Congratulations to our PGA Jr. League #GameChanger Award Winners

Vincent Lopez • January 22, 2024

The Northern Texas PGA is proud to share that eight PGA members have been named PGA jr. League #GameChanger Player Engagement Award winners! The award recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to PGA Jr. League and serve as leaders in golf instruction and player development. Additionally, Charleton Dechert, PGA facilities manager at First Tee of Fort Worth, and Joey Anders, PGA instructor at Brookhaven Country Club were celebrated for having two of the top 10 largest programs in the country. 


Charleton serves as the PGA Jr. League Coordinator at First Tee of Fort Worth, an organization that focuses on introducing the game of golf to young people in the area. In 2023, he led the largest PGA Jr. League program in the nation for the second year in a row! 473 golfers participated in programming in 2023. That’s 109 more golfers than the second-largest program in the country. He continues to inspire and guide the next generation of golfers.

Joey’s work with PGA Jr. League in 2023 culminated with his team winning the 13u National Championship at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco and having a 17u team compete at their own national championship. His PGA Jr. League program at Brookhaven Country Club ranked ninth-largest in the country, and he has helped develop over 30 Division I collegiate golfers as an instructor. This year Joey and Brookhaven served 291 junior golfers!

The Sections additional six winners of the 2023 PGA Jr. League #GameChanger PLayer Engagement award include:


Cory Ryan, Crown Colony Country Club

Travis Lynch, Travis Lynch Golf at Trails of Frisco

Scott Robbins, Stewart Peninsula Golf Course

Cliff Mishler, Stonebridge Ranch

Chuck Higgins, Keeton Park Golf Course

Dave Baron, Timarron Country Club


Each of these Members is committed to growing the game through their work with junior golfers in North Texas. Their instruction is invaluable to hundreds of children getting started in the sport. These professionals are supporters of not only PGA Jr. League programming but also the Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour. The continued passion for youth golf displayed by each instructor makes them perfect recipients of the 2023 PGA Jr. League #Gamechanger Award.

By Erik Anderson • September 29, 2026
GREENVILLE, Texas (September 28) – For the second year in a row, Spencer Dillard, PGA director of golf at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, claimed the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks, taking home $25,000 for the win. Just like last year, it took Dillard two playoff holes to best runner-up Nick Paez, instructor at The Ronny Golf Park. Both players found the 440-yard, par 4, 9th green in two, but a costly three-putt from Paez from 35 feet led to Dillard finishing off a nervy three-foot putt for the win. Dillard also won with a par in last year’s event and has now taken home the victory in two out of three years in the event’s short history. “It’s pretty special, just the opportunity to play in the event. I just can’t thank Dr. Ransom enough for putting this on and all he does for us,” said Dillard. “Just being able to play is a huge deal and then lasting through the shootout is so tough, so it feels great to be here.” The players in the shootout were battling in what seemed to be a competition of who could continue to make birdies. “Nathan was 9-under through a 12-hole stretch today and still went out. There is so much talent in our Section, so you got to go win it,” said Dillard. Longtime Northern Texas PGA Foundation supporter Jerry J. Ransom welcomed 98 Northern Texas PGA Members and Associates to The Oaks Country Club for the third annual Shootout. The event was created to recognize the PGA Professionals across the Section who dedicate their time and energy to growing the game through the NTPGA Foundation’s initiatives. The event was developed by Ransom as a way to thank PGA Professionals across the Northern Texas Section while also providing exposure to The Oaks Country Club. The Oaks is a top-five nine-hole course in Texas according to the Dallas Morning News golf course rankings. The format for the event featured a 9-hole qualifier, with the top three finishers and one randomly selected participant moving on to the evening shootout. Nathan Park, instructor at Stonebriar Country Club, qualified first after finishing with an impressive 6-under-par, 30. Dillard was the next to advance, carding a 4-under-par, 32, and finally Paez at 3-under-par, 33, who won a six-for-one spot playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole in the playoff. Zack Vinson, PGA head professional at Athens Country Club, was the random drawing winner. The nine-hole Shootout portion of the event was played in three stages of three holes each, with one professional eliminated after every stage. After the first three holes, Vinson was eliminated and landed a prize of $2,500. The scores were then reset to even par, and the second three holes saw Nathan Park bow out, despite being 9-under-par through 15 holes. He played his final three holes in the shootout at even par. Still, he earned $7,500 for his efforts. The scores again reset to even par for the final three-hole segment, where Dillard and Paez battled it out for three holes, followed by two extra holes in the playoff.
By Erik Anderson • September 23, 2026
Woodson and Schaefer (a) Capture Senior Division
By Erik Anderson • September 16, 2026
Little Secures Senior Division
By Erik Anderson • August 25, 2026
Six qualify for Senior PGA Professional Championship