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Lincoln, NE – In one room, a filled ballroom on a December holiday night, the past, present and future of the Nebraska Section PGA celebrated their shared 100-year heritage.
Members of the new Nebraska PGA Hall of Fame mingled with students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Professional Golf Management program. Pros from western Nebraska engaged their counterparts from western Iowa.
All dressed to the nines (golf pun intended) on a red carpet entrance.
It was the gala of all galas, impressive to former Husker golfer Eric Eshleman, who as secretary of the PGA of America is in line to be the first PGA President to have ties to Nebraska.
Eshleman said his invitation from Nebraska PGA Executive Director David Honnens had been a little vague.
“He said, ‘We’re going to have a little party in celebration of our 100th,’ then I got here tonight and saw the red carpet and 500 people. He didn’t quite tell me that it was going to be quite the gala.
“This is, ‘Wow.’ What a special, special evening.”
During the three-hour dinner program Dec. 5 at the Hilton Omaha, Eshleman and Honnens spoke; the evening’s master of ceremonies, Greg Neujahr of Champions Run in Omaha, moderated a panel discussion with PGA of America at-large board member Dawn Neujahr, his wife, and Nebraska Section PGA president Mike Schuchart of Wilderness Ridge in Lincoln; and the six members of the new Hall of Fame were presented.
Dave Marr Jr., the nationally recognized television golf commentator, led sit-down interviews with the honorees or their representatives after they received introductions from PGA Life Member Don Germer.
Dawn Neujahr and Schuchart addressed the three phases of the section’s heritage.
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Lincoln, NE – As the Nebraska PGA wrapped up its Centennial season, it was fitting that the final Wilson Sporting Goods Game Ball of 2025 went to someone whose leadership helped define one of the most meaningful moments of the year.
Don Germer, PGA Life Member, was selected as the December recipient for his instrumental role as Chairman of the Nebraska PGA’s inaugural Hall of Fame Selection Committee. From helping establish the nominating and selection committees to guiding the criteria and process itself, Germer dedicated countless hours to ensure the Nebraska PGA Hall of Fame was launched with the integrity and significance it deserved.
“It was, of course, an honor to chair the Selection Committee,” Germer said. “I didn’t really know how our Hall of Fame would be received—truthfully, I don’t think anyone did. But after the Gala, it was such an emotional evening. Seeing what it meant to Jack Hoskins made it the coolest thing I’ve ever been a part of, and something I’ll never forget.”
That emotional impact was on full display at the 2025 Nebraska PGA Centennial Gala, held at the Omaha Hilton, where the inaugural class of six Nebraska PGA Members was officially inducted. Germer served as one of the emcees for the evening, welcoming each inductee to the stage and helping tell the story of their careers in front of a packed room of peers, family, and friends.
When asked why it was easy to say yes when Nebraska PGA Executive Director David Honnens asked him to lead the effort, Germer answered candidly—and with his trademark humor.
“Well, I love Honnens,” Germer said. “He’s a little goofy, and at first I really thought, ‘This guy hasn’t thought this through asking me to be part of something so important to the careers of Nebraska PGA professionals. But it worked out.”
Beyond the laughs, Germer’s motivation runs deep.
Lincoln, NE – By 2009, the NGA and Nebraska PGA formally united. That agreement solidified the infrastructure for future golf opportunities among more than 23,000 golfers in the Cornhusker State.
And you can forget about stereotyping a Midwestern, landlocked state with a short golf season. The nearly 350 PGA members in the Section are progressive, and that translates to opening doors to careers. Many have found indoor training programs to hone their skills during the frigid months.
Building a career in the classroom focuses on the University of Nebraska, one of 16 PGA Golf University Programs nationwide. When Nebraska entered the PGM roster in 2002, it was one of the smallest. This past fall, it was the largest in the country.
“It is not East Coast, West Coast, or Florida…it’s Nebraska,” said Nebraska PGA Executive Director David Honnens.
Today, more than 1,000 junior golfers annually compete in events across the Section. This past year, the Youth On Course program, managed by the NGA, had just over 6,000 members who played nearly 24,000 rounds.
“We are incredibly proud to see how junior golf has come in the past fifteen to twenty years,” said Honnens.
The NGA and Section work in harmony, and that’s essential in any multi-faceted enterprise in managing the calendar and the needs of junior golfers across the state.
“It makes sense to be a one-stop shop,” said Honnens. “What made the difference was having full-time people. Opportunities for kids began to grow.”
