Pga of america golf professionals wear a variety of hats when it comes to some of the jobs they’re expected to fulfill on a regular basis. The lengthy list includes traditional duties such as coach, clubfitter, confidant, mentor, merchandiser, tournament organizer, Rules expert, personnel manager, marketing and advertising director, budgeting genius, accountant and many more.
No matter the time of year, they are often required to carry out dozens of different duties associated with golf operations on any given day. Scott Paris, the 2025 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year, checks all the boxes when it comes to the numerous roles PGA of America Professionals play, but he has also demonstrated three additional qualities that transcend the typical job responsibilities of a PGA Professional.
First, the 57-year-old Director of Golf at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey, has become a prolific problem-solver. Paris has developed a highly successful formula for identifying issues and devising effective solutions with the expertise of a high-level attorney mitigating a difficult case. His pursuit of “constant improvement” has given birth to numerous new programs, policies and operational breakthroughs at Plainfield and throughout the New Jersey PGA Section.
Second, Paris has mastered the art and science of turning potential personal and professional roadblocks into building blocks – turning negatives into positives and overcoming myriad personal and professional challenges to consistently turn lemons into lemonade, even when potentially devastating events materialize.
Third, Paris has become an efficient leader and unifying force at Plainfield Country Club and in the New Jersey PGA Section. He understands that a team rowing the boat in harmony will have more power and accomplish more than any individual when it comes to golf operations, Section matters and charitable fundraising efforts throughout the community and region.
If Paris sounds like the consummate PGA of America Golf Professional, he is. But his humility and businesslike approach to golf would never allow the former ski racer to admit such a thing. Paris’ management philosophy is simple.
“I believe in leaving things better than I found them and helping others while you do it,” confides Paris, the 2013 and 2017 New Jersey PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year and the national 2013 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities.
“By defining ideal outcomes and building consensus as a team, productivity and enjoyment can be elevated tremendously. With every team, board or organization I have been a part of, I repeatedly ask the same question: ‘What can we improve?’
“My upbringing and my career as a PGA Professional have been the two most impactful influences in the development of my leadership philosophy. I am always working to improve everything possible at Plainfield and in the New Jersey Section. If we identify a problem, we work together to solve that problem to create a better working environment for everyone involved.”
Stories Tell Tales of Success
There are a handful of short stories that shine a light into the character and problem-solving abilities of Paris, who in addition to his professional duties is raising three children with wife Rachel – son Jack and twins Kate and Will.
In August of 2018, Paris was playing in the Met Open Foundation Pro-Am with three Plainfield Country Club members at the Country Club of Fairfield in Connecticut. His group was waiting for the 18th green to clear when Paris spied a group of junior golfers decked out in matching red shirts on the adjacent practice grounds. When a volunteer told Paris the kids were from the First Tee of Bridgeport participating in a youth clinic, the light bulb went off in his head.
“I turned to my Plainfield members and said, ‘That is what we should do at the Plainfield West 9 (a nine-hole course owned and operated by Plainfield Country Club) – host a First Tee program for juniors,” recalls Paris. “One of the members I was with, Paul Zoidis, started researching the program to see if it was a possibility. When we took the idea to our membership, there were supporters and detractors, but we continued to pursue the possibility, realizing it would provide programs and playing opportunities for all of the youths in the area.”
Several months later, Plainfield Country Club became the first private club to establish a First Tee program on its grounds and the First Tee of Metropolitan New York at Plainfield was born.
“We are honored to have PGA Professional Bill Castner as the initial Program Director and Head Professional at the West 9,” assures Paris. “It has become a win-win for the First Tee participants and our surrounding communities.
“More than 15 years later, the First Tee program at Plainfield serves approximately 400 youths, ranging in age 5 to 17 from Edison, Elizabeth, Newark, Plainfield, South Plainfield and other surrounding communities. It truly impacts the lives of young people, particularly those in need, by providing golf classes and educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy life choices.”
