Bellarmine's Bruce Brown wins the J.W. Janes Award; Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame night is Nov. 19
Kentucky golf's year-end honors are lining up: the KGA's highest award goes to a longtime teacher and coach, and five inductees, two with deep Lexington roots, enter the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame next week in Louisville.
LEXINGTON, Ky., November 9, 2026: Bellarmine University director of golf Bruce Brown has been named the Kentucky Golf Association's 2026 J.W. Janes Award recipient, Bellarmine Athletics announced Nov. 5. And the 2026 Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame class will be inducted Thursday, Nov. 19, at Wildwood Country Club in Louisville.
Bruce Brown and the J.W. Janes Award
Established in 1985, the J.W. Janes Award is the highest honor the KGA presents, recognizing service, leadership and lasting contributions to amateur golf in Kentucky, according to Bellarmine's release. Brown was hired as Bellarmine's men's golf coach before the 2022-23 season and was promoted to director of golf in February 2026, overseeing the women's program as well. The release says he has spent 44 years in the game as a PGA professional, teacher and college coach.
"I have been very fortunate to teach many great players in the State of Kentucky: state champions, Kentucky Open winners, NCAA champions," Brown said in the release. "To win the highest honor in Kentucky Golf is an award that I will always cherish."
The 2026 Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame class
The Kentucky Golf Foundation announced the class on July 17, 2026. From its inductee page:
- J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville: five-time PGA TOUR champion, two-time Ryder Cup winner (2008 and 2016), 2003 and 2004 Kentucky Open champion, and SEC Player of the Year at UK in 2005.
- Grover Justice, PGA: UK team captain in the 1990s, 2020 Kentucky PGA Section champion at Valhalla, 2022 Kentucky PGA Teacher of the Year and 2025 KPGA Senior Player of the Year. He founded the Bluegrass Golf Academy in Lexington.
- Kim Kincer: a Lexington native who played at Tates Creek High School, coached Methodist University to five straight NCAA Division III titles (1998-2002), worked in Lexington's city golf operations from 1988 to 1998, including as head professional at Tates Creek Golf Course, and since 2005 has led Eastern Kentucky University's PGA Golf Management program.
- Steve Rogers of Bowling Green: 1974 KHSAA individual champion, 1982 Kentucky Open champion, and winner of the Kentucky Mid-Amateur and Kentucky Senior Open in 2006.
- Pat Tallent of Floyd County: 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur and 2015 British Senior Amateur champion, who since 2023 has been restoring StoneCrest Golf Course in Prestonsburg.
Jeff Conley and Missy Gahm Kremer will receive the Hall of Fame's 2026 Distinguished Service Award.
The ceremony
The Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame Celebration is Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, at Wildwood Country Club, 5000 Bardstown Road, Louisville. Cocktails start at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Ticket and sponsor details are on Golf House Kentucky's Hall of Fame page.
Sources
Checked Nov. 9, 2026, about 9:30 a.m. ET.
- Bellarmine Athletics, "Bellarmine golf's Brown named 2026 J.W. Janes Award recipient," Nov. 5, 2026: athletics.bellarmine.edu
- Golf House Kentucky, "2026 Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame Inductees," July 17, 2026: kygolf.org
- Golf House Kentucky, Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame page (2026 celebration date, place and Distinguished Service Award), read Nov. 9, 2026: kygolf.org