When it came time to hand out its Patriot Award the last two
years, the Philadelphia Section PGA had an obvious choice in John Carpineta,
the head pro at Bensalem Township Country Club, a veteran whose efforts to
involve those who have served our country, particularly those who were left
disabled or injured, with the game of golf are unmatched.
When it came time to hand out its honors for 2019, the
Philadelphia Section took it up a level and named Carpineta its Golf
Professional of the Year.
Philadelphia Section executive director Geoff Surette
announced the 2019 award winners this week and it’s hard to find a more
deserving pick for the Section’s biggest award than Carpineta.
Carpineta is the co-chairman of the local chapter of the PGA
HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) program. Carpineta is so committed to
the program that he helped make Bensalem Township Country Club the new home for
the Section’s PGA HOPE program.
PGA HOPE introduces veterans with disabilities to golf to
enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.
Carpineta is also involved with Wounded Warriors and the
Philadelphia VA Amputee Swing programs. He also serves on the Section’s Player
Development Committee.
A familiar name, John Dunigan, based at Applebrook Golf
Club, was named the Section’s Teacher of the Year for the fourth time. Dunigan
also won the award in 2008, 2015 and 2017. Dunigan was recognized by the
Philadelphia Section in 2018 with its Horton Smith Award, which goes to a pro
who displays commendable contributions to the education of PGA professionals.
In other words, he’s a pro’s pro, a person others in his profession turn to for
advice.
I’ve mentioned a couple of times in recent posts, including
my look back at 2019 last week, how I had a chance to chat with Dunigan during
the final round of the PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf
Resort in October.
The leaders following the opening round were paired together
and three of the four players in that final group, including his daughter Mary,
a freshman at Unionville, were players who have worked on their games with
Dunigan. The other two were Wissahickon freshman Elizabeth Beek, who eventually
captured the state crown in a playoff, and West Chester East sophomore Victoria
Kim, who claimed the District One title as a freshman in 2018.
Dunigan, named by Golf Digest as a Top 50 Teacher in
America in 2017, is a PGA Master Professional and a PGA Tour Coach. Golf
Magazine included him among its Top Teachers in 2016.
The Golf Range Association of America has named him a Top 50
Growth of the Game Teaching Professional each of the last five years. Dunigan
was named a U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Junior Golf Leader in 2012.
Dunigan put some of his advice on improving your putting in
book form with the publication of “Hole It” last year.
The Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award went to
Overbrook Golf Club’s Stephen Frederick and there is no shortage of talented
assistants throughout the Section.
Frederick stands out for his more than 19 years of coaching
experience and the way he has embraced the latest technological advances
available to today’s golf instructors. Frederick has earned certifications from
Nike’s NG360, the Titleist Performance Institute for adults and youth golfers,
U.S. Kids and the Positive Coaching Alliance.
Frederick has also been a co-chairman of the Philadelphia
Assistant’s Organization (PAO) for the last three years.
Much like Dunigan, last year’s Horton Smith Award winner,
Dean Kandle the head man at St. Davids Golf Club, this year’s Horton Smith
Award honoree, is the pro’s pro.
Young pros consistently emerge from Kandle’s pro shop ready
to take on bigger challenges because of his guidance. In 2017 he started the
website Golf Professional Growth (www.golfprofessionalgrowth.com),
which offers advice to club pros of all ages on a range of issues both at the
golf course and at home.
The Bill Strausbaugh Award went to Charlie Schuyler, the
director of golf at Saucon Valley Country Club. The Bill Strausbaugh Award goes
to a Philadelphia Section pro who demonstrates exceptional character, integrity
and leadership by teaching and mentoring other PGA professionals.
Schuyler’s impact in the Philadelphia Section since arriving
in May 2018 from Augusta National Golf Club was immediate. Schuyler manages a
professional development program for students at the PGA Golf Management University
and assistant pros around the country. Schuyler also spreads the same message
of personal responsibility when he talks to junior golfers.
Schuyler also founded the “Pros Fore Clothes Foundation,” a
non-profit organization that collects clothing from PGA professionals,
facilities and manufacturers across the country and delivers them to those in
need around the world.
Steve Wager, the director of player development at the Penn
State University Golf Courses, received the Philadelphia Section’s Player
Development Award for 2019. It is the second time Wager has claimed this honor,
having previously earned it in 2016.
Wager has shown a commitment to the national Get Golf Ready
program, which helps beginners of all ages understand the game. Wager was the
coach for the State College PGA Junior League team that won the Philadelphia
Section crown at Cedarbrook Country Club in August and represented the Section
in the Region 2 Championship in September at the Seaview Golf Club in Galloway
Township, N.J.
Andy Miller, the head of instruction at LedgeRock Golf Club,
was named the winner of the Youth Player Development Award for the second time.
Miller previously claimed the honor in 2013.
Miller was a named by Golf Digest as the Best Teacher
in State in 2017 and 2018 among the many citations he has earned for his work. Miller
is the chairperson of the Philadelphia Section Instruction Committee.
Miller’s impact has been particularly strong on the junior
golf scene in Berks County since his arrival at LedgeRock in Mohnton in 2015.
Succeeding Carpineta as the winner of the Patriot Award was
John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs. The
Patriot Award goes to the Section pro who personifies patriotism through the
game of golf and demonstrates an unwavering commitment and dedication to the
men and women who have served in the military.
Pillar is a past president of the Philadelphia Section in
2013 and 2014. Pillar has helped raise more than $160,000 with the Folds of
Honor Golf Classic at Woodloch Springs. Folds of Honor is a national initiative
that provides scholarships to spouses and children of fallen and disabled
service members.
Pillar can play a little, too, as he proved by claiming a
victory in the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship at Applebrook
in August.
The Philadelphia Section also honored its top merchandisers
in resort-, private- and public-course categories.
The resort Merchandiser of the Year was Alex McGann, the
director of golf at Seaview at the Jersey Shore. The private course
Merchandiser of the Year was Brent Wallace, the director of golf at Northampton
Country Club. The public course Merchandiser of the Year was Jason Howard, the
director of golf at Woodcrest Country Club.
Laura Manchester, an outside sales representative for
Callaway Golf in Lederach claimed the award as the Section’s Golf Salesperson
of the Year. It is the second time Manchester has picked up this award, having
also earned it in 2011.
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