About John A. Toepel Jr
John was born and raised in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he began playing golf at the age of eight. At the age of 12 he played in the finals of the Club Championship, losing to a 35-year-old. The next year, he lost in the quarterfinals. John won the Club Championship each of the next 7 years.
John attended Purdue University, where he earned a degree in Mathematics. After graduation, he spent two years in the Army as an officer, including one year in Vietnam. All the while, John knew his dream was to play on the PGA Tour.
In the summer of 1969 John won the Wisconsin State Open, beating Andy North by one stroke. North went on to win the U.S. Open championship twice.
John worked at the Philadelphia Country Club as an assistant professional for three years. He also worked at the Jupiter Hills Club in Florida before joining the PGA Tour in May of 1972.
John spent five years on the PGA Tour. Some of his career highlights include:
- John finished 11th at Westchester in 1974, and 2nd in the following Monday’s Pro-Am
- John finished 5th at Tallahassee in 1974;
- John finished 5th in the 1975 Australian Open, where he played the third round with Gary Player and played the last round in the last threesome with Jack Nicklaus;
- John finished 24th in the 1976 Texas Open; and
- Finished in the top 10 many times in “Second Tour” events (this is the equivalent of today’s Buy.com Tour).
During John’s time on the Tour he had lessons from well-known golf instructors such as Jimmy Ballard, Johnny Revolta, Norman Von Nida, and Jim Flick.
In 1978 John and his wife, Linda, moved to Asheville, North Carolina where he became the head golf professional at the Biltmore Forest Country Club. It was during this time that John began to develop an understanding of the philosophy and principles which later formed the foundation of Concept Golf.
In 1984 John and his family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina where John became the head golf professional at North Ridge Country Club. John continued teaching people the game of golf, and the ideas and philosophies behind Concept Golf continued to take shape. As John continued to think about the game of golf, the swing, and the most effective ways to teach them to others, the Concept Golf philosophy became clear. As he began using the Concept Golf approach in teaching his students, he noticed that they improved more quickly and that the improvements in their game were more permanent.
This was when John realized that the philosophies and ideas behind Concept Golf worked, and that his revolutionary new approach could make golf less frustrating and more fun for golfers all over the world. When John came to this realization, he decided to form Concept Golf and share this philosophy and approach with golfers everywhere.
The passion lives on…
John unexpectedly passed away in the spring of 2007. At that time, the future of Concept Golf was uncertain, but after the response from his clients it was clear – Concept Golf did not die with John. The passion that he provided for the game of golf and for the key principles that he introduced will live on. He always said, “your coach for life”.
Andrea, John’s youngest daughter, continues the passion of her father and is now the President of Concept Golf. John’s principles live on through Andrea’s dedication to her father’s lifelong work.