John with Family after receiving The Award!
Retiring SIGCSA Executive Director John Kueper to Receive the Metropolitan Meritorious Service Award on November 15th
St. Louis, MO – The Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association is proud to award John Kueper with the Meritorious Service Award in acknowledgement and honor of his long-standing contribution to the game of golf. The Meritorious Service Award is presented to individuals who have impacted and contributed in a tremendous way to the game of golf in the St. Louis Region.
John Kueper has been involved since the early days of the Association and continues to lend a hand today. His breadth of contribution extends throughout the Metropolitan region, Southern Illinois, and beyond with the United States Golf Association (USGA). Starting out, Kueper graduated from the United Electronic Institute in Louisville, KY before spending fourteen years working for General Electric Company as an Electronic Technician. It was then, at the end of his time there, that Kueper became the owner and superintendent of Carlyle Lake Golf Club in Carlyle, IL from 1984 to 2005. Once joining the golf community from an administrative side, John’s involvement only grew.
Kueper and Jim Ashby were the first two superintendents to join and form the Southern Illinois Golf Course Superintendents’ Association (SIGCSA) as a result of becoming the leader of Carlyle Lake Golf Club. In 1991, he became the president of the SIGCSA for three years, and then became the SIGCSA Executive Director in 2010. Still serving in the Executive Director role, Kueper has been a member of the SIGCSA for 39 years. Along with his dedication to golf course maintenance, he was subsequently a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for 33 years.
Following the creation of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association, Kueper was approached by Tom O’Toole to serve as a Director on the Board. Beginning in 1993, John assumed his post as a member of the Metropolitan Board of Directors and remained there until 2000. He stayed active as a member of the Metropolitan Advisory Committee for several years. This appointment to the Board became the start of a long career in golf volunteering and service on both a local and national scale. Kueper became heavily involved in service as a Rules Official and member of the Course Rating Team. From 1993 to the present, Kueper has been a Rules Official for Metropolitan Championships and USGA Qualifiers. Kueper became a team leader of the Course Rating Team, coordinating most all of the Illinois courses. He regularly attended USGA national Course Rating calibration seminars to earn accreditation to be a fully certified rater and provide up to date, accurate course rating services. Together with volunteers [and friends] such as Ray McCraine, Jerry Higginbotham, Tony Wasser, and many more, Kueper and crew rated and re-rated around 50 courses across the area. Kueper also conducted the St. Louis Publinx Open for 17 years from 2001 to 2017.
Outside of the Metropolitan region, Kueper did not hesitate to lend a helping hand. In 2001, he was appointed to the USGA as a Committee Member by Tom O’Toole and Mark Passey. From 2001 until 2014, Kueper served on the Amateur Public Links (APL) Championship Committee, which had him attend as well as officiate fourteen APL Championships. Leading up to these championships, he conducted all fourteen St. Louis APL Qualifiers as the official in charge. The USGA retired the Amateur Public Links Championship following 2014, at which time Kueper was transitioned to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Committee in 2015. He served on the Mid-Amateur Committee for the next six years. The USGA revised their committee structure, and Kueper then moved to a position on the National Committee until he retired in October 2023. During those 22 years with the USGA, Kueper has never missed a Committee National Championship (APL and Mid-Amateur) and officiated in over 30 USGA Championships. Outside of the APL and Mid-Amateur Championships, his USGA Rules officiating has included State Team Championships, Women’s Senior Open Championships (including the inaugural at Chicago Golf Club), a Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, and several Amateur Four-Ball Championships. Kueper concluded his time with the USGA at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, where he officiated several matches.
Kueper is quite the golfer himself, having accolades he can hang his hat on. Notably, Kueper qualified for and competed in five APL Championships across four decades – 1975, 1984, 1990, 1993, and 2000. During Qualifying, he was medalist in 1975, 1984, and 2000. In 1990 and 1993, he made it to Match Play at the APL Championship. Locally, Kueper is an accomplished golfer, having won numerous events including the 1982 Rail Open in Springfield, IL, 1992 Normandie Park Amateur, 2019 SIGA Super Senior Championship, and 2021 St. Louis City Super Senior. Other playing accomplishments include 1997 SIGA Championship runner-up, 2018 SIGA Super Senior runner-up, Illinois State Amateur Qualifications, and Illinois State Senior Amateur Qualifications.
Kueper is now 74 and has been happily married to his wife, Jane, for 50 years. They have two daughters and two granddaughters. Kueper is a lifelong golf enthusiast, which is evident through his 40 years of service and involvement in the game. From across the Metropolitan, Southern Illinois, and the United States, John Kueper has exemplified a contribution to the game of golf that should not go unnoticed. Though he has scaled back on his numerous duties, Kueper still remains committed to the game in this region and wants the best for current and future generations of golfers. That is why the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association is honored to present John Kueper with the Meritorious Service Award this year.
Meritorious Service Award Recipients:
· 1995 – Jayne Watson
· 1997 – Pat Will
· 1998 – Larry Etzkhorn
· 1999 – Denny Walters
· 2001 – Bart Collida
· 2003 – Jim Tom Blair
· 2005 – Jerry Higginbotham
· 2007 – Stan Grossman
· 2009 – Roger Null
· 2011 – Carol Fromuth
· 2017 – Bob Phillips
· 2019 – Ray McCraine
· 2020 – Bob Shogren
· 2024 – John Kueper