Bill Strausbaugh Award
There’s a plaque that hangs on the wall of Rob Karnes’ office that’s older than the building it resides in. It’s small and humble, the kind of thing a 12-year-old might have put on their dresser or desk.
It reads:
“You Gotta Wanta.”
“So, learn proper techniques then practice, practice, practice”
Karnes smiles when he talks about it. The words came from his grandfather, the man who built the golf course where Rob learned the game, and who made his grandson sit at a table after every round to recount each shot, each mistake, each triumph.
“At that time, it was meant for my golf game,” says Karnes. “But it still hangs in my office now. I think it applies to anybody in any industry. If you want to be one of the best, you have to want to.”
That quiet, yet relentless drive has carried Rob Karnes through a career defined by mentorship, consistency and integrity–pillars that earned him the 2025 Bill Strausbaugh Award from the Southern Ohio PGA.
The Strausbaugh Award named for one of the PGA’s legendary teachers and mentors, honors professionals who make a lasting impact on others in the game. For Karnes, it’s validation of something he’s believed in since those early table-talks with his grandfather: success multiplies when its shared.
Around NCR Country Club, that philosophy shows up everywhere. It’s in the supportive and inclusive culture he’s fostered throughout the staff. It’s created pathways to community outreach through youth programs and PGA REACH Southern Ohio. It’s helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Play Yellow Birdie Bash. He’s built people who have gone on to emulate his influence in their own positive ways.
There are shinier trophies, sure. But for Rob Karnes, the plaque that matters most is still that small one from childhood. The one that reminds him, and now everyone he leads, that excellence starts with wanting it badly enough to do the work, over and over again.