Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., is a PGA Teaching Professional and has enjoyed a successful career on the state and national competitive circuits.
Born in Portsmouth, Va., in 1960, Skinner attended Worth County High School in Sylvester, Ga. He was a standout on the golf team and on the football field during his high school years. Skinner attended both Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga., (1978-80) and Shorter College in Rome, Ga., (1980-82), competing on the golf team at both and winning six collegiate events.
Skinner turned professional in 1982. He went to work as an assistant professional at Valdosta Country Club in 1982 and 1983, and then served as head professional at Pine Knoll Country Club from 1984 to 1989. He joined the PGA TOUR in 1990 and then began a successful professional playing career.
He won twice on the developmental circuit, including the 1993 Nike Shreveport Open and the 1994 Nike Dominion Open. In 2001, he won his first event on the Georgia Section of the PGA schedule at the Griffin Classic.
Skinner is the only individual in the history of the PGA of America to earn both the PGA Professional of the Year (2008) and the Senior PGA Professional of the Year (2010, 2011, 2012). Skinner finished as low club professional at the 2011 Senior PGA Championship. A winner of several competitions administered by the Georgia PGA Section, Skinner received Georgia PGA Player of the Year and Georgia PGA Senior Player of the Year honors multiple times, most recently being named the 2017 Georgia PGA Senior Player of the Year.