Apr 5, 2019 5 min read

Bill Kurp has never won the Masters, never been an Open contender, never been a money leader on the Professional Golf Association tour. He doesn’t have a nifty nickname, like Tiger or Slammin’ Sammy, and hasn’t established any records.

“I wasn’t much of a player,” he says, smiling. But this modest man has a lengthy list of not-so-modest achievements that attest to his golfing acumen and validate his hall of fame status: he has been a molder of champions.

Kurp, a golf pro for 51 years, has been an ace throughout his career – which is ongoing. He is in his 70s now, a teaching pro at Southpointe Golf Club, where he uses the great outdoors as his chalkboard. His reputation as an educator, his expertise and instructional skills in a sport that is simple and difficult at the same time, likely led to a notable achievement 18 months ago.

Induction into the Tri-State PGA Hall of Fame.

“I was shocked,” says Kurp, a Washington County native now living in South Strabane Township. “I really never thought I’d be nominated, let alone inducted. It was not because of my playing career. It was more for my contributions to Junior Golf, to Wounded Warriors and various other programs. My teaching career has been my passion, along with the development of Junior players.”

He is proud of his achievements in golfing academia, but insists, “I’ve never worn my resume on my sleeve.” So, we will share part of it on glossy paper in lieu of fabric. While in high school, Kurp students have won 11 district championships and four Pennsylvania titles. They’ve finished second in the state three times, second in the WPIAL twice. Twelve of his protégés have been scholarship players in college.

Some of those player-teacher bonds endure. “Students call me from college all the time,” Kurp says. “I try to teach kids more than golf. One girl said she found out the game reflects the biggest aspects of life.”

His “alumni” include Lauren Waller, a two-time WPIAL champion at Canon-McMillan High School; John Popeck, former Chartiers-Houston and University of Maryland standout; his own wife, Becky, and their three adult daughters.

Waller, now a senior at Penn State, says Kurp “has been a great part of my life.”

“I had my first lesson with Bill when I was 10,” says Waller, who still seeks his advice. “He’s been more than a teacher, a father figure who has always been willing to help me with my game or look at a video I send him.”

She and her family have developed a close bond with the Southpointe instructor, who also works with Lauren’s sister, Taylor, a freshman and a Nittany Lions player as well.

Kurp, who declines to provide his exact age, says he is not a “method teacher. You can’t teach everyone the same. The most important thing in providing lessons is to properly assess each player.”

Lauren Waller recognized that individualistic approach long ago and applauds Kurp for tailoring his lessons appropriately. “Golf is definitely an individual sport and he teaches everyone differently. He makes adjustments, but keeps the individual qualities,” says Waller, who plans to graduate in May then embark on a career in the medical device field.

Despite protestations to the contrary, Kurp was not a subpar player. “I had some good tournaments,” he admits. In one, the Treasure Lake Open in DuBois, Kurp recorded his only hole-in-one – a shot that landed directly in the cup.

His golf education began early, when he began caddying at Washington Country Club, near his South Strabane home. Trinity High did not have a golf team, though, and wrestling became his signature sport. Kurp says he was the top seed in his weight class at the section tournament his senior year, “but I lost in the semifinals to a kid I beat twice during the regular season. I also tied the kid who won the state championship.”

He landed his first golf job in 1968 as the first assistant pro at Wheeling (W.Va.) Country Club, then left after a year to be the top assistant at Oakmont Country Club, under Lew Worsham, the 1947 U.S. Open champ.

Kurp moved on to Gettysburg Country Club in 1972, where he began a 26-year run as a head professional that included turns at Uniontown Country Club (1975-79), Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (1980-90) and Brackenridge Heights CC (1991-98). He was a teaching pro at Robert Morris University’s Island Sports Center from 1999 to 2012, before securing his current position of teaching pro and outside golf events manager at Southpointe. He still provides occasional lessons at RMU.

It has been a satisfying career, one that continues to percolate. Kurp still works in the pro shop, still helps younger players hone their games, still does what is needed at the club. “I think I’ve done everything at clubs but cook,” Kurp says.

The longtime instructor has learned along the way, as well. Appreciation for the game, and for what he has done, may be his greatest takeaways.

“I’ve loved golf and I’ve loved to teach,” he says. “It’s not like work.”