Jack Barber, current president of the Indiana PGA Section and head professional at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, has developed a reputation as a leader. Whether servicing the members at Meridian Hills, assisting other PGA Members or Apprentices or serving his Association, Barber has followed his core belief that one leads by example through work ethic, integrity, people skills, and honesty. “On a day to day basis, I am cognizant that I am being observed by my staff,” says Barber, “as well as my members and fellow professionals, and it is imperative to exhibit the above traits at all times, even in the most difficult of circumstances.”

He developed a reputation among his peers as a leader and had greatly influenced all who have worked for and with him. He encourages those core beliefs in others, and through that Barber has influenced countless other PGA Members and Apprentices during his 24-year tenure at Meridian Hills. “Jack taught me to do things right the first time and has shown me how to take care of people,” said Todd Firestone, PGA Professional at Fort Wayne Country Club and a former assistant of Barber. “Nobody works harder than Jack,” added Ted Bishop, the Director of Golf at The Legends of Indiana and the current PGA of America Secretary. “I have observed Jack at work, and his members have a great deal of respect for him.” Nick Marucci, head golf professional at Tippecanoe Country Club and another former assistant under Barber said, “Jack is so well known for his service that even members at other clubs hold Jack in the highest regard.”

“I’ve seen Jack interact with his members, with amateur golfers from around the state and with his peers, and I can’t imagine a person representing the PGA Professional in a better way than Jack,” said Mike David, Executive Director of the Indiana Golf Office. “It’s an overused phrase, but Jack is truly the epitome of the PGA Professional.

That feeling was recently shared by the PGA of America Special Awards Committee as they selected Barber as the 2009 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. “This is the highest form of recognition that any PGA Professional can receive. There is no greater honor. It is the ultimate professional achievement,” explained Bishop. Barber, 59, is a 33-year member of The PGA of America and follows the late Don Padgett in 1961, as the second member of the Indiana PGA Section to be so honored.

When he’s not taking care of members or his family, or competing in Section events, Barber devotes his time to serving the game he has grown to love so much. As the current Indiana Section President, he has stepped up as a leader and motivated his fellow members. “Jack has taken the position (of Section President) to a higher level,” said Bishop, a former president himself. “He instructed his Board to do a phone survey that made the feel like somebody cared about their opinions. Then, he organized activities involving spouses and kids, which demonstrates to families there is a human side to the PGA. Jack just gets it.” At his first board meeting serving as the president, he began his term in a memorable way by calling on all of Indiana’s members to step of to the challenges of the job and represent the true golf professional. “The inspirational speech Jack prepared at the Spring Meeting had every ear in the room listening to his words of wisdom,” admired Firestone, who serves as Indiana Section Secretary. “He used a number of hats as his props and really hammered home the point of the many roles that the PGA Member is required to fill.”

“Jack brings a tremendous level of respect to the Indiana Section Board,” said David. “Not that we haven’t had that in the past but I think Jack brings a new level of enthusiasm to his position as Board president and I don’t think there is any doubt that his enthusiasm is contagious. We had several people say it was the best Section Meeting ever. I think that is a direct result of Jack’s enthusiasm and leadership abilities.”

During his tenure at Meridian Hills, Barber has often been asked to speak to various groups, and continues to use the “Hat” presentation Firestone refers to. “One of the things that excited me is the number of hats that PGA Professionals wear,” said Barber. “I brought a variety of hats and pulled them out one at a time and put them on my head while speaking about being a teacher, player, merchandiser, businessman, Rules official, accountant, etc. Of all the hats we wear, it is vitally important that I wear each of them very well.”

Another one of his many ‘hats’ is his devotion to growing the game through junior golf. The Indiana Golf Foundation, which exists to promote golf and its inherent life lessons to juniors throughout the state, has also benefited from Barber’s service as a board member, advocate and fundraiser. At Meridian Hills, he grew the junior program from 15 participants in the beginning to over 150.

All of his talents and efforts have been recognized over the years as Barber has been named the Section Merchandiser of the Year award three times, the 1993 Section Teacher of the Year, 1996 Golf Professional of the Year and the 2003 Bill Strausbaugh Award. Kentucky presented him with the 1981 Kentucky PGA Horton Smith Award and the 1985 Kentucky PGA Golf Professional of the Year. He also served as President of the Kentucky PGA board in 1984-85.

“Even with all of these honors, his legacy will be his mentorship of all the assistant golf professionals he has had over his 30 plus year career and the devotion he has had to helping over a dozen of them land head golf professional positions across the country,” said Marucci, one of those former assistants who is now in a head professional position.

While at Meridian Hills Country Club, Barber has mentored 20 assistant professionals and countless club personnel. Currently, nine of Barber’s former assistants are now PGA head professionals.

Kentucky is Barber’s home and where he originally developed a passion for the game at age 14. Playing golf until dark, putting under the lights of a car, Barber was unable to afford golf lessons. He gave up a dream to be a professional baseball player while he improved his golf skills and went on to help Russell High School finish runner-up in the 1968 Kentucky State High School Golf Championship. He went on to earn a golf scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University where he competed four years and graduated in 1972. During the summer, Barber competed in the U.S. Amateur and Western Amateur Championships.

Barber married his high school sweetheart, Becky Salyer, and began his professional career as a non-member head professional at nine-hole Ironton (Ohio) Country Club, where he handled all duties with the exception of greens keeper. In 1974, he received an invitation from a former Eastern Kentucky assistant coach turned PGA Professional, John Dunham, to serve from 1974-76 as an assistant at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis.

From there, Barber was hired at age 27, as the head professional at Lexington (Ky.) Country Club. One month on the job, Barber was faced with a career-challenging moment.

“One member of the club complained to a board member that they had hired a kid to do a man’s job,” said Barber. “I heard that and was more determined than ever to show that they had made the best decision. After one year, that member came to me and apologized. He became a close friend over the next eight years and one of my biggest supporters at the club.”

When the Meridian Hills CC post opened in late 1985, Barber was asked to submit an application one day before the application deadline. The following morning, Jack went to work as usual and his wife, Becky, made the three-hour drive from Lexington to Indianapolis to deliver her husband’s résumé. Barber was interviewed, hired, and began work on Jan. 1, 1986, where he has worked for the past 24 years.

“Becky is definitely the pillar of strength for our family,” said Barber. “The demanding job of golf professional requires long hours from me and unlimited patience and understanding from my wife. In my absence, she provided the strength and guidance for our two sons of whom I am most proud. My wife and sons have always been there supporting me every step of the way.”

Among Barber’s on-course successes include his winning the 1978 Kentucky State Open, and finishing runner-up in 1979; competing from 1979 to 1986 in the PGA Professional National Championship; competing from 1979 to 1986 in the PGA Professional National Championship; capturing the 1983 Kentucky PGA Match Play Championship and the 2002 Indiana Senior PGA Championship.

One case of interacting with his club personnel, Barber says, helped enrich his career. Two weeks after being hired, Barber took the lead in guiding a longtime club employee, 25 years his senior, out of alcoholism and into a rehabilitation program. That employee, the late John Pearsey, went on to turn his life around, earn a driver’s license, get married and build a savings account.

Barber gave the eulogy at Pearsey’s funeral and later established the John Pearsey Spring Tournament for women; renamed the men’s Hole-In-One Club in his friend’s honor and began a scholarship for a member of the bag room staff or deserving caddie who may not have qualified for the Evans Scholarship program.

“I was blessed to be in the position that I was to show compassion for others,” said Barber. “One of my concerns about the golf business is that we need to get back to the business of taking care of the people. We need to get out from behind the counter or from behind the desk and take care of golfers that have come to enjoy our facilities and our game. I stress how important that is to anyone I’ve hired. We can have such a tremendous influence on people’s lives.”

That lesson of going the extra mile to service his customers didn’t go unnoticed by Firestone. “It sounds simple but it has gotten me where I am today,” he said. “Jack taught me how to build relationships with people. That has gotten me to where I am today.”

Marucci has also seen Barber’s philosophy at work. “Jack Barber’s philosophy to becoming a great PGA Professional is simple – serve the members and guests you come in contact with and promote the game of golf enthusiastically.” Marucci added, “He takes pride in going above and beyond what is requested by a member.”

Jack and Becky live in Indianapolis, and are the parents of sons, Jason, 30, and Jesse, 27. Jason and his wife, Jenny Ann, are parents to Barber’s first granddaughter, Addisyn Brooke.

The PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award was established in 1955 to honor the working PGA Professional whose total contributions to the game best exemplify the complete PGA Professional. Barber will be recognized at The PGA of America Awards, Jan. 28, 2010, during the 57^th PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center’s Linda W. Chapin Auditorium in Orlando, Fla. The program also will honor the following recipients:

• Mike Bender of Lake Mary, Fla. - PGA Teacher of the Year
• Derek Hardy of Santa Ana, Calif. – PGA Horton Smith Award
• Dennis Satyshur of Timonium, Md. - Bill Strausbaugh Award
• Vikki Vanderpool of Murfreesboro, Tenn. - PGA Junior Golf Leader
• Kyle Heyen of Arvada, Colo. - PGA President’s Plaque
• PGA Merchandisers of the Year –

• Brian Morrison of Flossmoor, Ill. - Private Facilities
  
• Nevin Phillips of St. Thomas, V.I. - Public Facilities
  
• Caroline Basarab-Dennison of Hilton Head Island, S.C. - Resort Facilities

The PGA of America also will honor the recipients of two additional national awards, Nov. 14, at the 93^rd PGA Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, La.

• Andy Weissinger of Portsmouth, Va. – The Patriot Award
• The Midwest PGA Section – Herb Graffis Award

“Our 2009 award winners reflect the best of our Association,” said PGA of America President Jim Remy. “The recipients have each left an impact upon the game long before they were designated for this past year’s accomplishments. By their example in benefiting the lives of others, working with their members and inspiring both juniors and young professionals they have made us very proud to say that PGA Professionals are experts in the game and the business of golf.”