Don ‘Chip’ Essig Chip Essig’s accolades and honors in golf are significant; he was only the third member of the Indiana PGA Section to ever be named national PGA Golf Professional of the Year. He was born in Indianapolis and grew up playing on the course his father owned, the Jack Barber Jack Barber dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but when his golf game improved at Russell High School in Kentucky, he accepted a golf scholarship to Eastern Kentucky University. He was a top amateur and competing in both the U.S. Amateur and Western Amateur Championships. He began his professional career as an assistant at the nine-hole Ironton Country Club, in Ohio, before returning to Eastern Kentucky as an Assistant Pro. After a stint as an assistant at Highland Golf Club in Indianapolis, his first Head Professional position came at the age of 27 at the Lexington (Kentucky) Country Club. In 1986, he was named Head Professional at Meridian Hills in Indianapolis and has served that club for the past 26 years. He is a former President of the Indiana PGA Section and has mentored 20 assistant professionals. Currently, nine of Barber’s former assistants are PGA head professionals. In 2009, Barber was honored as he received the PGA’s highest annual honor for PGA Professionals and was named National PGA Professional of the Year. former Hoosier Links in New Palestine and performed virtually every job at the course. In 1987, Essig graduated from Purdue University and earned his PGA membership in 1990. He is the co-owner of Essig Golf LLC, a golf course management company that oversees three facilities in the Indianapolis area. Essig has been very involved in the Indiana PGA Section, serving on the Board of Directors, since 1998 and was the Section President, 2006-2008. Since 2000, he has been a board member of the Indiana Golf Foundation and a member of the USGA Men’s Amateur Public Links Committee. In 1998, Essig was appointed to the PGA Rules Committee. His high-profile assignments have included the PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup, the Masters, U.S. Senior Opens, among others.
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