January 15, 2026
Dear Pennsylvania Golfers,
Greetings to all of you as we begin 2026. I am honored to serve as the 107th President of the Pennsylvania Golf Association. I grew up in north central Pennsylvania in the 1960’s in an area and time providing very few competitive opportunities in championship golf.
It was during that period I discovered the Pennsylvania Golf Association and eventually played in my first Pennsylvania Amateur in 1970 at Sunnybrook. I was so impressed with the initial experience of competing in such a well-run event I played more events in the years following and Pennsylvania Golf has just gotten better.
Today, we conduct 15 championships and several qualifiers across the commonwealth at many of the best venues in Pennsylvania. What makes this possible is the dedication of our executive committee, staff and volunteers. It’s these volunteers that make each championship a special experience and we need more of them. If you are not playing in an event, we encourage you to give back to the game we all love and step in to volunteer.
The season is close and our 2026 Schedule has been published on our web site. The first entry opportunities of the new season, the Senior Open and the George Dressler Memorial, open on February 9th, the day after Super Bowl LX.
This schedule is highlighted by our Pennsylvania Amateur and Open championships which will be contested on two incredible golf courses, the iconic Oakmont Country Club and Laurel Valley Country Club, respectively. For our women’s Amateur, one of the Philadelphia area’s gems, Gulph Mills Golf Club, will be the stage. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Hopefully, another highlight you will notice is our enhanced communication efforts toward our players and volunteers, both directly and through social media, including Instagram, Facebook and our web site at pagolf.org. In addition to robust coverage of our championships you will see features about some of Pennsylvania’s legendary players and courses. Our 118 years are full of tradition and history.
The USGA has included an exemption into the junior national championship to our Boy’s championship winner. This is in addition to exemptions already in place for the Men’s and Women’s Amateur and Girls’ junior champions. (Note: we have also opened an avenue for our junior championships to allow limited exceptions to the minimum age requirement of 14 for younger players who have demonstrated exceptional performance). In addition, the Pennsylvania Boy’s and Men’s Amateur champions will be invited to play in the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur.
We couldn’t be more excited about the 2026 season. The tremendous support from DICK’S Sporting Goods, the efforts of our staff and volunteers, led by Executive Director Jason Barkley, are who and what makes this happen. That, along with the support and generosity of our host clubs, is what makes every event special.
I, on behalf of the Executive Committee, look forward to seeing you on the course this summer.
Yours is Golf,
Jeff Ranck
