Who We Are

In the fall boys golf season of 1975, Bill Rea, of Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Art Link, of West Bloomfield, were playing in the Plymouth High School Best-Ball tournament at Braeburn Golf Course. It was then that the two coaches discussed the fact that we needed a golf coaches' organization. Bill and Art were respectively involved in the Michigan Swim Coaches Association and Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association. They later met with Gary Newcomb of Lake Orion, Jim Koresky of Milford and John Fundukain of Walled Lake Western at Ted's Restaurant in Bloomfield Hills where they selected officers: President Art Link, President-Elect Bill Rea, Secretary-Treasurer Gary Newcomb, Past President Jim Koresky, and Michigan High School Coaches Association Delegate John Fundukian. They drafted our first bylaws based on what the swim coaches used. 

The real start of the organization began in 1976, with discussions of a spring clinic and a fall awards banquet. Those two events were developed to get our organization off the ground. With the help of Bruce Fossum, the Michigan State Men’s Golf Coach and Forest Akers Golf Course at MSU, our first clinic was held with golf and a dinner/meeting at the Pretzel Bell on Trowbridge Road in East Lansing. In the fall of 1976, we had our first All-State awards banquet, honoring six golfers from the fall of 1976 boys’ season. They named a coach of the year, and recognition awards for 15 and 25 years of coaching, along with two outstanding service awards for individuals outside the coaching profession, and an honorary membership award. 

There have been many coaches over the years that have had an impact on MIGCA, and the Founding Five would just like to say it was a pleasure to get the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association started, and for those who are coaching now and, in the future, get involved, it’s fun and you will develop friendships for a lifetime.

History provided by  Gary Newcomb, retired Lake Orion Golf Coach, with revisions by Bob Lober, retired Traverse City Central Golf Coach and MIGCA Hall of Fame Chair