John grew up locally in Havertown where he picked up golf at a very young age. As a kid, John learned to play the game at the Cobbs Creek Golf Course, where he attended various camps and participated in their junior leagues. John went to Haverford High School where he played for both the golf and baseball teams. He later attended Penn State University, graduating from their Professional Golf Management Program in 2016 along with completing his PGA certification. While attending Penn State, John completed internships at various clubs including Llanerch CC, Huntingdon Valley GC, and the Philadelphia Country Club.
After college, John worked at St. Davids Golf Club as an Assistant Professional for four seasons. He honed his craft as a golf professional by having a hand in every facet of the club’s golf operation. He then went on to work at The Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he was quickly promoted after one season to Head Professional of their St. Martins Golf Course. John has spent the last three years at St. Martins. During his time there, the St. Martins course was ranked the 2nd best Short/Par-3/Non-Traditional course in the country by Golfweek Magazine.
John currently resides in Drexel Hill where he lives with his wife Gianna and their golden retriever Oatie. In his free time, John likes to cook, watch his favorite Philadelphia sports teams, and customize golf wedges for fun. Some of his favorite golf courses include Wissahickon, Huntingdon Valley, Rolling Green, Saucon Valley Weyhill, Eagle Point, and Riviera.
George Forster served as the Head Golf Professional at Radnor Valley Country Club for 37 years. George promoted the game of golf by conducting over 4,000 events and programs enjoyed by thousands of Radnor Valley Members and their guests throughout his tenure. George was responsible for managing and overseeing the entire golf operation including 200 annual golf events at Radnor Valley Country Club. Some of George’s career accomplishments are: 2010 Philadelphia Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year; served on the Philadelphia Section PGA Tournament, Hall of Fame and Membership Committees; winner of 60 Philadelphia Section PGA tournaments, including: The Section Championship, The Senior Section Championship (2 times), Match Play Championship, Whitford Classic, Variety Club, Haverford Trust Classic. He was also the Runner up in over 40 tournaments. In addition, he is the 2-time Philadelphia Section “Ike Turner Most Improved Player” award winner. He is also the 4-time Philadelphia Section “Skee Riegel Senior Player of the Year” and has played in 1 Sr US Open and 5 Sr PGA Major Championships on the Champions Tour and in 5 Sr National Professional Championships (finishing 5th in 2006). He played in 6 Professional National Championships and was ranked 10th in 2008 for Sr PGA Professionals. He is the 4-time captain of the PGA vs. GAP Challenge Cup matches and was inducted in the Hall of Fame at Philadelphia University as well as Roxborough High School.
Nelson Ranco has served as Radnor Valley’s Director of Golf Instruction since 2010. Prior to joining Radnor Valley, he was the Director of Golf Instruction at Green Valley Country Club for twelve years, where he had come from serving as the Teaching Professional at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton Florida.
