ACUSHNET, Massachusetts (October 9, 2025) – Many words can be used to describe David Jope. Hardworking, talented, and passionate are just a few. But the one that has guided him through his life is a bit more uncommon: builder. A First Tee – Massachusetts alum, Jope built both his golf game and life skills through the program. Now, Jope has brought his talent to Titleist, building the #1 ball in golf.
Jope, a sophomore at UMass Dartmouth, holds two passions close to his heart: golf and mechanical engineering.
“I never really thought about working in the golf industry. Obviously, when you’re younger, you think, ‘oh yeah, I’m gonna play pro, right?’” Jope said. “But that’s not really how it works. It just happened that all of the circumstances lined up and I was able to get this.”
Currently a mechanical engineering major, Jope’s love for his passion started in high school, on a FIRST robotics team. This nonprofit international high school robotics competition has students design and build robots meant to complete a game-specific task.
“I was on a team that was sponsored by the Newport Naval Center, so a lot of mentors and adults there had a ton of experience in robotics, programming, and engineering,” Jope said.
Interestingly enough, golf, Jope’s first love, earned him a pathway to his internship. A longtime member of the state’s First Tee program, Jope left a lasting impact on the program. As part of his Eagle Scout project, Jope rolled up his sleeves to help repair a dilapidated shed at Hyannis Golf Course, and stocked it with golf equipment and training aids, all providing resources for the local First Tee program location.
Along with golf game improvement tips, First Tee led Jope to an opportunity to interview with Titleist. Kyle Harris, Director of Operations for First Tee – Massachusetts, connected Jope with Titleist through his mechanical engineering background. First Tee, founded on the basis of golf instruction, teaches kids life skills and important character values, from ages 5 through 18.
Brad Hartwell, the Senior Mechanical Engineer and Jope’s supervisor during his internship, knew Jope fit the bill for a Titleist internship upon his first interview. When hiring for the mechanical engineering positions, supervisors must look for a strong connection to mechanical engineering, and the game is an added bonus.
“You want someone who’s dedicated to mechanical engineering and very interested in how things work, has a good mechanical aptitude,” Hartwell said. “Personally, I think it’s a huge benefit if they’re also interested in the game, because it drives your performance at work.”
Throughout the summer, Jope was assigned tasks and projects of every size, some meant to test him more than others.
While Jope tried his hand at many different projects during his internship, his favorite was working on a redesign of a welding system used in the application of the Pro V1’s casing layer (the layer beneath the urethane cover that encapsulates the core of the golf ball).
As well as wanting the best tools and equipment for themselves, Titleist employees work just as hard for the same posters on the factory walls, and faces on the television screens.
“You want to see Justin Thomas and Lydia Ko do well, and what we’re doing out on the floor directly impacts them,” Hartwell said. “If we’re not making good golf balls, then they’re not playing well.”
Over the course of his few months at Titleist, Jope had a variety of tasks assigned to him, the majority including 3-D documenting and modeling.
“Most of it was taking older machines that don’t have documentation and don’t have a digital version,” Jope said. “So either the machinists that make parts, or the guys that are actually repairing machines know what it’s supposed to look like.”
While pictured with the factory’s final product above, Jope spent most of his internship working with the machines, something he said he wasn’t too familiar with. He said the biggest thing he’s learned was engineering the machines to make the product, a switch up from typically making the product himself.
Though it was initially outside his comfort zone, Jope said First Tee gave him the confidence to adapt and learn quickly. The same discipline and focus he brought to the golf course helped him find his footing in an entirely new environment.
“I would say I brought the discipline, the hard work, and all of the values they taught me at First Tee Those definitely kept me going, not just in golf, but in life,” Jope said. “Through First Tee, it has made my connection with golf more positive, and more enjoyable.”
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