Kyle Tibbetts, longtime Framingham Country Club member, plays up State Am at 'The Ham'

Can “ordinary” be a vibe?

If so, Kyle Tibbetts rocks it. (If that's possible)

When asked what the former Milford resident does when he’s not chasing an 11-month-old around, or working as a sales rep, or draining birdies, Tibbetts took the everyman route.

“I’m kind of your average guy,” he said. “Kind of your standard, everyday guy, which is how I assess myself.”

But ask about his second home – the sprawling layout tucked just south of Route 9 – and the vibe changes. The atmosphere isn’t quite “country club,” even though it is.

Tibbetts affectionately refers to the nearly 125-year-old expanse of green as “The Ham.” He’s not the only one. Framingham Country Club - get it? FramingHAM? - has an alternate logo: a pig. The club also hosts a scratch tournament in the fall called “The Ham Invitational.”

“We go against all the cliches where it’s stuffy and you have to have your top button buttoned,” said Tibbetts, whose father, Tom, first became a member of FCC in the 1980s. “It’s a really laid-back atmosphere on the golf course; people play music on the course. There’s always people laughing and joking.”

Kyle remembers spending most of his childhood summers at the club - swimming in the pool, fishing in the pond. Tibbetts has qualified for the Mass Amateur for the sixth time and FCC, which opened in 1902, is hosting the tournament for the first time when the five-day event begins Monday.

“It’s a thrill for me, it’s a thrill for the other players and it’s definitely a thrill for our membership,” he said on Wednesday. “I know that I’ve had the event circled on my calendar from three or four years ago. I can’t wait for next week. It’s created a buzz at the club.”

Tibbetts calls Framingham CC 'a test for everybody'

The South Boston resident’s life is anything but ordinary. The recent major change was heard in the background of a recent phone conversation: Callum, his and wife Jaclyn’s first child, born just after last year’s State Am.

“My wife and I always joke that until you have a kid, you don’t realize that this person is pretty much going to run your entire day,” Tibbetts said. “Everything else comes secondary.”

Tibbetts helped St. John’s of Shrewsbury win its first state golf title in 30 years when the Pioneers won the championship in 2006. He followed his brother, Ryan, to Providence College and has won the FCC’s club championship in 2008, 2020 and 2022. Kyle, Ryan and Tom Tibbetts participated in father/son tournaments at FCC for 20 years.

Kyle is looking forward to not only showing off his home club’s laid-back atmosphere, but its challenging layout.

“It’s short, and people see the scorecard and think they’re going to eat up a 6,700-yard course and then they’re 2-over through two (holes) and say, ‘what just happened? I thought this was going to be a pitch and putt.’ You’ve got to be strategic and use your mental game.”

Tibbetts said course superintendent Pat Daly will have the greens “firm and fast.

“There’s all sorts of undulations on these small greens. It’s going to be a test for everybody. I like that it’s not a bomber’s paradise. You’re going to have to hit some irons off the tees. You have to kind of play a chess match around the course as opposed to a game of checkers.”

Tibbetts reached the Round of 16 at the Mass Am in three of his last four attempts and Ryan will once again be his caddie this week. Because of Callum’s impending birth a year ago, Kyle did not play as much golf last summer.

But despite the added responsibility, Kyle says he has played more golf leading up to the State Am this year.

“Kyle is consistent, has great knowledge and is a great student of the game,” said FCC’s assistant golf pro Dave Gladding.

No stranger to hosting large events, including recently the Senior Am in 2022 and Ouimet Memorial in 2020, Kyle Tibbetts looks forward to having players feast on “The Ham.”

“I hope everyone enjoys their time out there,” he said, “because I know we can’t wait to have everybody.”

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Kyle Tibbetts, longtime Framingham Country Club member, plays up State Am at 'The Ham'