1921 e-Pub: Vol. 8, No. 1

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Pictured: the late Dick Smith Sr., PGA, at the 1993 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at PGA National G.C. Photo: PGA of America

Remembering Dick

The PGA of America lost one of its great PGA Members in March: Dick Smith Sr., the 27th PGA of America president and 22nd Philadelphia PGA Section president; he was 80. Dick is survived by his wife Adrienne, brother and fellow PGA Member Tom, son and fellow PGA Member Section Past President Dick Jr., daughter Stephanie, daughter-in-law Michelle, and grandchildren Alexandria, Marissa, Zak, also a PGA Associate. Smith has one of the most outstanding Philadelphia PGA Section tournament records in history. He won three Philadelphia PGA Professional Championships in succession, ultimately

Dick Smith Sr., PGA

winning the championship five times. He served the Section as its 22nd president for three years, from 1978 to 1980. In late 1983, the Section sent Smith to the PGA of America for a three-year term as its District 2 director. At the 1986 PGA Annual Meeting, Smith was elected to national office for a two-year term as secretary. Following his term, he served as the vice president, and president from 1991-1992.

To read more about Mr. Smith and his incredible legacy and impact on the Association and our Section, click here.

J eff Kiddie, PGA

a PGA of and a substantial

A PGA following general manager during the will also host A longtime, held numerous Director, Committee, Philadelphia President Since assistant country. His for PGA University

Congratulations,

Kiddie Earns Highest PGA of America Honor

Kiddie, PGA, head professional at Aronimink Golf Club, is the 2023 PGA Golf Professional of the Year. This is the highest annual honor given to of America Professional, awarded for leadership, strong moral character substantial record of service to the Association and the game of golf. PGA Member for 23 years, Kiddie has spent the past 15 years at Aronimink following a seven-year stint at Applebrook Golf Club, where he served as PGA manager and head professional. Kiddie was the host PGA Professional the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink, which host the 2026 PGA Championship. longtime, dedicated leader in the Philadelphia PGA Section, Kiddie has numerous positions including President, Vice President, Secretary, District Director of Section Affairs and Member of the PGA of America Rules Committee, among others. In 2019, he was elected the 43rd President of the Philadelphia PGA; He served a two-year stint, followed by his current Honorary President role.

Since Kiddie became a PGA Head Professional in 2001, a total of 12 of his professionals have advanced to become Head Professionals across the His passion for the Rules of Golf has led him to become an instructor and USGA Rules of Golf Workshops. Kiddie is a graduate of Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he competed on the golf team.

Congratulations, Mr. Kiddie – well deserved!

Patriot Johnny C Honored by PGA

John Carpineta, PGA, a Philadelphia PGA Section Member and assistant professional at Bensalem Township Country Club, is the recipient of the 2023 Patriot Award. The honor goes to a PGA Professional who personifies patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrates unwavering commitment and dedication to the men and women who have valiantly served and protected the United States of America. An inspiration to many, Carpineta earned his PGA Membership at 63 years old. Today, at age 81, he remains a driving force in leading the growth of the PGA HOPE program in the Philadelphia Section. A U.S. Army Veteran, Carpineta is an advocate for golf programming to be used as a form of therapy for Veterans, and thanks to his efforts, more than 500 veterans have been positively impacted. Additionally, Carpineta is a staunch supporter of Patriot Golf Day, hosting events annually to support the initiative. Carpineta has been the recipient of multiple awards at the Section level, including Golf Professional of the Year in 2019, the Patriot Award (2017, ‘18, ‘20) and the Player Development Award in 2015. Carpineta has also been instrumental in mentoring other PGA Professionals who have aspirations to be heavily involved in PGA HOPE programming.

Congratulations, Johnny C – well deserved!

The Gold Standards

The Philadelphia PGA Section recently announced its 2022 the Year Mike Wood, the PGA Head Professional at Saucon award nominations were received for the 2022 Awards Class, 13 winners, including:

Steve Chalmers, PGA Youth Player Development Award

Todd Love, PGA PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Private Category

Mike Wood, PGA PGA Golf Professional of the Year

Steve Sieracki, PGA PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year

Jim Smith, PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award

Kevin Duffy, PGA Deacon Palmer Award

Keith Clawson, Justin Riegel PGA Golf Professional

Standards

award winners, highlighted by PGA Golf Professional of Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Over 100 Class, of which the Philadelphia PGA Awards Committee chose

Ian Madinger, PGA PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Public Category

Alex McGinn, PGA PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Resort Category

Dean Kandle, PGA Professional Development Award

Andy Signor, PGA Patriot Award

David Zimmaro, PGA Player Development Award

Clawson, PGA PGA Assistant Professional of the Year

John Rutecki, PGA Salesperson of the Year

Philadelphia Section Qualifiers Compete at Augusta National

Two youth golfers, Julianna Ishii and Logan McGinn, competed in this year’s Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club at the start of Masters Week. Both golfers started their journey to Augusta National Golf Club via local qualifying right here in the Philadelphia PGA Section. Well done, Julianna and Logan...keep up the great play!

18 Holes Are a Breeze

with Trinity Flavors!

C

Joseph Wolf, to famed Pinehurst score of good for The schedule played Pinehurst’s Course, Section is inboxes and

hapel

Good Times Roll in Pinehurst

hapel Hill Golf Course head professional and PGA Associate Quinn Joseph led his team of amateurs, Josh Joseph, Sam Varano, and Mike victory in the 2023 Philadelphia PGA Pinehurst Pro-Am at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. The group finished with a team 16-under-par in the 54-hole one gross and one net competition, a four-stroke victory.

The annual pro-am has become a staple on the Section’s tournament schedule each spring, and quickly sells out each season. This year, the field Pinehurst’s Nos., 2, 4 courses, and Forest Creek Golf Club’s North in addition to a practice round on Pinehurst’s No. 8 course. The is planning to return to Pinehurst in 2024; keep an eye on your and phillypga.com for more information.

Lindert Attends Spring

The Philadelphia PGA Section officially kicked off its PGA Professional tournament season following the conclusion of its 2023 Spring Membership Meeting at DuPont Country Club.

Approximately 200 PGA Professionals gathered DuPont to conduct the Section’s official business. PGA of America President John Lindert, C.C. of Lansing; travelled to the Section to participate in a town hall with Section President Patrick Shine, Doylestown C.C.; PGA District 2 Director John Pillar, C.C. at Woodloch Springs; and Incoming District 2 Director David Reasoner, Ridgewood C.C. The group discussed PGA Professional recruiting and compensation, work-life balance, and much more.

Section Past President Mike Cole, Rock Manor G.C., spoke to honor late Section Past President, Section Hall of Fame Member, and 1989 Section Golf Professional of the Year George McNamara. McNamara, who passed away in June 2022 , was a friend to many, but his most lasting legacy may be the securement of our Section’s homesite. He helped to establish a finance committee, which created our restricted reserve fund, which ultimately allowed our Section to purchase its current headquarters. In remembrance of George, we will be installing a sign at our homesite paying homage to George’s dream, foresight, and leadership. Mr. McNamara’s wife, Nancy, was in attendance for the presentation.

Spring Meeting

conclusion Country at of travelled Section District and Ridgewood and G.C., of the June may to restricted purchase we to McNamara’s

Working for YOU!

Join us in congratulating Sue Unger, the Section’s membership director, on 20 years of service with the Section! Sue’s hard work and dedication is essential to the Section’s day-to-day operations, and she has been an invaluable member of our team. To send well wishes directly to Sue, click here.

Jennings Scholarship Benefit Aspiring

The Section recently announced the creation of the Bud Jennings PGA Golf Management Scholarship – a first of its kind for the Section. The scholarship was developed by the Jennings family to honor Bud Jennings, a lifelong golfer and longtime Chester Valley Golf Club member. Given Bud’s love for the game of golf, and his willingness to give back and help others, the Jennings family says that this award is the perfect way to remember his legacy. The scholarship will be awarded annually to both one male and one female Philadelphia PGA Associate aspiring to be elected to PGA Membership. Scholarship recipients will possess the skills,

Scholarship to Aspiring PGA Members

drive, and character it takes to become a first-class PGA Member.

“Golf is an honorable sport, and that’s why my dad was so at home on the course; he loved the camaraderie and intricacies of the game. Every day, every shot was different,” said Chris Jennings

“[Bud] would be honored to know that his love of the game is living on in this scholarship, said Martina Jennings.”

The official scholarship applications will launch on the Section’s website, phillypga.com, in the coming days. To learn more about the scholarship, click here.

Mitchell Hosts Fitting Seminar

The Section invited PGA Member Ed Mitchell of Ed Mitchell Technologies, and founder of the Mitchell Golf club repair and fitting company, to host a seminar on driver fittings. Nearly 30 Philadelphia PGA Professionals attended the education event at Fairways & Dreams Indoor Golf in January to hear Mr. Mitchell speak. Mitchell explained how to use club specifications to fit drivers, measure the club performance specifications of students’ drivers, make alterations to or reshaft drivers, and develop ideal ball flight with properly fit club specifications. The Section thanks Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell for making the trek to our Section to help our PGA Members improve their fitting operations.

Mitchell fitting PGA

Indoor how performance drivers, The Section

Debski Joins PGA Rules Committee

Ben Debski, PGA, of the Springhaven Club in Wallingford, Pa., was recently appointed to the PGA of America’s Rules of Golf Committee. Debski joins four other Philadelphia PGA Members on the national committee: Tom Carpus, Jeff Kiddie, Clark Luis, and Alice Miller. Congratulations, Ben! We know you will do great work and make our Section proud.

PGA of America Launches

Deferred Compensation

For many years the PGA of America has searched for a way to develop some kind of retirement plan for members. As we all know, there are tax rules that prevent the Association from directly giving money to members. But the basic principle is that we can reasonably compensate a member for performing services that advance our exempt purpose; specifically for growing the game of golf. Therefore, the PGA of America created a plan whereby members that participate in programs that meet specified performance objectives can earn a contribution towards a deferred compensation fund. The aim is that over the years these investments will grow and

Launches Member Compensation Plan

provide a supplemental income for the member upon reaching the age of 65. Because of the power of compounding over time, clearly younger members will benefit most from the program, but everyone can participate. In addition to all our programs and other benefits this is now a very real and accessible vehicle to accumulate wealth towards a more comfortable retirement. We further hope that this can serve as a truly significant lure and recruiting tool to attract new talent to our great and growing industry.

To watch the Section’s Deferred Compensation webinar, click here. To get started with the plan, and to learn more, click here.

Golf Industry Launches “Make Golf Your Career”

The Make Golf Your Career job portal has officially launched with a goal to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment throughout golf. Open jobs, resume building, networking, and workshops can now be found at makegolfyourcareer.org.

Foundation Publishes Annual Report P

GA REACH Philadelphia recently published its annual report, which focuses mainly on the foundation’s operations over the course of 2022. To read the report and learn more about the foundation’s mission to positively impact lives through the game of golf, click here.

So Much More

THAN TEE

Free Swing Tips at Local Golf Show

Philadelphia PGA Professionals and Section staffers volunteered their time over a weekend in February to provide free swing tips to golfers attending the annual North Coast Golf Show. Over 250 free lessons were given, as the show aisles were bustling with activity!

18 years your facility’s Additionally, posters all who

These flagship

Don’t Waste Your Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour Affiliate Membership

ach Philadelphia PGA facility is able to offer a free 2023 Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour membership to any junior 10years of age that has not previously been a member. To activate facility’s affiliate membership, click here . Additionally, this season’s Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour posters are on their way to your facility! The Section appreciates who display the poster in or around their facility / clubhouse. These posters help promote our tour, which is the Section’s flagship youth program.

PGA REACH Hosts Cornhole

Our foundation, PGA REACH a cornhole fundraiser in February to help support Diversity & Inclusion initatives. teams competed, with Team out on top. Thank you to event American Packaging, TravisMathew, Genius Software, and Conlin’s

Philadelphia

Cornhole Tournament

REACH Philadelphia, hosted fundraiser at Blue Bell Country Club support its Youth, Military, and initatives. Fifteen two-person Team Flint and Gallagher coming event partners Signs by the Sea, TravisMathew, Trinity Flavors, Golf Conlin’s Print for their support!

PGA S ection

our Section activities, Sports Philadelphia viewership on Philadelphia Rinas ; to above. Should communications

Inside Golf Promotes

PGA Professionals, Section

ection media partner Inside Golf will continue to promote PGA Members and Associates this season, in addition to activities, events, and initatives. The program airs on NBC Philadelphia several times per week and receives very good viewership numbers. Most recently, the show produced segments Philadelphia PGA Members Jeff Kiddie , Chris Young , and Justin to view these segments, click on their hyperlinked names Should you have content leads, please contact the Section’s communications director, Matt Frey, PGA, at mfrey@pgahq.com .

Wilmington Play in Augusta Women’s

Apair of golfers from Wilmington, Del., were invited to play in the Masters Week. Phoebe Brinker, a junior at Duke University in Virginia, both call Wilmington their hometown, and played in the first Brinker and Cleary did not make the final round, their future careers

Wilmington Golfers Augusta National Amateur

the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur prior to the start of North Carolina, and Jennifer Cleary, a junior at the University of first two rounds at Champions Retreat in nearby Evans, Ga. While look mighty bright. Keep up the great play!