4735 Richmond Rd., Warrensville Heights, OH 44128
Email: nohio@pgahq.com Website: Northern Ohio Office: (216) 765-1214
Click here to view Northern Ohio PGA Section's Staff Listing
Click here to view Northern Ohio PGA Section's Board of Directors
••••••
Ridgewood Golf Course has been part of Parma, Ohio’s civic identity since July 4, 1925. Owned by the City of Parma—which formally purchased the property in 1969—the public course is stepping into its centennial with a thoroughly modern face: a new clubhouse and event center that respect history while serving today’s golfer and the broader community.
At the center of it all is David Chuba, PGA, who became Ridgewood’s General Manager in 2014 after a wide-ranging career that included Walnut Run, Fowler’s Mill, Hickory Heights, and The Links at Firestone Farms, along with a stint at Dick’s Sporting Goods. A native of Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, Chuba earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Allegheny College, initially planning on law school. His path accelerated early—he graduated high school at 16 and started college at 17—but golf had already taken hold long before that.
Chuba first picked up a club at 2½ years old, encouraged by a sports-minded father whose baseball career ended after being drafted into the Korean War. The game became a family thread, and Chuba developed into a standout player, becoming a two-time All-American at Allegheny. He earned his PGA membership in 1992 and is a balanced professional, equally comfortable with instruction and management. His first professional post was at Sharon Country Club (PA).
Today, the now 59-year-old Chuba makes an 84-mile each-way commute from Sharpsville to Parma. He is married to LeeAnn, and together they have three children—Stephen, Matthew, and Rebecca—and a granddaughter, Luna. Health challenges, including a quintuple heart attack five years ago, have sharpened his appreciation for the role Ridgewood plays in his life and in Parma’s civic fabric. As he puts it, “I think I was meant to be here.”
Ridgewood’s legacy is substantial. The course hosted the 1927 USGA Public Links Championship and counts rounds by Arnold Palmer, Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, and Ben Hogan among its lore. Chuba, a lifelong Palmer admirer, pursued—and received—direct confirmation from Palmer that he played Ridgewood while stationed in Cleveland with the Coast Guard. The two spoke briefly by phone; Palmer requested two Ridgewood flags to sign (one for Chuba, one for the course) and asked that the story be documented. It’s the sort of detail Chuba treasures, a thread that ties a civic course to the broader tapestry of American golf.
To ensure those stories endure, Ridgewood’s clubhouse monitors will present curated historical content—dates, images, and championship notes—so that every new visitor can connect with the course’s past.
After nearly a century of service, Ridgewood’s original clubhouse gave way to a new $12.3 million, 11,400-square-foot facility designed for golfers and non-golfers alike. The complex includes:
An event center with seating for 180+ and flexible partitions for multiple gatherings
A bridal suite and country-club-style views of the golf course
Six simulator bays named for golf greats
The Flamingo Pub bar/lounge
Expansive patios, covered porches, and a porte-cochère for arrivals
A pace-of-play-friendly drive-thru snack barn near the turn
QR code ordering on holes 7, 8, and 9, so food is ready at the turn
Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter praised the project as perfectly scaled for the city—“the right porridge for Parma”—and city officials noted it was completed on time and under budget. Golf operations also benefited from a routing refinement that brings a signature finishing scene to the clubhouse while improving F&B access mid-round. The result is a public facility intentionally built as a year-round community hub—weddings, corporate events, simulator leagues, and civic celebrations all under one roof.
As Ridgewood turns 100 in 2025, the course is leaning into both heritage and access. Chuba’s own path mirrors Ridgewood’s resilience. When the chance to steward Ridgewood arrived, he returned to the heart of green-grass golf. Through it all, he’s sustained a daily commitment—168 miles round-trip—that reflects both vocation and affection.
Ridgewood’s renewal proves what can happen when a City-owned public course invests in the future while honoring the past. With a comprehensive set of amenities, a clear community mission, and a PGA Professional who never lost sight of why golf matters, Parma has reintroduced Ridgewood to the region—ready for its second century.
The Northern Ohio PGA Section advanced its mission to serve veterans through golf by hosting a PGA HOPE Instructor Training on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at Topgolf – Independence. Led by NOPGA section member Trevor Hazen, PGA, the event certified fifteen PGA Professionals as PGA HOPE Instructors, expanding the Section’s network of trained professionals equipped to deliver therapeutic and adaptive golf instruction to veterans.
PGA HOPE—Helping Our Patriots Everywhere—is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, using golf as a means of physical, mental, and social rehabilitation for military veterans. The Northern Ohio PGA currently operates 21 PGA HOPE programs, serving hundreds of participants across the region.
During the day-long training, instructors gained a comprehensive understanding of adaptive coaching techniques, program logistics, and the unique needs of veteran participants. Each attendee earned eight PDR credits and received the Northern Ohio PGA HOPE logo to display in their facilities, signifying their new certification and ongoing support of the veteran community.
Certified instructors are encouraged to remain engaged in 2026 by assisting with existing HOPE sessions—paid at $100 per instructional hour—hosting one-day “Play Days” or “Range Days” for HOPE graduates, or offering standing veteran discounts at their courses.
The following PGA Professionals earned certification through the training:ChatGPT said:
● Milton Carswell
● Todd Casabella
● Todd Ekstrand
● Barry Friedman
● Weston Lucas
● Austin Masturzo
● Zach McArthur
● Eric Oakes
● Garth Paul
● Daniel Priest
● Alan Rothstein
● Michael Starr
● Bryan Stone
● Matt Stroud
● Dan Wasinski
Through this training, the Northern Ohio PGA strengthened its base of dedicated instructors and reaffirmed its commitment to using golf as a pathway for healing, inclusion, and camaraderie. The impact of PGA HOPE continues to grow—one veteran, and one PGA Professional, at a time.
