Rhett Evans will conclude his tenure as CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) effective Sept. 29, 2027, following nearly two decades of leadership and service to the association and the golf course management profession.
Evans will continue serving fully as CEO throughout the next 14 months, providing organizational leadership, strategic oversight and direction for the association’s ongoing initiatives, member programs and industry partnerships.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve this association, its members and the golf course management profession,” Evans says. “I care deeply about the GCSAA, the people within this organization and the golf industry as a whole. The GCSAA has an incredibly bright future, and because the association is operating from such a strong position today, this is the right time to begin a thoughtful and well-planned leadership transition.”
During his tenure, Evans helped guide GCSAA through a period of growth and expanded influence across the golf industry, including strengthened partnerships, enhanced advocacy efforts, increased member engagement, educational and career development initiatives, and continued leadership in environmental stewardship.
The transition timeline was developed collaboratively between Evans and the GCSAA Board of Directors to provide ample time for a thoughtful and strategic leadership succession process.
A bold new approach to sharing knowledge about golf coaching is scheduled for October, and all PGA of America Golf Coaches stand to benefit. The first-ever Play the Game Teaching & Coaching Presentation is set for Oct. 12-13 at Virginia Country Club (pictured) in Long Beach, California, giving coaches a chance to see their peers and subject matter experts providing high-level instruction in real time.
The event has been conceived and planned by the PGA of America’s new Play the Game Committee, and will include presentations from award-winning PGA of America Golf Coaches like Mark Blackburn, Michael Breed, Kevin Kirk, Dave Phillips, Susie Redman, Randy Smith and Play the Game Teaching & Coaching Presentation host Jamie Mulligan, the PGA CEO at Virginia Country Club.
The 2026 Play the Game Teaching & Coaching Presentation will be filmed and shared with all PGA of America Golf Professionals in early 2027. There are limited spaces available for PGA of America Golf Coaches who want to attend the event in person. For more information, log onto PGA.org and click the Events tab.
Playing on a sponsor’s exemption at the Dick’s Open in Endicott, New York, on June 26-28, PGA of America Golf Professional Michael Block finished T9 after a final-round push where he carded seven birdies in his first 17 holes. A triple bogey on the final hole prevented the Head Professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, from finishing with an even lower score at the tournament won by Dicky Pride.
