PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Tony Pancake is a Real-Life Superhero

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the Feb. 2024 issue of PGA Magazine.

Tony Pancake doesn’t compare himself to Superman, Batman or Iron Man, but he does believe every PGA of America Golf Professional should seize the opportunity to be a superhero at his or her facility each and every day. 

The 60-year-old Pancake, PGA of America Director of Golf at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, isn’t suggesting that PGA of America Golf Professionals are able to leap small buildings with a single bound, are faster than a speeding bullet, or are equipped to rid the world of villains.  But the 2024 PGA Golf Professional of the Year does credit PGA of America Golf Professionals for a facility’s success. 

“When I think of a PGA of America Golf Professional, I see someone who is passionate about the game and loves serving others through the many skills and experiences we’ve gained over time,” explains Pancake, a 37-year PGA of America Professional.  “I have always enjoyed superhero movies and how when people are in danger, the superhero swoops in and saves the day.  As PGA of America Members, we have the opportunity to be a superhero numerous times each day.” 

“Our members and customers have unique needs, which is a great opportunity for us as PGA of America Golf Professionals to come alongside them and Tony Pancake Facility: Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Indiana Title: PGA of America Director of Golf Elected to PGA of America Membership: 1987 save the day,” maintains Pancake.  “The problems may be small like finding a missing headcover, helping them fix the shanks, fitting them for a new driver or putter, helping them arrange a tee time during a golf trip, or helping a son or daughter navigate the recruiting process for college golf.

“Whatever the challenge, we have the opportunity to provide assistance, making their experience and their lives better.  Sometimes the problems can be extremely challenging, but superheroes never back down from a challenge.” 

For the record, Pancake’s favorite superhero is Superman, and while he doesn’t have X-ray vision or fying skills, he does embrace the superhero characteristics of honesty, humility, loyalty, tenacity, resiliency, compassion, creativity, a resolute work ethic and exemplary teaching, coaching and management skills. 

“I had the privilege of working for PGA of America Professionals Hank Johnson and Scott Davenport at the North River Yacht & Golf Club (in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) when I was in college,” reflects Pancake, who played golf at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  “I learned a great deal from them, but the most important concept was having an awareness of what’s going on around me. 

“They taught me to pay attention to the people around me and start anticipating problems.  While it’s good to be like a superhero and solve problems, it’s even better to see the problems before they happen and prevent them.  

“Acting with integrity and doing the right thing is important to me as I represent my faith, my family and Crooked Stick.  I’m hopeful people see that in me.  I know that none of us are perfect, so admitting mistakes and acting with humility are examples of how I want to be remembered.” 

It is easy to picture Pancake as “Captain Golf” or “Golf Man,” a Clark Kent-like figure who is as comfortable in a sportcoat and tie serving on his PGA Section or the PGA of America’s national Board of Directors, or in a golf shirt and spikes giving lessons to members or tomorrow’s tour professionals at Crooked Stick. 

Imagine Pancake wielding the PGA of America shield a la Captain America, champion of four-day work weeks for his fellow PGA of America Professionals, overseeing significant capital improvements at Crooked Stick without costly assessments to members, creating a Junior Development Program for area junior players to have access to playing and practicing privileges and complimentary instruction, and constructing a Tour Hopeful Program for aspiring tour players to polish their skills at the club while pursuing their goal of playing professionally. Of course, this golf superhero carries out the other traditional duties of a PGA of America Professional.  He also continues to teach and play the game proficiently, hosting a series of national-international events such as the 2005 Solheim Cup, 2007 USGA Women’s Amateur, 2009 USGA Senior Open, 2012 and 2016 BMW Championships and the 2020 Western Amateur; and serve as a trusted mentor and educator to PGA of America Professionals across the land and staying true to his commitment to “family, faith, career and club” in everything he does. 

The passionate Pancake came to Crooked Stick Golf Club after serving as Head Professional/Director of Golf for nine years at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, where he regularly exhibited superhero powers while hosting the PGA Championship and several other significant events before moving to Crooked Stick in 2004.  Pancake has specialized in mentoring and investing in the careers of his staffs, helping guide more than 40 former assistants or interns to positions as PGA of America Head Professionals or Directors of Golf. 

“I’ve been blessed to have so many terrific assistant professionals and interns the past 37 years,” credits Pancake, a native of Seymour, Indiana, who also served as PGA of America Head Professional at Hurstborne Country Club in Louisville and at Baltimore Country Club before “coming home” to Crooked Stick.

“It’s been easy to help them do well with their careers because they’ve been so good! When hiring a new assistant, I tell them to start preparing for their next opportunity beginning the first day working for me.  Doing their current job well allows them to make a great impression on fellow staff and members of the club, which leads to more responsibility and opens doors to future opportunities.  My career path was based on the advice, wisdom and experience of the Professionals who I worked for and now it’s my turn to pass that along.”

One of the highlights for Pancake each year is getting together with former staff members for a reunion in Orlando at the PGA Show.  “Getting to catch up with them, hear about their families and meeting their assistants has been incredible,” he says. 

Among the assistants whom Pancake has mentored is Keith Reese, who served as an assistant to Pancake at Valhalla and is now the Valhalla General Manager and a former Kentucky PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year and Section PGA board member.  Bill Pollert, an assistant to Pancake at Crooked Stick, is currently the PGA Director of Golf at Highland Golf & Country Club, a Past President of the Indiana Section and former Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award recipient. Patrick White, another former assistant at Crooked Stick, is now the PGA of America Director of Golf at Woodland Country Club, VP of the Indiana PGA Section and the current Indiana PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. 

Pancake’s management, mentoring and leadership style purposely focuses on staff welfare, which is evident by his move to a four-day work week for most employees so they can spend more time with their families. 

“Leading by example through both service and action fosters a culture of trust, which is critical in creating an environment where people can be themselves and grow personally and professionally,” notes Pancake, the 1992 Kentucky Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year and the Indiana PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2009 and 2019. 

“Treating people with respect and being willing to lend a hand by working alongside the staff establishes a meaningful connection and relationship, letting them know I truly care about them.  Mentoring and leading the people around me has been the cornerstone to building a successful work environment and club atmosphere.” 

Looking for a superhero to oversee day-to-day golf operations and capital improvements, the leadership at Crooked Stick asked Pancake to take on more responsibilities in 2009 while transitioning from Head Golf Professional to Director of Golf and Club Operations for the upscale club. 

“I knew my skills and experience were focused on teaching and playing the game along with organizing golf events, so I didn’t want that to change much,” recalls Pancake.  “My years as a Head Professional at Valhalla, Hurstbourne Country Club and Baltimore Country Club, as well as my time at Crooked Stick previous to this point, prepared me to step into this role and take on more leadership responsibilities.  I was already working long hours and knew that I couldn’t put in more time each week, so I had some reservations. 

“On the other hand, I knew we could be more efficient and I wanted to do everything possible to meet the needs of the club.  As I look back over the past 14 years, it has been good for the club and for me.  I was able to hire outstanding managers to lead each department and we have created a culture of teamwork that has made us more efficient and more stable financially.  One of the main reasons it has worked for me is that Crooked Stick is a golf club that keeps me focused on my area of interest and experience.” 

Prior to Pancake’s promotion in 2009, when he became Director of Operations at Crooked Stick, the club had an operational assessment at the end of each fiscal year.  That assessment has been eliminated under Pancake’s leadership and the club has successfully completed more than $11 million in capital projects during the past 13 years.  Committed to maintaining its ranking as one of the top facilities in America and in preparation for the 2028 U.S. Senior Open, Crooked Stick has approved an $8 million golf course improvement project that begins in June, with Pancake already hiring golfcourse architect Tom Doak to lead renovations of the original Pete and Alice Dye masterpiece.  During the next two years, Pancake will be leading the professional team to complete the project on schedule and on budget. 

“One of the most important things we can do as PGA of America Members is to take an active role in helping our facilities do well financially,” notes Pancake.  “Understanding how to maximize your revenues and minimize your expenses to meet the club’s financial goals is a great way for us to ensure long-term employment at the facility and to increase our value to the club. 

“When the club promoted me to Director of Operations, it was an opportunity for me to better understand the overall finances of the club and make recommendations on how we can better manage our operation going forward.  We worked hard focusing on managing costs first, which eliminated annual operating assessments.  Then, after gaining the confidence of the membership, we were able to begin gradually increasing revenues to cover the cost of special projects and infrastructure needs of the club.” 

Pancake has served on various Section and national PGA of America committees throughout his nearly 40 years in golf.  He was a board member in the Kentucky Section from 1992 to 1997, including four years as an officer, and served as an officer in the Indiana PGA Section from 2012 to 2020.  He served as Indiana Section President in 2017–18, and served as the District 6 representative on the national PGA Board of Directors in 2018 when the board members supported the relocation of the PGA of America to Frisco, Texas. 

“I began serving on committees early in my career for the Kentucky PGA,” recalls Pancake, who has been a member of the Indiana Golf Foundation/First Tee of Indiana Board since 2010, including four years as President.  “I felt like it was the right thing to do and it was also an opportunity for me to develop relationships with other PGA Members. 

“One of my first committee assignments was serving as the Junior Golf Chairman for the Kentucky PGA.  I honestly was a little disappointed in the assignment, thinking there were better opportunities for me. I was sure wrong! It was the perfect role for me to help shape the Kentucky Junior Tour, which is still going strong today over 30 years later.” 

Pancake didn’t actually inherit any superpowers. He was a self-taught player, whose team at Seymour High School in Indiana was ranked No.  1 in the state his senior year.  When Pancake attended a Golf Digest Junior Camp at age 15, his love for golf flourished and his life was changed. 

“They taught me how to play at the Golf Digest Junior Camp, but more important they ignited a desire in me to work on my game and become a better player,” reflects Pancake.  “I wanted to play collegiate golf and it ended up being an easy decision for me to attend the University of Alabama. Jerry Pate (1976 U.S. Open Champion) was my favorite player on the PGA TOUR and he was an Alabama alum.  It was also the warmest place that offered me a scholarship!” 

Mike Laughner, PGA of America Golf Professional at Seymour Country Club, and PGA Director of Golf Hank Johnson and PGA Head Professional Scott Davenport at North River Yacht & Country Club were Pancake’s superheroes during his formative years in golf. 

“They were incredible players and teachers,” says Pancake.  “After watching them, I knew I wanted to be a PGA of America Professional.” 

In the summer between his sophomore and junior years at Alabama, Pancake had a difficult choice to make regarding his career path. 

“I began working at North River full time that summer,” recounts the 2024 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year.  “I had a choice between continue playing on the golf team or start my career as a club professional.  It was a very difficult decision, but I chose to begin my career working in golf.  In retrospect, it was definitely the correct decision.” 

Now in his fourth decade of working in golf, Pancake remains passionate about playing and teaching the game.  He was a highly proficient player in his younger years, qualifying and competing in the PGA Professional Championship and playing as a marker in the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla in Saturday’s third round when an odd number of competitors made the 36-hole cut. 

“I was very nervous playing in the PGA Championship since I hadn’t played in front of big crowds before,” recounts Pancake, who also announced the players on the first tee during the 2005 Solheim Cup at Crooked Stick.  “I somehow hit it down the fairway off the first tee.  I have a picture of a leaderboard on the back nine where the members running the scoreboard put up “Pancake -22” like I was leading the tournament at 22-under-par! I’ll never forget making a birdie on the 16th hole and hearing the roar from the crowd.” 

These days, Pancake is a strong advocate of PGA of America Golf Professionals playing the game – even if it’s just nine holes with club members or a Sunday afternoon round with family members. 

“Many of us were attracted to becoming PGA of America Members because we had a passion for playing and competing,” says Pancake, who won the 2015 Indiana State Senior Open and also competed in the U.S. Open Sectional qualifier years ago. “While my game is not as good as it once was, I still enjoy playing.  I just returned (in December) from a three-day golf trip with Crooked Stick members and we played 150 holes during those three days! It was so much fun. 

“One of the reasons playing has been important to me is the therapy it provides.  We work long hours and it can be overwhelming at times, so we need a way to recharge.  Playing a quick nine holes with a junior golfer or having a putting contest with a senior player, or just hitting some balls late in the evening are all ways that I can wind down after a challenging day.” 

Finding adequate time to spend with family is one of the greatest challenges facing all PGA Professionals, but Tony and wife Libby have used golf to unite their family rather than divide it.  Before motherhood, Libby was runner-up in the USGA Girls Junior and played college golf at Arizona State University, so it’s no surprise that all four of the Pancake children – TJ, Allie, Trent and Annabelle competed as junior players at the state and national level, and three went on to play collegiately. 

“Golf has been such a blessing to our family,” admits Tony.  “One of the biggest challenges we face as PGA of America Professionals is the time commitment and being away from your family on weekends and holidays.  I’m thankful the clubs where I have worked always allowed my family the opportunity to play golf together at the club.  When we play, it’s very competitive with lots of trash talking, but we have incredible memories as a family playing and traveling together thanks to golf.” 

Remember, Pancake’s life motto is faith, family and career.  He served as a board member for the Traders Point Christian Academy from 2010 to 2013 and volunteered on International Mission trips to Haiti and Sweden, serving families in need, building houses and conducting golf clinics.  He leads a weekly Men’s Bible Study at Crooked Stick and served as Area Director for youth ministry through Community Bible Study for Indiana.  Pancake and Libby also have hosted couples events for area PGA of America Members and their spouses to help them deal with the personal family challenges of the golf industry. 

“I hope others see how I’ve prioritized my life with faith, family and career,” says Pancake.  “I know for sure that without faith and family being my highest priorities, my career would not have been as rewarding.”