OVERVIEW
Northern Ohio PGA &
Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation
About our Organizations
The Northern Ohio PGA is a 501c(6) made up of 480+ PGA Professionals and Associates. It is one of 41 sections of the PGA of America. The mission of the NOPGA is to promote interest and enjoyment in the game of golf while enhancing the well-being of its members.
The Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to support the Northern Ohio community, with a focus on junior golf, education and scholarships, and charities in the area. It is the charitable arm of the Northern Ohio PGA.
480+ PGA Members & Associates
Growing the Game of Golf
Where We Are
The geographical location of the Northern Ohio PGA is bounded on the north by the northern boundary of the State of Ohio; the east by the eastern boundary of the State of Ohio; the south by an imaginary line drawn between the cities of Martins Ferry, Ohio and Union City, Indiana.
Our Team
David Griffith
Executive Director
Lynne Plaisance
Director of Operations
Matt Rutland, PGA
Director of Competitions
Danielle Monas
Foundation Director
Haleigh Gray
Junior Golf Coordinator
Emily Jones
PGA WORKS Fellow
Let’s Look at the 501c(6) First!
Below are a few of the many programs and events that the Northern Ohio PGA facilitates:
or PGA Professionals & Associates ding the Ohio Open, Ohio Senior Open, & Toledo Open participating in over 3500 rounds on the NOPGA Junior Drive, Chip & Putt for beginner juniors embers including Spring & Fall Membership Meetings, g Summit, and a Section Awards Night
Board of Directors
STEVE CARTER, PGA
PRESIDENT,PEPPERPIKECLUB
CHAD KITZMILLER, PGA
VICE-PRESIDENT,WESTFIELDCOUNTRYCLUB
CORY KUMPF, PGA
SECRETARY,BROOKSIDECOUNTRYCLUB
MATT CREECH, PGA
HONORARYPRESIDENT,THEGOLFDOME
STEVE PARKER, PGA
DISTRICT5DIRECTOR,PORTAGECOUNTRYCLUB
DAN SUTTON, PGA
MCDIVOTSDRIVINGRANGE
MEGHANN GLASS-STEM, PGA
GLENMOORCOUNTRYCLUB
ADAM LEWICKI, PGA
PORTAGECOUNTRYCLUB
STEVE BORDNER, PGA
THECOUNTRYCLUB
DALE DAVIS, PGA
FIRESTONECOUNTRYCLUB
DREW PIERSON, PGA
THECLUBHOUSECLE
MARK SIERAK, PGA
OPTIMUSGOLF
Toledo Chapter
The Toledo Chapter of the PGA of America is a division of the Northern Ohio PGA serving golf professionals in Northwest Ohio. All Northern Ohio PGA Members are welcome to join the Chapter. Our reach is from the northwest corner of the state and stretches as far south as Minster. The Toledo Chapter’s mission is to “make golf a better game in Northwest Ohio.” The Toledo Chapter hosts some of its own tournaments including a series of Pro-Ams so that their chapter members do not have to travel as far to compete in events.
Ohio Open
104th Ohio Open Championship set for June 30-July 2nd at Firestone Country Club
280+ Amateurs and Professionals will compete on Firestone’s North, Fazio, and South Courses
Former Champions include Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson, Denny Shute, and Billy Burke
Past Champions total:
198 PGA Tour Wins
29 Major Championships
14 PGA Tour Champions
6 Major Champions
First won by Grange Alves at Toledo Country Club in 1921
Championship played on fifty different courses across Northern and Southern Ohio until the Northern Ohio PGA
began solely running the event in 1983
The Opens
40th Ohio Senior Open Championship set for May 28-29, 2025 at Firestone Country Club - Fazio Course
130+ Senior Amateurs and Professionals
Bob Sowards, PGA, has the most consecutive wins at 5
95th Toledo Open Championship set for September 89, 2025 at Stone Oak CC
140+ Amateurs and Professionals from all over the country
7 Stroke Play Events
The NOPGA Stroke Play Series features seven single-day tournaments held at some of Northern Ohio's most prestigious golf courses. Sponsors benefit from repeated exposure throughout the
35+ Section Events
The Northern Ohio PGA (NOPGA) is proud to host a series of prestigious professional events in 2025. These events highlight the talent of Northern Ohio’s top golf professionals and provide premium opportunities for sponsor engagement. Below is an overview of a few key championships and competitions, along with their dates and venues.
NOPGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: August 11–13, 2025
Venue: Tippecanoe Country Club
Local Sponsor: B&T Express
The premier competition for Northern Ohio PGA professionals, this championship crowns the best golfer in the region. It offers significant exposure for sponsors through event branding, signage, and media coverage.
NOPGA WOMEN’S SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: August 11–12, 2025
Venue: Tippecanoe Country Club
This championship celebrates the NOPGA’s top women professionals and provides an excellent opportunity to support and highlight the achievements of women in golf.
NOPGA SENIOR PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: August 25–26, 2025
Venue: Chagrin Valley Country Club
A prestigious event for senior professionals, this championship targets a seasoned and influential audience of players and fans, offering sponsors valuable engagement opportunities.
NOPGA ASSISTANTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Date: September 2, 2025
Venue: Oberlin Golf Club
This championship showcases the future stars of the PGA Section, providing sponsors the chance to connect with the next generation of golf professionals and build long-term relationships.
MITCHELL-HASKELL TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: September 29–30, 2025
Venue: The Country Club
Sponsor: Holderness & Bourne
The season finale features the bestperforming professionals competing for top honors. This elite event is an excellent opportunity for sponsors to associate with a prestigious and high-stakes competition.
DENNY SHUTE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Dates: October 13–15, 2025
Venue: Portage Country Club
This exciting match play event pits top NOPGA professionals in head-to-head battles, offering sponsors a chance to engage with an audience captivated by intense competition.
Las Vegas Pro-Am
Annual Pro-Am with 1 professional and 3 amateurs
Limited to 36 Teams of 144 individuals
26th Las Vegas Pro-Am set for November 9-13, 2025 at 3 Las Vegas courses
Fees include 3 rounds of golf, 4 nights at Resorts World, 3 lunches, transportation to the golf course, a $30,000 purse, and access to a complimentary hospitality suite after each round
Ohio Cup Matches
Annual Matches between Northern and Southern Ohio PGA
Sections
Top 10 Section Members and Top
6 Senior Section Members from both sections
29th Ohio Cup Matches set for October 6-8 hosted by the Southern Ohio PGA
3 Rounds: Four-Ball, Foursomes, and Singles
Northern Ohio leads 17-11
Membership Meetings
NOPGA hosts a Spring and Fall Membership Meeting for professionals and associates Meetings include section awards, officer reports, committee updates, education and breakout sessions, as well as presentations from section partners
Typically 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Class A Professionals receive PDR (continuing education credits) for attendance at meetings
Teaching& Coaching Summit
The Teaching & Coaching Summit includes presentations from top instructors and golf minds as well as some of the section’s own professionals
The 2024 summit included presentations from Ralph Bauer and Rick Sessinghaus as well as a panel discussion from NOPGA Pros
Class A Professionals receive PDR (continuing education credits) for attendance at Teaching & Coaching Summit
Section Awards Night
For the first time ever, the NOPGA hosted a stand-alone evening to honor the 2024 Section Award winners and 2024 Junior Tour Players of the Year Awards include Teacher & Coach of the Year, Golf Professional of the Year, Sales Representatives of the Year, Merchandisers of the Year, Assistant of the Year, Hall of Fame inductees and more The event is moderated by TV personality and PGA Member, Jimmy Hanlin, with interviews with all section award winners
Social Media
4,300+ FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER
4,500+ FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM 2,300+ FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK
The Northern Ohio PGA's three social media channels have a total of over 11,000 followers!
650+ Junior Tour members
11 9-hole Futures Tour events
Ages 8-16 with a Caddie
22 18-hole events
Ages 11-18; next step after Futures Tour
4 36-hole events
Ages 11-18 for higher skilled juniors
6 Collegiate events
Ages 18-22 to prepare for college golf
Junior Golf Summit
The Junior Golf Summit, held annually in January, is a free event open to all junior golfers, high school and middle school golfers, and PGA Professionals
The day includes:
College Coaches Panel
Teaching & Coaching Panel including practice tips
Golf Fitness
The Mental Game
Junior Development 101 Panel for Parents
Careers in Golf
PGA Jr. League is bringing friends, families, and communities together through golf
Girls and boys ages 17 and under of all skill levels are split between two age divisions: 13u and 17u
Over 1400 juniors participate on PGA Jr. League teams in Northern Ohio on teams run by our PGA Professionals and Associates and leagues are managed by our section and national staff
Kids wear numbered jerseys and compete on teams in a fun scramble format
At the end of the season, leagues create All-Star teams to compete in the Section Championship, competing at Eagle Creek Golf Club annually Championship is hosted by the Northern Ohio
Drive, Chip & Putt
Founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association and The PGA of America
Free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf
Participants who advance through local, subregional and regional qualifying in each age/gender category earn a place in the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by Golf Channel.
In 2024, the Northern Ohio PGA had two local juniors qualify: Preston Tolnar and Flynn Lewis!
The NOPGA will host 6 local qualifiers and a subregional each year
Now Let’s Look at the 501c(3) Foundation!
Below are a few of the charitable causes that the NOPGA Section Foundation runs and supports:
ets of clubs to juniors with financial need
eeks of free instruction to Veterans and ach year to high school seniors annot afford to participate in NOPGA Junior
PGA HOPE
Stands for “Helping Our Patriots Everywhere”
Free 6-8 week golf instructional program for Veterans and Active-Duty Military
PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans to allow them to use it as a means of rehabilitation physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually
Taught by PGA Professionals, LPGA Professionals & Associates
Professionals must go through PGA HOPE adaptive training before working with Veterans
PGA HOPE has a memorandum of understanding with the VA which enables VA doctors and staff to refer Veterans to the HOPE program as a form of therapy
Will serve over 300 Veterans at 21 locations in 2025
OPERATION: PLAY DAYS
Operation: Play Days is the next step after a Veteran graduates from PGA HOPE
Veterans will sign up for play days through PGA.Coach online
While the 6-8 week program is free, the Play Days will be at a highly discounted fee ($10) and include 18 holes of golf
Veterans will participate in a two-person scramble or play individually with prizes given out after each round
SCHOLARSHIPS
2025 is the 5th year that the Northern Ohio PGA Section Foundation is awarding two local students with a $10,000 scholarship to assist with their college education The students selected to receive the $10,000 scholarship will receive it in $2,500 increments annually over the course of four years Applicants must be high school seniors who live in Northern Ohio and are past or current members of a golf organization and are awarded primarily on three criteria: Academics, Community Service, and Financial Need Over $100,000 in scholarships have been granted in the past 4 years
GRANTS
Since 2020, the NOPGA Section Foundation has granted over $100,000 in grants to local Northern Ohio charities including:
Clearview Legacy Foundation
Ben Curtis Family Foundation
Cleveland Clinic Challenge Golf
Ohio Girls Golf Foundation
Greater Cleveland Junior Golf Scholarship Fund
The Turn
CLUBS FORE KIDS
The Clubs Fore Kids program provides sets of golf clubs to individual juniors with financial need as well as girls high school golf teams that needed help getting more girls to participate. In 2024, 114 sets of golf clubs were distributed to 18 Girls High School Golf Teams and individual juniors. What’s included?
Set of 10 Golf Clubs
Carry Bag
1 Dozen Golf Balls
Tees
Towel
Youth on Course Membership
Lesson from a PGA Professional
In 2025, the Foundation will give 120 sets of golf clubs to juniors with financial need!
PGA WORKS FELLOWSHIP
The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a 6-12 month, fulltime contract with a PGA Section to be fully immersed in the responsibilities of a Section staff member Fellows get to experience the work behind the scenes including Player Development Programs, Social Media, Marketing, Tournament Operations, and so much more
Anyone who has recently graduated from college or graduate school can be a Fellow!
The Fellowship is designed for underrepresented groups in golf (women, people of color, military, etc.) but everyone is encouraged to apply and be a part of the golf industry’s workforce.
The PGA WORKS Fellowship provides you with many opportunities to go into golf (including the PGA Headquarters!), continue with the Section if they have a need, work at a golf course, or go to a different sport altogether!
JUNIORTOUR FINANCIALAID
Over $5,000 awarded in 2024 to financial aid recipients on the NOPGA Junior Tour Aid helped reduce the cost to families for tournament entries and membership
12 Juniors Aided by Program
62 rounds of tournament golf purchased
8 memberships purchased Some families in need of financial aid fell onto hard times and had medical issues with a parent and unemployment that caused their need for financial aid
This financial assistance program allows juniors who may not have otherwise been able to afford golf, to play in junior events
FIRESTONE JUNIOR CUP
Eight PGA Jr. League teams from around Northern Ohio are invited to attend a day of activities prior to the playing of the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club’s Fazio Course
Juniors attend a short game clinic, meet a Champions Tour player, eat lunch, and play a nine-hole two-person scramble competition At the end of the day, the low aggregate score from the front nine competes against the low aggregate score on the back nine in a shootout to determine the Firestone Junior Cup Champions
JUNIOR OHIO CUP
The second Junior Ohio Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event featuring some of the top junior golfers in Ohio, was played at Columbus Country Club, October 19-20.
Teams from the Northern Ohio Section and the Southern Ohio Section of the Professional Golfers Association of America were outfitted with CobraPuma uniforms and golf bags
Juniors competed in Four-Ball (aka Best-Ball) and singles matches
Teams were comprised of eight boys and eight girls who qualified through their respective PGA Junior Tour programs, either by winning their respective PGA Junior Championship or through their status on their Player-of-the-Year points lists 2025 Junior Ohio Cup is set for October at Brookside Country Club
Northern Ohio
BIRDIE CLUB
The Birdie Club is a player performance-based fundraising drive to get Junior Tour members involved in community outreach Allows junior tour members to get a greater sense of pride and accomplishment beyond just their performance during Junior Tour events Junior Tour members asked family, friends, and neighbors for pledges throughout the Junior Tour season to support the NOPGA Section Foundation and its mission Donors pledged a dollar amount per birdie or simply donated a flat donation
FOUNDATION EVENTS
104th Ohio Open Pro-Am
1 Professional & 4 Amateur event at Firestone CC prior to the Ohio Open Championship
PGA HOPE Cup
1 Professional & 4 PGA HOPE Graduate event at Avon Oaks Country Club to celebrate a year of HOPE
Kenny Novak Scholarship Day
1 professional, 1 junior, and 3 amateurs raising funds for scholarships
Smucker’s Birdies & Charity
Professionals and associates from various facilities
participate in 72 holes of golf in one day to raise money for the foundation
In 5 years, over $500,000 has been raised!
Section Goals
Goal # 1
Run more events to allow all junior golfers that want to play in NOPGA Junior and Futures Tour events the opportunity to play
Below are three goals that the 501c(6) has going forward into the next 5+ years.
Goal # 2
Increase the purse in the three open events, section championships, and stroke play series
Goal # 3
Move into a new homesite that gives our section and foundation the ability to grow and run programming during all four seasons
Foundation Goals
Goal # 1
Increase scholarship funding from two $10,000 scholarships to two $20,000 scholarships for high school seniors
Below are three goals that the 501c(3) has going forward into the next 5+ years.
Goal # 2
Purchase a paramobile or solorider for PGA HOPE programming to allow Veterans with paralysis or lower limb loss to be able to play golf.
Goal # 3
Find funding for Operation: Play Days for Veterans & Active Duty Military after their PGA HOPE Journey.
Direct Email Blasts to 480+
Section Members & Associates
Direct Email Blasts to 4000+
Junior Golf Families
Email Advertisements in Section Newsletter, Short Shots
Email Advertisements in Junior Golf Newsletter, Birdie Business
Social Media Posts on:
(X)
WHAT WHAT WE CAN WE CAN OFFER OFFER
A Few Ideas
Foursomes in Foundation events including Ohio Open
Pro-Am & Kenny Novak
Scholarship Day
Foursomes after select section events including stroke play series
Invitation to Spring and Fall Membership Meeting with 175-200 NOPGA Members in attendance
Invitation to Teaching & Coaching Summit
Invitation to Section Awards
Night
Signage on Property at all 30+
Junior Events and 40+ section events
Company Logo listed on section website with clickable link
Company Logo on all Junior Tour trophies
Arrangement of customized golf clinics led by Northern Ohio PGA professionals for the partner's employees, clients, or stakeholders
