MEET THE TEAM
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John McNeely
Congaree Founding Ambassador
John McNeely is one of the most respected PGA professionals in the world. Throughout his career, he has been associated with and taught at some of golf’s finest courses, including Winged Foot Golf Club, site of numerous Major Championships where he worked under 1948 Masters Champion Claude Harmon. Other clubs include Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA, River Oaks Country Club in Houston, TX, Annandale Golf Club, Grandfather Golf and Country Club, The Floridian in Palm City, FL, Diamond Creek in Banner Elk, NC, and Congaree.
Across his career, John has instructed winners at the collegiate level, the LPGA Tour, the European Tour, the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He has also instructed the president of the United States and the king of Morocco. John played golf collegiality at East Tennessee State University where his teams had consecutive top ten finishes at the NCAA national championship. -
Bruce Davidson
Director of Golf
A native of Scotland, Bruce Davidson is executive program director for Congaree Foundation and a world-renowned PGA professional. He was awarded Master Professional status by the PGA of Great Britain at a ceremony held at St. Andrews during the 2015 Open Championship. He has a long and successful career teaching amateur and professional golfers at all levels, including those on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, European Tour, Curtis Cup and Walker Cup participants. He has been the coach of Major champions Mark O’Meara, Ian Woosnam and also Keith Fergus.
His teaching career began in the 1980s, working for Dick Harmon at River Oaks Country Club in Houston, TX. In 1990 he set up the Kings Links Golf Centre in Aberdeen where five of his assistants would go on to qualify for the European Tour, including 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie. In 2001, when legendary golf professional Dick Harmon retired from River Oaks Country Club, Bruce followed his mentor and served as director of golf at the club until 2014. As a decorated scholastic player, Bruce first came to the United States in 1978 as part of a Scottish boys’ team. He would go on to earn a golf scholarship at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, graduating with a degree in Business and Economics. Though his passion is teaching the game of golf, Bruce remains an accomplished player, having competed in three Senior Opens, and was the only club professional to make the cut in the 2015 Senior Open held at Sunningdale Golf Club in England. -
Lorne Kelly
Athletic Advisor
Lorne Kelly is a College Athletic Advisor for the Congaree Foundation and one of the leading golf-specific collegiate scholarship consultants in the world. Drawing on his experience as a successful collegiate golfer and a former Walker Cup and Eisenhower Trophy winner, Lorne has more than 13 years of experience scouting, educating and guiding student athletes through the college scholarship process.
Lorne’s expertise includes matching golf prospects to the schools that best suit them through detailed assessments of their preferences and ambitions, academic level and golfing prowess. He draws upon his unique background of extensive travel within the United States, his intimate and extensive knowledge of the location, culture, golf programs and academic degrees that most universities offer, and his passion for seeing that prospects get the best advice and exposure available to further their academic and athletic ambitions. Lorne attended Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, SC, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration along with a major in Marketing. During his four years at Coastal Carolina from 1993 to 1997, Lorne earned NCAA All-American honors and was named Most Valuable Player on the team. Following graduation, Lorne embarked on attaining his Scottish International ‘Cap’ followed by his Great Britain & Ireland ‘Cap’ competing at the highest level in Europe and the UK and representing his country in the Walker Cup and Eisenhower Trophy competitions. Lorne has been a regular speaker at the annual Golf Coaches Association of America convention in Las Vegas. -
Jason Baile
PGA Professional
Jason Baile is the PGA director of instruction at Jupiter Hills Golf Club in Tequesta, FL and has served as a member of the CGGI coaching staff since its inception. Jason is a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher and was named a Golf Digest Best in State Teacher in 2017. Jason was also named by GRAA Magazine as a Top 50 Growth of the Game teacher. Jason was named Carolinas PGA section Teacher of the Year in 2018 as well as Hilton Head PGA chapter Teacher of the Year in 2016 and 2018. In addition to Jason’s awards, he is a Titleist Performance Institute Level 3 certified professional, a global ambassador for Swing Catalyst and certified Trackman level 2 professional.
Jason’s passion for coaching comes from his family. His father spent more than 40 years coaching many sports at the high school level, his mother and sister are both dance instructors and his younger brothers are tennis coaches. Jason focuses on individual skill development with players and has had success with athletes of all levels including helping young junior players realize their dreams of playing in college. -
Tom Craft
Head Golf Professional, Congaree
Tom Craft has served as the Head Golf Professional at Congaree since 2016. A graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, Tom is a PGA Class A Professional. Prior to joining Congaree, Tom was the 1st Assistant Professional at Diamond Creek Golf Club, Assistant Professional at Miromar Lakes Golf Club and an Assistant Professional at Rock Creek Cattle Company. Tom’s lifelong passion for golf runs in the family. His mother Terri, a collegiate golfer and basketball player at Iowa State, started teaching him the game as a 3-year-old. Tom’s love for golf has driven him to teach young men and women about the game and the opportunities it can create.
Tom is a native of Iowa and lives in Savannah, Georgia. -
Ed Graf
Academic Advisor
Ed Graf is a College Admissions Consultant and Academic Advisor for Congaree Foundation and has dedicated himself throughout his career to providing college, scholarship and academic counseling and guidance to high school students. He recently retired after 29 years as the Director of College Counseling at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Prior to college counseling, Ed was a math teacher and the assistant head of the middle school at Isidore Newman School. He was also a basketball coach, basketball official, tennis coach, and still serves at the assistant golf coach at the school. A leader in the field of college admissions, Ed is the 2020 recipient of the Larry West Award for Leadership from the Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling, an organization he served as president of in 2008 and 2009. He also received the Marty Elkins Award for Excellence from the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools in 2012. Ed served on the President’s Council for the National Association for College Admission Counseling from 2007 to 2010 and currently serves on the admissions advisory board for the University of Pennsylvania. He previously served on the admissions advisory boards for the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia. Ed’s areas of expertise include writing letters of recommendation and completing secondary school reports for college and scholarship applications. He is also an expert at helping students develop resumes, write college essays, and complete their college applications. He uses his vast knowledge of American colleges and universities to help students find the best institutions for them. As a college counselor and as a coach, he has significant experience helping to guide student athletes through the college recruitment and admissions process. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Ed received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Tulane University and a Masters of Educational Administration from Loyola-New Orleans University. He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Southern Association of College Admission Counseling, and the Louisiana High School Coaches Association.