Write-Up Provided by the Rick Pledl (pledl@mailbag.com) and Wisconsin.Golf
It may be awards season, but there are no Oscars or Golden Globes for PGA of America golf professionals. They don’t play for Olympic gold, and they’re not eligible for the Heisman Trophy.
The work local golf professionals do on a daily basis is focused on service – catering to their clientele and helping players enjoy the game of golf more – so public recognition isn’t typically part of the program. They may be the public face of a golf facility, but a club pro often toils under the radar.
So, if you want something done properly, do it yourself, right?
With those sentiments in mind, the Wisconsin Section of the PGA of America long ago began honoring its own with a slate of annual awards for state professionals. The awards tradition dates back to at least 1973; records beyond that are spotty.
Dan Hastreiter of Blackwolf Run earns the big prize in 2026, the WPGA Golf Professional of the Year Award. But each of the awards are important. And they demonstrate the varied landscape available to today’s PGA members in the constantly changing golf world.
Also of significance, two female state professionals earned WPGA Awards in 2026. Others have come before them as WPGA award-winners, but there never has been two women honorees in a single year before.
All of the following awards will be presented Feb. 23 at the Wisconsin PGA Section’s Annual Awards Ceremony at Glacier Canyon Conference Center at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Dan Hastreiter, Blackwolf Run, Golf Professional of the Year
Hastreiter, the assistant general manager and head golf professional at Blackwolf Run, joined the Kohler Golf team in 2006 and has primarily worked at Blackwolf since, although he spent five years at sister-facility Whistling Straits.
The two 36-hole facilities are connected, yet different.
“When an opportunity for advancement in Kohler opens up at either facility, everyone at both facilities is considered,” Hastreiter said of the two staffs. “So it creates more opportunities for advancement than if we were completely separate from each other.”
Working for Kohler Golf and its two world-class resort facilities has numerous perks, of course, far beyond career advancement. Hastreiter served on committees and did all sorts of behind-the-scenes work on the 2021 Ryder Cup and the 2010 and ’15 PGA Championships, which were contested on The Straits, and the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run.
He’s also gained valuable experience as a member of the team as it developed The Baths and another new Kohler course, Purebred Farms.
But in-season on a day-to-day basis Hastreiter’s duties focus on two broad yet super-important tasks: managing his staff of about 80 individuals and taking responsibility for the overall guest experience. The latter point is particularly important at the courses of Kohler.
“We’re all about making ourselves one precent better – incrementally improve in all areas,” Hastreiter said. “So right now a lot of time is spent planning for next season and trying to build on the successes we had and fill in whatever gaps there were with a game plan.”
Mentoring younger people in the industry is an important part of being a PGA of America professional, as several of these annual WPGA awards attest. Hastreiter recognizes the importance of mentoring, too, and he’s been on both sides of it.
Right now, Hastreiter has eight individuals on his staff in various levels of the PGA Associate education program. He pointed out, proudly, that just a few years ago there were only two. All of them have dreams of being a head pro or teaching pro or director of golf someday.
Yet Hastreiter can also point to the five professionals still within the Kohler Golf family who he considers mentors in his career, and who were all there when he started with the company. They are Dirk Willis, Michael O’Reilly, David Albrecht, Todd Wagner and Michael Aschenbach.
“I had great people to learn from, and now I’m trying to pass on a lot of the positive experiences I’ve had to the next generation,” Hastreiter said. “That’s important to me, because I would never be where I am today without the people who took an interest in my career and gave me opportunities to learn and grow.”
Hastreiter, a 41-year-old Marshfield native, also won the 2018 Assistant Professional of the Year Award.
Kayley Sjoholm, Blue Mound G&CC, Assistant Golf Professional of The Year
She will accept the WPGA Assistant Professional of the Year Award in The Dells in February, but Kayley Sjoholm has already moved up the professional ladder. She was recently appointed head professional at Blue Mound G&CC.
Sjoholm, who earned her PGA membership last year, admitted she was “incredibly green and eager to learn” when she got into the golf industry seven years ago. And she’s still eager to learn, as she will soon complete her specialized certificate in Executive Management in the PGA of America lifelong learning curriculum.
Sjoholm is the second woman to earn the Assistant Professional of the Year Award, joining Courtney Buchach, the 2007 winner.
Sjoholm can also play the game. She was a member of the golf team at St. Norbert’s College, and she earned low pro honors at the 2021 Wisconsin State Women’s Open.
Jason Tipton, Chenequa CC, Teacher and Coach of the Year
Jason Tipton has been teaching the membership at Chenequa CC to play better golf since 2021, and recently he was named on Golf Digest’s Best Teachers in Wisconsin on the publication’s 2026-27 list.
Tipton is currently the director of instruction at Chenequa, a private club located in the Lake Country of Waukesha County.
“It’s an honor to be named Teacher and Coach of the Year, especially knowing how many outstanding and deserving coaches there are across the state,” Tipton said. “I also share this honor with the students who have entrusted me with their golf games.”
Derek Guzman, Sand Valley Golf Resort, Bill Strausbaugh Award
The Bill Strausbaugh Award is considered a high honor in PGA of America circles. It goes annually to a member for their efforts toward mentoring fellow professionals and continuing contributions in professional education.
The award, Derek Guzman said, “means that those I have had the privilege to mentor have trusted me to provide guidance in their career.”
Guzman, the director of golf operations at Sand Valley Resort, is a New York native and PGA member since 2019.
Brendan Locke, GolfTEC Wisconsin, Deacon Palmer Award
This award, named after Arnold Palmer’s dad, honors a PGA member who displays integrity, leadership and character in overcoming a major obstacle, and that has undoubtedly been the story of Brendan Locke’s life in recent years. Locke, who co-owns the four GolfTEC instruction and fitting centers in Wisconsin, had his life turned upside-down in 2017, when his then-wife Melissa died from complications related to a rare form of sarcoma. She had battled the disease since 2015.
He and his family have since gotten involved with the Sarcoma Foundation of America and formed their own local foundation in Melissa’s honor to help offset costs of other patients suffering from rare forms of cancer.
The Deacon Palmer Award was created by the PGA of America in 2014, but this is the first time the Wisconsin Section has presented it. The award will be presented annually by the WPGA going forward.
Deacon Palmer wasn’t just Arnold’s dad. He was a highly respected golf professional at Latrobe CC in Pennsylvania, despite battling polio as a child.
Danny Rainbow, SentryWorld, PGA Professional Development Award
Danny Rainbow, the highly respected director of golf at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, has won numerous Wisconsin PGA Section awards since he earned his PGA membership in 2004, including this same WPGA Professional Development Award twice, in 2017 and ’22.
The Professional Development Award recognizes a professional “for outstanding and continuing efforts in professional development.” In other words, the honoree has helped their fellow PGA members move up through mentoring, which is what Rainbow does.
Rainbow has won too many PGA awards to list on the state and national levels, particularly in merchandising. Indeed, an assistant pro in Rainbow’s shop at SentryWorld is in a good spot to learn the ropes.
Tim Boegh, GOLFTEC Wisconsin, Player Development Award
Tim Boegh, who also co-owns the four Wisconsin GolfTEC locations, has won the WPGA Player Development Award, which is essentially the WPGA’s “growth of the game” honor. The award recognizes efforts to expand golf opportunities as opposed to actually teaching the game.
Boegh is also a fine instructor – he won the 2025 WPGA Teacher and Coach of the Year Award – but GolfTEC is all about expanding the game. GolfTEC is great option for new players getting into golf, with club-fittings and all the equipment they need to get started. And, yes, the pros at Wisconsin’s four locations can help new – and veteran – players with their swing, too.
Travis Becker, TPC Wisconsin, Youth Player Development Award
Travis Becker, the director of golf at TPC Wisconsin in Madison, has long been recognized as one of the top golf instructors in southern Wisconsin – he’s a four-time WPGA Teacher of the Year and has also appeared on Golf Digest’s State Top Teachers list from 2015 to ’26, among many other honors.
Becker joined the team at TPC Wisconsin, the 30th club in the TPC network, when the reconstructed property – a Steve Stricker design – debuted in 2023. The facility offers a full range of instruction options for players of all ages.
Despite his many accolades as a teacher, Becker stressed that winning the Youth Development honor “is especially close to my heart. I enjoy working with the next generation of golfers – seeing them succeed on and off the course means the world to me.”
Rob Elliott, Rob Elliott Golf Academy & PXG Golf, Patriot Award
Rob Elliott has won the WPGA Patriot Award. Elliott, the director of instruction and a master-fitter at the Rob Elliott Golf Academy and PXG Golf, admits “working with veterans has become a true passion for me.”
Elliott helps veterans and active-duty military learn the game of golf through various streams, including the PGA HOPE program for the last five years. For the last three years Elliott has also been involved with Next 18, a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization that offers four-day golf camps for veterans and first responders that focus on mental health wellness.
He also is actively involved on a national PGA of America level, where he currently leads the PGA HOPE committee.
The Patriot Award is presented to a PGA member who embodies patriotism and shows dedication to those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Jonathan Stuart, The Club at Strawberry Creek, Merchandiser of the Year – Private Facility
The Wisconsin PGA also awards three Merchandiser of the Year honors annually to recognize the all-important and varied task of running a golf shop. Head Professional Jonathan Stuart, who oversees those efforts at The Club at Strawberry Creek in Kenosha, has won the award for Private golf facilities. The Florida native also won the Bill Strausbaugh Award two years ago.
Ryan Wieme, University Ridge, Merchandiser of the Year – Public Facility
This is the third Public Facility Merchandiser of the Year Award for Ryan Wieme, a native of Minnesota and the longtime head professional at University Ridge, the busy Verona facility that serves as the home course for the Wisconsin Badgers. He also took home the Public award in 2012 and ’14.
“This award goes to the entire team at University Ridge, who work hard to create a fantastic retail experience all year long,” Wieme said.
Kristyn Crippen-Weatherhead, Erin Hills, Merchandiser of the Year – Resort Facility
Resort golf – that’s Erin Hills in a two-word nutshell. But the property in Washington County northwest of Milwaukee also hosts events ranging from high school tournaments to United States Golf Association championships. As the buyer and retail manager at Erin Hills, Kristyn Crippen-Weatherhead makes sure the shop is stocked with items for all those visitors, as well as the facility’s everyday customers from all corners of the golf world.