In 1965, Zarley co-founded the PGA Tour Bible Study group with fellow PGA Tour players, Jim and Babe Hiskey. It still flourishes today and has proliferated throughout the world of professional golf. In the period between his careers on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, he authored three books on religion and world affairs. He received an honorary doctorate degree in 2001 from Chicago's North Park University, which has a lecture series named for him. Zarley lived much of his adult life in the Houston metropolitan area, but now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.