Boyne Golf – Bernie Friedrich Inducted into Michigan PGA Hall of Fame, Earns Michigan PGA Section’s Bill Strausbaugh Award
Petoskey, MI – Bernie Friedrich, Boyne Resorts’ long-time Senior Vice President of Golf and Resort Sales, has seen a lifetime career in golf come full circle this season as he recently followed up his election into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame with his induction into the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame.
The Michigan PGA also awarded Friedrich the Bill Strausbaugh Award, which recognizes a top PGA member for outstanding integrity and character, a significant contribution through mentoring fellow PGA professionals, as well as maintaining a high level of service, values and image within the organization.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place October 27, during the Michigan PGA Section’s President’s Dinner at Country Club of Lansing. The Michigan PGA Hall of Fame was founded in 2011 and exists to recognize and acknowledge PGA Professionals who have excelled in their profession, achieved remarkable accomplishments, and made significant contributions to the game, the industry and the Michigan PGA.
Friedrich joined Boyne Resorts in 1976 as a golf professional at Boyne Mountain. He became the Director of Golf in in 1981 and has served as the Senior Vice President of Golf and Resort Sales since 1999. He has become one of the leading golf operators in the country while helping guide the resort company to becoming the largest family owned golf resort destination in North America. He has played a leading role in the addition and development of Boyne’s golf courses nationwide at three resorts in northern Michigan, two in Maine and one in Montana.
“I am excited and truly humbled to receive the Bill Strausbaugh Award and to be inducted into the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame. To be a part of this legacy is a great honor and without Boyne’s support and the passionate people who have worked in our golf departments throughout the years, I would never be receiving these honors this year,” said Friedrich.
“I am extremely proud and grateful to have played a small role in the advancement of the game of golf in Michigan for the last 44 years. As the saying goes there may be someone that deserves this more than I do, but no one appreciates it more than I do.”
Friedrich has mentored a great number of PGA professionals and apprentices, as well as PGM students during his tenure. He is a two-time Michigan PGA Golf Professional of the Year (1998, 2001), a four-time Michigan PGA Resort Merchandiser of the Year and has served in various capacities with The First Tee of Northern Michigan, the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association and the Michigan PGA Section, and the Adidas Dassler board. He has also been the recipient of the Michigan Golf Course Association’s Lyle Leek Distinguished Service Award (2018) and the American Junior Golf Association’s Golf Executive of the Year (2018). He is also co-founder of the annual Harbor Cup golf event, which has raised over $400,000 for charitable food projects in Northern Michigan.
About BOYNE Golf
Boyne Resorts has been named among the Best Golf Resorts in the America’s by Golf Digest and one of North America’s “Premier Resorts” (Gold) by GOLF Magazine. The Inn at Bay Harbor and Bay Harbor Golf Club, Boyne’s flagship properties, feature 27 holes with three golf course combinations designed by Arthur Hills (Links/Quarry, Quarry/Preserve, and Preserve/Links), and one of the most beautiful and iconic hotels in America, all set along a scenic five-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline.
Boyne Highlands, rated the No. 1 Golf Resort for Value by Golf.com, features 72 holes of premier golf design. The Heather, the 2019 NGCOA Course of the Year, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., while the Hills Course was crafted by Arthur Hills. In addition, the resort features The Donald Ross Memorial, which is a rendition of the legendary architect’s great holes from around the country, and the always-fun Moor course. The Highlands is the perfect buddy trip destination for golfers who like to play as many holes as they can during the long summer daylight hours northern Michigan features.
Boyne Mountain not only features two fun 18-hole courses (The Monument and Alpine), along with the charming Mountain Grand Lodge & Spa, it is also the leading family friendly golf destination in the region with the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, junior golf camps, and various kid golf programs. Golf Digest named Boyne Mountain one of its “Top-10 Destinations for Family Golf Trips.”
Beyond golf, Boyne is centered amid one of America’s most beautiful vacation spots. The scenic Lake Michigan beach towns of Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and Petoskey are minutes away, and a side trip to Mackinac Island is easily managed. Guests can enjoy award-winning spas, waterfront dining, sandy beaches, watersports, gaming, microbreweries, wineries, hiking, biking, tennis, zip-lining, shopping and more capped by the spectacular northern Michigan sunsets. For more information, visit BOYNEGolf.com.
