Cedar City pro elected PGA secretary

Cedar City native and golf professional Jared Barnes has been elected secretary of PGA of America.

Barnes was elected by a vote of the organization’s 120 delegates this past Thursday during the PGA of America's 110th annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Cedar City News interviewed Barnes on Monday at Cedar Ridge Golf Course, where he has worked as the head golf professional for the past 12 years.

“It's exciting for our golf course, exciting for the community of Cedar City,” Barnes said, adding, “I'm grateful to my employers at Cedar City, who allow me the opportunity to not only work here and run our golf course, but to serve our association.”

Barnes’s election to secretary puts him on track to become PGA of America’s vice president two years from now, followed by a two-year term as the organization's 47th president, starting in 2030.

In keeping with the PGA of America's typical progression of positions, former vice president Nathan Charnes became president and former secretary Eric Eshleman was elevated to vice president during last week’s annual meeting. Charnes lives in Missouri and Eshleman resides in Alabama.

Barnes noted he is the first Utahn to be elected to one of PGA of America’s top three leadership positions.

Asked about his election campaign, Barnes said he was one of four national finalists from around the country (a fifth candidate was eliminated in a primary in August).

“The campaign was a lot of work,” he said. “The meetings in Vegas were a lot of work. There were 120 delegates voting, and to win, 61 was the number you had to get.”

The delegation comprised two voters from each of the organization's 41 sections, plus the 21 members of the Board of Directors, along with the 17 living past presidents, Barnes said.

In the first round of voting, Barnes garnered a plurality of 50 votes, while the runner-up candidate had 35. Then, on the second ballot, Barnes secured 67 votes to win the election.

As highlighted on his campaign website, Barnes previously served on the PGA Board of Directors as the director of Region 9, which encompasses Utah and four neighboring states, from 2020 to 2023. He has also been a member of several national PGA committees, including stints on the organization’s properties, budget, audit, education, public relations and member engagement committees.

A press release published on Monday by Southern Utah University highlighted Barnes’s election, in addition to his background and some of his recognitions, awards and accomplishments.

"I'm looking forward to serving the more than 30,000 members of the PGA of America during the next six years," Barnes said in the news release. "I'm proud to represent Cedar Ridge Golf Course, Cedar City and Southern Utah University on the national stage, and I'm grateful to Cedar City for allowing me the opportunity to serve."

Barnes competed for Southern Utah's men's golf team for four years and earned his bachelor's degree in accounting in 1996, the news release notes.

"I grew up here, and I'm proud to be a native of Cedar City," added Barnes. "I played golf at SUU and earned my accounting degree there, and Coach John Evans has been my pro and mentor for more than 40 years. The last 12 years being back in this community and working with the golf team to help it succeed have been great. SUU has been a big part of my life, and I owe a lot to it."

Barnes said he worked at three other golf courses prior to returning to his hometown to take the job at Cedar Ridge in the fall of 2013.

“I just finished my 12th season back,” he said. “I was fortunate to be able to come in when my pro and my mentor John Evans retired, and it's just been a great place to live and work.”

Barnes and his wife Julie are the parents of four children: Clara, Lily, Luke and Anna. Luke is a senior at SUU and is following in his father’s footsteps as a member of the Thunderbirds men's golf team.

The university's news release also included reactions from former SUU head golf coach Evans, SUU head women's golf coach Caylyn McKinlay and SUU director of golf Richard Church.

"I've known Jared for 42 years,” Evans said, adding, “I could tell when I first met him that he had something special. He was a 14-year-old kid talking to a 45-year-old guy, and I hired him on the spot to work on the range. I coached him in high school and college. When he played for me, he was a good player, a people person and a leader.”

Added Evans: “He's a Cedar City kid and has been a leader for many, many years. He's a family man, and he's been a super golf official and professional for us.”

Church also expressed his appreciation for Barnes.

“We're incredibly proud of Jared and what he continues to accomplish,” Church said. “To see a former Thunderbird earn the trust of his peers to serve as secretary of the PGA of America is special for our program and the Cedar City community. His commitment to serving others and growing the game sets a tremendous example for our student-athletes.”

McKinlay also expressed her congratulations on behalf of the SUU women's golf team, saying “no one is more deserving” of the honor.

"Jared has been an incredible supporter of our team and has done so much for our program,” she said. “His passion for the game, his willingness to help and the support he shows our players never go unnoticed. We are truly lucky to have him in our corner.”

During his interview with Cedar City News on Monday afternoon, Barnes greeted several golfers as they came off the 18th green and finished their rounds.

One of his most important roles as a top-level PGA official, Barnes said, is to continue to be an ambassador for the sport.

“Our mission at the PGA of America is to serve our members and to grow the game,” he said.

Barnes noted that, in addition to serving as the home course for SUU’s men’s and women’s golf teams, Cedar Ridge is also where the teams from Cedar, Canyon View and Parowan high schools train and practice.

“It's just a great place for our community and I feel blessed to work here at Cedar Ridge,” he said.

Barnes also expressed his appreciation for the golf course’s employees for their diligence and hard work.

“We have a great team here,” he said. “I would say our golf course is in as great a shape as it's ever been. And you know, I've been playing here for 40 years, and just really proud of what we do, and grateful to have a great team around me to make all of us look good.”

For more information about Cedar City’s municipal Cedar Ridge Golf Course, visit its website.