The Golf Course Owners of Wisconsin has made life a little easier for UW-Stout student Drew Ringelstetter, who has received a $500 scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year.
It’s the second straight year Ringelstetter, a junior from Portage, has received the GCOW award. He is majoring in golf enterprise management.
“This means a lot to me. With an older sister and younger brother, my parents don’t have that much money to help me pay for school. The scholarships help get a weight off my shoulders,” he said.
This fall, he is working at Sand Valley Golf Resort, a highly touted new course complex in south central Wisconsin, as part of a Cooperative Education Program experience through UW-Stout. He also is taking classes online and plans to return to campus for the spring semester.
Five other UW-Stout students and a recent graduate also are working this fall at Sand Valley.
“To have won this scholarship two years in a row shows my hard work is paying off, and I look forward to what the future holds for me,” he said. “With my degree I hope to find a job in the golf industry. I would love to be a head professional or a general manager at a golf club.”
The scholarship is a result of the GCOW Scholarship Fund Golf Outing, an 18-hole scramble format tournament held each fall. This fall it was at SentryWorld golf course in Stevens Point. UW-Stout was represented by Howie Samb, an assistant professor in the School of Hospitality Leadership.
Samb, who has worked in the golf industry as a course owner and a PGA Class A head pro, thanked those who participated, supporting not only the students but programs like UW-Stout’s that train young professionals to be the next generation of managers and leaders in the industry.
The outing also supports students at Southwest Technical College of Fennimore. Southwest Tech offers a golf course management associate degree, with a bachelor’s degree-completion option at UW-Stout. Scholarship criteria include a minimum 2.5 grade-point average, experience in the industry and being a Wisconsin resident.
Students in UW-Stout’s GEM program take courses in all aspects of golf course management. The Bachelor of Science program is endorsed by the National Golf Course Owners Association as well as GCOW.
For more information on the UW-Stout GEM program, go to the website. The program also is offered online.
###
Photo
UW-Stout student Drew Ringelstetter, who received a scholarship from the Golf Course Owners of Wisconsin, works at the front desk at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin.
