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:
- 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