Nathan Charnes Elected 45th President of the PGA of America

Delegates at 110th PGA Annual Meeting vote 
Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section Member Eric Eshleman as Vice President; 
Utah PGA Section Member Jared Barnes as Secretary

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / November 6, 2026 / PGA of America Golf Professional Nathan Charnes was elected as the 45th President of the PGA of America today at the Association’s 110th Annual Meeting. Charnes will serve a two-year term, representing the more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals.

A Member of the Gateway PGA Section, Charnes is the General Manager of WingHaven Country Club in O’Fallon, Mo.

Succeeding Charnes as Vice President is Eric Eshleman, PGA, the Director of Golf at the Country Club of Birmingham in Mountain Brook, Ala., and a member of the Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section.

Jared Barnes, Head Golf Professional at Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Cedar City, Utah, and a Member of the Utah PGA Section was elected the new PGA of America Secretary.

This year’s Annual Meeting was held at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

PGA of America President Nathan Charnes, PGA
PGA of America President Nathan Charnes, PGA, is a second-generation PGA Golf Professional from southern Indiana. He played college golf at the University of Evansville, graduating in 2001, then passed the Playing Ability Test (PAT) and became a PGA of America Member while spending a short period working in the Indiana and Kentucky sections.

In 2004, Charnes and his wife, Eva, moved to St. Louis, where he became PGA Head Professional at WingHaven Country Club, ascending to General Manager and Director of Golf in 2011.

For more than 20 years, Charnes has been involved extensively with the PGA of America, both locally and nationally. At the local level, he served as the Education Chairman for the Gateway PGA Section, which led to him serving on the Gateway PGA Board of Directors from 2011-18. He is also the first PGA Member from the Gateway Section to serve as President of the Association.

His national involvement grew when then-PGA of America President Allen Wronowski asked Charnes to join the National PGA Membership Committee, one of five national committees on which he has served. He was later elected to the PGA of America Board of Directors as District 7 Director (Gateway, Midwest and South Central PGA Sections), serving from 2019-21.

Charnes is a seven-time Gateway PGA Section Award recipient, including the Section’s

2012 and 2022 PGA Golf Professional of the Year. He played a critical role with the creation of the PGA of America REACH Foundation, which originated in the Gateway Section while Charnes was serving as an Officer; he was recently selected to serve as a Life Trustee for PGA REACH Gateway.

“Serving as President to represent more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals is an incredible honor and responsibility,” said Charnes. “Across our 41 Sections, our Members are the heart and soul of the game. Alongside our Officers and Board, my priority is to champion their expertise, expand career pathways and ensure they have the full support of our Association. By spotlighting their impact, we elevate not only the PGA of America globally, but our Members where it matters most-at their facilities, in their boardrooms and within their communities.”

For a full bio of PGA of America President Nathan Charnes, click here.

PGA of America Vice President Eric Eshleman, PGA
PGA of America Vice President Eric Eshleman is the PGA Director of Golf at the Country Club of Birmingham in Alabama, and a Member of the Alabama-NW Florida Section.

A PGA of America Member for nearly 30 years, Eshleman has held numerous leadership roles within the PGA of America, serving most recently as the District 3 Director (2021-24), overseeing the Alabama-NW Florida, Gulf States and Tennessee Sections. He served two-year terms as Secretary, Vice President, President and then Honorary President for the Alabama-NW PGA Section (2012-19).

In 2019, Eshleman received the national PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Award, the highest annual honor given to a PGA of America Member.

Well known as a teaching professional for students such as Graeme McDowell, Patton Kizzire, Paul Dunne and the 66th U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Eshleman was honored by the Alabama-NW Florida PGA Section on several occasions. He received the Section’s PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award (2010, ‘17), the Teacher of the Year Award (2000, ‘04), the Bill Strausbaugh Award (2011) and Youth Player Development Award (2014).

For a full bio of PGA of America Vice President Eric Eshleman, click here.

PGA of America Secretary Jared Barnes, PGA
PGA of America Secretary Jared Barnes is the PGA Head Golf Professional at Cedar Ridge Golf Course in Cedar City, Utah, and a longtime member of the Utah PGA Section.

A PGA of America Member for more than 25 years, Barnes has held several prominent leadership roles within the Association, serving most recently on the District 9 Director, representing the Colorado, Rocky Mountain and Utah Sections. Barnes’ leadership roles within the Association started in the Utah Section in 2006 when he was elected as Secretary. He served two-year terms as Secretary, Vice President, President and Honorary President for the Section.

Additionally, Barnes currently serves on the National Properties Committee. He also served on the Budget (2020-2024), Audit (2021-2024) and Education Committees (2020-2023), as well as the Communications and Public Relations Committee (2009-2012).

Barnes is a five-time award winner within the Utah Section, being honored with the Professional Development Award (2023), Player Development Award (2016), Bill Strausbaugh Award (2012 & 2007) and Golf Professional of the Year (2010).

Barnes competed for the Southern Utah University golf team from 1992-96 and graduated with an accounting degree. Prior to returning home to assume his current role as Head Golf Professional at Cedar Ridge Golf Course in 2013, he developed his professional experience at three facilities in northern Utah: serving as Assistant Golf Professional at Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy, and as PGA Head Golf Professional at both The Ranches Golf Club in Eagle Mountain and Glen Eagle Golf Course in Syracuse.

For a full bio of PGA of America Secretary Jared Barnes, click here.

Five new members of the PGA Board of Directors, including a new Independent Director, were also sworn in:

• District 2: Chris Kenney, PGA – The Patterson Club, Fairfield, Conn.PGA of America Sections: Metropolitan, New Jersey and Philadelphia
• District 4: Sean Dadey, PGA – Drumlins Country Club, Syracuse, N.Y.PGA of America Sections: Tri-State, Central New York and Western New York
• District 8: Aaron Krueger, PGA – Wakonda Club, Des Moines, IowaPGA of America Sections: Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska
• District 9: Ryan Troxel, PGA – Riverside Country Club, Sterling, Colo.PGA of America Sections: Colorado, Rocky Mountain and Utah
• At-Large Director: Marvol Barnard, PGA – Country Club of Green Valley, Green Valley, Ariz.
• Independent Director: Jeff Jones – Kansas City, Mo.
• Independent Director: Nina Kohler – Kohler Hospitality, Kohler, Wis.

About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events. For more information, visit PGA.com and follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Contacts
Nicole Mayberry, PGA of America, nmayberry@pgahq.com
Jared Minski, Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com

SOURCE: PGA of America

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