West Allis, WI – The Wisconsin Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (WPGA) presents their class of 2024 Special Award recipients. This year’s group of award winners are being recognized for their expertise, leadership and performance in the golf business. Each of the eleven PGA Professionals exude enthusiasm for the game of golf and are dedicated to making it better. The recipients will formally receive their awards during the annual WPGA Special Awards Dinner held at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells on February 28. The Wisconsin PGA awards are supported by the Wisconsin Golf Sales Association and PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

“Once again our committee was blown away by the quality of applicants we received,” said Jeff Ellingson, former WPGA president and committee chair. “Every award was very competitive, with several deserving candidates in each category. This year’s class of winners is a perfect representation of what Wisconsin PGA Golf Professionals bring to the game day in and day out.”

Grabbing the top billing this year is Golf Professional of the Year Bill Graham, head PGA professional at Chenequa Country Club in Hartland. This is Graham’s second Golf Professional of the Year honor (2011) and his tenth WPGA Special Award.

“For me this award is the culmination of a professional rebirth of sorts,” Graham wrote after being informed of his selection. “Events of the past several years have made me question what my lifespan would be in our industry. This recognition has validated the decisions I have made to continue to do the work that I love.”

Bios for each professional will be posted as clickable links as they are released on social media over the course of the next 11 days.

About Bill Graham, PGA, 2024 Golf Professional of the Year 
Entering his 25th year as the head PGA professional at Chenequa Country Club, Bill Graham is once again being recognized with the highest honor bestowed on a WPGA Professional. The 53-year-old has racked up special awards since joining the section in 2000. In addition to his Golf Professional of the Year awards, he is a 3-time Bill Strausbaugh recipient, 2-time PGA Professional Development winner and 3-time Private Merchandiser of the Year.

The Bill Strausbaugh and PGA Professional Development honors are a testament to the fact that ten of his former assistant professionals have acquired head professional, director of golf or general manager roles at other facilities during his tenure.

His road to becoming one of the most respected PGA Professionals in the Wisconsin Section has featured a quick ascent and steady leadership since.

After graduating from Kansas State University, he decided journalism wasn’t in the cards and shifted gears into golf. His journey began as a PGA associate at Danville Country Club in the mid-1990s, then making his way to North Shore Country Club outside of Chicago just a few years later. After just one season at North Shore, Graham was elected to PGA membership in 1997. The tutelage of Head PGA Professional, Tim O’Neal, during his three years at the club, would provide invaluable experience. In 2000, the opportunity at Chenequa Country Club opened, after longtime Head PGA Professional Randy Robel retired. Since that point Graham has led the club to new heights.

The past four years have provided a new challenge though. In 2020, the game exploded, and the club became the place to be. The club staff was working more hours than ever, and demand was going up. It was a new challenge for Graham. How could he make the member experience better when his staff was already burnt out?

He convinced the board that it was time for the club to hire a teaching professional. In addition, there needed to be more staff, a better work-life balance and more compensation. With the changes came results. Lesson revenue has grown significantly, non-major event participation has become increasingly popular and members outside the “usual” diehards are using the club more than ever. Graham has even found time to be involved in projects at the club outside the day-to-day operations, such as a golf course renovation project, the redesign of the club logo, new member orientation and an overhaul of the club policies and procedures. It has been a busy stretch but very satisfying for Graham.

Throughout the years he has also been passionate about serving the Wisconsin Section and the PGA of America. On a local level he joined the Wisconsin Section board in 2006 and quickly assumed a role on the executive committee. In 2011, a two-year term as the Wisconsin Section President would begin. After wrapping up his presidency run in 2013, he would shift gears and go on to help the WPGA Junior Foundation as their president for three years.

As his section duties were winding down, he saw it as a perfect chance to get involved on a national level. In 2013, an appointment to the National Apprentice Committee would be the first exposure to governance of the PGA of America. After taking a step back to spend some more time at home, it was time once again to get involved late in 2020. A role on the PGA Membership Committee would be next. The past three years have been filled with changes to the Playing Ability Test guidelines, Professional Development Requirement continuing education system and several other important decisions. In addition, Graham was also appointed to a position on the PGA Board of Control in 2022, the judicial panel of the PGA of America. Only 37 PGA members have ever received this opportunity and he is just the second Wisconsin Section member to do so.

About the Wisconsin PGA Annual Awards Process
The Wisconsin PGA honors golf professionals annually. Professionals are nominated by fellow professionals for an award(s). After a professional is nominated, it is his or her choice as to whether to submit materials for consideration. Materials are generally due by early December. The materials are then reviewed by a different sub-committee for each award. The WPGA past president takes their feedback and finalists are determined. Once the finalists have been selected, their materials are forwarded on to the finalist committee made up of the district directors, independent directors and the WPGA executive director. The finalist committee votes on their top choice for each award. Once all the votes have been compiled, the winners are notified and then the information is released to the general public early in the calendar year. The winners are recognized for their accomplishment at the annual Spring Meeting Awards Dinner.

About the Wisconsin PGA
The Wisconsin Section is one of the 41 sections that comprise the regional entities of the PGA of America. Over 500 members and associates belong to the Wisconsin Section, stretching from areas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to almost the entire state of Wisconsin. Annually, the Wisconsin Section conducts over 40 professional events, operates their foundation – PGA Reach Wisconsin, and participates in several growth-of-the-game activities including PGA Junior League, Drive, Chip and Putt and PGA HOPE. Wisconsin PGA Office is located at 11350 W. Theo Trecker Way in West Allis, 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, participation and inclusion 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 on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.