PHOENIX — John Lindert, PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club of Lansing and Michigan PGA Section member, was elected president of the PGA of America.
The 106th PGA annual meeting was this past week at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort where about 450 members gathered to also vote Southwest PGA Section Member Don Rea, Jr. as vice president and Gateway PGA Section Member Nathan Charnes as secretary.
Lindert, elevated after two years serving as vice president, succeeds Jim Richerson, whose two-year term has ended. Richerson is now PGA Honorary President. He was named general manager of Riviera Country Club in March.
Lindert has been a PGA Member for more than 35 years. In 2019, he was inducted into the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame. He has served on four national committees and has collected numerous accolades, including Michigan PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year in 2009 and Michigan Section PGA Professional Development Award in 2021 and 2015.
As a competitor, Lindert, who played his college golf at the University of Arizona, is a past Toledo Chapter Stroke Play Champion and played in the PGA Professional Championship five times.
“This is a remarkable time for our Association, and I truly believe that we have the right people in place with the passion and desire to elevate our profession and our Association over the coming years,” said Lindert. “We have an opportunity to strengthen our position as an Association in the sport of golf and, most importantly, use that position to improve the lives of our PGA Members.”
Rea lives in Gilbert, Arizona, and is the owner and general manager of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, a public golf course in Mesa, Arizona. He previously served as secretary and is a member of the Southwest PGA Section. Off the golf course, Rea was an umpire for nine years in the minor leagues and has worked several MLB spring training games.
Charnes is the general manager and director of golf of WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Evansville in 2001, where he played on the golf team.
In addition, five people were named to the PGA Board of Directors:
- Larry Kelley, PGA – Five Star Golf Cars & Utility Vehicles,
Ludlow, Vermont - Steve Parker, PGA – Portage Country Club, Akron, Ohio
- Paige Cribb, PGA – Coastal Carolina PGA Golf Management University Program, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
- Russ Libby, PGA – Hidden Hills Golf Club, Jacksonville, Florida
- Jeff Lessig, PGA – Verde River Golf & Social Club, Fountain Hills, Arizona
John A. Solheim, who earned the PGA’s Distinguished Service Award for 2022, was also honored during the week.
