PGA of America to Induct Six into 2025 Hall of Fame Class

FRISCO, Texas (Sept. 8, 2025) – The PGA of America today announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class, honoring six inductees who through their lives, careers, service and support have made significant and enduring contributions to the Association in its mission to grow the game of golf.

The inductees are: PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA; Ronny Glanton, PGA; Jim McLean, PGA; JD Turner, PGA; LPGA Tour Legend Nancy Lopez; and PGA of America Honorary Member and adaptive trick-shot artist Dennis Walters. They will be inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame at the 109th PGA Annual Meeting during a special ceremony Wednesday November 5, 2025, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort.

The PGA of America Hall of Fame originated in 1940 at the suggestion of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. It is the highest honor the PGA of America can bestow upon its membership or ambassadors of the game. For a full list of PGA of America Hall of Fame members, click here.

“The PGA of America is honored to recognize our 2025 Hall of Fame Class and celebrate the incredible impact they have had throughout their careers, inspiring thousands both on and off the course,” said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr., PGA Owner/Operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club (Arizona). “Whether they have won Major Championships, given thousands of lessons or captivated audiences with trick shots, each PGA Hall of Fame Member has played an essential role in shaping the game of golf as we know it today.”

The 2025 PGA of America Hall of Fame Inductees fall under four induction categories: PGA of America Past President Category (Richerson); PGA of America Golf Professional Category (Glanton, McLean, Turner); Tour Player Professional Category (Lopez); and PGA of America Ambassador Category (Walters).

About the 2025 PGA of America Hall of Fame Inductees

PGA of America Past President Category

Jim Richerson, PGA
Southern California PGA Section

PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson has been the General Manager & Chief Operating Officer of The Riviera Country Club & The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, California, since 2021. Richerson was elected President at the 104th PGA Annual Meeting in 2020. During his tenure, the game of golf experienced record participation and growth, further elevating the role and stature of the PGA of America Golf Professional. When Richerson was elected Secretary as a member of the Wisconsin PGA Section in 2016, he became the first Wisconsin PGA Member to be elected as a National Officer. Before going to Riviera CC, Richerson was Senior Vice President of Operations for Troon, overseeing day-to-day management of Troon’s expanding portfolio, while serving 585-plus locations around the globe. Previously, he was Kohler Co.’s General Manager & Director of Golf for more than 11 years, overseeing the operations at Whistling Straits & Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin and The Duke’s Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Richerson spent the first 18 years of his career with the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Golf Corporation, holding management and executive positions at golf properties in six states. The recipient of the 2013 and 2016 Wisconsin PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award, the Section’s 2011 Professional Development Award and the 2012 Bill Strausbaugh Award, in 2024, Richerson captained the U.S. PGA Cup team to victory.

PGA of America Golf Professional Category

Ronny Glanton, PGA
Northern Texas PGA Section

Ronny Glanton, a native of Mineral Wells, Texas, began his career in 1981 as an Assistant Professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. Upon achieving PGA of America membership in 1984, he took over as Head Professional and has been at the Richardson facility ever since. Twice serving as President of the Northern Texas PGA Section (2006-07, ‘18-’19), Glanton played a key role in the PGA of America’s relocation to Frisco, Texas. He is a passionate advocate for junior golf, developing impactful programs like the Sherrill Park Learning Center and the Hawks Junior Golf Team, which have introduced thousands of new golfers to the game; his leadership in the creation of “The Ronny” Golf Park on the PGA Frisco campus further expands community outreach and player development. Among his previous awards are PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year (2020), NTPGA Golf Professional of the Year (1999, ‘07, ‘19), NTPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award (2003-05, ‘08, ‘14) and NTPGA Merchandiser of the Year (1994), plus induction into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. Glanton actively supports his colleagues, raising over $100,000 through pro-ams for PGA Members facing medical hardships. He’s also been a four-time contestant in the PGA Professional Championship, five-time contestant in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship and seven-time participant in the PGA TOUR Byron Nelson (now the CJ Cup Byron Nelson). Glanton is a three-time NTPGA Major Champion, six-time Senior Division Major Champion and a 17-time member of the NTPGA Joe Black Cup Team, which he has also captained three times.

Jim McLean, PGA
South Florida PGA Section

Jim McLean is one of the most influential PGA of America Golf Professionals in the world, recognized globally for his teaching excellence. In 1991, he founded the Jim McLean Golf School at Doral, which has grown into an internationally respected academy with locations across the U.S., Spain, Mexico and South Korea, and currently headquartered at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla. His schools have produced 420 certified teaching professionals, with more than 250 serving as Directors of Golf or Instruction. McLean has taught thousands of golfers, including over 100 PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour professionals, including Cristie Kerr, Keegan Bradley, Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen, Lexi Thompson, Gary Woodland and Bernhard Langer. McLean has written 15 golf books, a business book and contributed to Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Illustrated and Met Golfer. He has been a featured presenter at 12 PGA Teaching & Coaching Summits, spoke at three European Summits and has presented all over the world. He served 15 years on the National PGA Teaching and Education Committees. McLean’s contributions have been recognized at every level. In the Metropolitan Section, where he spent 19 years, he was named Teacher of the Year (1986), received the Professional Development Award (1987) and was inducted into the Met PGA Hall of Fame (2012). In the South Florida Section, he won Teacher of the Year twice (1996, ‘98), earned the Youth Player Development (2000) and Professional Development Awards (2001) and was inducted into the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame (2020). Nationally, he was named PGA of America Teacher of the Year (1994) and received the PGA Professional Development Award (2020). As a player, McLean qualified for the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open, and made the cut in the Masters. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Golf at Sunningdale, Quaker Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Tamarisk and Doral. Both of his sons, Matt (Wake Forest) and Jon (Oklahoma State), played college golf.

JD Turner
Kentucky PGA Section

John David “JD” Turner learned the game at a nine-hole golf course in Perry, Iowa.  He attended the University of Iowa, where he was the first recipient of the Herman Sani Golf Scholarship, the captain of the golf team and finished 4th in the All Big Ten Championship. He transferred to Graceland College and graduated in 1964 and began teaching high school history while coaching golf and basketball. A PGA of America Golf Professional since 1970, his competitive record comprises a combined 67 professional and amateur victories, including five Iowa Open Championships. He qualified for and competed in two U.S. Senior Opens. JD was named PGA Head Golf Professional at Lakeshore Golf & Country Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1972. He served as Nebraska Section President from 1977-79 and was the 1979 Nebraska PGA Player of the Year. In 1980, he was named Head Professional and Director of Golf at Des Moines Golf & Country Club, where he served for 14 years. He was key in bringing the 1999 U.S. Senior Open to the facility, which would later host the 2017 Solheim Cup, as well. As an instructor, Turner earned PGA Master Professional status in 1993, and in 1980 he began producing a series of seven instructional tapes designed for high school, college, library and deaf students, eventually used in 2,000 institutions. In 1984, he went on cable television, creating “The Iowa Golf Show” (later called “JD Turner Golf University”), which reached up to 1.2 million viewers. In 1994, he established the Turner Golf Group, which staged corporate golf outings and tournaments. Turner was a mainstay of Golf Magazine’s “Top Teachers” list, appearing from its inception in 1991 until 2012. A multi-award winning PGA of America Golf Professional, Turner was the Iowa PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year (1989) and Teacher & Coach of the Year (1986, ‘87, ‘88, ‘98). He was given the Iowa Golf Association Lifetime Achievement Award (1990) and inducted into the Iowa PGA Hall of Fame in 1995, the youngest inductee at that time. Turner is also a member of the Graceland Hall of Fame (1989).

Tour Professional Category

Nancy Lopez
LPGA Tour Professional

Introduced to the game by her father at eight years old, Lopez won the New Mexico Women’s Amateur at 12. In 1978, her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, Lopez won nine tournaments, including a record-setting five in a row. A LPGA Rookie of the Year, four-time Player of the Year, and a three-time Vare Trophy winner for lowest scoring average, Lopez is still the only woman to have won all three honors in the same season (1978). She won 48 times on the LPGA Tour, including three KPMG Women’s PGA Championships (1978, ‘85, ‘89). It took her just 10 years to earn entrance into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1987 at the age of 30. Among other accolades, Golf Magazine named Lopez the “Golfer of the Decade” for 1978-87; she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988; and after competing on the United States Solheim Cup team in 1990, she was captain of the team in 2005. Her company, “Nancy Lopez Golf,” was founded in 1998 and originally focused on golf apparel and is now dedicated to creating golf equipment for women. Additionally, Lopez created “Nancy Lopez Golf Adventures” in 2014 to help women learn the game and feel more comfortable on the golf course. Lopez is one of the most impactful and influential figures in the world of golf: She was named the First Lady of Golf by the PGA of America in 2002, and in 2008 and ‘09 served as spokesperson for the Association’s Women’s Golf Month. Lopez is also a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (2001) and the New Mexico High School Hall of Fame (2008).

Ambassador Category

Dennis Walters
Honorary PGA of America Member

Born in Neptune Township, New Jersey, World Golf Hall of Fame Member Dennis Walters fell in love with the game early and became one of the state’s top junior golfers. He finished 11th in the 1971 U.S. Amateur and after playing collegiate golf at North Texas State University, aimed for the PGA TOUR, reaching the finals of Q-School. His plans changed dramatically after a golf cart accident in 1974 left the 24-year-old paralyzed from the waist down. Showcasing the dedication and devotion that has marked his life ever since, Walters turned tragedy into inspiration and found a way to continue playing the game he loves at a high level while inspiring others to do the same. In 1975, he began playing from a custom-made swivel seat on his golf cart, beginning a career of inspiring all golfers, especially those with disabilities, and leading to recognition of a new category: Adaptive golf. Walters won the inaugural USGA Adaptive Open in the seated division in 2022. Two years later, he won the Florida Adaptive Open in the seated division shooting 74, one shot lower than his age. Since 1977, he has staged the world-famous one-hour trick-shot clinic, the “Dennis Walters Golf Show,” more than 3,000 times, traveling over 3.5 million miles and always accompanied by his co-star rescue dog. Walters was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2019; New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame ( 2019); received the USGA Bob Jones Award (2018); Neptune High School Hall of Fame (2016); South Florida PGA Section Hall of Fame (2010); PGA of America Distinguished Service Award (2008); University of North Texas Hall of Fame (2000); joined the likes of U.S. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford and 13 others as a PGA of America Honorary Member (1992); and received the Ben Hogan Award (1978).

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
Jesse Dodson, PGA of America, jdodson@pgahq.com
Jared Minski, Mastro Communications, jared@mastrocomm.com