About Ted Bishop

I was born in Logansport, Indiana in 1954. My father was a barber and my mother a school teacher. My experiences as a kid were typical of many Hoosier boys. I grew up playing basketball and baseball. Community life evolved around the Logansport Berries basketball and baseball teams. I was a 3-sport athlete in high school, but not talented enough to play sports at the college of my choice — Purdue University.

After graduation from Purdue in 1976 with a B.S. Degree in Agronomy, I accepted a position as the golf professional/superintendent at the Phil Harris Golf Course in Linton, Indiana. It was here that I earned my PGA membership. Linton was a traditional job, I owned the golf cars, snack bar and golf shop. My golf shop was named “One of America”s 100 Best” in 1988!

My experiences at Linton were great from a professional development standpoint! I hosted a 600-player celebrity golf tournament in honor of Phil Harris, legendary entertainer and native son. I met many influential people in the golf industry and had the opportunity to be involved with some high profile tournaments such as the Nabisco Dinah Shore. I also directed a very exclusive pro-am in Arizona which honored Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Claude Harmon.

During this time, my wife Cindy and I, enjoyed seeing our girls grow into golf. Both have made golf a career today! Following a successful collegiate career playing golf at the University of Kansas, Ashely works as my membership director at The Legends. Ambry, played at Indiana University, and is currently a PGA apprentice in the Met Section where she is an assistant pro at Saint Andrews (in New York) and the head women”s golf coach at St. John”s University.

In 1991, one of my dreams was fulfilled when I had the chance to own part of my own facility. The Legends of Indiana Golf Club in Franklin, Indiana allowed me the opportunity to put a limited partnership together, oversee construction, open the facility and still manage it today. We have 45 holes plus an outstanding practice facility. The Legends is also home to the Indiana PGA and the Indiana Golf Association. Our state and Section have the best facility in the United States … I am proud of my role in the development of this.

Like many PGA professionals, I started my PGA leadership role as a Section Director. I then ascended through the offices of the Indiana Section serving as President in 1997-98. One of my best experiences during this time was serving as the Indiana Section Employment chairman for eight years.

In 2000, I was appointed to the PGA Membership Committee. Today, I serve as co-chairman of this committee. Our Committee presented a change in the MSR requirements, which was approved by Sections and adopted by the Board of Directors. Recently, I served as Chairman of the Task Force on Code of Ethics Reform. The result was a major modification in the PGA Constitution and a standardized method for all Sections to handle these difficult membership matters.

I served a 4-year term on the PGA Board of Control and evaluated hundreds of membership matters. This was one of the most educational experiences of my PGA life. It gave me a great understanding of Sections and their role in membership, the PGA Constitution, the PGA apprentice and PGM programs, PGA tournament policies and many other areas.

Today, I am the PGA District Six Director representing Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. I also serve on the PGA Budget Committee and the PGA Properties Committee. My interaction and friendships with other Board members has been very rewarding.

This is my 21st consecutive year of service to the PGA of America. All of my experiences have prepared me to be an Officer who really understands all PGA members and apprentices. The PGA of America is a fraternal association made up of people who love the game of golf. Compassion, understanding, knowledge and courage are qualities that I possess. This will make me an effective leader for YOU!