2025 GAM PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Caleb Bond of Williamston and Elayna Bowser of Dearborn are the Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year.
Dear Fellow GAM Members,
This summer’s Michigan Amateur Championship at Belvedere Golf Club was a reminder of what makes our game special. The club celebrated its 100th anniversary and its 41st time hosting the championship, and the final match between Caleb Bond of Michigan State and PJ Maybank of the University of Oklahoma lived up to the moment.
“Golf in Michigan is more than competition — it’s connection. The common thread is people investing in something larger than themselves.”
By the time players reach the championship match, it’s their eighth straight competitive round of the week — all walking — so fatigue is typically part of the challenge. But not this time. Shot after shot, both players delivered exceptional golf. Walking with them was our president, Dick Aginian, serving as referee and continuing a long GAM tradition that connects generations of volunteers to the heart of our championships. It was a highlight of the season — not because of any dramatic ruling, but because there wasn’t one. The players were outstanding, the competition was pure, and it reflected how players, officials, and volunteers together make GAM championships what they are.
Dick also served in the same role at the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship at Eagle Eye Golf Club, one of our outstanding course partners. That final match saw Macie Elzinga defeat past champion Elayna Bowser with a decisive birdie on the memorable island-green 17th. Macie’s victory was an unforgettable finish, but Elayna’s year as a whole — including a run to the round of 16 at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Monterey, California — earned her recognition as the GAM Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Seeing Caleb and
Elayna share the cover of this issue is a fitting way to celebrate a remarkable year of Michigan golf.
This third Michigan Links digital edition closes the first year of our new format, and it’s been a rewarding way to celebrate the people and programs shaping golf in Michigan right now.
As the season wraps up, I find myself reflecting on how far our community has come. Each year brings new stories that remind us golf in Michigan is more than competition — it’s connection. Whether it’s a junior discovering the game for the first time or a volunteer giving time and expertise at a course rating, the common thread is people investing in something larger than themselves.
This issue captures that spirit. You’ll also read about the launch of Team Michigan, a partnership between the USGA, GAM, and Michigan Section PGA that connects our state’s best junior players to a national pathway of elite development. Finally, we honor Dave Kendall and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame class of 2025, whose contributions will inspire golfers for generations to come.
Thank you for your support of the GAM this season. We enjoyed the round as much as you did.
Warm regards,
Chris Whitten Executive Director, Golf Association of Michigan
Chris Whitten
GAM WINTER SIMULATOR GAM SERIES
Enjoy the game you love in the winter with the Simulator Series!
Two-person teams. Winners get prizes each month!
PLAY AT ANY TRACKMAN SIMULATOR!
Registration is Now Open!
Dec. 1 - Dec. 31: Bellerive/Royal Ottawa
Jan. 1 - Jan. 31: Conway Farms/Barnbougle Lost Farm
Feb. 1 - Feb. 28: Franklin Hills/Royal Drottningholm
BOYNE Golf
Top: Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge, Birmingham. Bottom: Bow & Arrow BBQ, Auburn; Armour House, Birmingham; Wintzell’s Oyster House, Mobile
FOR THE LOVE OF GOLF.
Those who love golf and all the great stuff that goes with it will love both Carl’s Golfland stores, Bloomfield Hills and Plymouth at Saint John’s Resort. A huge inventory and a heated outdoor range – so you can try it out here before you take it out there – await.
Faces of the GAM
Just What the Doctor Ordered
Retired OB-GYN Deb Wolfe, who took up golf to decompress from her demanding career, stays active as a GAM governor and tournament official
/ BY TERRY MOORE
During their obstetrics and gynecology residencies at metro Detroit’s Beaumont Hospital in the late ’80s, Deb and Tom Wolfe accepted a golf invitation from fellow physicians as a way to socialize and decompress from their long hours. Soon, they were hooked and began taking lessons with Lisa Woodcox, an LPGA teaching pro at Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods. “The lessons were very helpful and allowed us as a couple to enjoy the game more,” says Deb Wolfe, now retired (after delivering more than 2,500 babies) and an active governor and tournament official with the GAM.
Deb grew up in Saline, attended the University of Michigan, and went to medical school at Wayne State University, where she met Tom. Both became OB-GYN doctors. “I didn’t play golf growing up; instead, I played tennis and softball. I was fairly
athletic and had good eye-andhand coordination.”
Today, Deb carries a 16.2 handicap and is a regular competitor in GAM events as well as those at Detroit Golf Club. “I embrace the challenge of the game and strive to maintain my skills,” Wolfe says. “Since I regularly visit my father, who still lives in Saline, I even took lessons at Miles of Golf in Ann Arbor over the winter.”
Wolfe says she once had just a “casual understanding” of the GAM and what it does. “I knew about the USGA handicap through the GAM, but I didn’t realize all of the other services it provides,” says Wolfe, who served as Detroit Golf Club’s second female president in 2014. Four years ago, she became a GAM tournament volunteer, which motivated her to improve her grasp of the rules.
Being an insider, Wolfe has a deeper appreciation for the GAM and its tournaments.
“I’ve been so impressed with the GAM staff, how hardworking they are, and how they put on such well-run tournaments. And to work with so many nice volunteers is both enjoyable and rewarding,” Wolfe says.
Wolfe also enjoys competing in tournaments as well as planning golf vacations. Once, she set up a golf trip with a friend, but at the last moment, the friend had to cancel. At the urging of her husband, Wolfe went anyway on her own. “I had a great time, getting paired up and meeting new people.”
Another time, she organized a surprise golf trip with her son Jack to Missouri’s acclaimed Payne’s Valley Golf Course, designed by Tiger Woods’s TGR Design. “Jack couldn’t believe it,” Wolfe says.
As much as golf is a big part of her life, she confesses the Wolfes are actually a ski family. “Tom is an avid skier, as is Jack and my older son, Max,” Deb Wolfe says. “I was a skier, too, until my back surgery.”
Although her skis are now collecting cobwebs, Wolfe is grateful to reside in Michigan with its wealth of golf courses — private, public, and resort. “After traveling to other states, you realize how lucky we are to live in Michigan and to play this wonderful game.”
Deb Wolfe
Faces of the GAM
Firing on All Cylinders
Retired Ford engineer LeRoy Bray Sr. serves the GAM as a governor and course rater and helps others gain the access to golf he lacked growing up
/ BY TERRY MORE
Aretired upper-management engineer from Ford Motor Co., LeRoy Bray Sr. still plays in the weekly golf league that boasts the name of William Clay Ford Sr. on its trophy. “It started as a Ford Lincoln golf league, but now, it’s open to anyone,” says Bray, a GAM governor and tournament volunteer.
Raised in Martinsville, Virginia, just north of the North Carolina border, Bray had his first brush with golf as a teenage caddie at a private club. “My buddies urged me to caddie to make some money, and I did it for a while,” Bray recalls. “But it was so hot and humid, it just wasn’t for me.”
Graduating with an engineering degree from Howard University, he didn’t take up the game until his first job in Toledo, Ohio. His boss, a private club member, invited Bray to play.
“Growing up in the South, people of color didn’t play golf, so the invitation was a surprise,” Bray says. When his boss learned Bray didn’t own any clubs, he took him to Kmart, where Bray purchased his first set. “I didn’t play very well, but I kept at it and gradually got better,” says Bray, who today carries a 14 index (he once held a single-digit index) and is a GAM member through Carl’s Golfland.
Eventually moving to Michigan and taking a position with Ford, Bray worked in various roles with the automotive giant, including stints at assembly plants in Allen Park and Wayne. Later, he traveled around the country as a Ford quality representative, visiting authorized suppliers.
“In the ’80s, there were a lot of these small shops employing less than 50 people. However, it began to change in the 1990s as suppliers emerged in Mexico and Southeast Asia,” Bray says. He concluded his successful career as an engineering manager, responsible for reporting data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
After retirement, Bray reached out to the GAM, wanting to obtain an official USGA handicap, and received a membership application. But he also became involved in course rating and tournament officiating. The course rating process and its statistical bent particularly appealed to him. “I’ve been grateful to be a GAM course rater, knowing what a valuable service it is for the game.”
A GAM governor since 2021, Bray is a passionate member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. “Growing the game of golf is very important, especially in the underserved areas,” Bray says. “For me, golf really wasn’t available for a variety of
LeRoy Bray
“Growing the game of golf is very important, especially in the underserved areas. For me, golf really wasn’t available for a variety of reasons, including access and cost.” inpimwleo ”
—LeRoy Bray
reasons, including access and cost.”
Accordingly, Bray is very pleased with the committee’s work in recognizing individuals and organizations dedicated to enlarging golf’s constituency.
Bray lives in Plymouth with his wife, Pat, and they’re proud of their five children and nine grandchildren. They’re snowbirds and spend time in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There, Pat “dabbles in the game” and enjoys playing with her husband at a playerfriendly executive course.
One of LeRoy’s golf highlights came in 2017 when he won his flight in the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship. The tournament annually hosts 3,000-plus players from all 50 states and various countries, divided into 70 flights.
Another highlight took place at Grande Dunes Resort Golf Club a few years ago when he made his first ace on its par-3 14th hole, a strong hole that requires a long carry over water, with a 5-iron.
Adding to the moment, veteran course rater Bray received a shot on the hole.
Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) chases the puck behind the goal during the first period at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Challenge Accepted
Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat discusses getting hooked on golf and enjoying Michigan’s great courses
/ BY TONY PAUL
Alex DeBrincat can make hockey look pretty easy at times. The 5-foot-8 forward led the Detroit Red Wings in goals last year, having signed with his hometown team as a free agent before the 2023-24 season. DeBrincat can also make golf look pretty easy at times as a 4.6-handicap golfer out of Orchard Lake Country Club.
But he’s here to tell you it hasn’t been easy getting to that point on the golf course. It took a long time of getting beat before he started occasionally doing the beating.
DeBrincat, 27, a Farmington Hills native who spent the first five years of his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, recently spoke to Michigan Links about all things golf, just as he was putting his clubs away for the winter with the 2025-26 NHL season now underway.
Michigan Links: How did you get into golf?
Alex DeBrincat: I had played golf a couple times growing up, but I wasn’t really big into it until after my first year in the NHL. The guys on the team would go, and I would join along, and then I just got hooked.
What hooked you?
The challenge. I was so brutal. Everyone was beating me, so I just wanted to get better.
A lot of hockey players seem to make good golfers. Why do you think that is?
I don’t know. Maybe just the hand-eye coordination. And I think it all kind of ties together. Obviously, it’s not the same exact motion, but we can get that swing speed up and it’s similar.
How much do you play in the offseason?
I try to go out at least twice a week
early in the summer, and then later in the summer, it dwindles down a little bit. But I play a good amount of golf in the summer.
So we’ve seen. On Instagram, you’ve documented your golf exploits with your 3-year-old son Archie. What’s that been like?
It’s been awesome. Just getting him swinging the club and getting on the course is fun. I hope one day, when he’s older, we can play a lot
more together. It’s just fun to hang out with him and to be able to do something we both like to do. And he’s kind of just loving being outside and being on the course with me.
You’re hooked. Is Archie hooked yet?
Sometimes [laughs]. He goes through stages. He’s always trying to swing a club in the backyard, but he’s only gone out to the course [sparingly]. But he is swinging a lot. I still don’t know. He just loves all sports. He kind of bounces around the different sports. Each day, it’s something new.
He’s making memories in golf now. What’s your favorite golf memory?
I don’t know if I’ve had too many memorable rounds. I’ve been close to a hole-in-one, but you know how that goes, right? I’ve had maybe a couple close calls but never a holein-one.
OK, what’s your favorite course that you’ve played?
Pebble Beach. [It was] a couple years ago, so I definitely wasn’t as good as I am now. So I saw the whole course for sure [laughs]. It’s so cool. To be out there and be able to play a course that the pros play — and you can watch it on TV — is awesome. It’s a lot of fun. But I’ve played a lot of nice courses that I really enjoyed.
You’re a member at Orchard Lake. What drew you there?
I used to live out that way. I used to live pretty close to there, and I mean, it’s a great course. It’s very pure. It’s got great greens. Just fun to play. There are a lot of hockey guys out there, too, so it’s easy to find a way. There are probably eight or nine of us out there now.
Archie
and Alex DeBrincat
“It’s been awesome. Just getting [Archie] swinging the club and getting on the course is fun. I hope one day, when he’s older, we can play a lot more together. It’s just fun to hang out with him and to be able to do something we both like to do. And he’s kind of just loving being outside and being on the course with me.”
Alex DeBrincat
Serious matches, or no?
Not too much [laughs].
What’s your dream course to play? I mean, Augusta, obviously.
Any connections possibly down the road? No. But I’ll work on it. I’ll let you know.
How about a dream foursome?
I think playing with Scottie Scheffler would be really cool. I think Michael Jordan — he’s super competitive on the golf course. Steph Curry would be another cool one. He’s got a good swing, so he’d be fun to play with.
Well, if you’re playing with Michael Jordan, you’re going to have to keep up with the stakes. Yeah, he doesn’t play for free [laughs].
Lastly, you grew up in Michigan. What do you make of Michigan’s golf scene? It’s a great golf scene. You get down to metro Detroit and there are a lot of nice country clubs. And then you go Up North and you get that scenery and just some great, great courses up there. You know, I’ve played so many nice courses here, and there are still so many I haven’t played.
Faces of the GAM
Taking Charge
Ally Challenge Director Erin Mazurek Stone leads the tournament that brought pro golf back to Warwick Hills
/ BY TONY PAUL
This is a delicate time in the world of professional golf.
The PGA Tour has changed leaders and is drastically altering its business model, and the LIV Golf situation appears here to stay.
The question for Erin Mazurek Stone: Is The Ally Challenge, the PGA Tour Champions tournament at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, also here to stay? The Ally debuted in 2018, bringing pro golf back to the site of the PGA Tour’s old — and überpopular — Buick Open. The tournament is under contract through 2026. Beyond that remains TBD.
“That is the quintessential question,” says Stone, tournament director of the Ally, who joined the tournament back in 2022 as director of business development and community engagement at HNS Sports Group, the Ohio-based company that runs the event. “I would be cautiously
optimistic that we are going to have a bright future. We’re having some really good conversations.
“I’ll say this: Ally and [presenting sponsor] McLaren have been phenomenal leaders that keep this engine thriving.
“As we maneuver some pieces and puzzles, [we hope] some promising news will be coming out.”
Stone, 42, has a long résumé in sports, with more than 20 years of experience. She came to the Ally after five years as tournament director for the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. Before that, she worked for the Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment (now Ilitch Sports and Entertainment), around the time when Little Caesars Arena was being planned and built.
She also spent seven years working in tennis, with stints with the United States Tennis Association and as the first female
Above, Erin Mazurek Stone, tournament director of The Ally Challenge, speaks during closing ceremonies at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc.
tournament director of the ATP Tour.
In 2022, Stone, a Madison Heights native, Lamphere High School alum, and Northwood University graduate, was looking to come home. And there was a fit with the Ally.
“[Stone] made an immediate positive impact,” says Dan Sullivan, managing partner for HNS Sports Group, which runs several pro golf tournaments across the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, and Korn Ferry Tour, including its signature event, the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. “Stone’s passion for her home state of Michigan and alignment with the HNS team’s commitment to consistently drive towards elevating The Ally Challenge has been a tremendous benefit to the tournament.
“Under her leadership of the event’s business development and community engagement programs,” Sullivan
“What is going on at Warwick and this community is probably the best tournament on the PGA Tour Champions, and it would probably beat out a third of the ones on the main tour.”
—Erin Mazurek Stone
continues, “The Ally Challenge has enjoyed record sales and an expanded philanthropic and civic reach year over year.”
Her job is pretty all-encompassing. Stone secures sponsorships, drives the commercial side of the business, and serves as the tournament’s spokesperson.
She officially became the tournament director in 2025, one of five women to hold that title on the PGA Tour Champions. Attendance will never match the Buick Open days, when Tiger Woods was regularly the headliner, but it’s been growing, in large part because of the tournament’s popular concert series and the inclusion of celebrities for a weekend shoot-out. Jack Nicklaus, Jalen Rose, Dylan Larkin, and Jeff Daniels have been among the participating celebrities over the years. The tournament has made a big push to attract women and children.
member who carries a handicap of 28.1. She laments that it’s too high but is proud that it recently went down by a stroke.
She doesn’t get to play as much as she’d like — it’s a misconception that those in the golf business play golf all the time — but she finds her spots.
And she’s developed more of an appreciation for the sport since she returned home to join The Ally Challenge.
“I was a golf fan, a typical hacker, like most of us amateurs,” Stone says. “I was never deep in the industry, and I didn’t know a lot. I didn’t get my handicap until this year. I figured I’d better finally get on the bandwagon. People think when you’re in the sport, you’re good at it. That’s not what it means.
Greg and Erin Mazurek Stone
The Ally Challenge, whose past champions include the likes of Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, and two-time winner Stewart Cink, also has raised nearly $10 million for Flint-area charities since the tournament’s inception in 2018.
“It’s no longer the Buick,” says Stone, who lives in Clarkston with husband Greg Stone and their two young daughters. “But what is going on at Warwick and this community is probably the best tournament on the PGA Tour Champions, and it would probably beat out a third of the ones on the main tour.”
Stone is a Golf Association of Michigan
“But I enjoy it so much more. And certainly, Michigan is such a hotbed for beautiful courses, public and private.” Michigan is a hotbed for major pro tournaments, too, with annual stops by the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, and LPGA. LIV Golf had its Michigan debut in 2025 with its season-ending team championship, which was held during the same three days as The Ally Challenge.
LIV Golf is considering a return to Michigan in the future, perhaps as early as 2026. And Stone hopes stops in Michigan continue, for all tours, for a long time — so long as they steer clear of the Ally’s traditional late-summer dates.
The 2026 Ally Challenge is set for Aug. 28-30.
“I feel like the golf crowd in Michigan can support so much,” Stone says. “We want golf across the state to thrive.”
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINT TOTALS can be found on a dropdown menu from the PLAY tab at GAM.org.
is the presenting sponsor of the points lists.
Elayna Bowser of Dearborn Tops 2025 Women’s Points List
/ BY GREG JOHNSON • PORTRAIT BY JOE ALISA
Elayna Bowser reached the round of 16 in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in California and wanted to keep going for a couple of reasons.
First, the 28-year-old Dearborn real estate agent wanted to win the national championship, but she also wanted to advance because she would get another round on the club’s famed Dunes Course.
“That was the nicest course I’ve ever played,” she says. “I wanted to keep winning matches because I wanted to win, obviously, but I also just wanted to keep playing that golf course. The views were spectacular, but the thought that went into the design of the course was amazing and it required so much creativity. It was so fun to play.” Her run to the round of 16 combined with a runner-up finish in the Michigan Women’s Amateur and a tie for second in the GAM Women’s MidAmateur powered Bowser to the top of the Golf Association of Michigan points list, and she has been named the 2025 GAM Women’s Player of the Year.
Elayna Bowser of Dearborn was named the 2025 Golf Association of Michigan Women’s Player of the Year after a standout season that included reaching the round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s MidAmateur Championship.
It’s the second consecutive year in which Bowser has earned the honor.
Bowser, the 2019 Michigan Women’s Amateur champion during her standout collegiate career at Loyola University Chicago, is a reinstated amateur. She played professionally for four years following college and returned to the amateur ranks in 2024.
“Being Player of the Year is so hard to accomplish,” she says. “Michigan has so many talented players, and I feel great that I’m still able to be out there and compete. It gives me so much confidence in my game.”
Ken Hartmann, the GAM’s senior director of competitions and USGA services, says he is impressed that Bowser has found a way to maintain her game while balancing golf with her real estate career.
“She has figured out a way to keep her game at a high level,” he says. “She played well in everything this summer. Experience is part of it, but she’s also just a great competitor.”
Bowser earned 797.5 points to top the list, just ahead of GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Laura Bavaird of Trenton, who had 750.
“Being Player of the Year is so hard to accomplish. Michigan has so many talented players, and I feel great that I’m still able to be out there and compete. It gives me so much confidence in my game.”
—Elayna Bowser
Michigan Women’s Amateur champion Macie Elzinga of Byron Center and Bowling Green State University finished third with 635 points, and Kimberly Dinh of Midland with 495 points and Elise Fennell of Caledonia and Illinois State University with 360 points rounded out the top five.
Bowser says with her current golf game, less is more.
“I actually practice less with my work schedule, but I play as much as possible and try to enjoy it,” she says. “My favorite times on the golf course these days are not always in tournaments but playing a round of golf with my brother or at 4 or 5 o’clock with my boyfriend and playing in a Saturday skins game with the guys at Dearborn Country Club. I think I’m more relaxed with golf now, and that has helped me in competition.”
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Caleb Bond of Williamston Tops 2025 Men’s Points List
/ BY GREG JOHNSON • PORTRAIT BY JOE ALISA
Caleb Bond says he learned in his first year at Michigan State University in 2024 that when he played his best golf he could compete with the best amateur golfers in the country.
Then he proved it in the summer of 2025. He won the Michigan Amateur Championship at historic Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix by fighting off University of Oklahoma standout PJ Maybank of Cheboygan, 1-up, in the final match.
Michigan State University golfer Caleb Bond captured the 2025 Golf Association of Michigan Men’s Player of the Year title after winning the Michigan Amateur Championship and advancing to the round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
That earned him an exemption into the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, where he emerged from a playoff to get into match play and made a run to the round of 16. He lost to the eventual runner-up, Jackson Herrington of Tennessee, but not before taking him to 20 holes.
Those two performances powered Bond to the top of the Golf Association of Michigan’s points list, and he has been named the 2025 GAM Men’s Player of the Year.
“To be on the list with all the great players who have shared that honor is a big accomplishment,” says the 21-year-old Bond, a senior at Michigan State.
“I’ve always played in GAM tournaments to get great competition and to get better at my game, so this is pretty awesome. It was a great summer, winning the Amateur, making a run in the U.S. Amateur, and having my family there and my sister [Cara] caddie for me. I learned a lot that I can use going forward.”
He says the week that unfolded for him at Belvedere in winning the Amateur will be something he never forgets.
“To have my name on the [Staghorn] trophy is golf history, and you get so much confidence from having a week like that,” he says. “I played very consistent through match play, and then to beat a great player like PJ in the final just pushed me going forward.”
He says his best golf was the second round of stroke play in the U.S. Amateur, which landed him in a 20-golfer playoff for the final 17 spots in match play.
“I shot [68] on the tougher course [Lake Course] and thought I had
made the field and then ended up in that playoff the next morning and had to fight through that,” he says. “Then I won two matches and really learned a lot along the way about my game and myself. It was great to compete with the best players in amateur golf.”
He says professional golf is next, but details still need to be worked out. “Being a professional has been the goal for a long time,” he says.
Ken Hartmann, the GAM’s senior director of competitions and USGA services, says he was impressed with Bond in the 2024 Michigan Amateur, held at The Highlands at Harbor Springs.
“He impressed me with his game then, so I wasn’t surprised that he put it all together this year,” he says. “I like the way he approaches the game. He doesn’t get bothered by things, just keeps hitting shots. Also, his preparation and his performance in the U.S. Amateur impressed me, too.”
Bond amassed 1,035 points to top the GAM Player of the Year points list, well ahead of Justin Sui of Lake Orion, who had 570 points and was the highlight GAM Championship winner with his record round of 60 at Radrick Farms Golf Club in Ann Arbor.
Lorenzo Pinili of Rochester, a teammate of Bond’s at MSU, finished third with 410 points. His highlight was a historic course and tournament record 63 in stroke play at Belvedere in the Michigan Amateur.
Evan Johnson of Grosse Ile with 400 points and Bryce Wheeler of Augusta and Grand Valley State University with 387.5 points rounded out the top five.
Players of the Year point totals can be found on a dropdown menu from the PLAY tab at GAM.org. Carl’s Golfland is the presenting sponsor of the points lists.
Hannah Kim: 15-and-under Junior Girls
Hannah Kim of Troy says she had a rocky start to the golf season because she let the pressure of competition bother her.
“In the beginning of the year I got nervous, especially in the last days of the tournaments,” says the 13-year-old eighth grader at Boulan Park Middle School.
“I was telling myself I had to win this. At the end of the year, I played better. At the GAM Junior Invitational I was very relaxed. I wanted to win, but I realized if I win, I win, if I lose, I lose. I just tried to play well, and having a good mentality allowed me to win that day. I plan to tell myself to relax more in the future.”
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kim’s game demonstrated she has a bright future ahead of her. She was runner-up to champion Cameron Baker of Novi in the 15-andunder Division of the Michigan Girls’
Junior Amateur, where she also was the Stroke Play Medalist. And closed out the season with the 15-and-under Division win at the GAM Junior Invitational.
Those performances pushed her to the top of the junior girls’ points list, and she has been named the GAM 15-and-under Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.
Kim says it is an honor to be the Player of the Year.
“Obviously, a lot of people in the division
worked hard for this,” she says. “I’m happy that I came out on top. I think it showed how good I can be.”
She says the best part of her game is her tee shots.
“I always get it where I want to get it,” she says. “I’m so confident on the tee box. I get a little rocky when it comes to my short game and my putting. That’s the place I can improve on the most, and that is what I’ve been working on and what I plan to get better at next season.”
Kim, a Youth on Course Michigan member of the GAM, finished the season with 1,105 points in a tight race with Baker, a member through her family at Barton Hills Country Club in Ann Arbor. Baker finished second with 1,032.5 points.
Sixtine Charnelet of Bloomfield Hills and Youth on Course Michigan, who had 650 points; Anika Srivastava of Okemos and Youth on Course Michigan, who had 632.5 points; and Saisha Patil of Okemos and Youth on Course Michigan, who had 383 points, rounded out the top five.
Tommy Preston: 15-and-under Junior Boys
Tommy Preston of Grand Rapids had his two best scoring rounds of his young career at opportune times this summer.
The 15-year-old Grand Rapids Catholic Central student shot 65 in the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier at The Orchards in Washington Township to earn medalist honors and a spot in the national championship.
And, playing up an age group in the Overall Division, he shot a 66 at Forest Akers West in closing out the season with the GAM Junior Invitational Championship.
“I think when I go low it is because the putter gets hot,” he says. “I make a lot of birdies. That’s what happened in those rounds, and it’s the one thing I’ve been working on the most. It’s on and off and I want to get more consistent with it and make a lot more putts.”
Preston made enough putts to top the GAM’s 15-and-under junior boys’ points list, and he has been named the 15-and-under Junior Boys’ Player of the Year, Alex Clark, director of tournament operations announced.
“It’s a great honor to be a Player of the Year,” Preston says. “It reflects well on one of my best summers and it shows you are one of the best players in the state.”
He says making the trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Texas was a lot of fun, especially with friends (JP Levan and Cooper Reitsma). “We played practice rounds, played in the tournament and hung around afterwards. It was a great experience.”
Being named Player of the Year matched the accomplishment of his older brother Will, who is currently playing college golf at Penn State University. Both of them work with instructor Kevin Weeks of Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in suburban Chicago.
“I want to play college golf and do the things Will did,” Preston says. “I had a good summer,
and I want to build on that next year.”
Preston, a GAM member though Cascade Hills Country Club with his family, won a tight points battle with 458 points.
Blake Springstead of Kewadin and A-Ga-Ming Resort was second with 420 points.
Timothy Wageman of Haslett, who had 410 points; Rodrigo Dugarte of Troy, who had 405 points; and Draven Rogers of Fort Gratiot, who had 345 points, rounded out the top five.
Clark says Preston clearly has an abundance of talent.
“He played in the Overall Division in many tournaments this year, which is unusual for a 15-year-old,” he says. “However, he proved he has the game to compete with the older juniors. Tommy is a great ball striker. He plays fast, which indicates he is confident in his skills, and he isn’t overthinking. His golfing future is very bright.”
Hannah Kim
Tommy Preston PHOTOS
Alena Li: Junior Girls GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alena Li of Okemos topped the 2025 GAM junior girls’ points list and for the third consecutive year has been named the GAM Junior Girls’ Player of the Year.
“It’s such an honor to be Player of the Year again,” says the 17-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan. “There are so many great players in Michigan, and being Player of the Year is always a goal. This year I just tried to have fun on the golf course doing something I love to do. It was a fun year.”
Li won the GAM Girls’ Championship early in the season, then later won the Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur, which made her exempt for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur, which was played at the Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course in Georgia.
“That was such an amazing experience to go there and compete with some of the best golfers from all over the world,” she says. “My sister [Anna] caddied for me, walking with me all of the rounds, and she enjoyed it a lot, too.”
Li isn’t playing college golf. She chose the University of Michigan for academic reasons, but she did join the club golf team and played in one tournament this fall. She will move on from junior golf this winter but plans to play in GAM women’s tournaments next summer.
“I’ll play in as many as I can because I love competition and getting to know the other players,” she says. “It’s a little bit sad to no longer be a junior golfer. It’s been a big part of my life, but I look forward to still playing as much as I can. I know playing golf is something I will keep doing.” Li, a Youth on Course Michigan member, had a
JP Levan: Junior Boys
With his win this summer in the Michigan Junior State Amateur Championship, JP Levan of Grand Rapids earned an exemption to play in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.
“Going to the U.S. Junior Amateur was the best golf experience I’ve ever had,” he says. “It was a bunch of fun going down there with Tommy [Preston of Grand Rapids] and Cooper [Reitsma of Ada], and it was a thrill to get a chance to play such a prestigious event at such a great venue.”
Levan, a 16-year-old junior at East Grand Rapids High School, had a summer filled with great golf experiences. In addition to his trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur and win in the Michigan Junior State Amateur, he also won the GAM Boys’ Championship.
Those performances powered him to the top of the Golf Association of Michigan points list, and he has been named the 2025 GAM Junior Boys’ Player of the Year.
“I’m so glad that all the work I put in is being displayed with good results,” he says. “Going all the way through match play and beating a lot of good players in the [Michigan Junior State Amateur] and then beating Harris [Hoekwater] in the playoff at the GAM Boys’ Championship were really tough things to accomplish, and I’m proud of what I was able to do.”
Levan, who works with Jim Wiskinski, the director of instruction at Kent Country Club, where his family belongs, says his mental game helped him have a great summer of golf.
“I tried to never get down on myself and stay in the present,” he says. “I also think I improved my short game around the greens. It obviously helped my scoring.”
Levan also plays hockey at East Grand Rapids but says he hopes his future is in playing golf.
“I love hockey,” he says, “but I love golf more.”
Levan totaled 850 points playing a busy schedule of GAM, AJGA, and PGA Junior tournaments. Tommy Preston of Grand Rapids, the champion of the GAM Junior Invitational, was second with 768 points.
lot of competition for the Player of the Year honors this year. She topped the list with 892.5 points.
Chaille Payne of Spring Lake and Spring Lake Country Club, who in 10 summer tournaments finished among the top four eight times, was second with 842.5 points, just 50 points behind Li.
Lillian O’Grady of Grand Rapids and Watermark Country Club, the GAM Junior Invitational winner, was third with 817.5 points, and Grace Slocum of Traverse City and the Kingsley Club, who had 715 points, and Saisha Patil of Okemos and Youth on Course Michigan, who had 640 points, rounded out the top five.
“Alena has been a staple at the top of GAM Junior tournaments for the last handful of years,” says Alex Clark, director of tournament operations for the GAM.
“She plots her way around a golf course exceptionally well. It is very rare to see her in trouble. She is also an excellent ball striker. The combination of great course management and elite ball striking is tough to beat. She has been a great junior player and champion. I’m not sure of her golfing aspirations in the future, but I hope to see her compete in the Michigan Women’s Amateur or GAM Women’s Championship as she has the game to be a force in those tournaments.”
Max VanderMolen of Richland, who had 748 points; Harris Hoekwater of Grand Rapids, who had 683 points; and Cooper Reitsma of Ada, last year’s Junior Boys’ Player of the Year who had 650 points, rounded out the top five.
“JP had a tremendous season,” says Alex Clark, the GAM’s director of tournament operations. “By winning both the Michigan Junior Amateur and GAM Boys’ Championship, he showed that his game is effective in both match and stroke play. His feat also showed that he can adapt to different courses while still being a peak performer. He is comfortable near the top of leaderboards and never seems to let the pressure of the moment get to him. He is a tireless worker and a great competitor.”
Alena Li
JP Levan
Lori Schlicher: Senior Women
Lori Schlicher of Lewiston gets her winter workouts not at some indoor golf facility, but from chopping wood.
She has a wood stove for home heat, in addition to a furnace if needed, but she prefers to chop and burn for warmth in the winter.
“I keep the home fires burning,” she says with a laugh.
The 64-year-old Garland Lodge & Golf Resort member burned up the competition in 2025, winning the Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur for a third consecutive year, the GAM Women’s Senior Championship, and the GAM Senior Tournament of Champions.
Those performances powered her to the top of the Golf Association of Michigan’s points list, and she has been named the 2025 GAM Senior Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
She’s excited about trying to do it three times in a row.
“I learned this year that you get points from [U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur] qualifying, so now I feel like I should try for everything,” she says. “I’m not getting any younger, so I’m trying to get it while I still got it.”
Schlicher was a medalist in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Qualifier at Spring Meadows early in the golf season. She says her 1-over 73 was the highlight performance of the season.
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
“It was tough, and I had just one bad hole but played really well the rest of the round, and it got me in the [national] tournament for the first time,” she says. “I had other good rounds, but that one stands out.”
The mother of four and grandmother of seven called her golf season one of fewer cringe moments.
“I was pretty consistent this year,” she says. “I still have things to work on. I could have played better when I got to the [U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in Virginia], and I know I feel things in my muscles I didn’t used to feel. I’m working on that to be ready for next season. And I’ll chop wood and maybe go to Florida for
a few weeks like I did last year.”
Ted Newton, the GAM’s director of tournament administration, says Schlicher has been the most consistent player among the senior women in GAM tournaments in recent years, and she advanced her game in 2025.
“She played really well, qualified for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, which is a significant accomplishment, and on top of that she is a great person who enjoys our tournaments and the other players enjoy competing with her,” he says. “She is definitely gaining strokes on the field with her distance and ball-striking. It’s not a surprise she is Player of the Year.”
Schlicher’s three wins this season helped her earn 817.5 points to top the GAM points list.
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll of Haslett, who won the GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Senior Division title and made match play at the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, was second with 395 points.
Julie Massa of Pentwater with 315 points, Shelly Weiss of Southfield with 241.5 points, and Donna Tepper of Grosse Pointe Park with 240 points rounded out the top five.
“I was pretty consistent this year. I still have things to work on. I could have played better when I got to the [U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur], and I know I feel things in my muscles I didn’t used to feel. I’m working on that to be ready for next season. And I’ll chop wood and maybe go to Florida for a few weeks.”
—Lori Schlicher
Lori Schlicher
*Excludes Firearms, Ammunition, Nike & Under Armour. Additional exclusions may apply, see www.dunhamssports.com/coupon-exclusions.html for details. Not valid for online purchases or Gift Cards. Cannot be used with another offer, coupon, current sale, or clearance item. Only one coupon per customer. Not valid on previous purchases. Void if copied. Not for resale. Dunham’s Sports reserves the right to terminate this coupon/offer/discount at any time, without prior notice.
Players of the Year
Mike Anderson: Senior Men
Mike Anderson of Novi wondered why, without a victory during the season, he was invited to the season-ending GAM Tournament of Champions, and promptly asked Ken Hartmann, senior director of competitions and USGA services for the GAM.
Hartmann told him it was because he was leading the GAM senior men’s points list for the season. Anderson, who turned 56 in September, then took advantage of the opportunity and won the final tournament of the year.
That win, coupled with the points he earned for reaching the quarterfinal round in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship earlier in the summer and top finishes in other tournaments, resulted in him being named the 2025 GAM Senior Men’s Player of the Year.
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
“I didn’t realize that the USGA national championships had such an impact on the points, but I’m obviously thrilled it was recognized,” Anderson says. “A lot of great players have been Player of the Year, and to be mentioned and included in that group is a great honor.”
Anderson, the managing director of investments at Stifel Financial, says the honor is a great ending to his first full year as a senior golfer.
“I would say as a first-year senior I was more attentive to competition than I have been in recent years,” he says. “Being a senior afforded me so many more opportunities to play in events, too, and at great venues, and I tried to play in at least one a month.”
Anderson says his play in the U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas, was his best week of the summer. He won matches in the rounds of 64, 32, and 16 before falling 1-up to the eventual champion, Michael McCoy of Des Moines, Iowa.
“That was the best I’ve played in a while. It was a good week,” he says. “I was playing well going in. The course suited my game well. I played some great players and was fortunate to beat them before I lost to the eventual winner, who is just an incredible player, a former Walker Cup guy, an elite senior. It was a great, new experience.”
He says it gives him confidence and valida-
Mike Anderson
“I feel like I have five, maybe even 10 years ahead of me where if I work hard, do the right things, learn more each time that I play, then I can continue to play well here in Michigan but also nationally.”
—Mike Anderson
tion that he can compete at the top levels of senior amateur golf.
“I feel like I have five, maybe even 10 years ahead of me where if I work hard, do the right things, learn more each time that I play, then I can continue to play well here in Michigan but also nationally,” he says.
He says a trainer visit early in the golf season gave him a flexibility and stretching routine that he continues to use.
“I think it has helped me physically and even psychologically,” he says. “I feel like ball-striking has always been a strength of mine, and doing this flexibility and stretching has helped with that. I haven’t lost anything in that category.”
Anderson earned 585 points to top the GAM Player of the Year points list.
Greg Davies of West Bloomfield, the GAM Senior Match Play Champion, was second with 423.
Mike Ignasiak of Saline with 330 points, and Chris Bailey of Rochester and GAM Senior Championship winner Rick Crandall of Fenton, who tied with 265 points, rounded out the top five.
Hartmann says Anderson is a great person and golfer.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win this honor a few more times,” he says. “He competes regularly with the younger players. His iron play is so consistent. He hits it close. When he is on, a shot outside of 10 feet is a bad shot for him. He could be a dominant senior player, and he is a great competitor.”
Greg Zeller
Greg Zeller: Super Senior
Greg Zeller of Jackson likes to keep track of things, like how many rounds of golf and how many courses he has played in the calendar year — and this year how many points he had in the GAM Player of the Year points standings.
“I went into the year planning to play in more GAM events and got into more this year,” he says. “My goal is always to win or get in the top five. That shows I’m competing. I didn’t get a win this year, but I was close.”
GAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Close enough. With three top-five finishes in five GAM tournaments, earning medalist honors in the stroke play
portion of the GAM Senior Match Play Championship, and finishing second in the Super Senior Division of the Michigan Senior Open, Zeller amassed enough points to be named the 2025 GAM Super Senior Men’s Player of the Year.
Zeller, who is 67 and a retired physical education teacher with the East Jackson Community Schools, has played 51 different courses and 181 rounds in the calendar year at last count. He says it’s pretty cool to be the Player of the Year.
“I kept an eye on it last year, and then made it a goal for this year,” he says. “It feels great to achieve that. I feel lucky to still be able to compete and keep up with everybody. There are so many good players in the GAM tournaments, so many great senior and super senior players.”
Zeller’s top finishes earned him 235 points, just ahead of fellow Jackson golfer Mike Raymond, who was the Super Senior Division
“It feels great to achieve that. I feel lucky to still be able to compete and keep up with everybody. There are so many good players in the GAM tournaments, so many great senior and super senior players.”
—Greg Zeller
winner at the GAM Senior Championship last summer and had 195 points.
David Bartnick of Novi, who won the GAM Super Senior Championship, tied for third with Randy Lewis of Alma, who won the Super Senior Division at the GAM Mid-Amateur Championship. They each had 150 points.
Kerry Buettner of Grandville rounded out the top five with 135.5 points.
Ken Hartmann, the GAM’s senior director of competitions and USGA services, says Zeller doesn’t look his age and takes advantage of his flexibility and ability to hit the ball farther than most of his competition.
“He is also a consistent player,” Hartmann says. “You always find him in the top 10, or at the least not far down the leaderboard. He’s one of those players you would want to invite to be your four-ball partner because of his consistency and length off the tee.”
Never Forgotten
Michigan golf mourns selfless teacher and Hall of Famer Dave Kendall / BY GREG
JOHNSON
Dave Kendall was somehow selfless in a game that at its core requires you to swing the club yourself.
He died in September after a battle with cancer, leaving an insurmountable hole in Michigan golf as well as in the hearts of his loving family, his endless stream of friends, his former golf students, and an incalculable number of people touched by the kindness he shared each day.
He was 70 and is gone too soon.
Dave is one of the most remarkable people I’ve met in 68 years of life and well over 40 years of telling the stories of golfers, their tournaments, their successes, and their failures.
Dave Kendall (center) poses with his family at the GAM’s 2025 Annual Meeting, where he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award, the GAM’s highest honor.
Earlier this spring, he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the Golf Association of Michigan, its highest honor.
He was humbled, and his eyes were shining and wet with emotion as he offered a stirring, inspiring acceptance speech.
“I loved playing competitive golf because I thought that if I could learn to do it well, I’d love the competition and maybe I could be more credible as a teacher,” he said in the speech. “But the greatest benefits of learning to play well went far beyond that. I learned that managing my expectations and learning from my mistakes had benefits well beyond golf. There are no undefeated seasons. I learned that improving is also winning. We all make mistakes. Not learning from them is losing.”
Pure Dave. Ask any of his students from the Kendall Academy he founded. He didn’t just break down your swing, offer tips or drills to try, and make you a better golfer. With his words, his kindness, and his almost-shy sharing of life lessons, he also made you a better person by the end of the lesson.
I first met him as a caddie, then met him again as a fellow PGA professional and friend of Lynn Janson, a Grand Rapids professional and dynamic player demanding the attention of the local newspaper and its golf writer.
played together in the same group. And here’s the thing: I don’t remember much about the golf or how I played. What I remember is how he helped every member of the group enjoy the game and the day.
Years later, when Dave’s fellow
for Dave and give him something to feel good about. He’s been my mentor and my inspiration, and honestly, I’m among many who would say that. So to come away with a trophy and kind of honor him with it feels really good.”
Earlier this summer at the Michigan PGA Senior Open at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek, Dave, seemingly doing incredibly well in his cancer battle, shot 70 — his age — and finished among the top five in the 65-and-older Super Senior Division.
After he had completed his round and turned in his scorecard, it was Erskine who first approached him, needling him and offering the kind of friendly insults only longtime friends can share.
Dave laughed, and when Randy walked off, Dave teared up. He said it was nice to be treated like one of the guys, not some guy with cancer.
“I think about Dave every day. I used a Kendall Academy ball marker, and I put it down with that ‘K’ up every time. … He’s been my mentor and my inspiration, and honestly, I’m among many who would say that.”
—Patrick Wilkes-Krier, PGA professional and owner of The Kendall Academy
Dave was the teacher of Matt Harmon, a gifted young golfer from Grand Rapids who starred at Michigan State University and came oh so close to a PGA Tour dream.
I met him, it seemed, again and again over the years.
“I remember you,” he would say when I offered my name as a reminder.
He never missed a chance to tell me he enjoyed what I wrote about Lynn, or about Matt, or about Randy Erskine or Buddy Whitten or any number of other golfers. In my newspaper world, he was a person who passed on praise instead of judgment, genuine thanks instead of criticism.
Finally, one Monday, in a pro-am, we
Michigan Golf Hall of Famer and friend Randy Erskine was playing some on the PGA Tour Champions, I finally found somebody who finished second to Dave as the best pro-am guy ever.
I told Randy. He said that was the only time he liked being second.
In August, Patrick Wilkes-Krier, who now owns the Kendall Academy, won the Michigan PGA Professional Championship at Walnut Creek Country Club.
He fought his emotions as he talked about Dave, who was his mentor.
“I think about Dave every day,” he said. “I used a Kendall Academy ball marker, and I put it down with that ‘K’ up every time. A huge part of me wanted to come out on the right side of this tournament
Dave was as quick to tears as he was to being kind. It was just him.
Matt Harmon, a couple of years after being named a Big Ten Player of the Year, competed in the PGA Tour’s Buick Open in 2009. Dave watched him make the 36-hole cut. Standing nearby as Harmon signed some autographs, Dave wiped away tears.
“So happy for Matt,” he said. “He works so hard at the game. He deserves this so much.”
We shared other moments. I chair the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame committee that selected him in 2015. He was truly humbled and embarrassed that everybody made such a fuss. He attended the induction last October, amid his battle with cancer, when I was humbly inducted for getting to tell stories about golfers like Dave.
“You deserve this so much,” he told me. I wiped tears from my cheeks that day, as we all did this fall when we heard the news.
A truly selfless man has departed, but not before he made the world better, one shot, one lesson, one kind word at a time. Rest in peace, Dave Kendall. We will remember you.
Investing in Golf
GFairways Forward
Travis Pointe, Stonycroft Hills, and Knollwood invest in golf with course construction projects
/ BY GREG JOHNSON
olf participation numbers have continued to increase in Michigan in recent years, and so has investment in the game by GAM member clubs.
Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor and Stonycroft Hills Club in Bloomfield Hills are embarking on new construction projects, and Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield completed its renovations in time for its centennial celebration.
Here is a look at each of those projects:
TRAVIS POINTE COUNTRY CLUB
Travis Pointe is starting a $6 million renovation of its clubhouse and golf course this fall with the clubhouse first on the list. The work on the golf course will begin in 2026.
“We are committed to creating a vibrant Travis Pointe community that will thrive for the next 50 years,” said Joe Golden, president of the board of directors, in a press release. “These renovations are a testament to our members’ support and dedication, ensuring a lasting legacy for future generations.”
100 YEARS CELEBRATED BY KNOLLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB IN 2025, MARKING ITS CENTENNIAL AFTER OPENING IN 1925.
1928
THE YEAR STONYCROFT HILLS CLUB WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT BY AD EXECUTIVE AND GOLF ENTHUSIAST THEODORE MCMANUS.
Travis Pointe member Chris Wilczynski of C.W. Golf Architecture, a nationally known designer, will oversee the course renovations. Wilczynski led the comprehensive restoration of Blythefield Country Club near Grand Rapids in 2020.
He plans to realign and improve strategic placement of the course’s bunkers for better shot values and aesthetics and plans to revitalize the
course’s fairway and greenside bunkers with an advanced bunker lining system.
In addition, the expansion of greens and realignment of fairways will enhance playability and the course’s overall look. Improved drainage systems are also being installed, an expansive tree project will be ongoing, and a plan to adjust mowing patterns for top conditions will be put in place.
Stonycroft Hills Club
$6M THE COST OF THE TRAVIS POINTE COUNTRY CLUB RENOVATION PROJECT IN ANN ARBOR, BEGINNING FALL 2025.
STONYCROFT HILLS CLUB
Construction on the golf course was scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
Wilczynski of C.W. Golf Architecture created the master plan to renovate the course, which was built in 1928 by Theodore McManus, an advertising executive and golf enthusiast. Members had purchased the course by 1960, and the course has evolved through several renovations.
Wilczynski’s plans include a full-scale revitalization aimed at modernizing the course while honoring its classic roots. The goal is to enhance both playability and aesthetics for members and guests of all skill levels.
The project includes strategic tree removal to improve sight lines and open playing corridors; adding new trees to strengthen landscape character and longterm course sustainability; tee renovations and expansions; greens expansions to enhance play options; new and renovated bunkers with state-of-the-art liners; complete renovation of Hole 9’s green complex; and some fairway realignment to improve strategy, flow, and aesthetics.
King Villages Landscaping & Golf
Construction is the course contractor.
“The approved plan reflects a shared vision to enhance our course’s beauty, challenge, and member enjoyment, ensuring that Stonycroft Hills remains one of the premier private clubs in southeast Michigan,” says Taras Strychar, the club’s general manager.
KNOLLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB
Knollwood, a Troon-managed club, celebrated its centennial in 2025, along with the completion of a Zinkand Golf Design renovation.
Construction began in August 2024 and followed a master plan for the golf course, short-game area, and driving range. The renovation focused on the improvement of numerous course features, including the creation of a new par-3 17th hole near its original footprint and shifting the tees and landing areas of the ninth and 10th holes to elevate their playability.
The project also involved significant bunker work, with numerous bunkers moved and several others removed. Chronic issues of poor drainage, contaminated sand, and underwhelming aesthetics were addressed via revamped shaping and the addition of new liners.
Additional work included the expansion and recontouring of all 18 greens and their surrounds t o add pin placements and increased strategic options for golfers, the trimming of trees to improve air circulation for turf health, and the removal of some nonnative tree species.
“Since opening, Knollwood members have been raving about the incredible results,” says Tracy Wilson, Knollwood’s general manager and chief operating officer. “ZGD’s deep knowledge of golden age architecture, exceptional construction skills, and impressive attention to detail have created a private golf experience that now promises to rank among the best in metro Detroit.”
Travis
Pointe Country Club
Knollwood Country Club
Stonycroft Hills Club
Knollwood Country Club
GAM
Caleb Bond
Michigan Amateur Championship Belvedere GC
Macie Elzinga Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship Eagle Eye GC
JP Levan Michigan Junior Amateur Championship Forest Akers GC – West
GAM Boys’ Championship Washtenaw GC
Alena Li
Michigan Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship Katke GC at Ferris State University
GAM Girls’ Championship Washtenaw GC
Championship
Justin Sui
GAM Championship Radrick Farms GC
Yanxuan Peng
GAM Women’s Championship Oakland University G&LC – Katke
David Praet
GAM Mid-Amateur Championship The Highlands at Harbor Springs
Laura Bavaird
GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship Twin Lakes G&SC
Rick Crandall
GAM Senior Championship Country Club of Jackson
Lori Schlicher
GAM Women’s Senior Championship Petoskey Bay View CC
Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur Sugar Springs GC
GAM Senior Women’s Tournament of Champions Edgewood CC
David Bartnick
GAM Super Senior Championship Saginaw CC
Greg Davies
GAM Senior Match Play Championship Macatawa GC
GAM Junior Invitational Forest
GC – West
GAM
Tommy Preston
Akers
Lillian O’Grady GAM Junior Invitational Forest Akers GC - West
Brandon Kulka GAM Junior Stroke Play Forest Akers GC – East
Saisha Patil GAM Junior Stroke Play Forest Akers GC – East
Watson Mercier GAM 14 & Under Match Play Woodside GC
Belen Berishaj
14 & Under Match Play Woodside GC
WINNERS
Championship 2025
Noah Olver
GAM 12 & Under Championship Twin Beach CC
Kara Peters
GAM 12 & Under Championship Twin Beach CC
Dominic Choma/Zach Koerner GAM Four-Ball Championship Battle Creek CC
Zoe Dull/Rachel Niskanen
GAM Women’s Four-Ball Championship Atlas Valley GC
Mike Ignasiak/Randy Frederick
GAM Senior Four-Ball Championship Fox Hills G&BC – Golden Fox
Casey Baker/David LeVan GAM Senior/Mid-Am Team Championship Red Run GC
John Quigley
GAM Men’s Tournament of Champions Travis Pointe CC
Anika Dy GAM Women’s Tournament of Champions Travis Pointe CC
Mike Anderson
GAM Senior Men’s Tournament of Champions Edgewood CC
Anthony & Rix Naimi GAM Net Team Championship Clio CC
Gary Yee/Bill Dietz GAM Net Chapman Washtenaw GC
Dennis Guerriero Net Amateur Championship Atlas Valley GC
Michigan Senior Net Amateur Lakelands G & CC
Gary Yee
GAM Net Match Play Polo Fields G&CC
Anthony & Don Provenzola
GAM Net Two Person Scramble The Fortress GC
Jeff Champine/John Leach
GAM Two Person Scramble The Fortress GC
Youth on Course Michigan Continues to Set Records
In 2025, more young golfers than ever played more rounds than ever through the program funded by the GAM Foundation
/ BY GREG JOHNSON
Youth on Course Michigan, a focus of the Golf Association of Michigan Foundation, continues to explode with growth in membership and rounds played.
The 2025 golf season saw a membership increase of 6,500 golfers over 2024, reaching a record of nearly 18,000 members, and they played a record 69,000-plus rounds at participating courses, an increase of 24,000 over 2024.
The growth has helped the 100 Michigan
courses participating in the program to build a base of young customers. Youth ages 6 to 18 who are YOC Michigan members pay as little as $5 per round, and in turn, the participating courses receive perround subsidies from the donordriven GAM Foundation.
“Youth on Course continues to thrive in Michigan because of the partnership between our member public clubs and donors who believe in opening doors for kids,” says GAM Executive Director Chris Whitten. “It’s inspiring to see so many golf communities rally around making the game
“Youth on Course continues to thrive in Michigan because of the partnership
between
our member public clubs and donors who believe in opening doors for kids.”
—Chris Whitten, GAM executive director
more accessible and welcoming. We’re not only giving kids access to golf today but building a foundation that will sustain this opportunity for years to come.”
Laura Bavaird, director of the GAM Foundation, says the original point of Youth on Course was to further grow the game among youth and to do it by filling unused tee times at golf courses interested in adding to their customer bases.
“That it can be $5 or less for the golfers and their families per round is the key,” she says. “Affordability makes it possible for anyone and everyone. The GAM Foundation is all about making golf affordable and accessible. Youth on Course is really the best vehicle for that.”
GAM Foundation President Cathy Kalahar expects the growth of the program to continue because national survey numbers indicate many golfers have yet to be exposed to YOC.
“We continue to raise funds and to try and find ways we can help youth find the game of golf,” Kalahar says.
Bavaird says YOC continues to show why golf is both a sport for today and an investment in the future.
“With almost 18,000 juniors playing rounds for $5 or less, our courses are not only growing the game, but they’re also cultivating lifelong golfers and even future industry leaders,” she says. “The enthusiasm surrounding junior golf in Michigan is undeniable, strengthened by the incredible variety of courses that open their doors through Youth on Course.”
MMichigan Launches State Junior Team for 2026
The
state joins USGA’s U.S. National Development Program for young golfers
ichigan is launching a state junior golf team that will expand the pipeline for elite local golfers into the recently created U.S. National Development Program (or USNDP), an initiative launched in 2023 by the United States Golf Association to create critical development, competitive, and talent identification opportunities for golfers ages 13 to 18.
“We’re excited to launch Team Michigan and further support the development of in-state players as they move through their junior golf experiences,” GAM Executive Director Chris Whitten says. “A major goal of this program is to ensure that future success at the regional and national levels can be tied back to strong foundations here at home. We’re equally excited to partner with our friends and outstanding coaches in the Michigan Section PGA, who have been providing exceptional player development opportunities for decades. Together, we can create a pathway that both elevates Michigan juniors and strengthens the game statewide.”
Michigan is now one of 30 states to join the USNDP’s state junior team program. The initiative launched in January 2024 with seven pilot states, expanded to 16 earlier this year, and continues to grow steadily. The USGA’s goal is to establish a team in every state by 2033, working
in close partnership with allied golf associations, the PGA of America and its sections, and local junior golf programs.
“This program represents an important step in building the national player pathway,” says Heather Daly-Donofrio, USGA managing director for player relations and development. “By creating state junior teams, we’re not only opening doors for more juniors to access resources and development opportunities but also instilling pride in representing their home state. That combination will help elevate competition locally and deepen the overall pool of talent nationwide.”
The participating states will each establish a committee consisting of representatives from major golf entities within the state, including any allied golf associations and PGA of America sections. Michigan’s team committee includes representation from the Michigan Section PGA.
The committee will oversee team selection criteria and the operation of Team Michigan based on guidelines provided by the
USNDP. Team selection criteria may consist of a points structure, a ranking system, or a combination of other competitive factors and will be published prior to the entry deadline of the first counting event of the 2026 championship season.
State team roster sizes are calculated based on elite junior participation in the state, ranging from two boys and two girls to 20 boys and 20 girls. Michigan expects to have eight boys and eight girls as part of the initial team, which will be named in late 2026. To be eligible to compete on the state team, a player must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Michigan. Each eligible player must be 13 years old by Jan. 1, 2027; have not reached their 19th birthday by July 19, 2027; and not be enrolled in college for the 2026-27 school year. A Handicap Index® is also required.
Additional eligibility requirements and FAQs can be found at GAM.org.
Announced in February 2023, the USNDP is designed to ensure that the U.S. is the global leader in the game of golf by focusing on six key pillars: talent identification, access to competition, national teams, athlete resources, player development and relations, and athlete financial support. The state junior team program will focus on creating a developmentally appropriate, aspirational pathway for athletes within each state to compete at higher levels of the game.
Michigan Golf Hall of Fame
Michael
Harris, John Lindert, and Roger Ostrander inducted
Michael Harris, a championship winner at the junior, collegiate, and professional golf levels; John Lindert, a PGA golf professional whose dedicated service to the game includes being elected president of the PGA of America; and the late Roger Ostrander, a respected rules official from local to international levels, are now members of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
The three were inducted Oct. 26 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course, home of the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center, which houses the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
In addition, the MGHOF presented just its seventh Special Award in history to Loretta Larkin of Dexter, who has served as the administrator for the MGHOF for 29 years.
Harris, 47, formerly of Troy and currently residing in Brookfield, Wisconsin, started winning championships at the junior golf level, twice winning the Michigan Junior Amateur Championship. As an amateur, he won the GAM Championship and the Horton Smith Invitational (now called the Michigan Medal Play), was the runner-up to Flint’s John Lindholm in the Michigan Amateur Championship in 1997, won the Northeast Amateur, played in two U.S. Amateurs, and was a standout at the University of Michigan, winning eight tournaments, including the 1999 Big Ten Conference individual title. As a professional, he was the Canadian Tour Order of Merit winner in 2005 and won the 2005 Michigan Open.
Lindert, 68, a Grand Ledge resident and the head golf professional at the Country Club of Lansing, moved to Michigan in 1993 to become the head golf professional at Spring Lake Country Club, where he served until becoming the head pro at the Country Club of Lansing in 2002. He has filled multiple leadership roles for the Michigan Section PGA, including
“We had a wonderful celebration of a threesome that reflects the best of Michigan golf in playing ability, national leadership, and dedication to the rules.”
—Greg Johnson, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee chair
serving as a chapter and section president; has worked actively with The First Tee of Mid-Michigan; and since 2006 has served in various roles with the PGA of America. He was elected president of the PGA in 2022, becoming just the third Michigan PGA member ever to serve in that position.
Ostrander, known best in golf as Dr. O, died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 74, but not before having a career as an oral surgeon in Grand Rapids, and then a second career as a rules official, most often volunteering
his time. He softened the hard line of the rules of golf with an approachable, outgoing personality and served as a rules official for over two decades. As a Golf Association of Michigan governor and chair of the Championship Committee, he worked at multiple Michigan Amateur Championships as well as championships for all age groups and genders; worked for the Michigan Section PGA at its top championships, including the Michigan Open; and went on to serve the USGA, officiating at six U.S. Opens, nine U.S. Senior Opens, and 14 U.S. Amateurs while also being on the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship Committee for 18 years. His grandson Matthew is now a student in the professional golf management program at Ferris State University and accepted the Hall of Fame plaque on his grandfather’s behalf.
Larkin, 62, has served as the administrator of the MGHOF since 1996. She currently also works as the director of organizational and human resource services for the Golf Association of Michigan.
For more information and to learn about the current members of the Hall of Fame, visit mghof.org.
From left: Loretta Larkin, Michael Harris, Matthew Ostrander (accepting on behalf of his late grandfather Roger Ostrander), and John Lindert were honored as part of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame’s 2025 class at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.
Michigan Region
Stifel
GAM
board meeting on Oct. 9, 2025.
officers Barry Babbitt, Dan Longeway, John Holden, and Dick Aginian present GAM past President Fritz Balmer (center) with a special gift to recognize 50 years of volunteer service with the Golf Association of Michigan at the fall