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CC of Greenfield pro Kevin Piecuch will be honored at the 68th Western Mass. Tee Party on May 8.
(The Republican photo by John Suchocki)
GREENFIELD – The consummate golf professional deserves a little attention and praise once in a while.
This one will stick forever.
Kevin Piecuch has earned the reputation as being one of the most versatile, hard-working golf pros anywhere, and for that will be the guest of honor at the 68th Western Mass. Tee Party.
The longtime head pro at Country Club of Greenfield will be honored by peers and golfers alike for his commitment and dedication to golf in the region.
“It has been overwhelming,’’ Piecuch said. “The response I have gotten from all the pros, all the guys who play here. It has been humbling and overwhelming. It’s been exciting.’’
The double shotgun tournament and popular evening awards banquet take place at the Country Club Lane clubhouse on May 8.
“Kevin is one of the most knowledgeable pros I know,’’ Longmeadow CC pro and Tee Party committee chairman Tim Quirk said. “He just knows everything about the business . . . teaching, equipment, running tournaments, merchandising. Everything.’’
Piecuch has been a fixture at CC of Greenfield since 1992, when he was hired by the late James "Bucky'' O'Brien as an assistant. He earned Class A status with the PGA of America a year later and became head pro under O'Brien in 1996.
"Working with Buck, I learned so much about his passion for golf and people,'' Piecuch said. "Do the right thing. Sometimes it's harder that way, but do the right thing. And it carries over to other parts of your
life.''
Piecuch’s commitment is undeniable, as evidenced by his 90-minute, round trip daily commute for nearly a quarter century.
“It’s no big deal, I have been so used to it,’’ Piecuch said. “The part that has been really hard is balancing everything with my family. My wife has gone above and beyond all these years, and I do everything I can to do as much with her and my children.’’
Piecuch married wife Shannon (Keane) in 1997 and the two have children Connor (14) and Tara (11) in their hometown of East Longmeadow.
Piecuch, 47, grew up playing at Ludlow Country Club, but his first introduction to the sport started at age 4 when his father Andy brought him along the old Oxford CC in Chicopee.
“I made steady progress, I remember the first time breaking 50, breaking 80, the first time I beat my dad,’’ Piecuch said. “He was a mentor for me, along with guys like (former Ludlow CC pro) Bobby O’Neill. So many of the local pros were great to me.
“That’s why is so special to be honored like this, because I looked up to them and they’re all on this (Tee Party honoree) list.’’
As a junior, Piecuch enjoyed success at the likes of the Springfield Newspapers Junior, the Ludlow Junior Four-Ball and the Youth Insurance.
“My mom logged a lot of miles on the Pike, driving me to Boston to play,’’ Piecuch said of his mom Peggy, who passed away two years ago.
“There were only eight or nine junior tournaments to play, not like today.’’
Regional success included quarterfinal trips to the New England Junior Open and Massachusetts Junior.
The middle sibling of sisters Jane (Turowsky) and Ann (Mazza), Piecuch played golf and hockey as a 1985 Cathedral alum.
Piecuch’s career continued at Westfield State College, where he earned a business degree with separate concentrations in management and labor relations in 1989. In golf, he earned Academic All-American honors as a senior and qualified as an individual for the Division III national championships.
“I knew my junior year, that I wanted to be in the golf business,’’ Piecuch said. “I knew I was not that good as a player (to pursue that career).’’
Two days after competing at nationals, Piecuch started as an assistant under Allan Menne at Wampanoag CC in West Hartford, Conn.
At Greenfield, he has served on the board of directors with the Connecticut Section PGA and as president of its Western Mass. Chapter.
“We’ve been pretty stable here at Greenfield, with three golf pros in 80 something years,’’ Piecuch said of past Tee Party honorees Mac Sennett and O’Brien. “We’ve had one superintendent (Bob Uguccioni) and only two club presidents (Brian Luippold, Tim Farrell) since I’ve been here.
“And we’ve been through floods, fires, declines in membership, building a new clubhouse and a centennial.’’
All worthy of more than just a little bit of attention and praise.
Tee Party tickets sell for $90 per player, for golf and dinner. Dinner-only tickets are also available for $30. Call the pro shop at (413) 773-7530 or visit www.wmassteeparty.com for more information.
Russ Held can be reached at russheldsports@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @RussHeldGolf