Frisco, Texas and Orlando, Fla. (Jan. 25, 2023) – PGA Golf Professional of the Year Jeff Kiddie, PGA; and PGA Patriot Award recipient John Carpineta, PGA; headline the Class of 2023 PGA of America National Awards honorees.
All 13 award recipients were announced at the 2023 PGA Show last week in Orlando, Florida.
“It is exciting for a PGA Section to have one of its members win one of the PGA of America’s national awards, so having two high-caliber PGA Members honored in the same class is incredibly humbling,” said Philadelphia PGA Section Executive Director Geoffrey Surrette, PGA.
Kiddie is the Section’s first-ever national PGA Golf Professional of the Year, while Carpineta, known affectionately as “Johnny C,” is the Section’s first national PGA Patriot Award recipient.
“Both Jeff and Johnny have helped grow the game at their facilities, at the Section level, and nationally, and are truly model PGA Professionals,” Surrette continued. “Our entire Section is proud of what they have accomplished, and are thrilled to celebrate with them this year.”
Jeff Kiddie, PGA, Head Golf Professional at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, is the recipient of the 2023 PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award. This is the highest annual honor given to a PGA of America Professional, awarded for leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the Association and the game of golf.
A PGA Member for 23 years, Kiddie has spent the past 15 years at Aronimink following a seven-year stint at Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he served as PGA General Manager and Head Golf Professional. Kiddie was the host PGA Professional during the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink, which will also host the 2026 PGA Championship.
A longtime, dedicated leader in the Philadelphia PGA Section, Kiddie has held numerous positions including President, Vice President, Secretary, District Director, 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.
A decorated PGA Professional, Kiddie has received numerous awards and accolades, including being honored as the national 2011 PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Private Facilities. He also received the Philadelphia PGA Section’s 2021 Bill Strausbaugh Award; 2016 Horton Smith Award (now the PGA Professional Development Award); 2011 Philadelphia Section Golf Professional of the Year; and is a two-time recipient of the Philadelphia PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year Award – Private Facilities (2007, ‘10).
Since Kiddie became a PGA Head Professional in 2001, a total of 12 of his Assistant Professionals have advanced to become Head Professionals across the country. His passion for the Rules of Golf has led him to become an instructor for PGA and USGA Rules of Golf Workshops. Kiddie is a graduate of Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he competed on the golf team.
“This award is an incredible honor and it’s a pleasure to share it with my family and with everyone at Aronimink,” said Kiddie. “I’ve always said that I’ve been incredibly fortunate throughout my career to work with and for great PGA Professionals; there are so many PGA Professionals that I respect and admire who have not been recognized with this award and it kind or it makes it difficult to feel deserving. I only know that I’ll continue to work hard to try and live up to it.
“It has also been a great fortune to spend the last 23 years in the Philadelphia PGA Section. I consider our Section to be the finest in the country. The friendships I have made within our Section have positively impacted me personally and professionally. I’m also thankful to work at an incredible club like Aronimink, where I’m afforded the resources necessary to be successful. The club’s leadership encourages me to be involved in other aspects of our industry outside of Aronimink. Finally, and most importantly, I’m incredibly thankful to have a wife and children who have supported me in all my career aspirations.”
John Carpineta, PGA, a Philadelphia PGA Section Member and Assistant Golf Professional at Bensalem Township Country Club in Pennsylvania, 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 (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) 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. His commitment to service at the Section level includes being the Co-chair of PGA HOPE Bensalem since 2016, a member of the Player Development Committee since 2016, and an Education Committee member since 2011, among other Section and Chapter committees.
“I am incredibly honored to have received our PGA Patriot Award,” said Carpineta. “While my name is on the award, it should be shared with everyone who has been instrumental with PGA HOPE Philadelphia, including fellow PGA Members Rick Flagler, Gerry Davis, Dan Hoban, Adrienne Hogan, Leila Mackie, Judy Alverez, and many others.”
Our Section staffers, Geoff Surrette, PGA, Courtney Curcio, and Matt Frey, PGA, have helped our Bensalem chapter thrive and taken lessons learned here to eight of our other PGA HOPE Philadelphia chapters.”
“I would be remiss if not to thank those who helped with and supported my nomination: Jack Connelly, Dick Smith Sr., Tom Carpus, Jeff Kiddie, Jeff Hoerger, Jim Bogan, Bill Fox, and Kelly Newhouse. Having a Section full of supportive PGA Professionals has helped our military veterans far and wide.”
2023 PGA of America National Awards Recipients
- PGA Golf Professional of the Year
Jeff Kiddie, PGA – Aronimink Golf Club – Newtown Square, Pa.
- PGA Patriot Award
John Carpineta, PGA – Bensalem Township Country Club – Bensalem, Pa.
- PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year
Kevin Weeks, PGA – Cog Hill Golf & Country Club – Lemont, Ill.
- PGA Golf Executive of the Year
Bernie Friedrich, PGA – Boyne Resorts – Petoskey, Mich.
- Bill Strausbaugh Award
Jack Druga, PGA – Life Member – Metropolitan PGA Section – Southampton, N.Y.
- PGA Professional Development Award
Nick Papadakes, PGA – Onwentsia Club – Lake Forest, Ill.
- Deacon Palmer Award
Jamie Nieto, PGA – The Preserve at Oak Meadows – Addison, Ill.
- PGA Player Development Award
Josh Tremblay, PGA – Springfield Golf & Country Club – Springfield, Va.
- PGA Youth Player Development Award
Susie Redman, PGA – The Woodlands Country Club – The Woodlands, Texas
- Herb Graffis Award
Southern Texas PGA Section
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Resort Category
Grace Hurley, PGA – Ponte Vedra Inn & Club – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Private Category
Katie Wiedmar, PGA – Winged Foot Golf Club – Mamaroneck, N.Y.
- PGA Merchandiser of the Year – Public Category
Ian Ziska, PGA – American Dunes Golf Club – Grand Haven, Mich.
For full bios of all 13 PGA of America National Awards recipients for 2023, click here.
The formal National Awards ceremony is scheduled for this November during the 2023 PGA Annual Meeting in Frisco, Texas. The Herb Graffis Award will be presented during the Annual Meeting content that week as well.
About PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About the Philadelphia PGA Section
The Philadelphia PGA Section, covering eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, is one of 41 geographical managing entities of the PGA of America. This Section manages nearly 900 PGA Members and Associates who are employed at over 590 golf facilities in our region.
Contact: Matt Frey, PGA, Communications Director, Philadelphia PGA Section, mfrey@pgahq.com
Lower Gwynedd Township, Pa. (February 22, 2023) — The Philadelphia PGA Section is excited to announce 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.
