It’s no secret why the Philadelphia Section PGA continues to churn out top-notch club professionals, whether they stay here in the Philadelphia area or accept promotions to go elsewhere.
It’s because the young PGA professionals that work in the Philadelphia area get such tremendous leadership and mentorship from the established pros in this region.
That kind of outstanding leadership was recognized by the PGA of America last week when it revealed its national award winners at the PGA Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
The Bill Strausbaugh Award went to Jim Smith Jr., the director of golf at Philadelphia Cricket Club and the Professional Development Award went to Dean Kandle, the general manager at St. Davids Golf Club.
Both awards recognize club professionals in leadership positions who help up-and-coming pros develop the skills they’ll need to become successful. There are so many aspects in the job of a club professional from giving lessons to interacting with the membership to running the business of the pro shop to directing the club’s tournament program to developing junior golfers.
Smith at the Cricket Club and Kandle at St. Davids have proven they can help young pros learn the ins and outs of the job at their clubs and throughout the Philadelphia Section and beyond.
The Bill Strausbaugh Award goes to a PGA professional who demonstrates exceptional character, integrity and leadership through teaching and mentoring other PGA of America pros.
Smith, who has been a PGA of America member for 29 years, grew up not far from Philadelphia Cricket Club in Jenkintown and is a Rydal resident. After graduating from Temple in 1990 with a degree in finance and economics, Smith became the head pro The Abington Club in 1992.
In 1996 Smith moved to Talamore Country Club, where he spent 10 years in the dual role as director of golf and general manager.
When Smith arrived at the Cricket Club in 2006, it was just four years after the Militia Hill Course opened next door to the Wissahickon Course, an A.W. Tillinghast masterpiece. Already, one of the four founding members of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, the Cricket Club became an even stronger presence on the region’s unparalleled golf scene.
Smith has earned plenty of accolades from the Philadelphia Section. He was the Section’s PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2005, the Merchandiser of the Year for a private facility in 2002 and a three-time winner of the Philadelphia Section’s Bill Strausbaugh Award in 2006, 2013 and 2022.
Smith served the Philadelphia Section as its president from 2007 to 2009 and as a member of the Section’s board of directors/executive committee from 2000- to 2011.
The Professional Development Award goes to a PGA professional who displays commendable contributions to the education of PGA of America golf professionals.
That certainly describes Kandle, who has won the Philadelphia Section’s Professional Development Award three years in a row in 2019, ’20, ’21 and the Bill Strausbaugh Award in 2018. Kandle was the Philadelphia Section’s PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2020, the year that marked the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and brought some of the most unique challenges ever experienced by club professionals.
Kandle has served two stints as a member of the Philadelphia Section’s education committee from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2018 to 2022. Kandle also represented the Section board of directors as the District VI director from 2019 to 2022.
Kandle is a regular host and contributor to PGA of America education seminars and is a strong supporter of PGA REACH programming. PGA REACH is the charitable arm of the PGA of America.
Kandle is passionate about delivering continuing education to help improve the lives of PGA of America members.
Kandle’s influence can be felt far from the pro shop at St. Davids as he created Golf Professional Growth (GPG), a professional development website that covers a wide range of important topics designed to help PGA professionals “work smarter and live better.”
Kandle is always trying to help young golf pros develop a balance between work and home, something that can be a problem with the long hours demanded by the job, particularly during the busy months that stretch from spring until fall, at least in this part of the country.
Kandle hosts two podcasts, “Getting Better Now” and “The Golf Professional Growth Project,” both dedicated to helping PGA pros grow as golf professionals and leaders.
It was the second straight year in which two Philadelphia Section professionals received national PGA of America awards.
Aronimink Golf Club head pro Jeff Kiddie was named the PGA Golf Professional of the Year and John Carpineta, a pro at Bensalem Country Club and head of the PGA HOPE Bensalem Chapter, received the Patriot Award.
Kiddie and Carpineta picked up their awards at the PGA of America’s Annual Meeting, held in early November at the PGA of America’s new headquarters in Frisco, Texas.
A video saluting each award winner was created for the awards night and you can still find the videos on Kiddie and Carpineta on the Philadelphia Section PGA website in the archives from November of 2023.
Smith and Kandle were on hand when the announcement of the 2024 award winners was made last Wednesday on the PGA of America Industry Stage, presented by CapTech, at the PGA Show.
The PGA of America also saluted the winners of its 2023 player awards Wednesday at the PGA Show, led by Professional Player of the Year Michael Block, an instructor at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif. and the unlikely star of last spring’s PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, N.Y.
Block punched his ticket to the PGA Championship as part of the Corebridge Financial PGA Team, the top 20 finishers in the PGA Professional Championship, which wrapped up earlier in May at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Pueblo Santa Ana, N.M.
Block finished in a tie for second place at Twin Warriors, a shot behind the winner, the Philadelphia Section’s Braden Shattuck, the director of instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club who was the Section’s Player of the Year for the second year in a row in 2023.
Block was the low club pro at Oak Hill, finishing in a tie for 15th place with a 1-over 281 total. He electrified the crowd at Oak Hill and the national CBS television audience when he slam-dunked his tee shot at the 151-yard, par-3 15th hole for a spectacular hole-in-one on his way to a final-round 71 while paired with Rory McIlroy. So yeah, Professional Player of the Year for that week at Oak Hill, if nothing else.
The Women’s Professional Player of the Year award went to Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, an instructor at San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.
Connelly-Eiswerth became the first woman in the 46-year history of the PGA Tournament Series to win an event as she captured the title in Event #1 last month at the PGA Golf Club’s Ryder Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The Senior Professional Player of the Year award went to Bob Sowards, the director of instruction at the Kinsale Golf & Fitness Center in Powell, Ohio.
In October, Sowards cruised to a six-shot victory in the Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, the second time Sowards has won the top event for senior club pros.
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