By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Jason Kuiper is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, Georgia. The Elite GRAA Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, 2020 Georgia PGA Section Teacher of Year and 2025 Section Patriot Award winner oversees the Grand Slam Golf Academy, which he helped create in 2018.
With extensive technology, including Trackman and FlightScope launch monitors, K-Motion Golf 3D and Biomechanics feedback, Smart2Move Golf Force Plates, Blast Motion Golf, SuperSpeed Golf, FocusBand Headset and SAM PuttLab, Kuiper’s team has all the tools to create the perfect learning environment for their junior golfers and adults students, helping them take their golf game to the next level.
The Bobby Jones Golf Course practice facilities, a perennial GRAA Top 50 Public Facility, are second to none. The range is equipped with Trackman Range ball tracking technology. The Dan Yates Putting Course is a unique nine-hole amenity. Cupp Links is a five-hole Par 3 layout that patrons can play for free, though donations are requested to help support the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation. It’s a destination golf facility for sure!
With the 2026 Masters Tournament upon us, we highlight Bobby Jones Golf Course’s Jason Kuiper in this month’s Five Questions feature.
Golf Range Magazine: When did you get your start in golf and who got you into the game?
Kuiper: I grew up in Pennsylvania. My parents didn’t play golf, so I didn’t get into golf until I was 16, when my best friend got me interested. He was the only reason I took up the game.
Golf Range Magazine: Did you play golf in high school or college, and when did you know you wanted to be a PGA of America Golf Professional?
Kuiper: I played golf during my junior and senior years of high school. I took five golf lessons from a great teaching pro in my area between my junior and senior years of high school and dropped 20 shots from my score in one summer. It was those lessons that got me interested in teaching the game. I worked at a local golf course while attending Millersville University of Pennsylvania and began helping the pros with camps and clinics. I really enjoyed those summers and looked up to the pros I worked with.
Golf Range Magazine: What’s trending in your programming and instruction at your facility?
Kuiper: The trends I see continuing are PGA Jr. League for the kids, as well as women’s golf clinics and corporate groups. We had our most successful PGA Jr. League season in 2025 with over 400 kids, putting us at #5 in the nation. We also had our biggest year for corporate clinics, most of which are attended by women. We had over 80 clinics that were businesses or groups of women. These demographics help increase private lessons, daily play on the course and driving range usage.
Golf Range Magazine: What is your favorite part of the game of golf? The business of golf?
Kuiper: My favorite part of the game is helping people experience the joy of hitting THAT shot. Golf is so difficult and people get worn down by the struggle. When you can provide them with hope and help them experience the joy of a great shot, you really feel like you’ve done something special. That feeling doesn’t discriminate by age, gender or anything else. It’s just a golf thing.
Kuiper: My future will be focused on helping other facilities in my PGA Section and the country understand the model I’ve developed for academy development and programming. Specifically, sharing how academy programming can be a profit center for the facility versus just a feel good story. Everyone can win — the teachers can make a great living while helping support the financial goals of the facility. The students will also win when great teachers are motivated to provide better options in programming for the community.
To learn more about what Jason Kuiper is doing at the Grand Slam Golf Academy, log on to their website today!
