MARBLEHEAD — Bob Green’s duties as head golf professional at Tedesco Country Club keep him busy. So it’s not often he gets the chance to reflect on what he’s accomplished and the friendships he’s built during his 41-year tenure at the club.
That’s what Saturday night was all about. Tedesco held a reception to celebrate Green’s career, as the Swampscott native will retire at the end of the year.
“It’s been a great ride,” said Green, 70. “I wouldn’t do anything differently. My family has been terrific, my kids have all worked there, my wife has been extremely supportive. You can’t do it without the support of family. It’s a great place for my kids to grow up. They were supported by the membership. There’s no better place to grow up than a golf course. I was able to do that, my kids were able to do that and it’s been terrific.
“I’m very fortunate. It’s a career I’ve enjoyed very much. I’m so honored to have been the golf pro at Tedesco for 41 years.”
Green didn’t discover his passion for golf until his teenage years. Before then, he dreamed of playing shortstop for the Red Sox.
“That was the last job I wanted before I wanted to become a golf pro,” Green said. “I was 12 years old at that time. Then I took up golf and from that point on, I wanted to become a golf pro.” Green spent his youth learning golf’s ins and outs at the former Happy Valley Golf Course in Lynn and Tedesco. He graduated from Swampscott High in 1967 and returned to Tedesco as an assistant to former head professional Les Dunn a few years later. Green took over as head golf professional in 1978.
“My senior yearbook from Swampscott High read, ‘future golf professional,'” Green said. “I had it on the back of my mind for a long time. I had tremendous mentors in Larry Gannon and Les Dunn. Who wouldn’t want to be like them?”
Green said the relationships he’s built with staff and club members are what he’s valued the most at Tedesco. The club has a strong caddie program and many of Green’s former staff members have pursued careers in golf.
“I think the greatest satisfaction I’ve gotten is probably from the success of my assistants, whether it be in the golf business or on the private side,” Green said. “I’ve had 16 assistants go on to become head golf professionals or directors of golf. I had one young man who worked in the bag room who went on to become a cardiologist in Hawaii. It’s been fun to watch them grow, succeed and raise families. The beauty is that I’m still in contact with many of them.
“Somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 caddies have gone through our program. That’s another amazing thing, that we’ve had that type of positive effect on young peoples’ lives.”
Saturday’s reception was an emotional one for Green.
“A ton of my former assistants were there,” he said. “Several others who’ve worked for me that aren’t in the golf business were there, many I’m still close friends with. Some of the golf pros from the area were there. The club celebrated my career and parts of it were tough to get through. It was a great night, but emotionally it’s getting closer.”
Earlier this year, Green was named the NEPGA’s Golf Professional of the Year. He’ll receive the award in November at NEPGA Awards Dinner.
“It’s an honor any time you’re recognized by your peers and that’s what this is,” Green said. “It’s humbling that your peers think so much of you and nominate you for this. As far as I’m concerned, any club pro in New England is deserving. I don’t do things any differently than anybody else does. When I look at those who’ve won it in the past, it really is humbling.”
Other career accolades include NEPGA Eastern Mass. Chapter Horton Smith Award (2003), NEPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award (2006) and Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund Professional of the Year (2017), to name a few.
Green, the head coach of Marblehead High’s golf team, was also named Northeastern Conference Coach of the Year last fall. This year, the Magicians are 3-4 as they approach the midway point of their season. Green plans to continue coaching Marblehead after retirement.
“Change isn’t easy,” Green said. “Our objective is to get them playing more golf, let them understand the game better and be more comfortable playing more golf. We’re slowly getting to that. This isn’t a fast process. It’s getting them up to speed with competitive golf, which is totally different from regular golf. The two aren’t related. They’re getting better. I see improvement. We have a long way to go but they’re hanging in there pretty good.”
Green already has a few ideas to keep himself busy during retirement.
“I’m certainly going to play more golf,” Green said. “I’ll spend a good part of the year in Florida. I’ll be spending probably up to six months down there. I’m going to play more golf and I’m looking forward to doing that.”
