PGA of America golf professional and Board Director Steve Parker, teaching professional at Portage Country Club in Akron, OH, has earned PGA Master Professional status, the highest education designation a PGA of America Golf Professional can obtain.

A Northern Ohio PGA Section member, Parker joins a unique group as the 452nd to earn Master Professional status. The Association comprises over 31,000 PGA of America golf professionals. He achieved his designation in Teaching and Coaching.

“It’s remarkable to join such an outstanding group of the best PGA of America Golf Professionals that our Association has to offer; I feel fortunate to be included,” said Parker. “This isn’t the end of my learning; it’s a continuous path of education, and I’m excited to be at this stage. Receiving this designation verifies that my hard work throughout my career has been worth it.”

The PGA Master Professional Program is available to those with at least ten years of PGA of America Membership and who have achieved advanced certification through the PGA Specialized and Certified Professional Programs. The curriculum includes an extensive project based on the specific certification previously acquired by the PGA of America golf professional. PGA Master Professional status is earned upon completing the project’s presentation.

The PGA established the program in 1969 to recognize PGA of America members who make a significant effort to improve as golf professionals and maintain the highest degree of excellence for themselves and their operations. The curriculum is designed to ensure golf pros are prepared to meet the growing demands of the marketplace within the Executive Management, Golf Operations and Teaching and Coaching Designations.

A PGA of America Golf Professional for nearly 30 years, Parker serves as the District 5 Director on the Association’s Board of Directors. He was elected in 2022 at the 106th PGA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, to represent the Michigan, Northern Ohio and Southern Ohio PGA Sections.

Parker is an acclaimed teacher and coach, having held leadership roles at several prestigious golf facilities, including PGA director of instruction at Firestone Country Club, Akron, OH, from 2006-2011; head golf professional at Wanakah Country Club in Buffalo, NY, from 2011-2015; and returning to Firestone as the head golf professional from 2015-2016 before serving as the director of golf at Portage Country Club from 2016-2022.

Parker, the former men’s golf coach at the University of Akron from 1999-2006, also served as the executive director of The First Tee of Akron from 2006-2011.

A decorated PGA of America Member, Parker was inducted into the Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame in 2023. He is a two-time recipient of the NOPGA Teacher of the Year Award (2009, 2011) and was named the Section’s PGA Professional Development Award winner in 2010. Parker served a two-year term as NOPGA president (2020-21) as well as vice president (2018-19) and secretary (2016-17).

He is a mainstay on Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in the State of Ohio and an accomplished player, highlighted by serving as a six-time Northern Ohio Cup Team Member and a five-time qualifier for the PGA Professional Championship.

His playing accolades began with the Ohio Junior Championship in 1985 and continue today with the 40th NOPGA Senior Professional Championship.

Other notable wins include the 2022 Senior Toledo Open, the 2017 Denny Shute Senior Match Play, the 1996 NOPGA Assistant Championship, as well as numerous stroke-play events. He is a five-time qualifier for the PGA Professional Championship and a three-time qualifier for the Senior PGA Professional Championship, including the 2024 edition at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, OR, this past September.

A 1990 graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor’s in Finance, Parker played on the men’s golf team and was a two-time All-MAC selection. He resides in Ohio with his family.

Images courtesy Portage Country Club, PGA Golf