It’s been a big year for Don Rea, Jr. In July, he earned his PGA Master Professional status, the highest educational designation a PGA of America member can obtain. And on Thursday he was elected the organization’s top officer as its 44th president.
Rea, 57, was elected at the PGA’s 108th Annual Meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Mich., succeeding John Lindert, Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lansing, Mich. Rea will begin his two-year term in January.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve, alongside our officers and board of directors, the more than 31,000 PGA of America golf professionals of our association,” Rea, owner and operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, Ariz., said in a statement. “Our members and associates are serving millions of golfers through this amazing game every day. I’m incredibly proud of the lives we impact collectively along the way, shoulder to shoulder with our 41 PGA of America sections. It is our top priority to serve our PGA of America golf professionals and provide resources to allow them to thrive and continue to lead as experts of the game.”
A native of Los Angeles, Rea has been a member of the PGA of America for 22 years. He began his career in golf in 1999 at an entry-level job at Augusta Ranch after working for nine years as a minor league baseball umpire. Rea, who was a standout high school baseball player while growing up in Las Vegas, rose as high as Triple-A and umpired spring training games for Major League Baseball.
His first job was cleaning clubs, and he worked his way up the golf ladder methodically from there. He eventually became the head pro at Eagle Mountain Golf Club in Fountain Valley, Ariz., but returned to Augusta Ranch in 2008, this time as owner of the public facility.
He also began to work his way up in the PGA of America. He served on the Southwest Section board and was president of the Southwest Section in 2013-14. He was awarded the section’s Bill Strausbaugh Award in 2012. Eventually, Rea served on the PGA’s National Board of Directors from 2016-19 before being elected Secretary in 2020. While on the PGA Board, Rea chaired the Junior Golf Committee, which created the American Development Model for golf, and the PGA Jr. League Committee. In his role as Secretary, Rea helped expand the PGA’s Disaster Relief Fund to include medical assistance. He is a staunch proponent of the PGA HOPE program, which introduces military veterans to the game.
Rea currently serves on the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association Board of Directors. He previously served on the board of the National Golf Course Owners Association. His business interests also include Your Course Consulting, which he has owned since 2012, and Community Course Rescue Services, LLC, which he founded in 2017.
A father of two children, Don III and Katie, Rea resides with his wife Karen in Gilbert, Ariz.
Succeeding Rea as Vice President is Nathan Charnes, general manager and director of golf of WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Mo., and a member of the Gateway PGA Section.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
