WEST PALM BEACH — Dan Baker spent several years helping to transform an overgrown piece of property into a gem of a public golf facility called The Park.
Alas, fate didn’t allow him much time to play many rounds with his buddies at The Park – the Palm Beach Gardens resident died in a car accident Dec. 13 on Alligator Alley. He was 58.
The PGA of America, where Baker worked from 2007-24, and the South Florida PGA Section have made sure Baker won’t be forgotten at The Park. The PGA’s REACH Foundation and the South Florida PGA have established a PGA Jr. Opportunity League in Baker’s name that will allow children from high-need communities to have access to the game for free.
It will be known as the Dan Baker PGA Junior League at The Park.
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“The opportunity to honor Dan’s amazing contributions to the golf industry through a named endowment of the PGA Jr. League program at The Park is a fitting tribute,” said Jeff Price, chief commercial and philanthropy officer for the PGA of America, and one of Baker’s closest friends. “Dan was the consummate PGA of America golf professional, and leaving a legacy celebrating his love of the game and The Park is the perfect fit.”
The endowment enables the South Florida PGA to start the Opportunity League for 40 junior players, likely later this year, and donations are being solicited to ensure its future. This will be the first of its kind in South Florida. The juniors will receive instruction and the opportunity to play golf at The Park.
“The goal is to create an endowment so the Opportunity League will last in perpetuity,” said Geoff Lofstead, South Florida PGA’s executive director. “I’ve known Dan for a long time, and it’s great he’s going to be memorialized. He was a big part of this project, making sure it stayed on track with all the administration issues. He was passionate about The Park.”
Former PGA CEO Seth Waugh, of North Palm Beach, was the one who spearheaded the project to restore the shuttered West Palm Beach Country Club after two failed attempts by developers. Waugh raised more than $40 million from local golf enthusiasts to finance the project, but he knew he wanted Baker to work alongside him.
“I brought Dan in early because of who he is and how much he cares,” Waugh said. “He’s kind of the ultimate Swiss Army knife. He did everything in golf … he was a teaching pro, he tried to play professionally, and he ran championships like the Hartford Open and Ryder Cups and Walker Cups.”
Baker used that expertise to offer advice on operational things such as where to stage carts, how to handle the traffic flow, figure out how many rounds should be played and how many walkers would be allowed.
“He was our constant reminder of the day-to-day game,” Waugh said. “One of our partners in the project told me afterward, ‘Dan always knew what we wanted, and he got it done.’ Dan was always wearing the PGA hat, but he knew everybody involved needed to win. He threaded that needle. And he always did it with a smile.”
The PGA announced Baker’s honor during last week’s PGA Show, which was fitting because he ran the annual event in Orlando for more than a decade until he left the PGA last year. He spent last fall serving as an adviser for the”Happy Gilmore 2″ movie.
More than 300 of Baker’s friends and family gathered at a celebration of his life Saturday at Tequesta Country Club, where he was a member. Among the notables in attendance:
Former PGA of America CEOs Joe Steranka of Jupiter and Waugh; former USGA executive director Mike Davis (all three spoke); former PGA presidents John Lindert and Suzy Whaley of Palm Beach Gardens; former LPGA Tour commissioner and PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw; former Honda Classic executive director/current James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational executive director Ken Kennerly; Lofstead and South Florida PGA section assistant executive director Meredith Schuler; and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Kaat.
To donate to the endowment, here’s a link: https://pgareach.org/dan-baker-pga-jr-league
Two area PGA professionals honored nationally
Jason Baile, director of instruction at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, has been named the 2025 PGA of America Teacher & Coach of the Year. Pam Elders of Boca West Country Club has earned the PGA of America Player Development Award.
They received their awards at last week’s PGA Show.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dan Baker will not be forgotten at The Park due to PGA Jr. Opportunity League
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