Northern Texas PGA Announces Ronny Glanton as Namesake For New Golf Park / Endowed Scholarships Added Also

FRISCO, TX – Last week, Northern Texas PGA Executive Director/CEO, Mark Harrison, surprised long-time NTPGA professional Ronny Glanton with the news of being honored as the namesake for the new NTPGA Golf Park in Frisco, Texas. It will be called “The Ronny” Golf Park. 

Harrison was joined by Glanton’s close friends Philip Bleakney, PGA head professional at Luna Vista GC in Dallas and Eric Oliver of Abilene. In addition, Jon Morgan of Austin was in attendance. Morgan and Mark Anthony of Dallas supported the NTPGA Foundation’s Capital Campaign and made this naming opportunity to recognize Glanton possible. Glanton and Morgan grew up together in Mineral Wells and have been lifelong friends since. 

Glanton has been the head professional at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas, since 1985. He served as President of the Northern Texas PGA Section two times, the only professional in the Section’s history to do so. The first being from 2006-2007 and the second from 2018-2019. The most notable accomplishment under Glanton’s leadership, in 2018, was the announcement of PGA Frisco and a new home for the Northern Texas PGA. Glanton was also honored by the PGA of America in 2020 with the National Golf Professional of the Year Award. Through his entire career Glanton has been a large proponent of junior golf.

“The Ronny” will be a two acre lighted synthetic turf golf park. It features two replica putting greens from the 18th greens of the East and West Courses of PGA Frisco (reduced in size), two chipping greens, a third practice putting green, an 18-hole putting course and a flex area with a playground and obstacle course specifically for kids. Programming will specifically target middle school age kids and younger. It will be mostly group-based instruction and development with an emphasis on fun, enjoyment and graduation opportunities. The purpose of the pavilion and “The Ronny” is to expand the NTPGA Foundation’s community outreach and growth of the game programs. “The Ronny” Golf Park will open in 2023 and will feature signage (attached) along with a quote from Jon Morgan and Mark Anthony as follows: 

“Leadership is all about relationships—connections made and friendships created. Like

friendship, true leadership means having integrity, and encouraging others to speak up and tell

their truth. When you do these things, the fine line between leadership and friendship is rendered invisible.

Ronny, thank you for your leadership over more than 30 years of dedicated service and

commitment to the Northern Texas PGA and the PGA of America. Your efforts were deservedly

celebrated upon being honored with the Association’s highest award in 2020 as the PGA of

America’s Golf Professional of the Year.

More importantly, thank you for your friendship. We are honored to name this golf park, ‘The

Ronny,’ where bonds like ours, and leaders like you, will be created again and again.” 

Along with “The Ronny” Golf Park, the new home of the NTPGA will boast two buildings. The 7,000-square-foot Dr. Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House and the 2,500-square-foot Randy Smith & Dr. Bill Blair Who’s Next Pavilion. 

In addition, thanks to support from Eric Oliver, it was announced the same evening that three new NTPGA scholarships would be awarded and also endowed. The new scholarships are named the Perry Arthur Scholarship, the Philip Bleakney Scholarship and the Ronny Glanton Scholarship. Arthur, Bleakney and Glanton were part owners of the Golf Club of Dallas along with Eric Oliver and Jon Morgan. The club was sold in 2020. 

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About the Northern Texas PGA

The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections of the PGA of America and its geographic territory includes the State of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Northern Texas PGA has approximately 900 PGA members and associates employed at more than 300 facilities.  The Northern Texas PGA has 17 full-time staff members and is currently headquartered in Dallas.

The Northern Texas PGA will be joining the PGA of America national office relocation to Frisco in the fall of 2022 with its own state-of-the-art headquarters on the PGA Frisco campus.

In addition to managing the day-to-day affairs of the Section, the Northern Texas PGA also operates a non-profit and charitable foundation that focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, internships and military & veterans.

About the Northern Texas PGA Foundation

Founded in 1983, the nationally acclaimed Northern Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization, was rebranded in 2019 as the Northern Texas PGA Foundation. The Northern Texas PGA Foundation focuses on five pillars: junior golf, college scholarships, inclusion, internships and military & veterans.

The Northern Texas PGA Foundation is governed by the Northern Texas PGA Board of Directors and is supported by the Northern Texas PGA Foundation Trustees.