A PGA professional with more than two decades of experience in the golf industry and as a college coach, Jason Calhoun has been the head coach of the Penn men's golf program since June 2017.
Calhoun's first season overseeing the program was highlighted at Colgate's Alex Lagowitz Memorial, where Josh Goldenberg took medalist honors. Penn took third out of 15 teams at that event, also finishing second out of 12 at Princeton in the spring and third at the City Six Shootout to close out the fall portion of the 2017-18 campaign.
The Quakers had a pair of top-three finished in the spring of 2019, taking second out of 13 teams at the Princeton Invitational and following that up a week later with third out of 11 teams at the Yale Spring Intercollegiate. The truncated 2019-20 season, in which the spring season was canceled due to the national Covid-19 outbreak, saw Penn earn a third-place finish at the fall-opening Ryan T. Lee Memorial Intercollegiate.
After playing no golf in 2020-21 due to Ivy League COVID-19 protocols, Penn was led by Mark Haghani throughout the 2021-22 schedule. Of particular note, he tied for second at the Ivy League Championship, the best finish by a Penn player at the Championship since 2015.
This is Calhoun’s second stint as head coach of an Ivy League men’s golf program, as he was head coach at Dartmouth College from 2001-05. The Big Green had a pair of top-five finishes at the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship under Calhoun, and a third-place finish at the 2002 Ivy League Championship. Four of Calhoun’s golfers earned Academic All-Ivy.
Calhoun joined Penn after serving as the first head women’s golf coach at La Salle University. In that position, he was charged with starting the women’s golf program, including recruiting a full roster of players, negotiating conference membership, and securing a home course. He also spent one season as the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Arcadia University in 2014-15.
He also served as head coach of the women’s golf program at Loyola University Chicago from 2011-13 where he led the Ramblers to their best finish at the Horizon League Championship in 2012, tying for second. Ann Vrdolyak tied for first place before losing medalist honors in a one-hole playoff.
Calhoun’s college coaching career started at Saint Francis (Pa.) College, where he was women’s golf coach from 1994-97. He took the program from its infancy to a finish among the top third in the ECAC in three seasons while also assisting the men’s team.
Calhoun has been certified as a Class A PGA Golf Professional since 2004, and was on the PGA of America President’s Council on Growing the Game from 2006-14. A TPI Certified Golf Instructor and Certified Club Fitter, Calhoun was named PING Regional Club Fitter of the Year and also was a Play Golf America Top 100 Performer in 2010. Calhoun has been Head Golf Professional and/or Director of Golf at numerous courses in the Northeast and Midwest over the last two decades, including Glen Flora Country Club (IL), Cascades Golf Club (IN), Otis Park Golf Course (IN), Indiana University Golf Course (IN), and Hanover Country Club at Dartmouth College (NH). He was an Assistant Golf Professional at nearby Philadelphia Country Club, Boonsboro Country Club (VA) and Immergrun Golf Club (PA).
Also an active player, Calhoun has ranked in the top 100 on the PGA Philadelphia Section (2015, 2016) and PGA Illinois Section (2011-14) points lists. He was a three-time champion of the Bloomington Open and a three-time top-20 finisher in the PGA Indiana Section.
Calhoun received a bachelor's degree in history/secondary education from Saint Francis (Pa.) where he was a three-sport athlete for the Red Flash, earning All-NEC honors in golf and football while also running track. He was also named a Small College All-American in football.
