Michigan PGA Section Member John Lindert Elected 43rd President of the PGA of America

FRISCO, Texas and PHOENIX — John Lindert, PGA was elected the 43rd President of the PGA of America Thursday at the Association’s 106th Annual Meeting at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort.

A member of the Michigan PGA Section, Lindert is PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club of Lansing.

He succeeds Jim Richerson, who completed his two-year term as President and is now PGA Honorary President.

Succeeding Lindert as Vice President is Don Rea Jr., PGA, of Gilbert, Arizona. Nathan Charnes, PGA, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was elected the new PGA Secretary.

PGA President John Lindert
John Lindert, PGA has served as a PGA Member for more than 35 years and is a 2019 Michigan PGA Hall of Fame Inductee. After serving two years each as PGA Secretary and Vice President, Lindert was elected President at the 2022 PGA Annual Meeting.

He served on the PGA Board of Directors as District 5 Director from 2016-18. Lindert was president of the Michigan PGA Section in 2010-11 and has served on four national PGA committees: Governance Task Force Chair (2017); Membership (2008-20); Board of Control (Chair, 2018-20; Committee Member, 2009-13); and Special Awards (2006-07).

Lindert was honored as the 2009 Michigan PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year and is a two-time recipient of the Section’s PGA Professional Development Award (2021, 2015). He has also received the Section’s Player Development Award (2013), Merchandiser of the Year-Private Facilities Award (2010) and Bill Strausbaugh Award (2008).

He has competed five times in the PGA Professional Championship. In addition, Lindert was the Toledo Chapter Stroke Play Champion and competed on the University of Arizona golf team.

Among his community endeavors, Lindert has served on The First Tee of Mid-Michigan Board of Directors since 2007. 

“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. Imagine the strides we can make as 28,000 PGA Professionals working together with our Boards and the Teams at the Section and national level. By working together we can, and will, be the driving force for the golf industry, while enriching the lives of PGA Professionals.”

PGA Vice President Don Rea Jr.
Don Rea Jr., PGA of Gilbert, Arizona, was elected to succeed Lindert as PGA Vice President. He is the Owner and General Manager of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, a public golf course in Mesa, Arizona, which has been rated the “Best Executive Golf Course in Arizona” by the Arizona Republic and selected as “Host Club of the Year” by the Arizona Women’s Golf Association.

Rea was elected PGA Secretary in 2020; and PGA Vice President at the 2022 PGA Annual Meeting.

A Member of the Southwest PGA Section, Rea served on the PGA of America’s national Board of Directors from 2016-19. Elected as President of the Southwest PGA Section from 2013-14, Rea also was a member of the Board of Directors for the Southwest PGA Section, National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) and the Arizona Tourism Alliance. While on the PGA Board of Directors, he chaired the Junior Golf Committee, and worked with the Coaching and Player Development, and Community Golf Committees.

Since 2012, Rea has owned Your Course Consulting. He also founded Community Course Rescue Services, LLC in 2017.

Rea spent nine years as a Minor League Baseball umpire, ascending to Triple-A. In addition, he has umpired several Spring Training games for Major League Baseball.

PGA Secretary Nathan Charnes
Nathan Charnes, PGA/CMAA is the General Manager and Director of Golf of WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Missouri, and a member of the Gateway PGA Section. From 2004-11, he served as the club’s PGA Head Professional.

For the past 20 years, he has been involved extensively with the PGA of America, both locally and nationally. At the local level, he began as the Education Chairman for the Gateway PGA Section, which led to him being elected to the Gateway PGA Board of Directors from 2011-18.

His national involvement grew when then-PGA President Allen Wronowski asked Charnes to join the National PGA Membership Committee, one of five national committees on which he has served. He was later elected to the PGA Board of Directors as District 7 Director (Gateway, Midwest and South Central PGA Sections), serving a term from 2019-21.

Charnes is a six-time Gateway PGA Section Award recipient, including the Section’s 2012 PGA Golf Professional of the Year. Recently, he was selected to serve as a Life Trustee for PGA REACH Gateway.

A resident of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, Charnes is a 2001 graduate of the University of Evansville, where he played on the school’s golf team. 

PGA Board of Directors
Five new members of the PGA Board of Directors and a new Independent Director were also sworn in.

• District 1: Larry Kelley, PGA – Five Star Golf Cars & Utility Vehicles,
   Ludlow, Vt. (Connecticut, New England, NENY)
• District 5: Steve Parker, PGA – Portage C.C., Akron, Ohio
  (Michigan, Northern Ohio, Southern Ohio)
• District 10: Paige Cribb, PGA – Coastal Carolina PGA Golf Management University Program – Murrells Inlet, S.C.  (Carolinas, Kentucky, Middle Atlantic)
• District 13: Russ Libby, PGA – Hidden Hills Golf Club – Jacksonville, Fla.
  (Georgia, North Florida, South Florida)
• District 14: Jeff Lessig, PGA – Verde River Golf & Social Club – Fountain Hills, Ariz. (Pacific Northwest, Southwest)
• Independent: Gideon Yu – Co-Owner – San Francisco 49ers (3-year term)