Wronowski Elected President of the PGA of America


Allen Wronowski of Bel Air, Md., was elected the 37th president of the PGA of America on November 6 by delegates at the association's 94th Annual Meeting in Boston.

Wronowski previously served as secretary of the association from 2006-08 and as vice president from 2008-10. The 56-year-old succeeds Jim Remy of Ludlow, Vt. Remy will serve on the PGA board of directors as honorary president. Succeeding Wronowski as vice president is Ted Bishop of Franklin, Ind., who served the past two years as secretary.

Derek Sprague, 43, of Malone, N.Y., was elected secretary. In addition, seven new members of the PGA board of directors were sworn into office. In Boston, the PGA honored PGA professional Jim Estes with the Patriot Award, the Metropolitan PGA Section with the Herb Graffis Award for contributions to player development, and also recognized PGA past president Ken Lindsay as a "Legend of The PGA."

"I am both humbled and honored to be elected the new PGA president," said Wronowski. "The PGA of America is an amazing association filled with passionate individuals who care deeply about the game of golf and those who play it. This was a very thought-provoking annual meeting that promises to invigorate our leadership to return to their respective places of employment to do the work we must do for PGA professionals and our industry."

A native of Baltimore, Wronowski is the PGA director of golf at Hillendale Country Club in Phoenix, Md., where he had also served as assistant professional and PGA head professional since 1979. His record of service to the association began in 1983 at the section level, and includes a term (2001-04) as District 10 director on the PGA board of directors.

As a national officer, Wronowski has expanded his passion to enhance player development by strongly supporting the core values of PGA professionals, particularly in their impact upon junior golf, minorities and diversity. Since 2007, Wronowski has served as chair of the Junior PGA Championship; was chair (2007-08) of the PGA Professional National Championship; was co-chair (2009-10) of the National PGA Junior Golf Committee; was chair of the PGA Board of Control (2007-08) and since 2009 has been a board member of the Folds of Honor Foundation.

Wronowski fell in love with the game of golf as a high school junior. In 1976, he began his professional career and later became active in Middle Atlantic PGA (MAPGA) Section governance soon after being elected to PGA membership in 1981. He served on the MAPGA board of directors and held every elected office in the section, including that of president.

Wronowski's impact on the MAPGA included creating a business plan for the board and committees that is still a standard today; implementing a mentoring program that continues to be utilized by all chapters; and guiding an investment fund that increased section reserves to $1.9 million, and led to a permanent headquarters in Stafford, Va.

In 1999, the MAPGA named Wronowski its Section Golf Professional of the Year; and in 2002 he earned the MAPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award for his work in the employment arena for the members of the section.

Bishop served as District 6 Director on the PGA Board of Directors and since 1991 has worked as general manager and PGA director of golf at The Legends of Indiana Golf Club in Franklin, Ind. He served as PGA Secretary from 2008 to this month.

Bishop has served on the PGA Board of Directors since 2006, and served on the PGA Board of Control from 2002-05. As PGA vice president, he oversees the finances of the PGA of America. He also was chairman of both the PGA Budget and Finance Committees and is a past chair of the PGA Code of Ethics Task Force.

Bishop was elected to PGA membership in September 1985, and has served in a leadership capacity at either the section or national levels since 1989. From 1997-98, he served as president of the Indiana PGA Section, and was the 1998 Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year. He also is a two-time (1996-97) Section Bill Strausbaugh Award recipient and was the Section 1991 Horton Smith Award winner.

Sprague is the PGA general manager and head professional at Malone (N.Y.) Golf Club, and was elected to PGA membership in 1993. Sprague has served in a leadership capacity at both the section and national levels since 1998. Since 2007, he has represented District 1 (Connecticut, New England and Northeastern New York Section) on the PGA Board of Directors.

The new board members are: Michael Ahrnsbrak of Winchester, Va.; Stephen Cox of Bonita Springs, Fla.; Leo De Gisi of Medford, N.J.; Gil Gusweiler of Loveland, Ohio; Michael Haywood of Tucson, Ariz.; Suzy Whaley of Farmington, Conn.; and independent director John Jacob of Aventura, Fla. The new PGA district directors will serve three-year terms.

The PGA Board of Directors is composed of the association's president, vice president, secretary, honorary president and 17 directors. The directors include representatives from each of the PGA's 14 districts, two independent directors and a member of the PGA Tour. New district directors are elected by their local PGA sections.

Estes, PGA director of instruction at Olney (Md.) Golf Park, and founder of a program in 2007 that has served the needs of more than 500 members of the nation's armed services, was presented the 2010 Patriot Award. He founded the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA), which has teamed with officials of Walter Reed Medical Center and Middle Atlantic PGA professionals in developing instruction programs and events to serve veterans as well as their families.

The Patriot Award is presented to PGA professionals who personify patriotism through the game of golf and demonstrate unwavering commitment and dedication to the men and women who have valiantly served and protected the United States of America.

The Metropolitan PGA Section, composed of 737 members and apprentices, was presented with the Herb Graffis Award, which annually recognizes a section for contributions to player development. The Herb Graffis Award is named in honor of the late golf historian, author, founder of golf magazines, the National Golf Foundation and co-founder of the Golf Writers Association of America.

Lindsay of Jackson, Miss., the 30th president of the PGA of America and one of the most respected rules officials in golf, was celebrated by association members as one of the "Legends of The PGA," which was established in 1995 to recognize PGA presidents for their contributions to the association and the golf industry.

For more information, visit www.pga.com.