Written By: Greg Johnson
FARMINGTON HILLS – Michigan PGA Professionals Patrick Wilkes-Krier of Kendall Academy in Ypsilanti and Jimmy Wisinski of Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids have been selected as co-head coaches for Team Michigan, which will feature the state’s top junior boy and girl golfers as part of the U.S. National Development Program (USNDP) initiative created by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
Support roles, including an assistant coach, senior advisor and committee member have also been determined and announced by Team Captain and Manager Anika Dy of the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM).
The Team Michigan selections process for the boy and girl golfers, ages 13-18, is underway and the 2026 team members will be announced at the close of the current golf season. A points system and tournaments and qualifiers where junior golfers can earn the points were selected by a committee of Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) and the Michigan Section PGA leaders earlier this year.
The 2026 golf season marks the first selection of junior golfers to Team Michigan. The team (a team of eight boys and a team of eight girls will be selected) will represent the state in the program that is designed to expand the pipeline for elite local golfers into the USNDP.
The USNDP aims to ensure that American golf is the global leader in the game by focusing on six key pillars: talent identification, access to competition, national teams, athlete resources, player development and relations, and athlete financial support.
The USGA is asking the state programs to focus on creating a developmentally appropriate, aspirational pathway for athletes within each state to compete at higher levels of the game. The USGA’s goal is to establish a team in every state by 2033, working in partnership with allied golf associations, the PGA of America sections, and local junior golf programs.
Wilkes-Krier and Wisinski, both award-winning instructors, will attend USGA THRIVE Coach Training in New Jersey, and then work with the support personnel to help the Team Michigan players in camps and training sessions with competition prep, course management, mental performance and goal-setting, as well as provide guidance and college golf perspective to athletes and families, among other duties.
“Their specific backgrounds in teaching and the types of players they have worked with led to the decision to go with Patrick and Jimmy as co-head coaches,” Dy said. “They bring so much to the table. They have impressive resumes that speak for themselves and we are confident they will be great mentors for the young athletes on Team Michigan.”
The support staff selected to help with the teams includes Assistant Coach Kelly Kuhlman of Kuhlman Golf, a PGA Professional and LPGA Teaching Professional at Twin Lakes Golf Club, Senior Advisor and PGA Professional Steve Brady of Oakland Hills Country Club and Committee Member Debbie Williams-Hoak, a former LPGA Tour player, an LPGA Teaching Professional and director of Brookside Golf Academy in Saline. Brady and Hoak are also members of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
“We felt very lucky to have this group with tremendous history and knowledge in teaching and playing wanting to help grow the game,” Dy said. “We had an overwhelming group of applicants come forward, and we will involve many of them in things like webinars and the instruction, especially when dealing with their specific areas of expertise.”
Wilkes-Krier, the owner of Kendall Golf Academy, said he was honored and excited to be part of the coaching staff that helps to shape this team and new program.
“Jimmy (Wisinski) and I get to put our heads together to plan how to help and develop these golfers for a national stage,” he said. “This program, regardless of any situation, will help the golfers get the resources they need to improve and compete.”
Wilkes-Krier, the 2025 Michigan PGA Professional Champion and a former touring professional, was made aware of the program by Chris Whitten, executive director of the GAM. Wilkes-Krier served as an assistant coach for Whitten when he was the head men’s golf coach at the University of Michigan.
“I feel like my experience as a player and especially as a teacher and coach gives me insight that will really be helpful to these junior golfers,” he said.
Wisinski, the director of instruction at Kent CC and a Master PGA Professional, said he was honored to be selected.
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to help junior golfers accomplish the most they can from golf and to represent our state,” he said. “Sign me up all day long to help create an environment that fosters their growth, and we’re not talking swing positions here, but beyond the golf course with the mental and physical sides of the game and more.”
He said Michigan golf has a rich golf history and tremendous resources and teachers.
“I look forward to working with a tremendous group of golf instructors and with talented young golfers,” he said. “I’ve always believed golfers in a group, on a team, push each other to get better, and together we will field the best team we can.”
Learn more at GAM.org.
About the Golf Association of Michigan
Founded in 1919, the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and advancing amateur golf throughout the state of Michigan. As an Allied Golf Association (AGA) of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the GAM represents more than 110,000 GAM members and over 600-member golf courses across the state. The GAM provides a wide range of services, including administering the World Handicap System™ through GHIN®, conducting amateur state championships and USGA qualifiers, providing Course Rating services, and preserving the traditions and integrity of the game. Through programs such as Youth on Course Michigan, rules education, and member benefits, the GAM is committed to making golf more accessible and enjoyable for players of all ages and abilities while strengthening the game across Michigan.
About the Michigan Section PGA
The mission of the Michigan Section PGA is to serve the members and grow the game. In serving that mission, the Section elevates the standards of the professional’s vocation, enhances the economic well-being of the members, stimulates interest in golf and promotes the vitality of the game in local communities. Although the Section maintains a close working relationship with the PGA of America, the Michigan PGA is governed by its own board and committee structure of PGA Professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to lead at their local level. Founded in 1922, the Section is comprised of approximately 1000 PGA Members and Associates who are employed at over 380 Michigan golf facilities. The Michigan PGA is 12th largest of 41 PGA Sections in the U.S.
Attached: Head shots of Patrick Wilkes-Krier and Jimmy Wisinski
