PGA of America Special Awards Announcement 2022

ONTARIO, CA (January 26, 2022) – Southern California PGA Members Jamie Mulligan and Joe Grohman have been named as 2021 Special Award winners from the PGA of America with Mulligan earning Teacher & Coach of the Year honors, and Grohman earning the Patriot Award honors.

Mulligan, a Southern California PGA Section Member and Chief Executive Officer of Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, California for the past 20 years, is the 2021 PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year for his “outstanding services as a golf teacher, innovator and coach.”

Featured regularly as one of GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers and one of Golf Digest’s Best Teachers, Mulligan was among the first instructors to study the swing’s biomechanics in the 1980s. His self-developed culture of coaching is based on efficiency of movement, as he recognizes the physical and mental capability of each student and leverages their attributes to help them reach their full potential. Mulligan’s students have captured hundreds of professional victories across every major tour, highlighted by Patrick Cantlay, John Cook, Melissa “Mo” Martin, Amy Alcott, Jessica Korda, Nelly Korda, Paul Goydos, Kevin Na, Bill Haas and Max Homa, among many others.

Mulligan developed the “Wheel Concept” to determine which spokes (ingredients, travel, family, preparation, skills, character traits, activities) work best for each individual’s overall objective. He then helps students create a system to keep their spokes straight.

He was inducted into the SCPGA Hall of Fame in 2012 and earned numerous awards at the Section level, including the Teacher of the Year (1999-2000, 2004, 2010, 2012), Golf Professional of the Year (2004-2005), Metro Golf Professional of the Year (2002) and PGA Professional Development Award (2003-2004). Mulligan is also a member of the Long Beach State University Hall of Fame, and he continues to serve as a consultant for the school’s mens and womens golf teams.

Having conducted over 200 coaching seminars at the Chapter, Section and collegiate levels, Mulligan enjoys sharing his wisdom with colleagues while helping to develop the next generation of PGA Members. Mulligan is the founder and co-chair of the California Teaching and Coaching Summit (2015 inaugural year). He also founded the Smooth Swing Golf School and Jamie Mulligan Junior Golf Camp, positively impacting more than 30,000 golfers of all ages and levels.

In conjunction with leadership at Virginia Country Club, established in 1909, Mulligan helped design many aspects of their world-class practice facility, which has made VCC more of a golf club.  This practice facility includes a six-hole golf course, world-class chipping green, separate shag range as well as a 400-yard double-sided driving range, one of the largest in Southern California.

Grohman, the PGA Director of Instruction at Old Ranch Country Club, in Seal Beach, California, is the recipient of the 2021 Patriot Award. The honor is granted 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.

Grohman serves as a National Trainer for PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), the signature military program of PGA REACH. In this capacity, he is responsible for delivering PGA HOPE golf training seminars to PGA Members nationwide. The simulated training sessions are designed to ensure all PGA Professionals teaching PGA HOPE provide a safe environment and are comfortable using adaptive equipment while instructing Military Veterans living with physical or cognitive challenges.

In addition, Grohman serves as host PGA Director of Instruction at Old Ranch Golf Practice Center. An eight-time recipient of the Southern California PGA Section Patriot Award (2014-’21), he has also been honored with the Section’s Youth Player Development Award (2017), Bill Strausbaugh Award (2016), Merchandiser of Year (2014), Golf Professional of the Year (2013) and President’s Award (2012). Grohman has also chaired the SCPGA Diversity and Inclusion Committee since 2009. In 2010, he was recognized with the Armed Forces Recreation-Special Citation Award-the U.S. Navy’s highest award for civilian recreation employees. Grohman was elected into the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame in 2016.

“We have so many exceptional PGA Professionals in our section, and Jamie Mulligan and Joe Grohman exemplify the ‘best of the best’ in their categories.  They both posses a selfless spirit for the game.  Jamie has one of the most caring hearts and creative approach to learning and coaching; and Joe cares so much about our military.  They represent all that is great about the PGA Professional,” said Robin Shelton, PGA, Newport Beach Country Club General Manager and President of the Southern California PGA Section.

Mulligan and Grohman will be presented their awards during the 106th PGA Annual Meeting to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 1st-5th, 2022.

VIEW ALL THE PGA OF AMERICA AWARD RECIPIENTS HERE
VIEW ALL AWARD RECIPIENTS PHOTOS HERE

SCPGA Media Contact: Bryce Seiver, Marketing & Communications Manager, (951) 845-4653, bseiver@pgahq.com