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GA of America Golf Professional Tom Beeler, the General Manager and Director of Golf at Youghiogheny Country Club in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and Steve Parker, the PGA of America Teaching Professional at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, have earned PGA Master Professional status, the highest education designation a PGA of America Golf Professional can obtain.
Beeler, a member of the Tri-State PGA Section, joins a special group as the 451st to earn PGA Master Professional status. He achieved his designation in Executive Management. Parker, a PGA of America Board of Director and member of the Northern Ohio PGA Section, is the 452nd PGA of America Member to earn Master Professional status. Parker achieved his designation in Teaching & Coaching.
“This is one of the greatest achievements of my life,” says Beeler. “It took a lot of work and a lot of time, but I’m happy that I am now a PGA Master Professional. I feel like I’m now a distinguished member of the PGA of America, which has been a big part of my life for almost 40 years.”
The PGA Master Professional Program is available to those with at least 10 years of PGA of America Membership, along with having achieved advanced certification through the PGA Specialized and Certified Professional Programs. The curriculum includes an extensive project based on the specific certification previously acquired by the PGA of America Golf Professional. PGA Master Professional status is earned upon successful completion of the project’s presentation.
A PGA of America Member for over 30 years, Beeler graduated from PGA Business Schools in 1992 and served as the Head Professional for several golf facilities surrounding Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, including Hidden Valley Resort, Timber Ridge Golf Course, Grand View Golf Club, Pheasant Ridge Golf Club and Grand View Golf Club. In 2012, he was promoted to General Manager of Grand View Golf Club in Braddock. In 2020, he was hired at Youghiogheny Country Club as the Head Professional and became the General Manager and Director of Golf the following year.
Beeler was awarded the Tri-State Section’s PGA Merchandiser of the Year (Resort) in 1993 while at Hidden Valley Resort and in 2013 while at Grand View Golf Club (Public). Additionally, he was named the Section’s Golf Professional of the Year in 2019.
Since 1991, Beeler has owned TJB Golf Entertainment, performing golf trick shot shows and clinics for groups from 20 to 800.
Meanwhile, Parker says, “It’s remarkable to join such an outstanding group of the best PGA of America Golf Professionals that our Association has to offer; I feel fortunate to be included.
“This isn’t the end of my learning, it’s a continuous path of education and I’m excited to be at this stage. Receiving this designation verifies that the hard work invested throughout my career has been worth it.”
A PGA of America Golf Professional for nearly 30 years, Parker currently serves as the District 5 Director on the Association’s Board of Directors. He was elected in 2022 at the 106th PGA Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, to represent the Michigan, Northern Ohio and Southern Ohio PGA Sections.
Parker is an acclaimed teacher and coach, having held leadership roles at several prestigious golf facilities, including: PGA Director of Instruction at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, from 2006–11; Head Golf Professional at Wanakah Country Club in Buffalo, New York, from 2011–15; and a return to Firestone as Head Golf Professional from 2015–16, before serving as the Director of Golf at Portage Country Club from 2016–22. The former Men’s Golf Coach at the University of Akron from 1999–2006, he also served as Executive Director of The First Tee of Akron from 2006–11.
A decorated PGA of America Member, Parker was inducted into the Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame in 2023. He is a mainstay on Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in the State of Ohio list, and is also an accomplished player, highlighted by serving as a six-time Northern Ohio Cup Team Member and a five-time qualifier for the PGA Professional Championship.
Parker is a three-time qualifier to the Senior PGA Professional Championship, including the 2024 edition at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon, this past September.