Mark Egly and L.P. (Chuck) Smith are 2026 Inductees into Jackson Golf Hall of Fame

(August 5, 2026 11:45 AM ET) Two longtime club professionals have been selected as this year’s inductees into the Jackson Golf Hall of Fame.

Jackson native Mark Egly, recognized as one of the top teaching professionals in Iowa, and the late L.P. (Chuck) Smith, former head pro at the Country Club of Jackson, will push the Jackson Golf Hall of Fame membership to 75 when they are inducted in ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Sharp Park Golf Course. The public is invited to the induction ceremony at no charge.

“These two men have had a huge impact on golf in Jackson and far from Jackson,” Hall of Fame committee chair Elaine Crosby said in announcing the committee’s selections. “Their work in promoting golf has helped thousands of people enjoy the game, and their positive influence will be felt for years to come.”

Egly, who graduated from Lumen Christi High School in 1973, has earned numerous honors for his work as a PGA member of the Iowa Section since 1983. He has been the head professional at the Des Moines Driving Range since 1994 and the facility’s owner since 2002.

The facility, which features 55 grass tees, practice greens, a short game area, and Toptracer technology, was named in 2023 as one of the top 50 stand-alone golf facilities in the country by the Golf Range Association of America. Egly offers free use of the range and free lessons for all high school golfers, and it is also host to the First Tee of Central Iowa and free youth programs.

Egly earned an education degree from Michigan State University with coursework in kinesiology, physics, and human anatomy that formed the basis for the Egly Method that he has used to provide instruction to golfers from beginners to top players. The Iowa Section PGA has named Egly its Teacher of the Year eight times, the same number of times he has been ranked the #1 golf instructor in Iowa by Golf Digest.

He has also won the Iowa Section’s Player Development Award four times, the Horton Smith Award in 2017, and the PGA Professional of the Year in 2021, and he was inducted into the Iowa Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2024, the PGA of America honored Egly with the Deacon Palmer Award for integrity, character and leadership while overcoming obstacles, recognizing his accomplishments while dealing with major injuries from three auto accidents and a rare genetic disease.

As a player, Egly was a two-year letterman at Michigan State and won the Iowa PGA Match Play in 1988 and the Iowa Open in 1990.

Smith was the Country Club of Jackson’s head professional for 23 years, the second-longest tenure in the club’s history. A native of Miami, Smith came to CCJ as an assistant pro in the spring of 1948 after serving in that role at two of the country’s most prominent clubs, Seminole in Florida and Winged Foot in New York. Smith took over as the CCJ head pro in September and remained in that role through the 1971 season, a period of tremendous growth for golf in Jackson and throughout the country.

Smith is credited with introducing the range program to the club, offering practice balls by the bucket rather than members having to hire caddies to shag their own balls. The riding cart also made its debut under Smith, allowing those who could not walk the chance to continue to play. Among the events he created for the members was the CCJ Men’s Invitational.

According to the Country Club of Jackson’s Centennial History published this year, Smith was an excellent player but his focus was on service to the members; he was “well-liked by all CCJ members” and “recognized as a master at his profession.” He was also recognized for hiring talented assistant pros, many of them moving on into successful roles in the golf industry. Smith passed away in 1990.