James M. Popa has dedicated his life to the game of Golf. As the son of 1994 class member, Nicholas Popa, Jim followed in his father’s footsteps. Jim took the helm of the Columbus District Golf Association and Ohio Golf Association in 1993 and held those positions until 2015 and 2018 respectively. After retiring as Executive Director, Jim sat on the Board of Governors of the Ohio Golf Association from 2019 through 2022. Jim also was active with the Society of Seniors in 1999, a national Senior Amateur organization that grew to over 1,000 members at one time during Popa’s tenure. Jim served as the Tournament Director prior to becoming the Executive Director in 2015 and currently holding that position. The Society of Seniors conducts Senior Amateur events annually for their membership. At last count, Jim has attended more than 160 SOS tournaments.

With over 30 years serving the game of Golf, Popa has conducted hundreds of Tournaments, Qualifiers and Championships. This calculates to more than 1,400 tournament days of competitive golf while Jim was at the helm. In addition, Jim volunteered his time and expertise for countless other golf events that served the community of Columbus, Ohio. Under Jim’s leadership, Ohio Golf Association grew to over 200 member clubs and added the Ohio Senior Amateur Championship and Ohio Two Man Best Ball Championship to the annual schedule. In 2006, Jim was the leader of the One Ball Tournament that was conducted in Ohio to show that the Committee of a Competition could use a Local Rule to have all competitors play the same golf ball.

Popa becomes the third Parent/Child combination to be selected for the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame with the others being Dick and Doug Gordin and William and Renee Powell. Jim’s father Nick was inducted in the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame class of 1994.

Jim and his wife Martha have lived in Upper Arlington, Ohio for 45 plus years where they raised their three children, J.W., Cathy and Samantha, all of whom are married with families.

In addition to the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame, James was the recipient of the Southern Ohio PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and the 2017 USGA Ike Grainger Award for longtime commitment to golf.