Mike Nicolette
Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame
Class of 2025
Mike Nicolette (Photo courtesty of PXG)
Inducted Thursday, October 16, 2025 at Fox Chapel Golf Club
A Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania native, Nicolette had a solid career as both an amateur and professional before turning to a career in golf club design.
The winner of the 1973 Pennsylvania State Junior Championship, Nicolette went on to play collegiately at Rollins College in Florida, winning the 1976 Division II NCAA Championships.
Two years later, he turned professional.
As a pro, Nicolette won the 1983 Bay Hill Classic, taking home a title at the course owned by his hometown idol, Arnold Palmer, and doing so in a thrilling playoff against another great in Greg Norman.
“Every Tour player dreams of winning a major championship,” said Nicolette to the WPGA last May. “For me, the next-best event to win would have been Arnold's. To have my first win on the PGA Tour be that event… well, that was most certainly a dream come true.”
That same year, Nicolette finished 13th in the U.S. Open — doing so after playing the first 36 holes with Palmer at Oakmont Country Club.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw the pairings and saw that I was playing with him," Nicolette said. "They usually paired him with other greats, but it was a thrill and honor to play with him."
Nicolette went on to have ten top 10 finishes on the PGA TOUR and was the first-round co-leader at the 1988 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. When his playing career ended, he desired to remain in the game.
"I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do after I was done playing," he said. "I was thinking maybe a sales rep or something. I contacted PING, Foot Joy and Titleist but didn't have a great deal of success. I did get a call back from PING and they told me I would need to work in their factory for two years to learn everything about club making and the culture of the company."
Nicolette agreed and learned under Alan Solheim, son of PING founder Karsten Solheim. As time progressed, so did Nicolette in the industry. Over the years, he has emerged as one of the premier golf club designers in the world, working for PXG. He is named as an inventor on over 175 US Utility Patents and has his name on over 250 US Design Patents.
“Obviously, I have a passion for the game of golf,” he said. “I’ve had a passion for the game since I was about 14 when I started to play tournament golf, and I love the challenge the game brings. I love the challenge of trying to get better each and every day.
“It’s important because I really care. With anything in life, if you don’t care, why the heck are you doing it?”
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and over 43,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund.