Las Vegas, United States: PGA of America Golf Professional Nathan Charnes has been elected as the 45th President of the PGA of America at the Association’s 110th Annual Meeting.

Charnes will serve a two-year term, representing the more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals.

A Member of the Gateway PGA Section, Charnes is the General Manager of WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Succeeding Charnes as Vice President is Eric Eshleman, PGA, the Director of Golf at the Country Club of Birmingham in Mountain Brook, Alabama, and a member of the Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section.

Jared Barnes, Head Golf Professional at Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Cedar City, Utah, and a Member of the Utah PGA Section, was elected the new PGA of America Secretary.

This year’s Annual Meeting was held at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

Charnes is a second-generation PGA Golf Professional from southern Indiana. He played college golf at the University of Evansville, graduating in 2001, then passed the Playing Ability Test (PAT) and became a PGA of America Member while spending a short period working in the Indiana and Kentucky sections.

In 2004, Charnes and his wife, Eva, moved to St Louis, where he became PGA Head Professional at WingHaven Country Club, ascending to General Manager and Director of Golf in 2011.

For more than 20 years, Charnes has been involved extensively with the PGA of America, both locally and nationally.

At the local level, he served as the Education Chairman for the Gateway PGA Section, which led to him serving on the Gateway PGA Board of Directors from 2011-2018. He is also the first PGA Member from the Gateway Section to serve as President of the Association.

His national involvement grew when then-PGA of America 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 of America Board of Directors as District 7 Director (Gateway, Midwest and South Central PGA Sections), serving from 2019-2021.

Charnes is a seven-time Gateway PGA Section Award recipient, including the Section’s 2012 and 2022 PGA Golf Professional of the Year. He played a critical role with the creation of the PGA of America REACH Foundation, which originated in the Gateway Section while Charnes was serving as an Officer; he was recently selected to serve as a Life Trustee for PGA REACH Gateway.

Charnes said: “Serving as President to represent more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals is an incredible honour and responsibility.

“Across our 41 Sections, our Members are the heart and soul of the game. Alongside our Officers and Board, my priority is to champion their expertise, expand career pathways and ensure they have the full support of our Association.

“By spotlighting their impact, we elevate not only the PGA of America globally, but our Members where it matters most – at their facilities, in their boardrooms and within their communities.”

*The PGA of America is a member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.