Scott Paris, Jason Baile and Tony LaFrenere highlight Awards Ceremony
Editors:
For photos of the Awards Ceremony, click here.
For bios of all award recipients, click here.
FRISCO, Texas – The PGA of America held a special National Awards Ceremony Tuesday night to honor 12 PGA of America Golf Professionals for their outstanding performances and superior achievements, both on and off the course, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Frisco, Texas.
Emceed by Sirius XM’s “PGA of America Radio” host David Marr III, the inspirational evening on the eve of the Association’s Annual Meeting was highlighted by PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Scott Paris, PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year Jason Baile and PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year Tony LaFrenere.
“Our PGA of America National Award recipients represent the impact our more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals have on this great game,” said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr. “Their expertise in our game is felt throughout the industry, but most importantly, within their local communities on a daily basis. The award ceremony is a special evening and reminds us all why working in the golf industry is so rewarding. For our recipients to be recognized and honored by their peers as industry leaders, and stand out among our entire Association, is an incredible achievement.”
PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year is the highest honor annually awarded to a PGA of America Member. Paris, the PGA Director of Golf at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey, embodies the meaning of the award, which recognizes leadership, strong moral character and a substantial record of service to the Association and the game of golf.
Paris’ impact at Plainfield has been significant since he was hired in 1997 as the PGA Head Professional. The Director of Golf since 2006, he was instrumental in the club hosting two PGA TOUR FedEx Cup Playoff events and establishing the First Tee of Plainfield, the first chapter of this important organization to be located at a private club.
“Plainfield Country Club is a special place,” Paris said. “We’ve got some communities near us that need some help and we’ve made it a priority to help them with the First Tee, the Evans Caddie Scholarship and the New Jersey Caddie Scholarship. There’s nothing more valuable than an education and I’m just so proud of the membership and the staff. They bought into that culture and continue to help.”
A mentor to many, Paris realized he didn’t receive the Association’s top honor on his own. “It’s led to a lot of reflection,” Paris said. “I reached out to so many who had been impactful in my career and my life, and it’s been so rewarding to thank them. Boy, I needed a lot of help, and I got it along the way, and it’s been very rewarding to give that back.”
PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year is awarded to a PGA Member who has performed outstanding services as a golf teacher, innovator and coach. Baile, the PGA Director of Instruction at Jupiter HIlls Club in Tequesta, Fla., has exemplified these categories throughout his quarter-century career with his ability to teach at every level of the game. Notable students include Lucas Glover, Peter Uihlein, Bud Cauley, Hayden Buckley and Ryan Gerard. However, his coaching also reaches his members and junior golfers.
“I think this is the best professional night I’ve ever had in my life,” Baile said from the Omni PGA Frisco Resort stage. “From the beginning, I just wanted to coach. I didn’t care who it was, it could be my little brothers, I just wanted to coach. I never set out to coach the best players in the world. I just felt like if you kept coaching, better players would find you.”
In a touching moment, Baile’s daughter, Blake, came to the stage and asked her father what his favorite thing about being a PGA Coach is.
“One of my favorite things about being a coach is building relationships,” he explained. “I don’t want our whole relationship to just be about golf. I want our relationship to be about being good people to one another.”
LaFrenere, the PGA of America Golf Executive of the Year, may not always be found on the golf course as the Executive Director of Schaumburg Park District in Illinois, but his expertise in the game and his inspiration to turn Schaumburg Golf Club into a community hub, are the epitome of what the honor stands for: recognizing outstanding service in an executive management position, as well as leadership, vision, courage, moral character and a substantial record of service to the Association and the game.
A sense of community threads LaFrenere’s vision for the more than 60 parks, seven facilities, 90 full-time and 700 seasonal staff, a $50 million budget and a 27-hole golf club.
“The journey has been incredible, and it’s truly a full-circle moment,” said LaFrenere. “I grew up in Schaumburg, fell in love with the game in Schaumburg, we’ve raised our family in Schaumburg and lo and behold, I now have the honor and privilege of serving the community of Schaumburg.”
As Veterans Day draws near, Adam Relan, PGA, the 2025 Patriot Award recipient and PGA Director of Golf at Bide-A-Wee Golf Course in Portsmouth, Virginia, demonstrated his inspiring pride and honor towards our military Veterans and active-duty service members as he reflected on his journey with PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), the flagship military program of the PGA of America REACH Foundation.
“Everybody that’s been involved in PGA HOPE, all the professionals, everyone who’s stepped up, we all get more out of it than what we ever intended,” said Relan. “I can’t put it into words, it’s the best program the PGA of America has. You spend one hour at a HOPE program and it will change you. It’s my way to give back to our Veterans. When I couldn’t serve like my father, my grandfather and my nephew, PGA HOPE has become my way to give back.”
Jason Epstein, PGA Director of Golf & Athletics at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, has seemingly done it all in his nearly 30 years in the industry, including most recently running the New York City Marathon for the fifth time in support of PGA REACH. His devotion to fellow professionals earned him the 2025 Bill Strausbaugh Award, which recognizes a PGA of America Golf Professional who demonstrates exceptional character, integrity and leadership through teaching and mentoring other PGA of America Golf Professionals.
“Like so many in this room, golf has given me everything I have, from my childhood to going to college and playing golf, to meeting my wife and raising our kids to traveling around the world and landing at Congressional Country Club, which has the most amazing members and team,” Epstein said. “I’m the luckiest person in the world. I don’t really think of it as growing the game of golf, but as everyone says, it’s giving back to the game.”
A tribute video was played for Kammy Maxfeldt, PGA, detailing the incredible impact she made as the longtime Head Professional of Birchwood Country Club in Westport, Conn. Maxfeldt was posthumously honored with the Deacon Palmer Award. She passed away in April 2024 after a courageous seven-year battle with two cancers: Leukemia and cancer in her eye. Her sister Darcy Bomer accepted the award on her behalf.
The Deacon Palmer Award honors a PGA of America Golf Professional who displays outstanding integrity, character and leadership in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in their life.
At the heart of every PGA of America Golf Professional is the love of teaching and coaching the game. That was evident as PGA of America Player Development Award winner Pam Elders, PGA, Director of Instruction at Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla., and Mike Suhre, PGA of America Youth Player Development Award recipient and Owner & Head Professional at Oak Brook Golf Club in Edwardsville, Illinois, were honored on stage.
“None of us got up here without help,” Elders said. “We had mentors in our life that gave us inspiration to be here. It’s been amazing to have this opportunity.”
The Association annually gives three PGA Merchandiser of the Year Awards, recognizing efforts in the Resort, Private and Public facility categories. Honored together were Danny Rainbow, PGA, Director of Golf at SentryWorld in Steves Point, Wis. (Resort); James Ondo, PGA, Head Professional at The Apawamis Club in Rye, New York (Private); and Matt Adamski, PGA, General Manager at Sweetens Cove Golf Club in South Pittsburg, Tenn., (Public).
The Herb Graffis Award will be presented to the Northern Texas PGA Section today during the PGA Annual Meeting. The award is given annually to one of the 41 PGA of America Sections that has shown tireless dedication to grow the game of golf and furthering player-development programming in the community.
The 109th PGA Annual Meeting will commence November 5-6 at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort at PGA Frisco.
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