001 and a Jack Nicklaus Jr. that opened in 2002. This is my 25th year here — I grew it in. We’re one of the higher-priced courses in the area, and we still knock it out of the park every week. Even today, on a Saturday, we’ve got 125 people on each course, which is pretty good for November.
Do you have a family? I have a wife, Tara. We have two daughters, Catherine and Sophia. Tara and I have been married 33 years — today is our anniversary. And we have a family dog, Howard. I’m sorry, I’m going to get a little emotional … He’s only 10. Mentally, he’s strong, but his back legs are going out. Today is the first day I haven’t been able to bring him to work with me. Can I include him in my photo?
Yes, of course! I’m a dog lover as well. Are you a sports fan? I’m a huge sports fan … I love all the Boston teams. With the Patriots, we just had 20 of the best years ever. We’re going through some struggles now, but I still love them.
What is your most memorable day at work? The day we opened. It’s just special. Growing it in is fun — it’s tough, it’s a lot of work — but when you finally get to the point where it’s open for golf, it’s awesome.
If I’m ever in your area, what’s one thing I have to do? Plymouth is only ten minutes from the cape. Go to the cape and go to the outer cape. Go to Dennis, Orleans, Truro — the beaches out there are beautiful. There are so many great little bars and Tiki bars and places to hang out.
That sounds awesome. I love the Cape. I actually have a house in Sandwich on the Cape, and we have a cottage down in Dennis. Everybody says, ‘Why would you buy a cottage 20 minutes from your house?’ I’m like, it’s in the summer, I can’t go on vacation, so at least I can drive 20 minutes further down the road, and I can hang out and pretend I’m on vacation.
Do you have an all-time golf highlight? I get to play a lot of great golf courses by being in the business. I’ve played some really good golf courses up around this area. But I got to play Cypress Point when I went out to California to one of the shows. That was my all-time highlight, that’s the best golf course. And I broke 80, too, so that was even more special. I love playing golf. I’ve had a couple of hole-in-ones, but playing some of these golf courses that I played was just spectacular.
As interviewed by Seth Jones, Nov. 2, 2024.
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