Professional golfer and Perry native JD Turner was one of six players inducted Monday into the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America 2025 Hall of Fame Class, the PGA announced on its website.
“Through their lives, careers, service and support,” Turner and the other inductees “have made significant and enduring contributions to the Association in its mission to grow the game of golf,” the PGA said in bestowing the honors.
John David “JD” Turner, the son of longtime Perry High School teacher and coach John Turner and Edie Turner, learned the game of golf at the nine-hole Perry Golf and County Club course north of Perry. He attended the University of Iowa, where he was the first recipient of the Herman Sani Golf Scholarship, was captain of the golf team and finished fourth in the All Big Ten Championship.
Turner transferred to Graceland College, graduating in 1964, and began teaching high school history while coaching golf and basketball. A PGA of America Golf Professional since 1970, his competitive record comprises a combined 67 professional and amateur victories, including five Iowa Open Championships. He qualified for and competed in two U.S. Senior Opens.
Turner was named PGA Head Golf Professional at Lakeshore Golf and Country Club in Council Bluffs in 1972. He served as Nebraska Section President from 1977-1979 and was the 1979 Nebraska PGA Player of the Year. In 1980 he was named Head Professional and Director of Golf at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, where he served for 14 years. He was key in bringing the 1999 U.S. Senior Open to the facility, which would later host the 2017 Solheim Cup as well.
Outreach was also part of Turner’s long career. As an instructor, he earned PGA Master Professional status in 1993, and in 1980 he began producing a series of seven instructional tapes designed for high school, college, library and deaf students, eventually used in 2,000 institutions. In 1984, he went on cable television, creating “The Iowa Golf Show” (later called “JD Turner Golf University”), which reached up to 1.2 million viewers.
In 1994 he established the Turner Golf Group, which staged corporate golf outings and tournaments. He was a mainstay of Golf Magazine’s “Top Teachers” list, appearing from its inception in 1991 until 2012.
A multi-award winning PGA of America Golf Professional, Turner was the Iowa PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year (1989) and Teacher and Coach of the Year (1986, 1987, 1988, 1998). He was given the Iowa Golf Association Lifetime Achievement Award (1990) and inducted into the Iowa PGA Hall of Fame in 1995, the youngest inductee at that time. Turner has also been a member of the Graceland University Hall of Fame since 1989.
Turner and his wife, Brenda Shirley Turner, also a Perry native, currently reside in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
The PGA of America Hall of Fame originated in 1940 at the suggestion of famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. It is the highest honor the PGA of America can bestow upon its membership or ambassadors of the game.
“The PGA of America is honored to recognize our 2025 Hall of Fame Class and celebrate the incredible impact they have had throughout their careers, inspiring thousands both on and off the course,” said PGA of America President and Master Professional Don Rea Jr., PGA Owner/Operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club (Arizona). “Whether they have won Major Championships, given thousands of lessons or captivated audiences with trick shots, each PGA Hall of Fame Member has played an essential role in shaping the game of golf as we know it today.”
Other 2025 inductees were PGA of America Past President Jim Richerson, PGA; Ronny Glanton, PGA; Jim McLean, PGA; LPGA Tour Legend Nancy Lopez; and PGA of America Honorary Member and adaptive trick-shot artist Dennis Walters. They will be inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame at the 109th PGA Annual Meeting during a special ceremony Wednesday Nov. 5 at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort.