In most years, Aronimink GOLF Club’s members see May as the month where the golf season really shifts into high gear with some heavy competition – namely, the conclusion of the BMW Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) Team Matches, a massive interclub competition including more than 400 teams from area golf facilities.
This year, however, Aronimink’s 800-plus golf members and PGA of America Golf Professionals will be part of something truly major as the club hosts the PGA Championship from May 11–17. Aronimink’s PGA of America Head Professional, Jeff Kiddie, says his staff is ready for the excitement of hosting the club’s first PGA Championship since 1962.
“May is normally the start of the heart of golf season at Aronimink, where the weather is usually awesome and the golf course is reaching peak conditions,” says Kiddie, the 2023 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. “This year will be different, but in a way that’s going to be very fun and memorable for the members and for us as PGA Members.”
Aronimink boasts six PGA of America Golf Professionals on staff, and all of them will play a role in PGA Championship Week. Kiddie’s staff and the Philadelphia PGA Section will be working the practice facility, and some Aronimink staff members will have specific responsibilities with the PGA of America’s Championships team.
For example, Aronimink Golf Club PGA of America Assistant Professional Ryan Boitz is set to take the lead on the Inside the Ropes program, an experience available to corporate hospitality clients that allows them to walk inside the ropes with featured groups during PGA Championship rounds. Boitz will be leading groups and also training other team members, who will take turns leading these exclusive experiences.
Meanwhile, PGA of America Assistant Professional Tessa Teachman will lead a new initiative to provide ambassadors to guide players and guests through the classic – and unique – layout of the Aronimink clubhouse.
“It’s an old clubhouse and maybe not the easiest to navigate when you first get here,” Kiddie says. “So, we’re just trying to help players and their families know where to go – where the locker rooms are, where the family areas are, all of that. Tessa’s going to take the lead on that.”
Once the players have located the Aronimink locker room, they’ll meet PGA of America Associate Garrett Hoyt, who’ll be in charge of locker room operations throughout the week – a key position, especially early in the week.
“There’s a lot of product coming through shipping and receiving early on in Championship Week,” Kiddie says. “All the manufacturers are shipping in clothing and equipment for the players, and it’s very important all the products get to the players in a timely fashion.”
Kiddie himself will play a unique hybrid role during the 2026 PGA Championship. He’ll be overseeing his staff and playing a leadership role as Aronimink’s PGA of America Head Professional, which includes media responsibilities through the weekend. In addition, Kiddie – a longtime member of the PGA of America Rules Committee – plans to be working as a Rules Official during the PGA Championship.
“It’s a really unique opportunity, and I don’t think anyone from the Rules Committee has ever hosted the PGA Championship at their facility, at least not in the modern era,” says Kiddie, who has officiated at seven previous PGA Championships. “It’s a great opportunity for me, and I think it will be fun for our members to see what it is I do as a Rules Official when I go away to work an event. I’m looking forward to that, but I’ll also be making sure our staff is taking care of all of our responsibilities throughout the week.”
Kiddie’s previous experience at PGA Championships has given him a chance to learn from other PGA of America Host Professionals – like Cary Cozby at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Jason Ballard at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York – about what goes into having a major championship at your home club.
“I always ask them what their responsibilities are, and the biggest thing they’ve told me is to prepare our members for the size and the scope of the PGA Championship,” Kiddie says.
“Yes, we’ve hosted big events here in the past, but this is a notch up from that. They’re feeling it since they haven’t been able to play the course since it closed last fall, and they see the infrastructure needed to pull it all off. But I think we’ll be able to provide a great experience to the players and patrons, as well as our members – who will be very excited to get their golf course back on the Tuesday after the PGA Championship concludes.”
