Stafford, VA – John Lyberger, the Head PGA Professional at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland has been selected by the Middle Atlantic PGA as their 2015 PGA Professional of the Year. This is the highest honor given to an MAPGA Professional and bestows special recognition for overall performance as a PGA Professional, leadership, service, and promotion of the game of golf. Lyberger will be recognized in front of his family, friends, and peers at the annual MAPGA Hall of Fame and Awards banquet on Saturday March 14, 2015 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland
John D. Lyberger, PGA is the consummate professional dedicated to the PGA mission. His integrity, energy and demeanor have built a lasting reputation that has won him unequivocal respect from his peers in the industry, as well as at the prestigious Congressional Country Club. Not only has he been active in several MAPGA Committees, John serves as the Director at Large on the Board of Directors.
John grew up in a golfing family. John’s parents, Jack (now deceased) and Dolores, were avid golfers and members at Windber Country Club in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Jack and Dolores introduced John and his three sisters Pam, Jill, and Amy to the game of golf at a very young age. When John was 16, Dick “Rocket” Roberge, PGA Professional at Windber Country Club Dick Roberge left for another position and the club management asked John to run the golf shop for the season. It was an extraordinary experience setting up tournaments, collecting scores for handicaps, fixing broken golf carts, filling soda machines, and ordering and selling shop merchandise. It was after that experience that John decided to pursue a career in golf.
John was selected by Congressional Country Club as their Head PGA Professional in January of 1996. In 1999, he was named PGA Director of Golf. Under John’s leadership, Congressional Country Club has hosted successful PGA Tour events and 2 U.S. Open Championships. Congressional’s golf shop has received the “America’s 100 Best Golf Shops” award every year since 1998. John was awarded Golfweek’s “Top 40 Influential People in the Golf Industry Under the Age of 40” in 2004, and he was the youngest professional, at age 31, to ever host a U.S. Open in 1997. John has also been recognized as the Middle Atlantic PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year in both 1999 and 2007. In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious National PGA Merchandiser of the Year and in 2009, John was named the PING Fitter of the Year.
His service to the Section has also been a priority since becoming a PGA Member. John currently serves on the MAPGA Sponsorship Committee and has been very influential with the Section’s great success with sponsorships the past several years. His service to the Section also includes serving the Board of Directors as the Director at Large, serving on the Club Relations and Employment Committee from 2003-2004, and serving on the Membership Committee for five years until 1997.
Outside of the Section, under the recommendation of Michael Leemhuis, PGA, former GM/CEO of Congressional Country Club, and encouragement of Jim Singerling, former CEO of CMAA John joined the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) in 2002. After completing the required certification process, John sat for the exam and successfully completed the requirements to achieve his certified Club Management (CCM) status in 2011. At that time, John was one of the 10 PGA Member CCMs in the world.
John has strived to be well rounded in all areas of the profession and is known for his leadership abilities and inspiring and growing the game of golf. His leadership skills are on display every day as the Director of Golf. John is responsible for 113 employees including 10 PGA professionals, six PGM interns, 37 outside staff, 52 caddies, and eight support staff. John’s motto is “Inspect what you Expect,” and leads by example. He inspires fellow golf professionals through encouragement and believes in training, empowering and providing opportunities for his fellow golf professionals. John takes great pride in having 11 former assistant professionals that have become PGA Head Professionals.
One of the major avenues John uses to grow the game of golf is through the Middle Atlantic PGA College Golf Seminar. John advocated for the creation of the College Golf Seminar to provide information to juniors and their parents that helps them to navigate playing college golf and exploring scholarship opportunities. This forum provides attendees a chance to meet and enjoy breakout sessions with Division I, II, III coaches. Congressional Country Club has hosted the event for the last four years and upwards of 200 people attend the event each year.
John believes that self-discipline is the foundation on which professional success is rooted and sound personal relationships launched. John constantly learns new skills and is always looking to maximize his potential and inspire those around him. His patience and ability to communicate with Club members is unparalleled and has earned him great respect. As in life, his golf philosophy is simple; keep everything in perspective.
About the Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA of America
The Middle Atlantic Section of the PGA (MAPGA), located in Stafford, Virginia, is one of 41 Sections of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA), headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As a part of The PGA since 1925, the MAPGA consists of over 1,100 members and apprentices in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and small portions of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Together, the MAPGA golf professionals, volunteers and staff support the mission of The PGA to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game of golf and to contribute to the game’s growth by providing services to PGA Professionals and the golf industry.
Contact:
Stephanie Jennings, PGA
sjennings@pgahq.com
(540) 720-7420 ext. 116
