As a one-time minor league baseball umpire, PGA of America Master Professional Don Rea Jr. knows calling balls and strikes in the World Series is the pinnacle of that profession. This year’s Fall Classic umpiring crew included Doug Evans and Andy Fletcher, who were part of a three-man crew with Rea in the Pacific Coast League years ago.
After watching a late-October game between the eventual champion Dodgers and the Yankees, Rea texted his former crewmates to congratulate them on reaching the highest level of their profession.
“I told Andy and Doug how great it was to see them on national TV in the World Series and said the only one missing on the field from our crew was me,” Rea says. “We joked about it a bit, and they said, ‘You might not be on the field with us, but it’s not like we’re about to become President of the PGA of America!’”
Days later, the 57-year-old Rea officially became the 44th PGA of America President at the 2024 PGA Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the occasion caused him to look at his unique career path from the baseball diamonds to the highest level of golf governance.
“In every profession we have our different journeys, and I was thinking about how being an umpire and being a PGA of America Golf Professional are actually pretty similar,” says Rea, the PGA of America Owner and Operator at Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. “Nobody loves baseball more than umpires, and nobody loves golf more than PGA of America Members. That’s because in both professions you’re really there to help players enjoy the game they love through your service. You’re doing everything for a love of the game and for the right reasons.”
Rea says umpiring across the country’s minor leagues could be considerably more contentious than his 25 years as a golf professional – including incidents of being spit on and even bitten by one manager. That prepared him for handling disagreements and uncomfortable situations on the golf course and as part of PGA of America governance.
“You see an umpire getting yelled at by a player or manager on TV, and they’ve been there hundreds of times before – they handle it because they just want to see the game played fairly,” Rea says. “I think it’s similar to what we go through as PGA of America Golf Professionals at our facilities and as Section or National Officers of the Association. Not everybody agrees with every call we make, but I hope everyone can see the love we have for the game and our desire to make sure that everything is fair, and that we handle difficult situations and keep the game going.”
Rea’s love of the game carried over from baseball to golf, and helped him quickly move from a 32-year-old outside golf staffer with little experience in the business to the owner and operator of a thriving public course that serves juniors, Veterans, avid golfers and beginners. Along the way, Rea helped Augusta Ranch find its identity as a pillar of the East Mesa community and a learning lab for other PGA of America Golf Professionals looking to elevate their own golf operations.
Joe Shershenovich, the longtime PGA of America Director of Golf at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the 1997 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities, has known Rea since he joined the ranks of Southwest PGA Section Members in 2001. He sees Augusta Ranch as a case study in how a golf facility can succeed while elevating its community.
“I send other PGA of America Professionals and Associates to Augusta Ranch as a model to learn from,” Shershenovich says. “It’s incredible what they’ve done as a par-61 course with a busy restaurant and a Toptracer Range. People want to see what Don’s done there, and how they’re always evolving – it was outstanding five years ago, and it’s even better now – with a strong group of PGA Professionals doing great things for golf.”
Rea and his business partner, longtime PGA of America Golf Professional Curt Hudek, have made Augusta Ranch a hub for community activity by hosting PGA Jr. League, PGA HOPE and other programming that brings out golfers of all skill levels from a variety of backgrounds. In looking back on how Augusta Ranch has been transformed over the years, Rea points toward his baseball background – and the approach he plans to take as PGA of America President.
“As an umpire, a call is over as soon as the play is over. If you miss one, you move on to the next one – same as golf, where you try to follow a bad shot with a good one,” Rea says. “As the manager of a business I take the same strategy of doing your best, dealing with the outcome and moving on.
“I think it’s an advantage that I come from outside of some of the golf paradigms – I have a freedom and a different way of looking at things, and my minor league baseball days exposed me to a lot of ideas to get people to enjoy their time at the ballpark in non-traditional ways. I bring that desire to make golf contagious and entertaining, and to treat golfers as fans of the game.”
“Working with PGA of America Vice President Nathan Charnes, Secretary Eric Eshleman – and with a new CEO on the horizon – Rea plans to make the most of his two years as President.”
“I’m hoping in two years when I’m at the end of my presidency, we will have made some changes that will really benefit the PGA of America Member and continue to mentor and promote our golf professionals in ways that will have an impact for decades,” Rea says.
“And I want to make sure that golfers, business leaders and elected officials continue learning what the PGA of America is all about. We’re not the PGA TOUR, where people play for millions of dollars. We’re the PGA of America, where we get millions of people to play. We’re small business owners, men and women dedicated to growing the sport and spreading the seeds of our love of the game.”