A Michigan Man to Lead the Future of the PGA of America
Grand Ledge resident John Lindert to become the next PGA President
By Tom Lang
A Michigan man holds more influence on the future of the PGA of America the next two years than most local golfers would realize.
John Lindert, a Grand Ledge resident and Director of Golf and COO of the Country Club of Lansing, was to chair his first meeting on November 3rd after the same day’s election in which he ran un-opposed for the top spot in the PGA of America. He has served two years each of secretary and vice president up until this time to ready for the role which will run until late 2024...and then serves an additional two years as honorary president.
Admittedly, parts of the role are ceremonial, like handing out trophies at Majors, but there’s also a lot of volunteer leadership roles include. Some responsibilities are:
A seat on the PGA Tour Policy Board (new appointment)
Drive, Chip and Putt presentations (new request)
Ryder Cup Selection Committee through Nov. 2024.
Announcing the eventual Ryder Cup Captain for host site Bethpage Black in 2025
Handing out the trophies for Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s Championship and Sr. PGA Championship.
Invitation to The President’s Cup, honorary observer
Leadership decision roles in what the PGA offers its 29,000 members and associates nationwide, any golf programs sponsored by the PGA, including PGA Jr. League, PGA HOPE and so much more.
Lindert has had an active role in many of the same areas the last four years, but now as the top leader he sees a need to focus on best serving the membership the PGA currently has and recruiting more talent to keep pace with the growth of golf.
“Like many industries, we’re going to have a significant portion of our workforce (PGA professionals) retire, and by that I mean 50 percent of our PGA members became PGA members more than 20 years ago,” Lindert told me in a recent one-on-one interview. “So, recruitment has been a huge focal point for us, but we’ve also got to have retention. So, recruiting and retaining people in the industry is critical.
“I think that part of that is going to come along with a reset button on what the workplace looks like. I think almost every industry is going through that; Covid has forced all of us to re-event how we do things. Creating a balanced work environment for the next generation of PGA professionals will be critically important, so we can recruit, and we can retain.”
Lindert also wants the leadership team to look at the ever-evolving educational aspect for membership, as much or more by how the world has changed for how we educate/communicate and learn.
“The game is extremely robust, and the attractiveness of the game is growing so that’s the critical part of trying to attract new people into the industry because there are more people playing golf and we’ll need more ‘boots on the ground’ to help service and teach and instruct those individuals. I think since the game is growing, the industry should parallel that and grow equally. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to figure out why it doesn’t and then adjust to that as well.”
He began at the local Chapter level in Michigan several years ago, then eventually became the Michigan PGA Section president. That translated into District 5 Director (multiple states; 2016-18), which put him on the PGA of America’s Board, before he ran for national office as Secretary.
When we spoke two years ago about his role as VP, he was gratified by the surge in the sport since Covid-19 hit and people flocked back to the game as a safe, outdoor activity. Just at Country Club of Lansing, rounds went up 50 percent in 2020, and those have been maintained ever since.
“I saw families out playing more, we saw new players take up the game to enjoy an outdoor space and do it responsibly with your friends and family – that safe haven,” Lindert said in 2020. “I think PGA professionals across the nation were able to run their facilities in that responsible manner. So, providing that was huge.”
Lindert added that he hopes golf becomes as diverse and inclusive as possible, “and try to mirror what the world looks like and have golf that’s more affordable and accessible for all people, and kind of banish what people think of golf as an elitist opportunity, because it really isn’t.” He cited examples like the majority of beginners signing up for the PGA Jr. League are young girls, and that holds true today.
