Hurstbourne Country Club’s Director of Golf and Club Operations Elected as 30^th President of the Kentucky PGA Section

LEXINGTON, KY (December 6, 2021) – Danny Baron, PGA Director of Golf and Club Operations at Hurstbourne Country Club was elected to the position of President within the Kentucky PGA Section during the Dever | E-Z-GO Fall Member Conference on Monday. Baron will be the Section’s 30^th President in a two-year term that will culminate at the end of 2023.

For the past two years, Baron has served as the Section’s Vice President and from 2018-2019, served as Secretary within the Section. At Hurstbourne, he was promoted to the Director of Golf role after a ten-year stint as the facility’s Head Golf Professional. Baron was originally elected to Membership within the PGA of America in 2004 while working at Polo Fields Golf & Country Club. He then relocated to the Northern California PGA Section in 2006 before returning to Kentucky in 2011 and has been with Hurstbourne ever since.

Several other positions on the Kentucky Section’s Board of Directors were filled during the Conference. Chad Martin, PGA Director of Golf at Country Club of Paducah is now Vice President after being the Section’s Secretary for the past two years. Martin will assume the role of President at the conclusion of Baron’s term.

Taking the position of Secretary is Charles Whelan, PGA Head Golf Professional at Ben Hawes Golf Course in Owensboro. Whelan joins the Section’s Officers after being a Director At-Large in the 2020-2021 term as well as from 2015-2017. He is coming up on twenty years as a PGA Member and will be Martin’s successor as President in 2026-2027.

Craig Heibert, PGA Owner of Heibert Golf, LLC will become Honorary Past President of the Section as his tenure as Section President concludes. Heibert is also set to become Chairman of the Kentucky Golf Foundation in 2022, the joint initiative of the KPGA and the Kentucky Golf Association.

Three other positions on the Section’s board were also determined through voting during Monday’s Conference. They are as follows:

• Tom Walters, PGA Head Golf Professional at Summit Hills Country Club - District 1 Director
• Myles Mahan, PGA Head Golf Professional at Woodhaven Country Club – Director At-Large
• John Mullendore, PGA Head Golf Professional at Indian Hills Country Club – Director At-Large

The Conference also featured a champions spotlight which showcased each winner of a KPGA tournament throughout the season, an education session led by Joe Hallett, PGA of Vanderbilt Legends Club (Tennessee Section), nearly twenty Section partners who were able to interact with the Section’s Professionals, and open discussion about the industry’s progress from the attendees.

The Kentucky PGA thanks Griffin Gate Marriott for hosting and extends its deepest appreciation towards each Member and partner who attended the Conference. The Section also salutes Jeff Layne of Dever | E-Z-GO for their title sponsorship and continued support of the Section and its activities throughout the year.

Click here to view the Conference’s photo gallery

About the Kentucky PGA:

The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA Of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky; all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League among others. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the Kentucky Open and qualifiers for the Barbasol Championship.