Most of the time, he used his own name, one that would find its way into record books and halls of fame. But every so often, in an attempt to get another event under his belt and not wanting his employer or friends to know how much golf he was actually playing, Mr. Pitts created an alter ego. And thus, Freddie Potts started showing up in the newspapers, always with a good score next to his name.

Mr. Pitts’s nom de guerre was a harmless ruse, a clever ploy created by someone hooked on golf who became one of the most respected and distinguished amateur players in Massachusetts. Mr. Pitts, who lived in Scituate, died at his home Tuesday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 79.

There were many interests and multiple businesses, and a large, loving family to share things with, but golf took up a big part of Mr. Pitts’s life, and he was involved with the game for seven decades. Introduced to the sport as a young caddie, Mr. Pitts became not only a top-notch player, but also a mentor and a course owner and operator. Gathering as many friends as birdies along the way, Mr. Pitts left an indelible mark on the local golf scene.

“A legend, they call him. I’m a little uncomfortable with that title, but that’s what they call him,’’ said his son, Fordie Pitts III of Bridgewater. “Throughout his whole career, playing was his passion, but being involved with the game and promoting the game was a big part of him, too.

“If you were interested in the game, he’d be interested in you.’’

As a player, Mr. Pitts excelled at the local level, winning tournaments as early as 1946 (Massachusetts Caddie Championship) and as recently as 1998 (New England Senior Open). A participant in Massachusetts Golf Association tournaments for more than 50 years, Mr. Pitts captured a number of MGA events, including four Father & Son titles, six Father & Daughter championships, two Senior Amateurs, and two Senior Four-Balls.

Five times he advanced to the semifinals of the state’s marquee event for nonprofessionals, the Massachusetts Amateur. He never won, but he was always tough to beat.

His skill brought him to the national stage as well. Mr. Pitts qualified for 17 events conducted by the US Golf Association. He played in the first US Junior Amateur in 1948 at the University of Michigan Golf Course and participated in five US Amateurs, the US Senior Amateur, and three US Senior Opens, including 1984, when he shared low amateur honors at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

Golf also played a big part in finding his wife. While giving lessons at Scituate Country Club as a 19-year-old, Mr. Pitts was introduced to 16-year-old Mary Lou Fletcher by her mother, one of his students. Mrs. Fletcher encouraged Mary Lou to learn the game and take lessons from Mr. Pitts. Reluctantly, she agreed. Mr. Pitts and Mary Lou married eight years later, and celebrated their 52d wedding anniversary Oct. 12.

A graduate of North Quincy High School and Boston College - he was the first golfer inducted into the college’s Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame - Mr. Pitts spent two years in the US Air Force Special Services, based near Chicago.

Helped by his wife, Mr. Pitts owned a number of businesses through the years, including Pitts Travel Agency and a graphic arts supply company called George Smith Inc. He also was a salesman for Spalding Golf and Electronic Fasteners.

His many jobs had one thing in common.

“He played in a lot of golf tournaments over the years, so he needed a job that would allow him to do that,’’ said his son.

Golf also became his primary business when he joined a group that purchased Hyannis Golf Club, a facility he ultimately co-owned for a number of years, until recently, with Joe Keller.

Mr. Pitts also gave back to the sport. He served for 20 years on the USGA’s Mid-Amateur Committee and helped launch the Cape Cod Pro-Am League, Cape Cod Open, and Cape Cod Senior Open, whose winner receives the Fordie Pitts Trophy.

He also was for many years tournament director of the Southeastern Amateur, an event he won four times, holding the scoring record until 2006.

His decision to forsake professional golf for a rewarding blend of amateur competition, business, and family attracted the attention of others who were seeking advice about whether they should turn pro.

“I think if people were looking for a role model for the life of an amateur golfer who is also trying to juggle family and work, Fordie Pitts would have been that example as much as anybody who ever played,’’ said Mike Prendergast, who has known Mr. Pitts since the early 1970s and was a fellow member at Wollaston Golf Club. “To bring five children up and then do all this other stuff. . . . And he was an attentive dad and businessman. He was not a no-show in any of his areas.

“He got up early in the morning and worked late into the night. Fordie was just an achiever. He enjoyed a very busy, full life.’’

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Pitts leaves four daughters, Lorraine Johnson of Dover, N.H., Mary Lou Bohn of Dover, Karen of Milton, and Corinne Norton of Pembroke; a sister, Lorraine Young of Pembroke; a brother, Ken of Clearwater, Fla.; and 10 grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be said today at 10 a.m. in St. Mary of the Nativity in Scituate. Burial will immediately follow in Saint Mary Cemetery.