Piekarski named head pro at Button Hole

By Joe McDonald
RIGA Senior Writer

PROVIDENCE – Tyler Piekarski stood near the driving range at Button Hole and smiled. Suddenly, memories of his childhood came rushing back.

He shared a few stories about his time as a Button Hole Kid, and now he’s excited for his new role as head golf professional at Button Hole. Piekarski, 23, of Smithfield, officially started Monday. He graduated from Smithfield High School (2018) and Johnson & Wales University (2021) and now feels like he’s come full circle.

“I’m incredibly grateful,” Piekarski said. “It’s an awesome experience. It’s also really cool to give back to the programs that got me super invested and interested in golf.”

His earliest memory of golf was when he was 4-years-old and would go to the driving range with his father, John. Piekarski enjoyed it so much he signed up to become a Button Hole Kid and started lessons as a 6-year-old. He spent plenty of time in the Wee Putter program with local legend Jerry Morgan. Piekarski progressed through the Button Hole program and later worked at the course when he was in high school.

In college, he played hockey for the Wildcats and wanted to continue his career after school. He spent the last two seasons in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, playing for the Binghamton Black Bears and the Elmira Mammoth. During the summers, he served as the assistant club pro at Montaup Country Club.

“I was getting very beat up doing that, but it was one of the best decisions I made,” he said with a smile.

Piekarski was also a substitute teacher at Delsesto Middle School in Providence.

Button Hole had a vacancy after Shane Drury accepted the job as head pro at Glocester Country Club this winter. Button Hole executive director, Don Wright, contacted Piekarski about the open position.

“Thankfully I interviewed and got the position,” he said.

Piekarski already has a vision for the present and future of Button Hole with a focus on getting more kids involved in the game.

“The middle school and high school kids are the ones we might need to focus on a little bit more, because those are the ones who are looking for a place to go after school,” explained Piekarski. “If we can get them here it’s a lot better than somewhere else.”

In fact, he also has a plan to possibly start a high school golf team at Button Hole.

“There’s a lot of kids out there who don’t have high school golf teams, and it would be really cool to create a high school golf team here,” he said. “We could call it Team Button Hole and let everyone come here who doesn’t have a team.”

Currently, he’s taking the necessary steps to earn his PGA Class A Pro membership, which he should complete in two years. Now, it’s just about finding the balance between playing a game he enjoys, while building his career.

"The saying goes, 'If you’re making good money in private lessons then your golf game is not very good.' So, it’ll be good to have a little bit of balance between both. You can manage your career and also manage your golf game. I’m trying to do both, but it’s certainly a juggling act. That’s just part of the industry we’re in, but I’m incredibly fortunate and grateful to be able to call myself a golf professional. I go to work every day with a smile on my face and not too many people can say that.”