PGA of America #GameChanger award winner continues trailblazing leadership path

Alpharetta, GA – The accolades continue to pile up for Jason Kuiper, director of instruction at The Grand Slam Golf Academy, the state-of-the-art instructional facility at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta. Kuiper has been named to Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers list for the second straight time. The bi-annual list identifies the rising stars of teachers under 40 years of age.

“Jason Kuiper’s vision and passion for helping golfers of all ages and backgrounds improve their game has been instrumental in advancing one of our Foundation’s core pillars: introducing the game to new golfers,” said Joshua Deal, Bobby Jones Golf Course general manager. “Under Jason’s leadership, The Grand Slam Golf Academy and its programming have become a shining example of how golf and great people can make a difference and help inspire a community.”

Kuiper was awarded Georgia Section PGA Teacher of the Year for 2020 and received US Kids Golf’s “Top 50” Teacher Award in 2019. He was also recognized as a GRAA Top 100 Growth of Game Professionals in 2020 - 2023. He was awarded the PGA of America’s prestigious #GameChanger award in 2020 - 2023 for organizing one of the 25 largest PGA Junior League programs in the nation.

“Being named a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher for the second consecutive time is just an incredible honor,” says Kuiper. “To see all the names on the list, it's inspiring to be part of that next wave of top teachers and it's great that this list keeps growing and recognizing really good, talented teachers coming up through the ranks. Golf courses are doing a great job now making teaching programs, development and growth-of-the-game initiatives a main focus at a lot of properties. This recognition, I think, validates a lot of what the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation's mission was when they developed this property, and making its focus on growing the game, teaching and making golf more accessible for different populations to play the game. You can't do any of that without a teaching pro, or in my case, an entire Academy of skilled teaching professionals that all are working together under that shared mission.”

Bobby Jones Golf Course, managed by Bobby Jones Links (BJL), the golf industry’s leading client-centric, boutique management company, has undergone an incredible transformation and is now an integral part of the local golf community as well as a shining example of how a golf course can play a vital role in enriching the lives of people throughout a community. Subject of a $33 million redevelopment project in the 2010s, Bobby Jones Golf Course has opened its doors to anyone who wants to play golf. For example, Bobby Jones Golf Course’s PGA Hope program, a free initiative that teaches golf to active-duty military and veterans, has made a significant impact in the lives of countless service people. The course’s PGA HOPE program boasts four different six-week clinics that are free to veterans and active-duty military. Kuiper has nine certified PGA of America professionals on staff who help with HOPE (helping our patriots everywhere). The course also does a similar clinic with the Salute Military Golf Association.

Bobby Jones’ PGA Junior League program had more than 250 children participate last year. The weekly matches were on Sunday afternoons, which is prime real estate for tee times. More than 4,000 juniors have come through the course in the last five years and the Youth on Course program allows juniors to play the course at any time for $5.

The centerpiece for the property is the Murray Golf House, which serves many roles. It’s the clubhouse for Bobby Jones Golf Course and is home to the Georgia State Golf Association, Georgia PGA Section and Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. Boone’s restaurant was originally designed to be a grab-and-go food center but has turned into an upscale experience that features American cuisine with beautiful views of the course and the city of Atlanta skyline.

“Five years in, you catch wind of other projects,” Kuiper said. “They visit us and want to learn about how we did this. How did you create a nonprofit, how did you raise the money? These are the things they want to know. “There’s at least a handful of other projects that were born out of this idea. That’s a cool story.”

To learn more, visit BobbyJonesLinks.com and BobbyJonesGC.com.