2025 Executive Director Report

Executive Director Report 2025

Kevin Helm Michigan Section, PGA

Michigan PGA Members & Associates, It is my privilege to share this 2025 Section Report, highlighting the wide range of events, programs, and initiatives from the past year. I encourage you to also review reports from our committee chairs and Chapter and Senior leaders to stay fully informed and engaged.

Member involvement continues to be the key to a rewarding experience as a PGA of America Golf Professional. Whether through Section and Chapter events, travel proams, leadership roles, or education opportunities, engagement strengthens your career, your network, and our Section.

Overall, 2025 was a strong year. The Section finished favorable to budget across all entities, and the golf industry in Michigan remains healthy, despite rising operational costs.

We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Meeting on March 9 at Eagle Eye Golf Club, followed by the Michigan PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit. Both promise outstanding speakers and valuable insights.

Respectfully submitted, Kevin Helm, Executive Director

Organizational Structure & Key Functions

The Section’s Three Legal Entities ASSOCIATION

(Non-profit 501(c)(6))

CORPORATION

(For-profit Tournament Entity)

FOUNDATION

(PGA REACH Michigan - Charitable 501(c)(3))

Employs staff, manages membership & governance.

Manages all Section, Chapter & Senior Tournaments.

Conducts programming: Junior Golf, Military, Inclusion.

Key Revenue: Dues, PGA Funding, Admin Fees.

Key Revenue: Entry Fees, Sponsorships

Key Revenue: Donations, Fundraisers, Program Revenue, Rent.

Focus: Employment & Governance matters

Main Expenses: Purses, Facility Fees, Admin Fees to Association.

Operates Grant Program; owns homesite building

Section Staff Justin Phillips, PGA Tournament Director

Diane Lazaros Director of Membership Services

Madison Maurier Player Eng. Coordinator & PGA REACH Michigan Activities Director

Madi Guilmette Communications Coordinator

Corrin Howard Operations Coordinator (Transitioning to new role in 2027)

Jessie Munson Finance & Office Administrator

Corrin Howard joined us last Spring as Operations Coordinator and is transitioning to a new role in 2027. She’ll assist with events this year while training under Diane to take over Membership Administration after Diane’s retirement at the end of 2026.

We have also recently hired Jessie Munson as our new Finance & Office Administrator. Jessie is a recent graduate of Michigan State University and brings a passion for working with people and providing excellent customer service. Jessie’s first day was Monday, March 2.

New Position: Jacob Lambert, Assistant Tournament Director We recently hired Jacob Lambert as Assistant Tournament Director. Jacob is from Wilmington, DE and brings a lot of practical tournament experience to the team having completed two P.J. Boatright internships with the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

Jacob will join us in May shortly after graduating from The Citadel.

Section Staff Cont.

While not officially members of the Section staff, we consider PGA of America employees Todd Smith, PGA, Career Services Consultant, Stacey Rice-Dorman, PGA, Player Engagement Consultant, and Jeff Van Putten, PGA, Recruiting Specialist, extensions of our staff.

I would like to personally thank each of them for their hard work and dedication to the Section. We have a terrific team that truly enjoys working together and I know you would be proud if you were able to see, like me, how hard they work every day on your behalf.

Summer Interns & PGA WORKS Fellows

Nick Chenault and Jace Fenlon were our two interns during the 2025 season and assisted with Section tournaments, Drive, Chip & Putt events, and other administrative duties.

Kenadie Daeger was our PGA WORKS Fellow from May, 2025 through December, 2025.

Kenadie has recently accepted the Junior Tour Coordinator position with the Kentucky Golf House!

Both did an excellent job and they are now back in school at Michigan State University.

Hayley Guilinger

6202

We recently hired Lilly Boehm as our 2026 PGA WORKS Fellow. Lilly is from Norman, OK and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She has completed multiple internships with the Golf Coaches Association of America and the AJGA. She will be joining us in early May.

Hayley Guilinger was our PGA WORKS Fellow from May, 2024 through April, 2025.

Nick Chenault & Jace Fenlon

After completing her fellowship with us, Hayley accepted a position with Outlyr as Volunteer Coordinator for the LPGA DOW Championship in Midland!

Kenadie Daeger

Membership I am pleased to report that our Member and Associate numbers continue to be strong. After years of declining numbers of Associates, the past couple of years have seen a resurgence in the number of new registrants into the PGA PGM program.

We currently have 779 Members and 193 Associates for a total of 972 Section affiliates. Among the 41 Sections, Michigan is currently the 11th largest Section in terms of Members, 18th in terms of Associates, and 14th in terms of total number of affiliates.

Members

Associates

Total

1,000

June 16, 2025 - June 15, 2028

The current PDR cycle requires 54 total credits, with at least 36 earned through Education, PGA Meetings, National Surveys, Section Mentoring, or approved Player Engagement programs. Visit PGA.org or contact the Section office for full details and a requirements grid.

800

600

New this cycle: Section and Chapter in-person meetings and education now earn 2 PDR credits per hour.

400

Spring Meeting (March 9): 8 credits Teaching & Coaching Summit (Mon PM): 8 credits Teaching & Coaching Summit (Tuesday): 14 credits

200

0

Professional Development Requirement (PDR)

3 Years Ago

2 Years Ago

1 Year Ago

Current

Attend all three and earn 30 PDR credits.

Section Committees Thank you to all committee members and chairs for their leadership and service this past year. Our committees provide vital member perspective and help plan, evaluate, and implement Section programs and initiatives.

Written reports from each committee chair and Chapter President are available in the Membership section of our website. Rather than review each in detail, I’d like to highlight a few key areas of impact.

Tournament

I would like to thank Chris Moore who was appointed chairman of the committee by Stephanie Jennings. Our tournament program is a very big part of who we are and we have many Professionals who consistently participate in events. Not only do the events offer the opportunity to compete and test your game, but they also offer tremendous networking and mentoring opportunities with fellow PGA Professionals.

Justin Phillips works directly with the committee to consistently offer fun, competitive, professionally run tournaments. Dan Urban has selected Michael Prior to lead the committee and I was very impressed with the engagement and ideas from the committee during a meeting this past week.

Special Awards

Chair Jeremy Lathwell and the committee continue to do an amazing job. The process here in Michigan has evolved and improved over the years and we are consistently selecting quality winners and providing strong candidates for the national awards. The 2025 Section Award winners were celebrated last October at the President’s Dinner at The Graduate Hotel in East Lansing, which is always an emotional and inspiring evening.

The committee recently completed their interviews and selected the 2026 winners, who will be announced at the Spring Meeting on March 9 and then recognized and awarded their plaques at the President’s Dinner on October 18.

Thank you to Madi Guilmette for her hard work assisting the committee with both the voting and interview process. Also, I would like to extend a huge thank you to the committee members who spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort into selecting the Section winners.

Section Committees Cont.

Education Ward Sutton chaired the Education committee for most of 2025 before transitioning leadership to Jimmy Wisinski after his election as Secretary. Ward reorganized the committee into three career-paths: executive management, golf operations, and instruction.

Membership

The Membership Committee helps Associates and Members maximize their Michigan PGA affiliation. Chaired by Brian Corwin, it includes a Mentorship sub-committee (now led by Randy White) that connects experts with Members seeking skill guidance.

Based on the results from a Membership Survey in March, 2025, the committee launched the monthly Lunchtime Learning webinar series, which offers a free 1 hour webinar on the third Tuesday of each month at 12:00pm. Jimmy and the committee are also leading this Spring’s Teaching & Coaching Summit and developing content for the Fall meeting.

Key initiatives: Mentorship program with online directory of PGA Professionals Monthly virtual calls with recent PGM graduates to support Associates Focus on helping Associates successfully complete Level 1

Thank you to both Ward and Jimmy for their leadership and vision!

Participation is strong, but more Associates are encouraged to join!

Growth of the Game The Growth of the Game Committee, now chaired by Doug Temple, supports all three pillars of our foundation: junior golf, inclusion, and military.

The committee oversees programs like PGA Jr. League, Drive, Chip & Putt, and PGA HOPE, manages the grant program, and helps with fundraising events such as Birdies Fore REACH. The Section’s hitting nets, SNAG equipment, and inflatables continue to be in high demand, with Members regularly reserving them for use.

More information and reservation details are available at michiganpga.com.

Finance

The 2025 financial statements have been completed by the accounting department at PGA of America. This Executive Director report along with the financial statements will be emailed to the Membership. The simplified recap of 2025 is that we had a solid year, finishing ahead of budget in all three entities. It should be noted that the budgets that are presented, approved, and monitored by the Board of Directors are mainly cash flow budgets, tracking money in and money out without including depreciation or investment activity.

In the financial statements from the PGA of America finance department, the three entities combined made $1,030 from operations. Without factoring in ($34,400) depreciation expense, that profit would be $35,430, which is approximately $97,530 better than budget.

2,500

General Fund

Foundation Fund

Investment Summary

2,000

) s d n a s u o h T ( s r all o D

Our investment accounts, as you might imagine, performed very well. Combined, our two accounts ended the year up $255,707. At year-end, the Section General Fund account had capital reserves of $2,208,123, up 12.12%. The Foundation account ended the year at $147,217,up 13.09%.

1,500

1,000

All of this means that through operations, investment activities, and depreciation, our net assets increased by $256,738, and as of 12/31/25 were $2,673,761. I would like to acknowledge Brent Kerstetter and the team at Mercer Advisors for their expertise and guidance with our investment accounts. They are terrific to work with and I am confident that we have a knowledgeable and dedicated team working on our behalf.

500

0

Investment Fund

Finance Cont.

In Corporation, we budgeted to lose ($9,700) and ended up making $3,710 (not including Chapter activities). Biggest contributors to exceeding budget were lower credit card fees than budgeted, increased entries in Rocket qualifying events, and lower expenses than budgeted for the Evermore Pro-Am.

In Association, we budgeted to lose ($30,700) and the statement shows us losing ($30,232). Taking out the ($17,600) in depreciation we actually lost ($12,632) and beat budget by $18,068.

Budgeted Loss

Actual Loss

30

15

20

10

0

-10

20

5 0

Association

-15

10 0

-10

-10

-30

40

Budgeted (Loss)

30

-5

-20

-40

Actual (Profit)

) s d n a s u o h T ( s r all o D

) s d n a s u o h T ( s r all o D

) s d n a s u o h T ( s r all o D

10

Budgeted (Loss)

In Foundation, we budgeted to lose ($21,700) and made $32,133. There were multiple factors that contributed to such a positive variance, including increased revenues and reduced expenses for PGA HOPE programming. We also received an unbudgeted donation of $25,000 from PGA of America as PGA REACH Michigan was designated by John Lindert as the recipient of the President’s honorarium.

-20 Corporation

-30

Foundation

Actual (Profit)

Michigan PGA Board of Directors

Governance

Dan Urban, PGA President

George Bowman PGA Eastern Chapter President

Jeff Rachar, PGA Vice-President

Scott Wilson, PGA Northern Chapter President

Ward Sutton, PGA Secretary

Pat Hagerty, PGA Western Chapter President

Glenn Pulice, PGA Senior Organization President

Stephanie Jennings, PGA Honorary President

Michael Prior, PGA Tournament Chair

Governance Cont.

John Lindert, PGA PGA of America Honorary President

Casey Powers, PGA At-Large Director

Kevin McKinley, PGA District 5 Director

Randy White, PGA At-Large Director

Doug Temple, PGA Growth of the Game Chair

Wes Blevins, PGA At-Large Director

Brian Corwin, PGA At-Large Director

The Board of Directors works closely with Chapters, committees, and staff to carry out our mission. We hold three Board meetings annually, plus Officer meetings as needed, and two Membership meetings each year (Spring & Fall).

Elections for five At-Large Board seats take place at the October Annual Meeting. Interested in serving? Connect with me or any current Board member.

PGA REACH Michigan PGA REACH Michigan is the Section’s foundation. The mission and purpose are aligned with that of PGA REACH, which is the PGA of America’s foundation, and we operate and/or support various programs within three pillars – youth, inclusion, and military.

We have experienced significant growth the past few years, especially with the PGA HOPE program, and it is a priority of the Board of Directors to continue to expand the size and scope of the foundation. As this growth will take a lot of time, effort and prioritization, the Board of Directors has approved the formation of a separate PGA REACH Michigan Board of Directors. A sub-committee has been working on the make-up and structure of this new board and there is still a lot of work to do. We realize that many of our Members are not familiar with our foundation and the programming that we offer, so we are being much more intentional about including PGA REACH Michigan content at our Section meetings, in the eNews, and via social media channels.

YOUTH

MILITARY

PGA Jr. League

PGA HOPE

INCLUSION

PGA WORKS Fellowship Midnight Golf Program

PGA Jr. League

PGA REACH Michigan

PGA Jr. League participation in Michigan continues to grow year over year. In 2025, we recorded 1,973 GameChanger Club memberships and 2,377 player registrations across spring, summer, and fall seasons, up from 1,902 memberships and 2,308 registrations in 2024. This growth generated $490,204 in coaching revenue for PGA Coaches and reflects the program’s continued success in engaging kids of all abilities in the game of golf. We are grateful for the strong involvement of our PGA Members as team coaches, and especially thankful to Stacey Rice-Dorman, our PGA Player Engagement Consultant, whose close collaboration with staff and PGA Professionals keeps leagues running smoothly across the Section.

I would also like to recognize Madison Maurier for leading our staff and volunteers in delivering a highly successful three-day state championship at Binder Park GC, where nearly 300 players competed. These events require significant coordination and teamwork, and I’m grateful to the entire Section staff for stepping up to ensure everything ran seamlessly. Thank you as well to Alex Johnson and his outstanding team at Binder Park for being exceptional hosts.

PGA HOPE Michigan

PGA REACH Michigan

Last year, our PGA HOPE programming faced budget pressure as demand and locations grew while funding from PGA REACH declined. Through close collaboration with Lead Professionals and generous support from facilities and instructors, we reduced costs significantly and finished 2025 in a much stronger financial position than projected.

In 2026, we plan to operate 26 program locations statewide, with PGA REACH funding covering 16 and the remaining 10 supported through local fundraising and Section support. We are actively pursuing grants and sponsorships to offset remaining costs. Beyond programming, we continue to build community among Veterans through graduate engagement and events like the PGA HOPE Cup. The winning team from the 2025 Michigan PGA HOPE Cup, led by Scott Vice, earned an invitation to compete in the 2026 PGA HOPE Secretary’s Cup in Philadelphia—marking the third straight year Michigan has been selected!

PGA REACH Michigan

Player Development Grants We continue to offer Player Development Grants to assist Michigan PGA Members with grass roots programs. The grants are awarded within our three pillars – junior, military, and inclusion and we will recognize the program of the year recipients at the Spring Meeting.

Ethan Busch-Anderson, PGA Associate Junior Program of the Year

Doug Temple, PGA Military Program of the Year

Dan Lock, PGA Inclusion Program of the Year

Congratulations to Ethan Busch-Anderson, Marquette Golf Club (junior), Doug Temple, Bay Valley Resort (military), and Dan Lock, Lock Golf Academy (inclusion) for being our 2025 Program of the Year winners. It is inspiring each year seeing the creative programs that our Professionals are conducting.

In 2025, we were honored to once again award approximately $50,000 in grants. The grant application process is open for 2026 with a deadline of March 31, so please visit the Section website to apply.

Midnight Golf Program The Midnight Golf Program was started in 2001 and I am proud to say the Michigan PGA has been involved from the very beginning.

The program teaches golf to high school seniors, many of whom come from difficult home environments in need of guidance, friendship, and mentorship. All participants must also attend life-skills classes where a broad range of topics are covered. Each year, the program interviews over 1,000 potential students to identify the 250 that will beselected to participate in the program.

The parent organization has recently undergone a name change to College, Career & Beyond to better reflect the overall mission of the program and to not limit potential financial support. Midnight Golf is still the program name, but it operates under the parent organization CC&B. Thank you to all the Michigan PGA Members and Associates that have helped with the program over the years, including those listed below who taught classes in 2025. Glenn Pulice also serves as the Director of Golf for the MGP and does a great job organizing the instructors and golf elements of the program.

Midnight Golf is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will be holding a 25th Anniversary Gala on April 30 at The Hudson Detroit.

You can find more information on the program and the gala by clicking HERE.

Jacob Anuszkiewicz | Aaron Bush | Bruce Conroy | Stephanie Jennings | Bob Makoski | Frank McAuliffe Joel Michaels | John Minnich | Andrew Mogg | Pete Mogg | Glenn Pulice | Terri Anthony-Ryan

Team Michigan

U.S. National Development Program

The USNDP is a new initiative launched by the USGA to expand the pipeline for elite local golfers into the national development program and to strengthen junior golf programming across the country. The program is designed to ensure that American golf remains a global leader by focusing on six key pillars: talent identification, access to competition, national teams, athlete resources, player development and relations, and athlete financial support.

Representatives of the GAM and Michigan PGA compose the Team Michigan Selection Committee. Athletes will accumulate points through 2026 events selected by the committee, and these points will determine the standings used for team selection. The Selection Committee will name eight boys and eight girls to the team primarily from the point standings. Additional considerations will be head-to-head results, scoring average, competitive round statistics, work ethic, willingness to learn, personal conduct (on and off the course), and the ability to work with others and be part of a team.

Additional information can be found HERE.

2025 Section Tournaments

The Michigan PGA continues to operate a strong tournament program under the leadership of Justin Phillips and the tournament committee. Looking ahead to 2026, we have been busy trying to confirm our returning sponsors as well as working hard to replace or add additional sponsors. The most direct obstacle we face when trying to secure tournament sponsorships remains our partners being able to see a return on their investment. I know many of you go out of your way to support our sponsors and key advertisers, but it is vital that we continue to show them that we Ryan consistently played great throughout the year. I had the pleasure of attending appreciate their investment and give them the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow and was able to watch Ryan play. I was so every opportunity to earn our business.

ROLEX PLAYER OF THE YEAR: RYAN LENAHAN

proud of how Ryan competed and represented the Michigan PGA on that stage.

SENIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JIM DEITERS Jim had a tremendous year highlighted by winning both the Michigan PGA Senior Professional Championship and the Michigan PGA Senior Match Play Championship.

108th Hall Financial Michigan Open Shanty Creek Resort - Cedar River Course The staff at the resort provided terrific hospitality and a great venue for the participants. The golf course was in excellent condition and provided a great test for the best players in the state. Congratulations to champion Otto Black of Brighton who fired an impressive four-day total of -16 under par for a two-shot victory over Beau Breault of Howell.

Hall Financial was our title sponsor for the fourth consecutive year and they were joined by supporting sponsors Make the Turn and Harbor Title. Thank you to David Hall for his financial support, vision, and enthusiasm to continue to elevate this championship.

LOOKING AHEAD

In 2026, the event returns to Cedar River and we are excited to have Founders Brewing Company joining Hall Financial as a co-title sponsor.

Michigan PGA Professional Championship Walnut Creek Country Club

The 104th Michigan PGA Professional Championship was played at Walnut Creek Country Club.

Patrick Wilkes-Krier played impressive golf on a very challenging golf course finishing at -4 under par, good for a one-stroke victory over Ben Cook. The Michigan Section will be advancing 11 players (9 qualifiers and exempt players Scott Hebert and Jeff Roth) to the 59th PGA Professional Championship in April at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bend, OR. Joining Hebert, Roth and Wilkes-Krier are Adam Schumacher, Tim Pearce, Matt Thompson, Brian Cairns, Kyle Martin, Josh Fryer, Kosta Ramirez, and Scott Brotebeck. Thank you to Scott Brotebeck, Kevin Kremer, PGA General Manager, and the maintenance crew for being such outstanding hosts.

Looking ahead to the 2026 event, we are excited to be traveling to the west side of the state to Muskegon Country Club. I think the facility will be a great venue and provide a great test to determine our Section Champion.

LOOKING AHEAD

Women’s Open

For the 23rd consecutive year, Crystal Mountain Resort hosted the Michigan Women’s Open with a strong national field. Jessica Welch, a mini-tour professional from Georgia, won the 54-hole event at –9, earning a four-shot victory over Michigan State University amateur Ana Sofia Murcia and repeating as champion after also winning in 2024.

The 2025 event marked the second year of the Michigan PGA Women’s Professional Championship being contested alongside the Women’s Open. Kelly Kuhlman captured her first Women’s Professional Championship. Congratulations, Kelly!

Last year was also the second year we held a Senior Division within the Women’s Open. We had seven entries in the senior division and three-time Michigan Women’s Open champion Suzy Green-Roebuck won her second consecutive senior division title by shooting an impressive threeround total of -8 under par. .

Kelly Kuhlman, PGA

Suzy Green-Roebuck, PGA

DAEHA GNIKOOL

Beginning next year, the Michigan Women’s Open will become an official event on the Annika Women’s All Pro Tour, an LPGA developmental tour with a seasonlong points race for exempt status on the Epson Tour. The field will expand to 132 players, with 80 spots reserved for Annika WAPT members and the top two finishers earning Epson Tour starts.

Jessica Welch

Tournament of Champions Jay Jurecic, mini-tour professional from Crystal Falls, defeated Grant Haefner on the first hole of a playoff after the two finished the event at –13 under par. Thank you to Stephen Kircher, Bernie Friedrich, Josh Richter, Casey Powers, and the entire team at Boyne for all they do to support and host this event. The 2025 event marked the 33rd year of this unique championship that brings champions of select Michigan tournaments together where amateurs, professionals, seniors, juniors, men, and women all compete against one another from different tees for the same purse. It is the highlight of the year for those who have earned an exemption to play.

THANK YOU

View the 2026 Event Schedule Please visit the Section website and review the 2026 Section schedule. We have a fantastic line-up of events and host sites, and we are looking forward to another great season!

In closing, I would like to thank all the Board Members, Committee Members, media representatives, sales representatives, and sponsors who contributed in their own way to help make 2025 a great year. I would also like to thank all of you who in some way supported our generous sponsors. It is really important that we all do what we can to do business with them and it is even more impactful if we tell them at that time that we appreciate their support of the Section.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I want to recognize and thank the Section staff – Madi Guilmette, Corrin Howard, Diane Lazaros, Madison Maurier, Jessie Munson and Justin Phillips, PGA for their dedication and commitment to the Members of the Michigan PGA. We have a great team who I love working with every day.

I end this report each year in a very similar manner, but I am going to keep doing it because I feel it is very important. The coming season will once again present an opportunity for each of you to be viewed as the most valuable person at your facility. Lead by example, be a positive influence on those around you, and inspire new people to look at working in the golf industry. Make it a point to get more involved and engaged in your Section this coming year. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Executive Director and I wish you all the very best for a successful 2026.

Kevin Helm, Executive Director | Michigan PGA