If an individual's life can be traced not by the spotlight one seeks but by the work they quietly shoulder, then Jack Shoenfelt, PGA stands as one of the true craftsmen of the South Florida PGA. Along with fellow Professional, Karl Bublitz, Shoenfelt enters the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025, joining a lineage of 51 others who helped shape the identity, values, and excellence of the Section. For someone who rarely sees himself as anything but a “simple Midwestern kid who worked hard,” the recognition feels almost surreal. “Oh, it was very humbling,” Shoenfelt said. “I called Karl and told him, they must be running out of ideas to have us in there.” That humility is part of what makes Shoenfelt beloved. But behind the quiet manner is a life in golf marked by grit, stewardship, mentorship, and a work ethic forged long before he ever set foot in South Florida. An Akron, Ohio native, Shoenfelt grew up in an environment where family mattered, work was expected, and nothing was handed to you. His early jobs in golf as a kid weren’t in the golf shop but on the course itself, mowing greens, cutting holes, raking bunkers, doing whatever needed to be done at his friend's family-owned 9-hole golf course. “We did everything,” he said. “I actually thought I was going to end up being a superintendent.” Shoenfelt didn’t start playing golf seriously until high school, but earned a scholarship to Malone University in Canton, Ohio. Upon graduating, Shoenfelt took a job in Akron where the head professional offered blunt advice. “He told me, ‘Son, you don’t want to get in this business.’ Told me all the negatives. He said, ‘call me tomorrow if you still want the job.’ So I called him. I said, ‘Yeah, I want the job.’” Eventually tired of the northern climate and with a desire for year round balance, Shoenfelt moved south. “You’re working from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. up there,” he said. “It wasn’t good if you wanted a family.” Shoenfelt worked seasonally for three years before taking a permanent job in Florida, a move that would shape the next four decades of his life. Shoenfelt’s professional foundation in South Florida was built at Boca Grove Golf & Tennis Club in Boca Raton, where he spent nearly a decade rising from assistant professional to director of golf. “I loved Boca Grove,” he said. “The people treated me fantastic. I wouldn’t have left if this opportunity hadn’t come up.” That opportunity was ownership, the dream he had carried since those teenage years working on his friend’s family golf course. When longtime PGA Professional Burl Dale sent word he intended to sell Oriole Golf & Tennis Club in Margate, Fl, Shoenfelt saw his future. Ownership, for Shoenfelt, was never about prestige. “There’s a million reasons,” he explained. “Being your own boss, doing your own thing. A lot of that came from working at my buddy’s course.” Today, more than two decades later, Shoenfelt is still the one turning the key in the morning, still fixing roofs and toilets, still doing whatever the facility needs. “It’s like buying a job,” he said. “But I enjoy coming in every day. I come six days a week.” When Shoenfelt took over, Oriole had a reputation. “It was always the lowest-end course around,” he shared. “Known for cheap rates and never closing.” For 10 years, the goal was simply survival. But slowly, steadily, with careful investment and patience, Shoenfelt rebuilt the reputation. “About 10 years ago we put in new greens,” he said. “That was huge for us. And we just continue to make improvements. I think we get better every year.” At the Chapter and Section levels, Shoenfelt didn’t seek leadership roles but rather was put into a position of leadership in the Southern Chapter. “They just put me on the ballot,” he said laughing. Once elected, he embraced the work, serving as treasurer, vice president, and president over six years, helping create pro-ams, annual youth summer camps and emphasized participation that reshaped the chapter’s culture. “We’d have 60, 70, 80 kids in the annual summer camps,” he said. “We went to three or four different facilities in Broward and Dade.” These programs left a deep legacy that others carried forward. As far as playing accomplishments, which he certainly downplays saying, “I’m a middle-of-the-road PGA pro,” Shoenfelt qualified for and competed in the Honda Classic, the Doral Ryder Open, and Nike/Web.com Tour events. He also won the SFPGA Senior PGA Professional Championship in 2021, his highest Section playing accomplishment and the one he is most proud of. When it comes to receiving recognition, that has never been Shoenfelt's motivation. Over his time as a member of the SFPGA, Shoenfelt has been nominated for several annual awards, but has never filled out the application, not wanting to take an opportunity away from someone else. “One of those awards can help the kids,” he said. “Good for their resume. But I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right where I want to be.” While that mindset has always been the same, being inducted into the Hall of Fame is different. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Shoenfelt said. “Very humbling. Very honored.” The South Florida PGA is honored to recognize Jack Shoenfelt as a member of the Hall of Fame not only as a Hall of Fame professional, but as a Hall of Fame person. The kind of person who lifts up others without seeking credit, and builds a community by simply showing up, every day, with purpose.

If a man is indeed known by the company he keeps, count Karl Bublitz as one who reveres the class of elite individuals with whom he will now forever be associated. Along with Jack Shoenfelt, his fellow classmate for 2025, Bublitz recently was inducted into the South Florida PGA (SFPGA) Hall of Fame, the highest honor an individual can receive within the Section. For a guy who once spent a summer of his youth moving sprinkler heads late into the night from one hole to another at a course in his native St. Clair County, Michigan, there is something almost surreal about sharing the spotlight with a "who's who" among the other 51 SFPGA Hall of Fame members. "I mean, to know my name is now there with Jack Nicklaus, Jim McLean, Bob Murphy, Bob Toski, and [former PGA of America CEO] Joe Steranka, wow," Bublitz says as his voice trails off. Achieving immortality within the second largest of the 41 PGA of America Sections is the ultimate byproduct of a career that Bublitz describes in its simplest form and with the highest of ideals. "I'm a servant," he says, "and we, as a team, do not fail. We're not going to lose. The product and experience that we provide to our customers, will not be duplicated anywhere else. Their ROE, the Return on Experience for our customers, will not be beaten." That mantra of leadership has extended to his commitment to the SFPGA itself, with Bublitz serving as the Section's President from 2019-21 and being named the 2012 SFPGA Golf Professional of the Year. Bublitz, a PGA of America Member since 1995, is the PGA General Manager for the Collier Rod and Gun Club in Naples, Florida. He is currently assisting with the planning and development of the County's first facility to feature sporting clays, archery, a trail system, and a championship 18-hole golf course, expected to open in 2028. In many respects, Collier Rod and Gun Club represents the exclamation point for Bublitz, who has worked at five other facilities in South Florida since he made the area his permanent home in 2004. Bublitz got his start in the golf business at Rattle Run Golf Course in Michigan, where those muggy summer nights spent changing the sprinkler heads -- typically from 8:30 p.m. to as late as 1:30 a.m.-- for owner Lou Powers afforded him the opportunity to play the game when the sun came back up. Yet it wasn't until PGA Professional Dan Hansen offered Bublitz an assistant professional position at The Moors Golf Club in Portage, Michigan, that the vision of golf as a career began to come into focus for him. For it wasn't until then that Bublitz met the man for whom, as he admits, "I owe my success." When Jim Butler left The Moors to become an assistant professional at The Forest Country Club in Ft. Myers, it created an opening on the staff among assistant professionals. Bublitz then rose in the ranks. And before long, as he would spend his winters in Florida, Bublitz went to work with Butler at The Forest. Ultimately, Butler saw in Bublitz the myriad of skills he admires in a PGA Professional, and when Butler became the General Manager, he hired Bublitz to be his PGA Director of Golf at Grey Oaks Country Club, the sprawling, 54-hole facility in Naples, where Bublitz oversaw a team of 22 golf professionals. "Look, I was a kid who could have gone in any direction," Bublitz admits. "I needed mentorship, and Jim was my guiding light. He helped me look at things in a bigger way than just the day-to-day activities, both in my personal life and my professional life. People are everything in this business, and you absolutely want to be around someone like Jim." Butler, now the CEO of Club Benchmarking, a leading online management tool that provides key data for clubs, says that Bublitz stands alone. "I had many PGA golf professionals work for me and with me, and Karl, by far, is the best one on many levels. Karl is the absolute best at customer experience for any PGA Professional who I have worked with in my 35 years of being a PGA Member. He is organized, he's a leader, and he always puts the club members first. Karl trains his staff to be warm and receptive to the customer, and make each member feel that they are the most important person in the golf shop. "Karl's operations in golf tournaments, merchandising, training staff, business planning and financial performance exceeded expectations on a continuous basis at Grey Oaks. The highest compliment that I can give Karl is if I was starting a facility today, he would be the first person I would call to lead the facility because he is a proven winner." Rich Ter Haar was the PGA Head Professional for Bublitz at Grey Oaks, and he succeeded his boss as Director of Golf when Bublitz took on the opportunity at Collier Rod and Gun Club. "I can think of no one more deserving of induction into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame than Karl Bublitz," Ter Haar says. "His passion for creating the best member experience possible, respect for the traditions of the game, and genuine care for people have defined his entire career. At Grey Oaks, he created an environment where the golf experience is not just about the game itself but about belonging, camaraderie, and shared pride in the club. His leadership raised service standards and inspired his team to embrace excellence every day. Karl has not only achieved great professional success but has also made everyone around him better—through mentorship, friendship, and example. His influence extends far beyond his own club, as he has shaped the character of the South Florida PGA community itself." So true. In fact, Bublitz worked closely with Geoff Lofstead, the longtime executive director of the South Florida PGA, to frame a comprehensive business plan for the Section, which counts more than 2,100 PGA Professionals in its ranks. And he did so with his term as President coinciding with the devastating effects of COVID-19. "My whole focus during that time was to help Geoff and his team with whatever they needed," Bublitz says. "Communications was everything, so Geoff and I were on the phone multiple times a day and we stayed in touch with as many of our golf professionals as we could." Caring for, and mentoring his fellow Professionals, is evident through the more than 20 PGA Professionals who have worked for Bublitz who now have titles of Head Professional or higher. "It's a source of great pride," he says. His caring for his community shines through with the time Bublitz has spent installing windows and helping with other needs for the Habitat for Humanity homes that the SFPGA, through its Foundation, has constructed in 13 of the 14 counties it encompasses. "We'll get all 14," Bublitz is quick to add. He talks about culture, which surely will be unmatched when Collier Rod and Gun Club welcomes its members in a few years. Led by Bublitz, ever the servant. That kid who needed direction and got it, and who, as a man, has paid it back in mentoring and caring for others. And then one day, the phone rings, and you're told that you're going to be up on the mountaintop of your profession. Alongside legends named Jack, Jim, Murph and Toski. And you're thunderstruck. Wow. "I am so humbled," Bublitz says. "You know, I love what I do, and I want to do it for as long as I can be helpful. Next to having my children, it's the greatest honor of my life to be inducted into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame. This is it."

West Palm Beach, Florida - This November marks the 10th anniversary of PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) in the South Florida Section, a decade of transforming lives through the game of golf. What began as a single pilot program in 2015 has evolved into a national movement led by passionate PGA of America Professionals committed to serving those who have served. PGA HOPE, the flagship military program of the South Florida PGA Foundation, introduces golf to Veterans and Active-Duty Military Personnel as a means to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. The six-week program is offered at no cost, using the game of golf as a bridge to healing and community. The first SFPGA HOPE session took place on November 5, 2015, at The First Tee of the Palm Beaches and the John Prince Golf Learning Center. PGA Professionals Judy Alvarez, Dave McNulty, and Donna White led the way, creating a safe, welcoming space where Veterans could reconnect, heal, and find purpose through golf. Their success ignited something far greater, a national ripple effect of hope. Few have influenced PGA HOPE’s success more than Judy Alvarez, PGA Teaching Professional at Monarch Country Club and 2019 National Patriot Award recipient, who created the national training curriculum that still guides PGA Professionals today. “We help by reducing isolation,” Alvarez said. “Because of this program, Veterans find the confidence to re-engage with life, to go to the grocery store, the movies, or spend time with loved ones. It’s about helping them learn to live again.” Ten years later, that mission continues to thrive. As of October 2025, PGA HOPE South Florida has impacted more than 2,000 Veterans across 93 facilities in seven counties, led by 244 PGA Professionals who have conducted 138 six-week, two-hour sessions. The heart of PGA HOPE lies in the PGA Professionals who make it possible. Each year, the SFPGA Patriot Award honors one such leader. The 2025 recipient, Scott Kash, PGA Tournament Director at Quail Creek Country Club, has graduated 58 Veterans through four sessions, hosted Basecamp sessions for alumni, and helped raise more than $175,000 for the Home Base Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war. “To have the opportunity to serve those who have served us, there’s nothing more meaningful than that,” Kash shared. Fairwinds Golf Course General Manager and 2024 SFPGA Patriot Award recipient, Mark Cammarene, PGA, has hosted 11 sessions, impacting more than 180 Veterans since 2018. “Hosting one session led to the effortless decision to continue,” Cammarene said. “Seeing the transformation in participants keeps us coming back.” Bo Preston, PGA General Manager at The Links at Boynton Beach and 2021 SFPGA Patriot Award recipient, has built a community where Veterans are treated like VIP members. Hosting up to four PGA HOPE sessions each year, Preston launched a league called Hope Has a Home, which has grown from 13 to over 150 Veterans. Preston’s wife, Christina Olivarez, a retired Army Master Sergeant and SFPGA HOPE Ambassador, knows that transformation firsthand. “PGA HOPE helped bring me out of a dark place,” Olivarez said. “It truly changed my life. Golf clears your mind and lets you forget everything else.” The same spirit is shared by Pam Elders, PGA Director of Instruction at Boca West Country Club, 2023 SFPGA Patriot Award recipient, and 2025 PGA of America Player Development Award recipient. For Elders, the program is personal; her father served in the Navy. “Getting involved with PGA HOPE was the perfect way to give back,” Elders said. “Many Veterans say this program saved their lives, but the truth is, it’s saved ours too as the Professionals who teach them.” This sense of connection and renewal is particularly evident during events like the Fourth Annual PGA HOPE Cup, held on October 4th at St. Andrew’s Country Club. The event brought together 72 Veterans and 24 PGA Professionals for a day of camaraderie and celebration. 2022 SFPGA Patriot Award recipient, Jerry Impellittiere, PGA, led his team of Navy Veterans to victory. Having worked with more than 200 Veterans through PGA HOPE, Impellittiere has seen firsthand the healing power of the program. “The one thing that rips my heart out is the mental health challenges Veterans often face,” Impellittiere, the PGA Director of Instruction at Monarch Country Club, shared. “This little white golf ball we all obsess about is a miracle in many Vets’ lives.” The same hope carried to the national stage this year, as Todd Frey, a retired Navy Chief and graduate of the Fort Myers program, represented South Florida at PGA HOPE National Golf & Wellness Week. Now a National Ambassador, Frey embraces the same purpose that defined his military career. “Golf became therapy for me,” he said. “Now, I just want others to experience the same healing.” From one pilot program of 16 Veterans to nearly 30 annual sessions across South Florida, PGA HOPE has become a beacon of healing, purpose, and connection. As the South Florida PGA Foundation celebrates this 10-year milestone, it does so with deep gratitude to the Veterans who inspire, the PGA Professionals who lead, and the communities that continue to make it possible. The next decade promises even greater impact, one swing, one story, and one life at a time. Interested in supporting PGA HOPE in South Florida? May 7, 2026 - Lost Tree Club | 10th Annual PGA HOPE Classic Make a Donation | Volunteer

At 10 years old, while never stepping foot on a golf course, Lawrence Inks III, otherwise known as “Chip,” joined his grandfather for nine holes of golf at Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Chip loved it and considered golf his “fun” sport, because he didn’t want golf to get in the way of the baseball and soccer that he played competitively. That fun that Chip experienced on the course with his grandfather over 40 years ago has shaped his mindset and philosophy as a teacher and coach, culminating in being named the 2025 South Florida PGA Youth Player Development Award recipient, which recognizes the Professional who has made extraordinary contributions to youth player development. “The biggest thing for me is that I want my juniors to have fun first,” Chip, the PGA Director of Instruction at Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, emphasized. “Yes, it’s time to be serious, and get our work done, but let's still have fun.” Growing up in Akron, Ohio, Chip was a standout baseball and soccer player who earned the opportunity to play both sports at Anderson University, a small Division III school in Anderson, Indiana. Except Chip never actually played on the baseball team and only played on the soccer team for two years before suffering an injury that derailed his soccer ambitions. Instead, he walked on to the golf team after being encouraged by a few friends he had met who were on the team. Chip had never played a competitive round of golf in his life at that point, but again, it was extremely fun for him and allowed his personality to shine, and Chip became hooked. By the time he was a senior at Anderson, Chip had almost become like a coach to other players who would come to Chip for swing advice, a small glimpse into what the future could hold for him. “Everybody who had a swing issue would come to me, and I became known as the swing guru and helped the whole team with lessons,” Chip explained. Shortly after graduating, Chip returned to Anderson University as an assistant golf coach. His passion for teaching led him to pursue PGA Membership, which he earned in 2006 while working at The Country Club at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. His time at The Country Club was extremely valuable, as he was introduced to and able to learn from individuals such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, David Leadbetter, and Butch Harmon, only intensifying his desire to become an instructor. Over the next three years, Chip worked himself up to becoming a head professional at Delaware Golf Club in Delaware, Ohio. While serving as a head professional, Chip did not feel the same level of fulfillment, realizing his passion lay more on the lesson tee than in the golf shop. Seeking his next opportunity, Chip and his wife relocated to South Florida, where he began working at the Polo West Country Club in Wellington. Soon after, Chip met Dustin Massey, PGA, at a Southeast Chapter Fall Meeting, offering him an opportunity to help run junior clinics at Park Ridge Golf Course in Lake Worth. Excelling in his role, Chip eventually became the PGA director of instruction at Park Ridge in 2014, under the leadership of Donna White, PGA, who oversaw all Palm Beach County-owned facilities. Chip began running junior programs for Park Ridge, and in 2019 alone, he saw 2,500 juniors come through the program, earning his first U.S. Kids Top 50 Coaches recognition. “His simple approach creates a supportive, not intimidating learning environment, dedicated to helping others improve their game, which is exemplified in the success of his students, especially his juniors,” explained White, a 2022 South Florida PGA Hall of Fame inductee. “His commitment to youth player development is worthy of recognition.” Following a record-breaking 2019 for junior participation, Chip and his team were on pace to reach 3,500 juniors in 2020 until COVID-19 hit, forcing Chip to move on. From Park Ridge, Chip became the director of Instruction at Village Golf Club, the facility where he currently resides today. While giving lessons and running clinics for juniors primarily aged 3-12 at the Village, Chip also serves as a Certified Instructor for the First Tee and coaches the girls' Palm Beach Central High School golf team, which advanced to the Regional finals this year for the first time in the program's 17-year history. As an instructor and coach, Chip takes a different approach with his students, not necessarily obsessing over the swing and mechanics, but more so the attitude and feelings of the individual. That personable approach goes a long way for younger students, as Chip emphasizes the importance of being an athlete and not just a golfer. “Aside from golf, he has been a caring leader once he learned I was diabetic, like his wife,” shared Wylie Inman, a student of Chip’s who has committed to play golf at the University of South Florida. “It shows his true character, that he cares about the person too, not just the golf swing.” From a 10-year-old just wanting to spend time with his grandfather to becoming a nationally recognized U.S. Kids coach to being named the 2025 South Florida PGA Youth Player Development Award recipient, Chip has maintained the same positive, fun approach that, in his eyes, keeps him young and full of joy.  “Golf very easily parallels life; golf is not always going to be fairways and greens. You are going to be stuck in the rough sometimes. How you get out of the rough really depends on what type of attitude you have, and that's really what I want the juniors to learn,” Chip explained. “We are going to do things right, we are going to have a good attitude, and I want you to have fun with it.”

As Scott Kash tells the story, the Veterans he was teaching golf to that spring day in 2023 had it all wrong. There were 15 or so Veterans who had participated in a PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) class at Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero, Florida, and during the ceremony held at the conclusion of the class, each of them walked up to Kash, one of the PGA of America Professionals who had served as an instructor that day. "Every one of them is coming up and thanking me," says Kash. "I'm thinking, 'I'm here to thank you.' That's when it hit me that what I'm doing is making a difference. It is truly the least that we can do, as golf professionals, to teach them the game and give back to those who put on the uniform so that we are able to do what we do every day." The passion that Kash has for providing various means for Veterans to start the game and continue to enjoy it is evident to anyone who knows the man who is truly making the most of his second career, which has now seen him honored with the 2025 South Florida PGA (SFPGA) Patriot Award. Kash is the sixth recipient of the Patriot Award, which recognizes a PGA of America member who personifies patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrates unwavering commitment and dedication to all who have served the United States of America. The SFPGA began recognizing the Patriot Award, one of the PGA of America's national awards, on the Section level in 2019. "This is a unique award, and I'm incredibly honored to receive it," says Kash, the Tournament Director at Quail Creek Country Club, a 36-hole private facility in Naples, Florida. "The Patriot Award is unique because it goes beyond what we do as a profession. I have looked at ways that I can give back, and when it comes to the military, I'm all in." Kash serves on the Home Base Golf Tournament Committee at Quail Creek. He played a vital role as the Tournament Director for the event itself, helping to raise more than $175,000 for the Home Base Foundation last year. Home Base is a national non-profit organization dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war through direct clinical care, wellness, education, and research, all at no cost to Veterans, service members, and their families. As a PGA HOPE Certified Professional, Kash has successfully graduated 58 Veterans across four classes since 2023. Furthermore, as a leader for the PGA HOPE Basecamps in the SFPGA's Southwest Chapter, Kash has organized three additional sessions, offering enhanced instruction and playing opportunities to 30 Veterans. One of those whose lives Kash has touched is Ronald Dixon, a disabled Veteran and one of Kash's Player Development students. "I have experienced firsthand the patience, encouragement, and genuine care that Mr. Kash provides to those he mentors," Dixon wrote in a letter recommending Kash for the SFPGA Patriot Award. "Mr. Kash has gone above and beyond in supporting me not only as a student of the game but also as a Veteran navigating the challenges of recovery, growth, and transition ... His support has helped me grow both on the course and personally, reinforcing the sense of pride and confidence that military service instilled in me." As so many Veterans have discovered how golf can help change their lives, so too has the game enriched the second part of Kash's professional arc. After a career in manufacturing planning and logistics, Kash started playing more golf. A lot more ... upwards of 175 rounds per year, in fact. He went to work at a local municipal course in the New York City area, decided to dedicate his efforts to achieving PGA of America membership, and after helping his parents move to Southwest Florida, Kash became a PGA of America member in 2010. Kash said he "felt something that day" in Maine in 2016 when he assisted in one of the early PGA HOPE events, in Maine. Part of the pull, to wanting to help Veterans, emanated from thinking about his Dad, Gerald, who had served as a special enlisted reserve in Korea. "My Dad was my rock," he says now of his late father. The son went to it, and the fire for helping veterans continues to burn strongly. He is currently working with Home Base to establish a golf league for veterans. Through PGA HOPE Basecamps, which are designed to keep veterans engaged in golf, Kash has helped secure facilities and collaborated with other PGA HOPE Certified Golf Professionals to deliver five weeks of instruction, culminating in a final 9-hole scramble. This summer, the third Basecamp session that Kash oversaw featured eight returning participants who had previously attended at least one session. Heather Angell, also a PGA of America Professional, went through PGA HOPE training with Kash. "I ran four PGA HOPE Programs in Fort Myers, and Scott was with me every step of the way making sure the Veterans had a great experience," says Angell, the PGA Director of Instruction at The Golf Club at Fiddler's Creek in Naples, Florida. "When he asked me if I could assist him with a Basecamp he created and organized this year, I did not hesitate to help out, as I knew he was offering a meaningful experience for those Veterans who had already completed the original PGA HOPE Program. Scott saw the importance of the program and the need that the graduates wanted more. PGA HOPE has become his passion and the program in Southwest Florida has been elevated because of him." Paul Fitzpatrick, PGA Director of Golf at Babcock National Golf & Country Club in Punta Gorda, Florida, has worked with Kash on several Basecamp events and echoes the praise from Angell. "Scott's genuine care for veterans and passion for providing them with opportunities to improve their golf game and feel comfortable are always evident," says Fitzpatrick. "We organize Drive, Chip, and Putt challenges, as well as a 9-hole scramble. In addition, Scott has conducted multiple surveys to better understand the participants’ needs and enhance their overall experience. Scott has found his passion and is dedicated to giving our veterans every opportunity to enhance their lives and golf experiences. His vision for the PGA HOPE program will have a lasting impact on our Section." So many of us try to find that calling in life. What is it that we can do to genuinely make a difference? Will it really matter at all? For Scott Kash, the answer is simple, really. In part, it's in what he calls "that look of amazement" on the faces of the Veterans he teaches, when they react to a golf ball they have struck well, soaring up in the air. In part, it's in honoring his Dad by "waking up each day with a passion for Veterans and these programs." Put together, the whole of it adds up to the intense commitment that Kash has made to those he gets to thank through the game that brings joy, renewal and, in many ways, peace, to those who deserve it the most. "You have to pour your heart and soul into this if you commit to giving back to our Veterans," he says. "I have had conversations with fellow PGA Professionals about the PGA HOPE program, and I often share the profound impact of seeing Veterans' appreciation for what we do for them. This has truly been a truly life-changing experience for me."

West Palm Beach, FL - Justin Hicks, Ashley Grier, Tim Cantwell, and Jerry Tucker have been awarded 2025 South Florida PGA Rolex Section, Women's, Senior Player, and Super Senior of the Year honors, respectively, based on the season-long points race. Annually, the SFPGA recognizes a Section, Women's, Senior, and Super Senior Player of the Year, determined by total points earned during Section individual stroke play events, PGA Professional Championships, and participation in the Challenge and Senior Challenge Cup Matches. For the second consecutive year, Hicks, a PGA Teaching Professional at Stonebridge Country Club, has earned the Section's top playing honor, earning a total of 1,657 points, 213 points better than Michael Kartrude, PGA of The Bear's Club. Hicks' season was highlighted by qualifying for the PGA Championship by way of the PGA Professional Championship, where he finished in a tie for ninth, earning him entry into his first career PGA Championship. Less than a month later, Hicks was competing in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club after successfully surviving golf's longest day and qualifying for his eighth Major Championship of his career. At the Section level, Hicks managed a top-10 finish in all four majors, including a T9 finish to open the season at the Fort Lauderdale Open, a fourth-place finish at the E-Z-GO South Florida Open, a T7 finish at the Bushnell Stroke Play Championship, and a third-place finish at the South Florida PGA Professional Championship to close the season. Since becoming a member of the SFPGA in 2022, Hicks has taken full advantage of his Class-A Membership, earning two Rolex Player of the Year titles, resulting in two PGA TOUR starts, a Section major title at the 2024 Bushnell Stroke Play Championship, three Corales Puntacana Championship member qualifier titles, and a PGA Championship start. In her first year as a SFPGA member, Grier, a PGA Assistant Professional at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club, was named the Rolex Women's Player of the Year, earning 1,487 points, nearly 1,000 points ahead of her closest competitor. After transferring in from the Middle Atlantic PGA Section, where she became the first female to be crowned the Section Player of the Year in 2024, Grier's talent followed to South Florida, where she managed a T2 finish at the Fort Lauderdale Open which marked her first Section event. Grier later competed in the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, earning low PGA Professional honors, the first SFPGA Professional to do so in Section history. Her momentum carried into the South Florida PGA Professional Championship, ending in a tie for fourteenth before capturing the Women's Section Championship title to cap off the season. The Women's Player of the Year honor only adds to Grier's PGA of America playing career, where she has competed on the U.S. Women's PGA Cup Team in 2019, was awarded the 2020 PGA of America Women's Player of the Year honor, and has competed at four PGA Professional Championships and will make her fifth in 2026. Cantwell earned his first Rolex Senior Player of the Year honor, narrowly beating Alan Morin, PGA of the Club at Ibis, and the 2023 and 2024 player of the year, by 112 points. The PGA National Golf Club Teaching Professional opened the 2025 season with a second-place finish at the Florida Senior Open, a top-10 finish at the Fort Lauderdale Open, and a T3 finish at the South Florida Senior Open. Cantwell then joined 34 other PGA Professionals at the Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club, where he made the cut, ultimately finishing at T58. Sustaining that momentum into the summer, Cantwell managed a top-15 at all Section majors, including a third-place finish at the E-Z-GO South Florida Open, a T5 finish at the Bushnell Stroke Play Championship, and a T11 finish at the South Florida Senior PGA Professional Championship. To end the season, Cantwell competed and finished fourth in the Senior PGA Professional Championship, earning him entry into the 2026 Senior PGA Championship for the second consecutive year. For the fourth time in five years, Tucker of Jerry Tucker Golf has claimed the Super Senior Player of the Year honor, accumulating a total of 1,000 points. Tucker's season was highlighted by a seventh-place finish at the South Florida Senior Open, an 18th-place finish overall at the E-Z-GO South Florida Open (first in the Super Senior division), and an T8 finish at the South Florida Senior PGA Professional Championship (first in the Super Senior division). Closing the year, Tucker competed at the Senior PGA Professional Championship and was a member of the Senior Challenge Cup team. Tucker adds to his historic SFPGA playing resume, which includes six Senior Player of the Year honors and one overall Player of the Year honor. The Player of the Year is presented by Rolex and is a season-long points race designed to honor the best overall Section, Female, Senior and Super Senior players.

FRISCO, Texas (Nov. 6, 2025) - The PGA of America celebrated its 2025 Hall of Fame Class with an induction ceremony at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, Wednesday night during the 109th PGA Annual Meeting in Frisco, Texas. The PGA of America Hall of Fame honors individuals who through their lives, careers, service and support have made significant and enduring contributions to the Association in its mission to grow the game of golf. The biennial ceremony, emceed by CBS Sports Reporter Amanda Balionis, honored and celebrated PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA ; PGA Members Ronny Glanton, PGA, Jim McLean, PGA and JD Turner, PGA ; LPGA Tour Legend Nancy Lopez ; and PGA of America Honorary Member and adaptive trick-shot artist Dennis Walters. "The PGA of America Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is always a special night, and the 2025 Class truly represents the very best of our Association and the game we love," said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr. "It's a tremendous honor to celebrate their profound achievements in growing and elevating golf and the industry. Their collective legacy is inspirational." The PGA of America Hall of Fame originated in 1940 at the suggestion of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice and is the highest honor the PGA of America can bestow upon its members and ambassadors of the game. The Hall of Fame includes four induction categories: PGA of America Golf Professional Category (Glanton, McLean, Turner); PGA of America Past President Category (Richerson); Tour Player Professional Category (Lopez); and PGA of America Ambassador Category (Walters). The evening started off with a local legend, Ronny Glanton, PGA, who began his career in 1981 as an Assistant Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. Upon achieving PGA of America membership in 1984, he took over as Head Professional and has been at the Richardson facility ever since. He’s the namesake of The Ronny Golf Park, a first-of-its-kind facility located on campus at PGA Frisco that features a two-acre, lighted golf park made entirely of fully synthetic turf and hosts programs for children ages 3-14. “About 15 years ago (Northern Texas PGA CEO) Mark Harrison had this idea to build a golf park and allow kids to come participate for free,” said Glanton. “It took a lot of people, but Mark Harrison was the key and he kept it alive. It’s very humbling and an honor to be part of it.” Glanton then reflected on his 44 years at Sherrill Park. “First and foremost, the city of Richardson gave me a chance to be their Head Professional at a young age of 25 years old, and then I had to prove myself,” said Richardson. “They’re commitment to golf is unprecedented for a municipality. If it weren’t for the people who supported what we do, I would never be sitting here today.” Jim McLean, PGA, is one of the most influential PGA of America Golf Professionals in the world and is recognized globally for his teaching. In 1991, he founded the Jim McLean Golf School, which has grown into an internationally respected academy. A PGA Master Professional, McLean has taught thousands of golfers, including over 100 PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour professionals, among them Cristie Kerr, Keegan Bradley, Lexi Thompson and Bernhard Langer. Not only is McLean an expert coach, but a mentor to countless PGA of America Golf Professionals. “(Mentoring) has been the most important thing in my life, I think,” said McLean. “Working with a lot of juniors, that’s been the most fun thing. We have a great staff and a lot of great young people working for me, and that’s been the most important thing. We built a template for hiring young professionals, and the difference between a good future teacher and a great one is massive. We hire the great ones.” JD Turner, PGA, learned the game on a nine-hole golf course in Perry, Iowa. From there, he played collegiate golf at the University of Iowa and started a career as a PGA of America Golf Professional at facilities throughout Iowa and Nebraska, most notably as the Head Professional and Director of Golf at Des Moines Golf & Country Club. He reached a broader audience with the “The Iowa Golf Show” and then the “JD Turner Golf University” television programs, reaching 1.2 million viewers in the mid-1980s and ran for an incredible 25 years. As a PGA Master Professional, Turner’s skills as an instructor landed him on Golf Magazine’s “Top Teachers” list from 1991 to 2012. “I played golf with some producers in Des Moines, Iowa, and I said ‘why don’t we start a golf show’ and they were intrigued,” said Turner. “I put together a resume and they said ‘let’s do it,’ so we started the show. It turned out quite nice.” A mentor to many, Turner reflected on how the importance of leading others was instilled in his own life. “My dad was a school teacher and a coach and he gravitated toward a small town of about 6,000 people, a blue collar town,” he said. “He had a strong feeling for kids who came from tough places, and he passed that on to me. It was a wonderful quality of his and that was a big influence on me.” PGA of America Honorary Member and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Walters turned tragedy into inspiration after being paralyzed from the waist down from a golf cart accident in 1974 at age 24. He not only found a way to keep competing at a high level, helping to create a new category in the game: Adaptive Golf. He has also inspired thousands through his world-famous trick-shot clinic, the “Dennis Walters Golf Show,” always accompanied by his co-star rescue dog, who also made a star appearance on the PGA Frisco stage. “I want to thank the PGA of America for this honor,” said Walters. “I have basically fulfilled my boyhood dream of making it through this world as a professional golfer. That was my original goal, to make it through this world on my golf skills. And I did it.” In his more than 3,000 shows, Walters always leaves a message that has altered the direction of his own life. “If you have a dream and it doesn’t work out, that’s okay because the solution is simple: Get a new dream.” Nancy Lopez has a long history of breaking records. In 1978, she was LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and won the Vare Trophy for scoring average: She is still the only woman to capture all three honors in the same season. Today, the World Golf Hall of Famer’s influence remains strong through her company Nancy Lopez Golf, helping women learn the game and feel more comfortable on the golf course. However, as she spoke about her career, it was the influence of her own family that made the difference. “My dad was my teacher, my hero, my best friend,” the Hall of Famer said. “He helped me to learn to love the game. I’ve been very blessed, I have a wonderful family, a wonderful husband and three wonderful daughters. There was a lot of juggling, but I always looked at it this way: When I was mom, I was going to be the best mom I could be. Once I walked inside the ropes, that’s where I needed my focus, because if I didn’t, I was just wasting my time. Then when I was back outside the ropes, I thought only about my life.” The culmination of the inspirational evening was PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA. The General Manager & Chief Operating Officer of The Riviera Country Club & The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Richerson was elected President at the 104th PGA Annual Meeting in 2020, and oversaw record participation and growth of the game, further elevating the role and stature of the PGA of America Golf Professional. “It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit,” Richerson said. “I think anybody that’s had any type of success in our business has a lot of people that have supported them along the way. From a business standpoint, I’ve had great partners, but it starts and ends with my family. I grew up in a very supportive family, my parents supported six kids that all went into different industries. And my wife, Kristi, for those who don’t know her, is better than me in every way. She’s the most genuine person I know. You can’t have any success unless you have people supporting you, and I’ve been very fortunate that the little bit of success that I've had is because of such great support. For a full list of PGA of America Hall of Fame Members, click here .

FRISCO, Texas (November 5, 2025) - The PGA of America held a special National Awards Ceremony Tuesday night to honor 12 PGA of America Golf Professionals for their outstanding performances and superior achievements, both on and off the course, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Frisco, Texas. Emceed by Sirius XM’s “PGA of America Radio” host David Marr III, the inspirational evening on the eve of the Association’s Annual Meeting was highlighted by PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Scott Paris, PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year Jason Baile and PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year Tony LaFrenere. “Our PGA of America National Award recipients represent the impact our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals have on this great game,” said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr. "Their expertise in our game is felt throughout the industry, but most importantly, within their local communities on a daily basis. The award ceremony is a special evening and reminds us all why working in the golf industry is so rewarding. For our recipients to be recognized and honored by their peers as industry leaders, and stand out among our entire Association, is an incredible achievement.”

Dreams. For many of us, dreams drive us daily, seeking goals, ways of life, that can be attainable for some, almost in reach for others. In the world of golf, some dreams are achieved while others have a shelf life, a finite period when reality deals a blow and forces the pursuit of different opportunities. Take the case of PGA of America Professional Christine Meier, the recipient of the 2025 South Florida PGA Player Development Award, which bestows special recognition on a PGA Golf Professional who has displayed extraordinary and exemplary contributions and achievements to help more people play and enjoy the game of golf. The award also considers the PGA Professional's growth of the game leadership and commitment, and the meaningful impact made at the facility where they are employed. Meier, the PGA Director of Player Development at The Club at Mediterra, in Naples, Florida, began building the Player Development Programs at the 36-hole private facility in 2019. Since then, she has led a massive growth in programs from one weekly women's clinic helping 119 players in that first year, to more than 15 different programs that include two weekly clinics, monthly short-game sessions, five Golf Schools, monthly distance mapping clinics, two 6-week Operation 36 clinics and monthly Men’s Only Clinics. The implementation of those combined programs -- Meier is most proud of the "30-N-3" program that includes three holes of on-course instruction -- has benefitted nearly 500 players and has helped grow overall Player Development at Mediterra by more than 500% in six years. "We have such a remarkable team at our club that is committed to growing the game through these various programs, and I'm honored to represent them with this award," says Meier. "I was shocked when I learned I had won. I just know that I love what I do." Funny thing, the winding career path that Meier has undertaken since graduating from Michigan State University in 2014. What for so long was a relatively straightforward voyage, what with the dream for so long to pursue playing the game at the highest level. And what a run she had. A four-year-starter on the women's golf team in East Lansing, Meier won three Big 10 Conference titles and became the first Spartan to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open while still in school. Upon graduation, Meier criss-crossed the country for five years in her car -- 1 1/2 of those years with her older sister, Amy, who played golf collegiately for four years at The Ohio State University -- competing on the Symetra Tour (now the Epson Tour), seeking a path to reach one level higher ... as a full-time player on the LPGA Tour. She did play in two LPGA events, but at 27, with friends marrying and finances tightening, she started looking at other ways to fulfill her ambitions in golf, albeit with a different focus. "In a lot of ways, I did fulfill my dream," Meier says, "and If I had to do it all over again, I would. My best friends in the world are from those years on Tour. At the end, I just didn't see the level of success that I had experienced earlier. [Playing] golf was such a huge part of my identity that it was really difficult to wrestle with the potential of that not being the case anymore, of not playing a ton anymore. I really struggled with that idea." Enter the opportunity to continue to be part of the golf experience, this time in a group environment. First, the road veered as Meier came across a high school coaching position in Memphis, Tennessee, and took it. The coaching "bug" hit Meier, who had worked at The Club at Mediterra dating back to her days on Tour. Not long after Kevin Swan took over as the PGA Director of Golf Operations at The Club at Mediterra in 2018, he met with Meier, and encouraged her to assume a greater role by overseeing the Player Development initiatives at Mediterra. Meier admits that "emotionally it was really challenging to take on such a different role" as a "coach" in charge of finding new ways to inspire club members to take up the game and play more often. Swan has only seen Meier blossom in her newfound capacity. "We have an outstanding team at Mediterra, and Christine is at the heart of it," says Swan, a PGA Master Professional and the 2024 South Florida PGA Golf Professional of the Year. "She brings a lot of energy, professionalism and great ideas to our operation. In the process, she has mentored her fellow Professionals here at the club and helped them develop into excellent teachers, as well. Her passion for the game and the club are an inspiration for the entire team, and I've seen her mature and grow into her role and professional career. "I could not think of a person who is more deserving of the South Florida PGA Player Development Award than Christine." With the ability to participate in South Florida PGA tournaments, it's no surprise that Meier is heavily involved with the Tournament Committee for the Section's Southwest Chapter. Meier also volunteers her time with The First Tee program of Naples and several PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) programs. Adam Bazalgette, the PGA Director of Instruction at Mediterra, says that "Christine strikes me as one who is passionate about golf, period. She takes a personal interest in the people she teaches, and she looks for any opportunity to improve her knowledge." For Meier, the improvement is ongoing. Indeed, a woman whose play was of such high quality that the Golf Association of Michigan, the governing body for amateur golf in the state, named Meier its female Player of the Decade for the 2010s, now dreams of even greater achievements when it comes to developing more players and enhancing players' experiences. "I love to teach and see others enjoy the game," she says. "It's really ironic how my career has evolved, and it goes to show you how many types of opportunities are out there in golf. I'm really exctied about what we can do at Mediterra, and I know I can learn so much more."