A true gentleman on and off the golf course

By Joe McDonald

PROVIDENCE – Tony Paolino became Rhode Island’s de facto golf historian.

He spent countless hours putting together scrapbooks of nearly every article written about golf, or the Rhode Island Golf Association, from any newspaper in the state. Paolino’s love of the game was evident every time he stepped onto the golf course.

He always had a story to tell and was passionate about everything he was involved with during his life. Paolino passed away March 2. He was 95.

Former Providence Journal sports writer, Paul Kenyon, spent his career covering golf in the Ocean State. He witnessed Paolino’s impact on the golf scene in Rhode Island.

“By the time I knew him he was an older gentleman and ‘gentleman’ was the right word to describe him,” Kenyon said. “He was very low key, very understated, but loved golf and loved to tell stories about golf. He was one of a handful of people who helped the RIGA go from a tiny organization into what it is today.”

Paolino was a past president of the RIGA (1985) and the New England Golf Association (1995). He was inducted into the RIGA Hall of Fame in 2011. He also served on the United States Golf Association Regional Affairs Committee from 1989 to 2007, and was a past president of Metacomet Country Club. He was also a lifetime member at Rhode Island Country Club.

Current RIGA president, Jake Gaffey, has more than a few favorite stories about Paolino. There’s one in particular that Metacomet members tell time and again.

Paolino was in a playoff hole during a member-guest tournament in the late 1960s when his second shot on the 18thhole landed on the clubhouse roof. He climbed up and hit the ball onto the green. There’s a black-and-white photo of his shot somewhere, but the story is legendary.

“Tony called me when they tore the clubhouse down (in 2021) and he said he was sorry to see it go,” explained Gaffey. “He said, ‘that was a legendary shot and it can never be duplicated.’ He loved to talk about that and it was a very famous thing at Metacomet. Everybody talked about it.

“I always refer to him as the nicest man in the world, which he was,” added Gaffey. “When I think about Tony, I think about a gentleman of monumental proportions.”

The last time Gaffey spoke with Paolino was the day after the annual RIGA meeting in December. Gaffey, who was a longtime member at RICC, was elected RIGA president and Paolino was thrilled.

“I never heard him say a bad thing about anybody,” Gaffey said. “Even if he wanted to criticize something he did it in such a nice way that made you feel good.”

Paolino would always try to improve his game on the putting green or driving range at RICC. About five years ago, Gaffey remembers he was walking out of the locker room when Paolino approached. He was excited and couldn’t wait to describe an eagle he posted on hole No. 8 at RICC a day earlier.

Gaffey congratulated Paolino, then-90, on the eagle.

“I was playing from the yellow tees,” Paolino joked.

It was common for Gaffey to see Paolino driving around RICC playing a few holes with his friends, or his daughter, Marybeth, who was also a member.

“He loved golf. He loved everything about the game,” Gaffey said. “He really loved the RIGA. He was just a terrific guy. He was the greatest gentleman on the planet.”

Here’s a link to his obituary: www.providencejournal.com/obituaries/ppvp0439186