Remembering Lynda Adams, the PNGA’s first woman president

Lynda Adams passed away March 29, 2025, in Olympia, Wash. at the age of 83. She was a living legend to her friends and family, and to the region’s golf community, and to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association.

A graduate of Kent (Wash.) Meridian High School, Lynda served as the school annual’s editor throughout her high school years. After graduation, she attended the University of Washington.

Her early love was painting, and was a magnificent artist. She also was an accomplished seamstress, loved playing the piano and cooking, in which she was considered a gourmet chef.

In 1971, Lynda married Jerry Adams, and they moved to Montesano, Wash. that summer. Jerry, being an avid golfer, sparked Lynda’s passion for the game. She became an extremely avid and competitive player, winning many tournaments over the years. She and Jerry were dedicated members at the Grays Harbor Country Club from 1972 through 2000. In 2001, they moved to Olympia, Wash. and joined the Olympia Country & Golf Club.

Lynda competed in her first PNGA championship in 1978. Six years later, she attended the first PNGA Annual Meeting at which women were invited to serve as representatives.

“It never occurred to me that you could do something in golf other than just play,” Adams would later say. “It started there.”

She soon began working as a volunteer at championships and became the Women’s Division chair at Grays Harbor. She next served as secretary on the boards for Washington Golf and the PNGA.

Over the years, she played in countless PNGA championships, collecting silver and crystal trophies from across the region. Among her many accomplishments are a PNGA Senior Women’s Team title, an Evans Cup of Oregon crown, and a few club championships along the way.

She began volunteering in 1984 with the fledgling PNGA Women’s Division, royal blue coats and all, chairing championships throughout the Northwest and bringing her trademark charm, grace, and warm smile to every event.

She would eventually serve on nearly every PNGA committee, led the Women’s Division as Chairwoman in 1994, and later spent seven years as PNGA Secretary.

In 2000, Lynda made history as the first woman elected president of the PNGA, leading the Association into its second century. Her leadership also extended to the USGA’s Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship Committee and to her role as a director of the Washington State Golf Association, where she was instrumental in the successful reorganization between the PNGA and WSGA in the early 1990s.

“Lynda had a transformational impact on Northwest golf during her time serving the PNGA and WA Golf,” said John Bodenhamer, who served as PNGA and WA Golf CEO from 1990-2011, and since 2011 has been the chief championships officer at the USGA. “As the first female president of the PNGA, she shattered a glass ceiling and inspired many. Her influence helped to bring about the realignment between the PNGA and WA Golf in the early 1990s that continues to benefit the game.

“She was also instrumental in establishing the Washington Women’s Amateur, bringing together players from private clubs and public courses to compete for a unified title. More than anything, Lynda’s infectious smile and engaging personality brought golfers from all backgrounds together. She was a dear friend and a trusted leader who left a legacy that will last well into the future.”

In 2006, Lynda was recognized with the PNGA Distinguished Service Award, considered the highest honor the Association gives. Also honored that year with the award was Robin Anderson, who had been a high school friend of Lynda’s, with the two of them going on the PNGA journey together throughout their adult years.

Also going along that journey with them was Judy Thompson. “We all got involved because of Liz Culver,” Thompson recalls. “In the early 1980s, when the PNGA Women’s Division was formed, Liz convinced us that we could have a voice in the Association. And she was right.”

Lynda also volunteered for 18 years for the SAFECO Classic, the long-running LPGA Tour stop held at Meridian Valley Country Club in Kent, Wash. from 1982-1999. Thompson, a longtime member at Meridian Valley, served as that tournament’s director.

Thompson herself would also be honored with the PNGA Distinguished Award in 2010, and still serves as the Chair of the PNGA Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Culver would be inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

In every capacity, Lynda served with grace, charm, a warm smile, a quick wit and incredible sense of humor.

“She could make anything fun,” Thompson says. “She was so generous and thoughtful. She just loved people. And she was so organized in everything she did, which made her a great fit for the roles she played for the PNGA.”

Along with serving on the board of directors for both WA Golf and the PNGA, Lynda was a club representative for WA Golf, and served as the handicap chair at Olympia Country & Golf Club.

After Jerry passed away in 2007, Lynda traveled the world with her son and daughter, Mike and Leah, and lived a number of years in Africa and England, before returning to Olympia and Olympia Golf & Country Club, staying involved with the women’s club until her passing.

A Celebration of Life will be held June 24 from 3:00-5:00pm at the Olympia Country & Golf Club. Donations can be made to the Union Gospel Mission or the Evans Scholars Foundation.