Q&A: New PGA of America chief on what he most wants for the game

ORLANDO, Fla. — Among the recent wave of appointments at the top of the game: Derek Sprague, who last month was named the PGA of America’s CEO, replacing Seth Waugh.  

Sprague, who will oversee an organization that represents more than 30,000 PGA club professionals, knows a little something about his constituency’s needs, because he himself was a club pro — for 25 years at Malone Golf Club in his hometown in upstate New York. More recently, Sprague was the general manager at TPC Sawgrass, but in his new role, he says, he intends to lean heavily on his club-pro roots.

Earlier this week, Sprague, 57, sat down with GOLF.com at the PGA Merchandise Show to discuss his new post, his start in golf and some of the weighty questions hanging over the game and his organization.  

GOLF.com: What kind of reaction have you received from your fellow PGA pros since taking the job?

Sprague: The first thing I get from pros here is, “I’m really happy for you.” The second thing is, “I’m really happy for us.” The third thing I’m getting is, “How can I help you?”

Several pros, both publicly and privately, have expressed displeasure with what they see as a disconnect between PGA of America leadership and the rank-and-file pros. As a former head pro yourself, how can you help with this?

DS: I want them to know they have a CEO that knows exactly what they’ve going through in their careers and their PGA journey. I’m just continuing my PGA journey, but it started in the back room, in the golf shop, then working on the lesson tee and administering tournaments. I’ve worn all the hats in my career, and now I’m wearing the CEO hat, so I can empathize with all those assistants and all those golf professionals in our organization.

Golf.com: Do you think your fellow pros will feel comfortable picking up the phone and calling you?

A lot of people have my cellphone number from when I was in New York and New Jersey and Florida, and they haven’t waited until I officially took the job to call. They have been filling my phone up with ideas and putting a bug in my ear.

I understand you’ve been giving out special silver coins to members and pros in the organization. For what purpose?

That idea actually came from new PGA [of America] President Don Rea who commissioned a coin with a picture of the PGA of America national headquarters in Frisco, Texas. On one side it says, “We Love this Game.” On the back, there’s a Hawaiian saying, which loosely translated [means], “Serve the Member, Grow the Game.”

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What does that phrase mean to you?

I guess it’s being one, you know, one PGA, we’re in this together. The military has this sort of secret handshake where they put the coin in their hand and sort of say, “Hey, we’re the real deal. We’re in this together.” We give it out to pros or at college speeches or people who are interested in saying we’re all in this together. We can accomplish more together than apart.

How did you get started in golf?

I served 27 years at Malone CC in upstate New York, a very small club near the Canadian border where I started in the bag room. After graduating from college, I was hired as head professional and club manager at age 21. Then I spent two years at Liberty National [in Jersey City, N.J.]. I ran a Presidents Cup there before moving to TPC Sawgrass, in Ponte Verde, Fla., where I oversaw several Players Championships.

What did you learn from those jobs?

When I was in Malone, we were always one of smallest PGA sections in the country, and then I moved to Liberty National where the section was a little bigger, and then to North Florida, one of the largest sections in the country. I know about the little guy, and that’s one of the things I expressed at the executive directors’ dinner — we all have to work together in the game.

Is the job of “golf pro” better, worse or about the same as when you got your start?

I think it’s much better. One of the things is we all love golf, but when I started, we worked sunup to sundown. When you’re in the Northeast, it’s basically sunup to sundown from opening day to Columbus Day. But you did it because you loved the industry, you loved the game, you did what it took.

But today things have changed, and employers realize the value of a PGA professional. The compensation is at an all-time high; it’s never been higher in our organization. And that’s going to continue to escalate because employers see the value of well-trained PGA professionals at their facilities and many of the pros have more of a work-life balance. But we’re still addicted to the game.

Which golf leaders do you have relationships with?

I know [Augusta National chairman] Fred Ridley from my work with the Drive, Chip and Putt project with him. I worked with USGA executive director Mike Whan to form the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship when he was with the LPGA. And I’ve worked with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

And you’ve played golf with President Donald Trump, correct?

Yes, I played with President Trump twice when I was PGA of America President: once at [Trump] Bedminster [in New Jersey], and once in Los Angeles.

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How did it go?

Nobody beats the President, I know that. But he really appreciates PGA pros, employs a lot of them and is a huge fan of golf, which can be a big help.

A big help in what way? Might he be useful in the ongoing PGA Tour-PIF negotiations?

Well, I think you got all this new leadership coming into the game that is going to take a fresh look at the golf industry, and it’s in our best interest in all things to work together to grow the game.

What do you see as the PGA of America’s role in the overall game these days?

I think we have a huge role in the game. When you look at it, the PGA of America has 40 percent of the championship calendar, and three of the largest events of the golf calendar [the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA], so we have a large impact.

Speaking of the Ryder Cup, the PGA of America took heat when it priced single-day Ryder Cup tickets at $750 or more for this fall’s event at Bethpage Black, almost double the previous rate. What did you take from the public response?

I think golf pros and golf people realized that golf is more popular than ever, and every tee time and ticket is valuable. I think they will adjust to that. Tickets on the secondary market are much higher.

Several people at the PGA Show this week have noted the recreational game has never been better or more popular, but the professional game is at a concerning crossroads, if not flat-out in trouble. Given your work extends across both sides of the game, what can the PGA of America do to help solve that?

We all want unity in this sport. We all want unity, and we want to grow the game. Growing the game benefits all stakeholders. If golf is growing, our manufacturers are inventing new products to sell to consumers, and consumers are looking for those new products. I guess it’s a win-win if we can all come together and have that unity.

But how specifically can you help achieve that?

As you know, we are now allowing LIV golfers to play on our Ryder Cup team, so that is something moving forward. There is the proposed ball rollback, which is being studied. [Ed note: Sprague has said he opposes the rollback, which is set to go into effect for professionals and elite amateurs in 2028.] That’s why I mentioned the new leadership coming up. We can have new people take a look at the sport and come with some new ideas which haven’t been used before.

You mean ideas like Topgolf or the new TGL simulator league?

Absolutely. I’ve only seen 10 minutes of TGL on my phone since it started, but it looks very good for growing the game and will continue to. Seth Waugh always mentioned Topgolf — where people are having birthday parties and social outlets, and we can work to transition those people to lessons from PGA coaches to 9 or 18 holes of golf to green grass courses. There are a lot of ways to grow our sport from the grassroots. That is something with my background in golf I can really focus on.