PGA Golf Management Students to Benefit from New Golf Association of Michigan Foundation Scholarship

The Golf Association of Michigan Foundation has established a new educational scholarship to assist students enrolling in Ferris State University’s Professional Golf Management program.

Established by GAM in 2017, the Youth on Course Michigan initiative promotes affordable access for youth to play at participating courses. This exposure to the game and the professionals supporting it has inspired many students to seek a career in golf via Ferris State University’s PGA Golf Management Program.

PGA Master Professional and Ferris Instructor Mark Wilson found the connection between Youth on Course and Ferris PGA-GM compelling. He recently learned that nearly a dozen current students participated in that initiative. 

“It’s clear Youth on Course is introducing people to golf beyond just playing the game,” Wilson said. “It has helped some of them decide to attend Ferris and become PGA golf professionals.”

Brendan Baidel, of Ann Arbor, a first-year Ferris PGA-GM student from Ann Arbor, noted YOC allowed him to play golf at a low cost, which helped stoke his passion for the game and drove him to seek a career in golf.

“Growing up, my biggest passion was always golf. In high school, as college decision time came closer, I learned about the PGA Golf Management program,” Baidel said. “The decision to apply to the Ferris State PGA Golf Management program was a no-brainer.” 

While only in his first year at Ferris, his experience learning from the faculty and building leadership skills through the program’s student organization have been excellent.

“The program has taught me so much about the golf industry, and I cannot wait to learn more,” he said. “My fellow students and our facilities at Ferris are phenomenal, but the industry-accomplished faculty and staff make the program what it is. My career goal is to become a golf professional at a top-50 course in the country.”

Elaina DeRose, of DeWitt, shared that YOC also impacted her journey to Ferris. She has worked to build on her love of the game and is currently completing an internship in Augusta, Georgia. 

“My best memories come from my friends and I going to a YOC facility and playing a round and getting better while finding true love in the game,” DeRose said. “In addition, watching my family be so supportive and proud of my progress in golf is priceless.”

Exposure to golf through YOC was also a catalyst for current student Kamryn Shannon, of Jackson, to enroll at Ferris. 

“I chose Ferris State University for the PGA Golf Management program because of the history of the program, how at home the campus made me feel and the amazing opportunities it could offer me while also following my college golf dreams playing on the women’s team,” she said.

Shannon also noted the excellent instructors and specific opportunities like industry interviews set Ferris’ PGA Golf Management program apart.

“We interview with multiple courses in and out of Michigan,” she said. “This helps you figure out what internship opportunities best suit you for your goals and where you will grow the best in the golf industry. This helped me find my first internship at Bay Harbor Golf Club this summer. Ferris sets you up great to learn everything you need to become the best PGA professional.”

Ferris student Ryan Batcheller, of Huntington Woods, was grateful for the opportunities provided by YOC and now looks forward to a bright career in golf supported by the network of professionals he engaged early.

“Ferris was the only university in the area that offered the PGA-GM program, which was the only program I was truly interested in during high school,” he said. “The Ferris PGM Alumni Association is the best and largest of its kind in the country. I work in North Carolina now, and I often hear people in our industry mention they went to Ferris.”

PGA professional and Ferris’ PGA Golf Management Program Director, Joe Hatch, reflected on how valuable partnerships with organizations like GAM are today.

“The importance of partnerships and collaborations is paramount in giving our students the best possible experience. An industry partner like GAM keeps our program directly linked to the golf industry. This is critical to our student experience as there is a lot of “real world” application that our students need to be exposed to and understand for their own careers,” Hatch said. “The fact that GAM has started a scholarship to help give our students a hand up financially is extremely generous.”

Hatch further noted collaboration, a core value of Ferris State University, as a critical component of their work.

“This partnership is special because our collaboration has allowed for a mutually beneficial relationship centered on our desire to support the golf industry and the future generations who will become the caretakers of our industry,” he said. 

Cathy Kalahar, vice president of the GAM Foundation, has spearheaded the scholarship establishment effort. The GAM Foundation plans to contribute annually from its general fund to the scholarship endowment that the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan will manage. People who wish to contribute directly can make their checks payable to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan or CFSEM with GAM Foundation written in the memo line. Learn more about the GAM Foundation and Youth on Course in Michigan at GAM.org. 

Ferris’ PGA Golf Management program was the first of its kind sanctioned by the PGA. The program develops student expertise in all aspects of golf, from club management to the physics of ball flight and turfgrass biology. With over 2,000 graduates and 1,100-plus PGA members, Ferris has one the largest and most successful networks spanning the full spectrum of opportunities in the golf industry. Learn more at ferris.edu/pgm.

Ferris State University credits information from Greg Johnson’s story written for the Golf Association of Michigan website.