Every PGA of America Golf Professional has a unique journey, and Katie Bakken’s path to becoming the Director of Instruction at Brookview Golf Academy in Golden Valley, Minnesota, includes some notable twists. Bakken recently wrote a first-person piece for SI.com on the various pivotal moments she’s experienced as a second-generation PGA of America Golf Professional. One of the experiences Bakken recounts in the story involves the first time she ever caddied for another player – in an LPGA Tour event as a teenager, wearing ballet flats, no less. Despite a lack of experience and preparation, Bakken’s time on the bag inspired her to pursue professional golf. That led to a second pivotal moment, when she decided to transfer home from the University of California to the University of Minnesota on the advice of her roommate, Anne Walker, who has gone on to become the much-celebrated women’s golf coach at Stanford, which recently won another NCAA Championship.
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Speaking of PGA of America Golf Professionals who like to write, Chris Rowe continues to follow his passion for the written word with the publication of his sixth book, “The Collection.” Rowe, the Director of Golf at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas, is an expert storyteller – and what golf professional hasn’t heard some outrageous and interesting stories in the clubhouse or on the lesson tee? Rowe has shared plenty of them in previous books like “Bartenders, Preachers and Golf Pros” and “Golf Shops, Coffee Shops and Barber Shops,” which run the gamut from inspirational to flat-out hilarious. “The Collection”– available now on Amazon – is exactly that, a look back at Rowe’s previous books and his career as a whole, full of his favorite stories that have special meaning to him. Having just been named 2026 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities, expect to hear a few of these stories when Rowe is recognized at the 2026 PGA of America Annual Meeting in November.
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National Golf Day has be come a valued tradition for the golf industry as a way of lobbying and reinforcing relationships with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. National Golf Foundation CEO Jay Karen recently wrote a story for The First Call about his experience at this year’s National Golf Day, held May 5–7. Karen writes about being one of hundreds of golf industry members – including many PGA of America Golf Professionals – who represented the American Golf Industry Coalition in the nation’s capital. The group conducted more than 250 meetings with members of Congress and other staffers to educate them on the size and impact of the golf industry in the U.S. He reports that the main legislative priorities discussed with lawmakers included the PAR Act to correct outdated language that places golf facilities side by side with businesses like gambling parlors and racetracks, as well as the PHIT Act to use pre-tax savings and FSA dollars on activities like golf. Attendees also did community service projects on the National Mall and at Old Soldiers’ Home Golf Course, bringing service and advocacy together. “This is democracy. This is citizenship,” writes Karen. “And frankly, it made me proud – not only of the golf industry, but of the country itself.”
link: https://bit.ly/4dU3VLb
The growing trend of sporting events offering all-inclusive food & beverage with the price of event admission was recently highlighted in a Sports Business Journal story – and the PGA of America was the first example cited in the piece. The story starts by explaining how the 200,000 patrons at Aronimink Golf Club for the 2026 PGA Championship in May were entitled to food and non-alcoholic beverages, then shares how fan experience scores for PGA of America spectator events have climbed from the low 70s to 96 last year, with inclusive food & beverage cited as a key factor. The story looks at all the positives and potential minuses of offering such a package, from the cost certainty and satisfaction reported by fans to the long-term cost considerations and short-term staffing and food-preparation challenges posed by these plans. PGA of America Director of Championship Operations Brandon Haney is quoted in the story, and the Association is portrayed as being ahead of an important curve in spectator sports experiences.
link: https://bit.ly/43bQCPS
