3 An Honor Most High This year’s Section Award Winners are announced, headlined by Dustin McCormick as the PGA Professional of the Year
4 Drive Chip & Putt Media Night
Our four finalists for the National Drive Chip & Putt showcased their skills at a Media Night
1921 E-Pub Volume 9, No. 1 Contents 2 National Winners, Local Legends Jim
Smith Jr., PGA and Dean Kandle, PGA receive National PGA of America Awards
A review
Members
The
5 New Web Series: Playing Through Jamie Komancheck answers 18 questions about his life as a PGA Golf Professional 6 Giving HOPE Back to Veterans
of the PGA HOPE Trainings for PGA
7 Getting To Know You
Section hosted an Assoicate Networking Event 8 The Future of the PGA: Jennings Family Scholarship
The Jennings Family awards a scholarship to aspiring PGA of America Golf Professionals 9 Lifelong Learning Leila Mackie, PGA shares her experience working in Player Development
Tony Pancake,Golf Professional
Pof honorees.
mentoring of his their
Joe Hallet, Teacher & Coach Williams, Golf Executive Bill Strausbaugh Award; Development Award; Mark Award; Jon DePriest, Patriot Player Development Award; Youth Player Development
Section, Herb Graffis Merchandiser of the Year-Resort; Merchandiser of the Year-Private, National
Strausbaugh
Professional of the Year; Coach of the Year; Kelly
National Winners, Local Legends
Executive of the Year; Jim Smith Dean Kandle, Professioal
P GA of America Golf Professionals Jim Smith Jr., Philadelphia Cricket Club, and Dean Kandle, St. Davids Golf Club, have been honored as members the Class of 2024 PGA of America National Awards honorees. Smith Jr., is the recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award for his outstanding leadership and mentoring skills. Kandle is the recipient of the PGA America Professional Development Award due to his passion for growing education.To read more about their outstanding accomplishments, click here.
Mark Egly, Deacon Palmer Patriot Award; Crystal Morse, Award; Connie DeMattia, Development Award; Iowa PGA Award; Robert Koontz, Year-Resort; Morgan Jewell, Year-Private, Jason Loomis,
Dustin McCormick, PGA
PGA Golf Professional of the Year
Nick Iacono, PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year
Becky Dengler,PGA
Youth Player Development Award
An Honor The section is America Members, the PGA Golf Professional lasting impact in
Eric Kennedy,PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award
Sam Ambrose, PGA Merchandiser of the Year - Private Category
Dr. Brian Soule, Professional Award
Brian Short, PGA Merchandiser of the Year - Public Category
Honor
Most High proud to recognize thirteen PGA of Members, headlined by Dustin McCormick as Professional of the year, who are making a the industry, as our 2024 Awards Class.
Soule, PGA Development Award
Mike Wood, PGA Patriot Award
Robert Munkittrick, PGA Player Development Award
Fred Heller, PGA Deacon Palmer Award
Bridget McLaughlin, PGA
Justin Riegel PGA Assistant Golf Professional fo the year
Kevin McClellan Salesperson of the Year
Drive, Chip & Putt
Putt Media Night
On March 19, we hosted a Media Night to celebrate the four finalists who went to compete at the National Drive, Chip & Putt Finals. It was a special night for the players to showcase their skills and their personalities! Click below to watch a recap video.
New Web Series: Playing Through
Playing
The Philadelphia PGA Section is excited to announce a new web series, “Playing Through,” where PGA of America Golf Professionals, Section staff, Section partners, and other industry professionals are asked 18 questions about their lives and careers.
Our debut episode features RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve Head Golf Professional Jamie Komancheck. To watch his episode, click below.
Giving
Giving HOPE Back to Veterans
Over the winter, PGA REACH Philadelphia hosted two PGA HOPE trainings for PGA of America Golf Professionals to learn how to adapt their teaching practices to better suit veterans. Led by National Hope Trainer, Nick Iacono, PGA, they learned the various branches of the military, common terms and adaptive golf practices. All PGA Members who wish to volunteer at the foundation’s HOPE Clinics must be trained.
To learn more about how PGA Reach gives back to veterans, or to sign up to help at a clinic, click here.
Getting to Know
In February, the Section’s Membership Committee hosted dozens of PGA of America Associates for a networking event at Sunnybrook Golf Club in their new swing studio. The event was designed to help engage all of the Section’s PGA of America Golf Professionals, build relationships among the younger ranks, and to boost Philadelphia Assistants’ Organization (PAO) membership. In addition to networking with peers, PGA of America representatives Joe Doughty, PGA, Leila Mackie, PGA, were in attendance to answer questions about the Association, employment and compensation. Section is planning more events in the future; stay tuned!
Know You
hosted networking studio. Section’s among Assistants’ with and questions The tuned!
The Future of the PGA: Family Scholarship
The Jennings Family is pleased to award two associates a scholarship to assist them on their journey to becoming PGA of America Members. The scholarship is in honor of Bud Jennings, a Chester Valley Golf Club Member, who always believed in giving back to others. The 2023 recipients were Greg Rhodes, an assistant at Rolling Green Golf Club, and Victoria Petrosky, the Director of Instruction at Fox Hill Country Club. “Kathryn and I are thrilled to announce the inaugural winners of the Bud Jennings PGM Scholarship to Victoria Petrosky and Gregory Rhoads,” said Chris Jennings. “Both are deserving
PGA: Jennings
candidates and we are very happy to be honoring my father’s memory while also giving back to the golf community in Philadelphia.”
The application for this year is already open and the deadline to apply is July 1. Candidates must demonstrate strong leadership qualities, a substantial record of service to the Philadelphia PGA Section , PGA of America and the game of golf, and be a wellregarded model associate. Interested associates can apply here.
Lifelong Learning
Click below to watch a testimonial Member Leila Mackie on her experiences working in the field of Player Development.
Learning
from PGA experiences Development.
