Twenty-three students will receive scholarships for golf/turf management or related fields

Lawrence, Kan. (Aug. 19, 2025) – Dan Miller, a student at Michigan State University, is the winner of the Mendenhall Award of $6,000 in the 2025 Scholars Competition offered through the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

The GCSAA Scholars Competition is funded by the Robert Trent Jones Endowment and administered by the GCSAA Foundation. It was developed to recognize outstanding students working toward careers in golf course management or other related areas of the golf course industry.

The scholarships range from $500 to $6,000. Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to turf management, have completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study of the appropriate major and be a member of GCSAA.

Miller, who initially obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications from Michigan State, found his calling on the golf course during his fifth year of undergraduate studies. After five declared majors that just weren’t the right fit, he found his professional path when he landed a grounds crew job at Mystic Creek Golf Course & Banquet Center in Milford, Mich., where 11-year GCSAA member, Tyler Cooper, is the golf course superintendent. Miller asked Cooper, a fellow Michigan State graduate, what the best way forward would be to succeed professionally in the turfgrass industry, and he let him know about Michigan State’s two-year turf program.

Knowing he was meant for something else, Miller decided to embark on his newfound path and began the Golf Turf Management certificate program at Michigan State in 2024. This August, he completed an internship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn., where 22-year GCSAA member, Nick Bisanz, director of golf maintenance and operations, was his supervisor. Miller has one year left in the two-year certificate program and is on track to graduate in the spring of 2026.

“Winning the Mendenhall Scholarship solidifies the confidence I have in myself that I have found my path in life, and it gives me even more confidence and drive to be the best student and future professional I can be in this industry,” Miller said. “I look forward to meeting and networking with as many people as I can at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show.”

The top award of the GCSAA Scholars Competition is named for the late Chet Mendenhall, who was a charter member of GCSAA, a past president (1948) and recipient of the association’s Distinguished Service Award (1986). Along with this award, Miller will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2026 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, Feb. 2-5, in Orlando.

Other award winners are:

Ernesto Martinez, Little Rock, Ark., Pennsylvania State University, Ambassador Award, $2,500

Christopher Kelly, Cazenovia, N.Y., SUNY Delhi, Scholars Award, $2,500

Otto Hoehl, Hammond, Ind., Purdue University, Scholars Award, $2,500

Bryce Thompson, Elkhart, Ind., Purdue University, Scholars Award, $1,000

Gavin Trout, Conway, S.C., Clemson University, Scholars Award, $1,000

Seth Knutson, Fenton, Mich., Michigan State University, Scholars Award, $750

John Monnin, Senoia, Ga., Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, $750

Gabriel Schneider, Highland, Mich., Michigan State University, Scholars Award, $750

Isobelle Brasher, Ypsilanti, Mich., Michigan State University, Scholars Award, $750

Gavin Kenning, Munster, Ind., Purdue University, Merit Award, $500

James Cowden, Harrisburg, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Owen Dodge, Lansing, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Maxum Verleye, Brighton, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Brendan Phillips, Lansing, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Tristan Carrier, Landisville, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Tyler Kregel, Round Lake Beach, Ill., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Evan Kluwe, Edmore, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

James Anderson, Billings, Mont., Rutgers University, Merit Award, $500

Patrick Neustadt, Downers Grove, Ill., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Salman Bo Drees, State College, Pa., Pennsylvania State University, Merit Award, $500

Robert Knapp, Montague, Mich., Michigan State University, Merit Award, $500

Jackson Reimer, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pennsylvania State World Campus, Merit Award, $500