On Friday, February 11th, the world of golf lost a great man and I lost a mentor and friend. For Jack Lumpkin, it was like any other Friday. He spent the day teaching at the Sea Island Golf Performance Center located at the heralded Sea Island Resort near Brunswick, Georgia, where he had been a lead golf instructor since arriving in 1989. Jack finished his day, went home and had a sandwich from his favorite BBQ restaurant and quietly passed away after what many would consider a very full life. I’m betting that Jack, who was 86, would not have scripted a better departure.
I first met Jack in 1978 when I was a very young assistant golf professional on my way to becoming a PGA of America member. That journey included having to attend two week-long “business” schools as part of gaining membership. My two school experience in 1978 included the good fortune of having Jack Lumpkin and Davis Love, Jr (father of Davis Love III, World Golf Hall of Fame member) as the school co-ordinators and lead instructors. Forty-plus years later, my appreciation of their influence on the careers of so many in the game and business of golf is undiminished.
Video: Jack Lumpkin: The Importance of Grip in a Golf Swing
As we are in an era of specialization in the game of golf, PGA professionals are designated in silos – golf administrators, golf shop staff, coaches – early in their careers. This was not the case for Jack Lumpkin. Following a distinguished amateur career that included many junior championships and participation in a winning college team, Jack briefly played on the PGA Tour and then began his career in the golf club world. He worked for Masters Champion Claude Harmon at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, served as the head golf professional at storied Oak Hill and came south to be Director of Golf at Cherokee Golf and Country Club in Atlanta.
In the same year that I met Jack, he took a call that would change his life in golf. He was asked to become an instructor for Golf Digest Schools where he worked alongside the likes of Bob Toski, Paul Runyon, Peter Kostis and Davis Love, Jr, experiences that he cherished. In 1989, Jack settled at Sea Island Resort where he served as a lead instructor and, in recent years, as Senior Director of Instruction. He became the primary teacher for Davis Love III following the death of Love's father, and in 1995 he was named National Teacher & Coach of the Year by the PGA of America. In 2008, Jack was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
Video: Jack Lumpkin: Setting up for success
It is hard to overstate Jack's many contributions to the game and the many relationships he created across America and the world of golf. His passing has caused so many of us to reflect upon what a great man he was. This was not simply because of his coaching skills and genuine concern for all of his students and those he mentored over his magnificent career but because he was a man we all deeply respected. To steal a line that was once used to describe the late Byron Nelson, there are many gentlemen that been great golfers, there can be no argument as to which golfer is the greatest gentleman. That pretty much describes Jack Lumpkin, who we are all better for knowing. He will be greatly missed.
Jack Lumpkin (right) with David Love III, who he taught for many years
I first met Jack in 1978 when I was a very young assistant golf professional on my way to becoming a PGA of America member. That journey included having to attend two week-long “business” schools as part of gaining membership. My two school experience in 1978 included the good fortune of having Jack Lumpkin and Davis Love, Jr (father of Davis Love III, World Golf Hall of Fame member) as the school co-ordinators and lead instructors. Forty-plus years later, my appreciation of their influence on the careers of so many in the game and business of golf is undiminished.
Video: Jack Lumpkin: The Importance of Grip in a Golf Swing
As we are in an era of specialization in the game of golf, PGA professionals are designated in silos – golf administrators, golf shop staff, coaches – early in their careers. This was not the case for Jack Lumpkin. Following a distinguished amateur career that included many junior championships and participation in a winning college team, Jack briefly played on the PGA Tour and then began his career in the golf club world. He worked for Masters Champion Claude Harmon at Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, served as the head golf professional at storied Oak Hill and came south to be Director of Golf at Cherokee Golf and Country Club in Atlanta.
In the same year that I met Jack, he took a call that would change his life in golf. He was asked to become an instructor for Golf Digest Schools where he worked alongside the likes of Bob Toski, Paul Runyon, Peter Kostis and Davis Love, Jr, experiences that he cherished. In 1989, Jack settled at Sea Island Resort where he served as a lead instructor and, in recent years, as Senior Director of Instruction. He became the primary teacher for Davis Love III following the death of Love's father, and in 1995 he was named National Teacher & Coach of the Year by the PGA of America. In 2008, Jack was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
Video: Jack Lumpkin: Setting up for success
It is hard to overstate Jack's many contributions to the game and the many relationships he created across America and the world of golf. His passing has caused so many of us to reflect upon what a great man he was. This was not simply because of his coaching skills and genuine concern for all of his students and those he mentored over his magnificent career but because he was a man we all deeply respected. To steal a line that was once used to describe the late Byron Nelson, there are many gentlemen that been great golfers, there can be no argument as to which golfer is the greatest gentleman. That pretty much describes Jack Lumpkin, who we are all better for knowing. He will be greatly missed.
Last edited by Josh; 25-02-22 at 13:52.
