Michael Caldwell, the head pro at DuPont Country Club near Wilmington, Del., received the Philadelphia Section PGA’s highest honor when he was named the Golf Professional of the Year, heading the list of award winners for 2025 in the Philly Section.
I chronicled the Philadelphia Section’s 2025 award winners for their play on the golf course, but, in many ways, the awards the Philly Section hands out to recognize all the hard work that goes on in the region’s pro shops are even more important.
A lot of people talk about “growing the game,” but this list of the Philly Section’s honorees for 2025 are the people who really make it happen when it comes to energizing golfers of all ages to take up the game and make it an integral part of their lives.
The Golf Professional of the Year award goes to a PGA professional who displays qualities of leadership and strong moral character and has a substantial record of service to the Philadelphia Section and to the game of golf.
“Being named the Philadelphia PGA Golf Professional of the Year is a profound honor and the highlight of my career,” Caldwell told the Philadelphia Section PGA website. “I am truly humbled to have my name included among the many accomplished PGA professionals who have received this recognition before me and those who will follow in the years ahead.”
Many local golf fans remember DuPont as the host of the McDonald’s LPGA Championship from 1994 to 2004, a major championship on the LPGA Tour that brought large and enthusiastic crowds to watch the best players in women’s golf. The LPGA Championship eventually morphed into the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Caldwell’s time at DuPont has coincided with a period of major growth and revitalization at the club. He has focused on developing the golf culture at DuPont.
Caldwell’s leadership philosophy is rooted in relationships, trust and service. He reinforces that philosophy daily through member play, PGA professional mentorship and a hands-on approach to staff and golf program development.
One of the ways Caldwell strengthens the bonds between the pro shop and the membership is for him and his team to get out and play golf with the members. DuPont’s pros played more than 100 rounds with its members in 2025, illustrating his belief that time spent on the course is the most meaningful path to building community.
Since taking responsibility for the pro shop in 2019, Caldwell has engineered a complete revitalization of the retail operation. His “just start” mindset has resulted in sustained revenue growth, consistently strong margins and a broad member enthusiasm, including the successful launch of a secondary DuPont logo.
One of the more underrated areas of membership engagement is club tournaments and Caldwell and his team run more than 150 events annually with custom-designed scoreboards and standardized major-event trophies.
Caldwell has expanded and elevated instruction offerings through the DuPont Academy.
The academy has evolved from weekly clinics into a comprehensive year-round development model, culminating in the creation of a season-long coaching program that is always fully booked.
Caldwell is an active contributor to the Philadelphia Section as the newly-elected director of tournaments after previously serving as the District 2 director. He has served on several committees and mentors new PGA professionals entering the field.
Caldwell has shown a commitment to continuous learning, reflected by certifications, summit participation and educational programing, all of which reinforces his belief that professional growth is essential for service excellence.
For the fifth time, PGA Master Professional John Dunigan, the director of instruction at Applebrook Golf Club in East Goshen, Chester County, has been named the Philadelphia Section’s Teacher & Coach of the Year.
The award recognizes a PGA professional for “outstanding services as a golf teacher, innovator and coach.”
I’ve covered a lot of high school golf over the years and many of the top players turn to Dunigan as their swing coach.
Had a chance to chat with Dunigan a little while he followed his daughter Mary Grace, then a freshman at Unionville, in the final group in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County in 2019.
Of the four players in that final group, Dunigan was the swing coach for three of them, his daughter, obviously, as well as Wissahickon freshman Elizabeth Beek, the eventual champion, and West Chester East sophomore Victoria Kim, who would capture the state title a year later.
A PGA of America member since 1996, Dunigan has had stops at Aronimink Golf Club, White Manor Country Club and Hartefeld National Golf Club before landing at Applebrook.
In addition to his coaching, which amounts to more than 1,800 hours of lessons annually, Dunigan finds time to teach and mentor fellow PGA pros in the Philly Section and across the country.
In the past five years, Dunigan has presented more than 50 teaching workshops, seminars and summits around the country in addition to being involved in the Philly Section’s teaching and coaching education events.
Dunigan has published a couple of popular books, “Hole It! Master Putting’s Three Essential Skills” and “Essential Golf,” and has written articles that have appeared in Golf Magazine and Golf Digest.
In addition to winning the Philly Section’s Teacher & Coach of the Year award five times, Dunigan was the winner of the Professional Development Award in 2018 and the Youth Player Development Award in 2022.
All of these honors for Dunigan are even more impressive in light of the competition he is up against in the Philly Section. There is just a wealth of talented instructors in this area. For example …
Lou Guzzi, the director of instruction at the Lou Guzzi Golf Academy in Ambler, was named the winner of the Professional Development Award for the third time, previously earning the honor in 2014 and 2021.
The award goes to a PGA member who displays commendable contributions to the education of PGA professionals.
Guzzi was the PGA of America’s Teacher & Coach of the Year in 2013 and twice has received the Philly Section’s Teacher & Coach of the Year honor in 2003 and 2010.
Guzzi has shaped the field by taking leadership roles, most notably as the chair of the PGA of America’s Teaching & Coaching Summit Committee. He has an extensive catalog of educational content.
One of Guzzi’s success stories that I’m aware of is the hand he had in developing Patrick Sheehan, a District One champion at Central Bucks East, a fixture in the starting lineup at Penn State for four years, a Pennsylvania Amateur champion and now a Pennsylvania Open champion as a fledgling professional.
Guzzi has created several professional development presentations, participated in numerous Section and national speaking engagements and written dozens of articles for PGA Magazine, Golf Magazine and Golf Range Magazine, among others.
Guzzi has produced videos that support amateur golfers as well as his fellow PGA professionals.
Jon Flint, the director of instruction at Commonwealth National Golf Club in Horsham, received the Player Development Award.
The award is special recognition of the PGA member who has displayed extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements in the area of player development.
Flint has built a comprehensive, year-round player development structure at Commonwealth National, introducing a youth golf intramural league, “Path to Par” seasonal programs, weekly beginner clinics, a fitness program and family-centered events that have strengthened participation and retention across the facility.
Flint is a respected mentor to PGA Associates and a collaborative leader within the Philly Section, sharing best practices, hosting workshops and contributing to national coaching networks, reflecting his commitment to growing the game and supporting the professional community.
The Youth Player Development Award went to Eric MacCluen, the head of instruction at Applecross Country Club in East Brandywine, Chester County.
This award recognizes a PGA member who has made extraordinary and exemplary contributions in the area of youth player development.
MacCluen has 40 years of teaching experience in a career dedicated to expanding access, confidence and opportunities for young players. He has built one of the most impressive youth golf programs in the Section.
MacCluen creates a welcoming, high-energy environment in which beginners thrive and young athletes gain life skills while simultaneously learning the game of golf.
I can recall in my early days covering high school golf at the Delaware County Daily Times getting a pretty nice testament to MacCluen from Conrad Von Borsig, then a standout at Strath Haven and now part of the deep stable of talent at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Von Borsig credited MacCluen, in those days working at a driving range in West Chester, with making the game fun when he was first learning the game. They would work on trouble shots from out of the trees and tough spots, likely why Van Borsig, to this day, is a magician around the greens.
Among his many contributions to the youth golf scene, MacCluen offers free school-based clinics, outreach to multiple school districts and participates in First Tee of Delaware. His Girls Golf Revolution initiative has introduced hundreds of girls to the game, rebuilt and saved high school girls teams and fostered communities where players mentor one another.
Parents, students and fellow PGA professionals all describe MacCluen as a coach whose influence changes lives, teaches integrity, leadership, resilience and belonging as intentionally as he teaches the golf swing.
MacCluen has produced scholarship athletes, tournament winners and young people who believe in themselves because he believed in them first.
Jameson Wallace, the general manager at Chambersburg Country Club, was named the Philadelphia Section’s Merchandiser of the Year in the Private Category.
This award recognizes a PGA general manager at a private golf facility who has excelled in business and marketing in the promotion of golf.
Wallace oversees more than 3,000 square feet that includes the clubhouse pro shop, a fitting center and a golf range.
Wallace devotes 30 to 40 percent of his time on merchandising with regular display updates, seasonal refreshes and clear, organized layouts that ensure a consistently fresh retail experience.
Under Wallace’s guidance, Chambersburg’s retail operation has grown more than 700 percent since 2009.
Wallace is a previous winner of the Merchandiser of the Year – Private Category award in 2020 and was the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year in the Carolinas PGA Section in 2008.
Kevin Duffy, the director of golf at Commonwealth National Golf Club in Horsham, received the Philadelphia Section’s Deacon Palmer Award.
This award bestows special recognition to a PGA professional who personally displays outstanding integrity, character and leadership in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in his or her life.
Duffy also earned the Deacon Palmer Award in 2022. Along with Player Development Award winner Joe Flint, Duffy gives the Commonwealth National pro shop a pair of Philly Section award winners for 2025.
The Deacon Palmer winner is an individual who is an unsung hero or heroine at their facility and in their community who serves to inspire, empower and assist others both inside and outside the game.
In 2013 when Duffy was working at Riverton Country Club, his newborn daughter, Molly Rose, was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegic type 47 (SPG47), a disease so rare it was the first such case in the United States and just the seventh worldwide. Duffy’s son, Owen Patrick, born in 2021, was also diagnosed with SPG47. While caring for his children’s special needs, Duffy has continued to excel at Riverton and at Commonwealth National.
The Duffys have teamed with another family affected by the disease to form the non-profit Cure SPG47, its mission to help develop a treatment for the disease.
Duffy started a “Golf for a Cure” outing that draws more than 200 players annually and has raised more than $1.9 million in less than 10 years.
A gene therapy is in its final stages of development and is awaiting the start of the FDA approval process.
Duffy also serves the Philadelphia Section as the District 1 director and is a member of several of the Section’s committees.
Derek Feinberg, an assistant pro at Overbrook Golf Club, was named the Justin Riegel Assistant Golf Professional of the Year in the Philadelphia Section.
This award recognizes a PGA professional who has excelled in business and merchandising in the promotion of golf.
The award is named for Justin Riegel, a past winner of the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award. Riegel had landed the job as a head pro at Philmont Country Club in 2020 when he was tragically killed hustling people off the golf course during a thunderstorm that toppled a tree on the roof of the cart shed, which collapsed on him.
Feinberg excels in operations, merchandising, teaching, tournament management and staff coordination while always placing people at the center of his work.
At Overbrook, Feinberg has helped drive a vibrant golf shop, increasing overall sales, expanding youth and women’s golf programs and playing a key role in developing quality member events.
Feinberg has emerged as a leader in the Philly Section with his service with PGA REACH Philadelphia and as the Section’s ambassador to the Wilson-Smith Golf League, where he has helped build nationally recognized recovery-focused golf communities.
Conor Grandin, a sales representative for Holderness & Bourne, was named the Philadelphia Section’s Salesperson of the Year.
This award recognizes a sales representative who contributes to the Section and is involved with sponsoring Section events. The award also goes to a representative respected among the Philly Section clubs and who has implemented new ideas to assist in growing the game of golf.
Grandin manages more than 120 green-grass accounts, providing guidance tailored to each club’s membership rather than focusing solely on sales volume.
Grandin’s willingness to share successful retail strategies across accounts helps PGA professionals strengthen shop performance and enhance membership experience.
Grandin has supported Section professional development by contributing apparel and resources to key events and championships with his innovative merchandising initiatives.
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