FRISCO, Texas (Nov. 6, 2025) - The PGA of America celebrated its 2025 Hall of Fame Class with an induction ceremony at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort Wednesday night during the 109th PGA Annual Meeting in Frisco, Texas.

The PGA of America Hall of Fame honors individuals who through their lives, careers, service and support have made significant and enduring contributions to the Association in its mission to grow the game of golf.

The biennial ceremony, emceed by CBS Sports Reporter Amanda Balionis, honored and celebrated PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA; PGA Members Ronny Glanton, PGA, Jim McLean, PGA and JD Turner, PGA; LPGA Tour Legend Nancy Lopez; and PGA of America Honorary Member and adaptive trick-shot artist Dennis Walters.

"The PGA of America Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is always a special night, and the 2025 Class truly represents the very best of our Association and the game we love," said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr. "It's a tremendous honor to celebrate their profound achievements in growing and elevating golf and the industry. Their collective legacy is inspirational."

The PGA of America Hall of Fame originated in 1940 at the suggestion of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice and is the highest honor the PGA of America can bestow upon its members and ambassadors of the game.

The Hall of Fame includes four induction categories: PGA of America Golf Professional Category (Glanton, McLean, Turner); PGA of America Past President Category (Richerson); Tour Player Professional Category (Lopez); and PGA of America Ambassador Category (Walters).

The evening started off with a local legend, Ronny Glanton, PGA, who began his career in 1981 as an Assistant Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. Upon achieving PGA of America membership in 1984, he took over as Head Professional and has been at the Richardson facility ever since. He’s the namesake of The Ronny Golf Park, a first-of-its-kind facility located on campus at PGA Frisco that features a two-acre, lighted golf park made entirely of fully synthetic turf and hosts programs for children ages 3-14.

“About 15 years ago (Northern Texas PGA CEO) Mark Harrison had this idea to build a golf park and allow kids to come participate for free,” said Glanton. “It took a lot of people, but Mark Harrison was the key and he kept it alive. It’s very humbling and an honor to be part of it.”

Glanton then reflected on his 44 years at Sherrill Park. “First and foremost, the city of Richardson gave me a chance to be their Head Professional at a young age of 25 years old, and then I had to prove myself,” said Richardson. “They’re commitment to golf is unprecedented for a municipality. If it weren’t for the people who supported what we do, I would never be sitting here today.”

Jim McLean, PGA, is one of the most influential PGA of America Golf Professionals in the world and is recognized globally for his teaching. In 1991, he founded the Jim McLean Golf School, which has grown into an internationally respected academy. A PGA Master Professional, McLean has taught thousands of golfers, including over 100 PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour professionals, among them Cristie Kerr, Keegan Bradley, Lexi Thompson and Bernhard Langer. Not only is McLean an expert coach, but a mentor to countless PGA of America Golf Professionals.

“(Mentoring) has been the most important thing in my life, I think,” said McLean. “Working with a lot of juniors, that’s been the most fun thing. We have a great staff and a lot of great young people working for me, and that’s been the most important thing. We built a template for hiring young professionals, and the difference between a good future teacher and a great one is massive. We hire the great ones.”

JD Turner, PGA, learned the game on a nine-hole golf course in Perry, Iowa. From there, he played collegiate golf at the University of Iowa and started a career as a PGA of America Golf Professional at facilities throughout Iowa and Nebraska, most notably as the Head Professional and Director of Golf at Des Moines Golf & Country Club. He reached a broader audience with the “The Iowa Golf Show” and then the “JD Turner Golf University” television programs, reaching 1.2 million viewers in the mid-1980s and ran for an incredible 25 years. As a PGA Master Professional, Turner’s skills as an instructor landed him on Golf Magazine’s “Top Teachers” list from 1991 to 2012.

“I played golf with some producers in Des Moines, Iowa, and I said ‘why don’t we start a golf show’ and they were intrigued,” said Turner. “I put together a resume and they said ‘let’s do it,’ so we started the show. It turned out quite nice.”

A mentor to many, Turner reflected on how the importance of leading others was instilled in his own life. “My dad was a school teacher and a coach and he gravitated toward a small town of about 6,000 people, a blue collar town,” he said. “He had a strong feeling for kids who came from tough places, and he passed that on to me. It was a wonderful quality of his and that was a big influence on me.”

PGA of America Honorary Member and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Walters turned tragedy into inspiration after being paralyzed from the waist down from a golf cart accident in 1974 at age 24. He not only found a way to keep competing at a high level, helping to create a new category in the game: Adaptive Golf. He has also inspired thousands through his world-famous trick-shot clinic, the “Dennis Walters Golf Show,” always accompanied by his co-star rescue dog, who also made a star appearance on the PGA Frisco stage.

“I want to thank the PGA of America for this honor,” said Walters. “I have basically fulfilled my boyhood dream of making it through this world as a professional golfer. That was my original goal, to make it through this world on my golf skills. And I did it.”

In his more than 3,000 shows, Walters always leaves a message that has altered the direction of his own life. “If you have a dream and it doesn’t work out, that’s okay because the solution is simple: Get a new dream.”

Nancy Lopez has a long history of breaking records. In 1978, she was LPGA Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and won the Vare Trophy for scoring average: She is still the only woman to capture all three honors in the same season. Today, the World Golf Hall of Famer’s influence remains strong through her company Nancy Lopez Golf, helping women learn the game and feel more comfortable on the golf course. However, as she spoke about her career, it was the influence of her own family that made the difference.

“My dad was my teacher, my hero, my best friend,” the Hall of Famer said. “He helped me to learn to love the game. I’ve been very blessed, I have a wonderful family, a wonderful husband and three wonderful daughters. There was a lot of juggling, but I always looked at it this way: When I was mom, I was going to be the best mom I could be. Once I walked inside the ropes, that’s where I needed my focus, because if I didn’t, I was just wasting my time. Then when I was back outside the ropes, I thought only about my life.”

The culmination of the inspirational evening was PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA. The General Manager & Chief Operating Officer of The Riviera Country Club & The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Richerson was elected President at the 104th PGA Annual Meeting in 2020, and oversaw record participation and growth of the game, further elevating the role and stature of the PGA of America Golf Professional.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit,” Richerson said. “I think anybody that’s had any type of success in our business has a lot of people that have supported them along the way. From a business standpoint, I’ve had great partners, but it starts and ends with my family. I grew up in a very supportive family, my parents supported six kids that all went into different industries. And my wife, Kristi, for those who don’t know her, is better than me in every way. She’s the most genuine person I know. You can’t have any success unless you have people supporting you, and I’ve been very fortunate that the little bit of success that I've had is because of such great support.”

PGA of America 2025 Hall of Fame Class Honored at 109th PGA Annual Meeting

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