By Fred Altvater
Renee Powell
Renee Powell grew up on her father’s golf course, Clearview, in East Canton. She played collegiately at both Ohio and Ohio State Universities, before turning professional.
She grew up in a time when women of color were not accepted in the country clubs and junior golf programs, but with the help of her father, she learned the game and was the second African-American Woman to compete on the LPGA Tour.
Renee competed in over 250 LPGA Tour events before returning to Clearview as Head Professional and now she owns, operates and teaches at the course.
She has received numerous awards for her service to the golf industry and is most proud of her work teaching the game to women, young girls and veterans.
Renee was one of the first women to gain membership into The Royal & Ancient and she continues to work to make golf more diverse and inclusive. In 2022, she received the Charlie Sifford Award from the World Golf Hall of Fame for those efforts.
Robb Schulze
The Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA) appointed Robb Schulze as their CEO in 2015.
Prior to his role with NOGA, he was the Head Golf Professional at Acacia Country Club for over ten years and worked closely with NOGA, hosting numerous events. He works tirelessly with the USGA for the benefit of the 45 member clubs and 8,500 members.
In addition, NOGA maintains GHIN handicap service to more than 22,000 golfers at 140 public and private clubs. NOGA Charities & Foundation conducts the Return To Golf® program, whose mission is to serve the physically disabled adults and children at the Wharton Golf Center at North Olmsted Golf Club through the innovative combination of rehabilitation-based golf fitness and recreational therapy.
Matt Lefferts
Matt Lefferts became the Executive Director of the Ohio Golf Association (OGA) in 2020 and has been involved with golf his entire life. His father was an active golfer and taught him the game, while still very young. Before he became the Executive Director of OGA, he was OGA’s Rules Director for tournament play.
He began working in the golf industry as a teenager and worked former OGA Executive Director, Jim Popa for over 22 years. When Popa retired, Lefferts, who had been serving as the Executive Director of the Columbus Golf Association, was named the Executive Director of the OGA.
The OGA conducts five championships annually, the Junior Championship, Mid-Amateur Championship, Amateur Championship, Senior Amateur and Two Man Best Ball.
As an Allied Partner of the USGA, the OGA conducts USGA National Championship Qualifiers and maintains GHIN handicaps for their 187 member clubs and thousands of Ohio golfers.
Steve Jurrick
Steve Jurrick was the first full time staff member hired by the Miami Valley Golf Association (MVGA) in 1997. Under his leadership the association has increased the services and tournaments available to members, plus added the Dayton District Women’s Golf Association and Dayton Senior Golf Association under the MVGA umbrella.
Steve had a strong background in golf management before coming to MVGA. He served as Head Professional at Glenview Golf Course in Cincinnati from 1995-1997, and Woodland and Dunham Golf Courses, from 1990-1995. Prior to his Head Professional duties, Steve spent time as an Assistant Professional at Spring Lake Golf Club on the New Jersey coast, and at Manatee Cove Golf Club on the east coast of Florida.
He has also served as President of the Southern Ohio PGA (SOPGA), received the SOPGA Horton Smith Award for Education and in 2017 and was inducted in to the SOPGA Hall of Fame.
Alan Fadel
Alan Fadel is currently the President of the Board of Directors for the Ohio Golf Association (OGA). A longtime member of Inverness Club, he was club champion 11 times. He won the 1995 Ohio Amateur, participated in numerous USGA national events and was the stroke-play medalist at the 2014 U.S. Senior Amateur.
Always looking for ways to improve amateur golf, he helped found the Amateur Golf Alliance to conduct high-level amateur events and provide financial help to worthy amateur golfers, in their efforts to make the Walker and Curtis Cup Teams.
Jack Nicklaus
What more can be said about the ‘Golden Bear?’ He is one of the greatest golfers to have ever lived. With 18 major championships and a successful golf design business, he along with his wife have raised millions of dollars for children’s hospitals both in Columbus, Ohio, and Southeastern Florida.
His Muirfield Village Golf Club is recognized as one of the best in the country and annually hosts the best golfers in the world for The Memorial Tournament.
Jack seems to be always giving his time to a worthy cause within Ohio and the Muirfield development in Dublin has had an enormous positive financial effect on the economy of the entire area.
David Griffith
David Griffith was the Tournament Director for the Northern Ohio PGA (NOPGA) for 20 years. It was only natural that when longtime NOPGA Executive Director, Dominic Antenucci retired in 2020, Griffith was named to take his place
As the Executive Director of the NOPGA Griffith manages the NOPGA Section’s operations, programs and services. He along with his Board of Directors help define and guide the PGA’s vision for growing the game throughout Northern Ohio as well as supporting its more than 450 members.
Patrick Salva
Patrick Salva has served as the Executive Director of the Southern Ohio Section of PGA (SOPGA), since 2020. He returned to Ohio after holding various roles within the Colorado PGA for 12 years.
He is an Ohio native, growing up in Fredricktown and receiving both his undergraduate degree in Sports Management, plus a Masters in Sports Administration from Ohio University.
His duties with the SOPGA include, tournament management, support for PGA members, plus overseeing PGA Reach, PGA Hope, PGA Jr. League and PGA Works within Southern Ohio.
Todd Johnson
Todd Johnson was the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association’s (GCGA) Tournament Director for 11 years before becoming the Executive Director, in 2014.
Under his leadership the association has grown and continued to improve tournament scoring and member services.
The GCGA was founded in 1905, conducts a complete tournament schedule, provides course ratings and works with the USGA to provide the GHIN handicap system to its membership.
When he is not involved with GCGA, Todd is the Head Coach for the Lebanon Warrior’s Golf Team.
Dan Sullivan
Dan Sullivan has been the Managing Partner of HNS Sports Group for over 20 years. HNS is a Golf marketing company which focuses on event management, sponsorship representation and hospitality management.
HNS works with the Memorial Tournament, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour Champions’ Ally Challenge.
HNS currently provides total management services for golf tournaments including, vendors, permits and placement of temporary structures, tents, bleachers, electrical and signage, for over 13 golf events around the country.
Judd Silverman
Judd Silverman is responsible for bringing the LPGA to Toledo in 1984 for what was then the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. Since that time, it has become one of the mainstays on the LPGA Tour, plus has generated over $10 million for Toledo-area children’s charities.
Silverman was also the person that created the coalition between the Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan business communities to raise the necessary funding from sponsors to lure the LPGA to bring the 2021 Solheim Cup to the Inverness Club in Toledo.
Michael Hurzdan
Michael Hurzdan is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, who served in the Green Berets. His passion for golf and design earned him the distinction as one of the top golf course architects in the country.
His courses have hosted major championships and he served as President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. In recognition of his efforts, he received the three highest honors awarded to golf course architects, the Old Tom Morris Award, the Donald Ross Award and Don A. Rossi Award. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Robert Trent Jones Sr, Rees Jones and Pete Dye are the only other course designers that have received all three awards.
Editor’s Note:
Golf in Ohio requires many hundreds of volunteers and professionals to assure it continues to thrive around the state. We apologize to those we have omitted and promise to try to do better in future issues.
