Michigan PGA Honors Haase

Veteran PGA professional and instructor Paul Haase might not remember every student he's ever taught, but he recalls all of his notable lessons - and not just the ones he's given. "I had my first lesson at age 14," says the recipient of the 2008 Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year award. "It was with Don Tinum at Redford (now Rogell Golf Course) in Detroit. He worked on my grip."

Since then, thousands of golfers have put themselves in Haase's capable hands for their own instruction. The veteran professional has long been one of Michigan's most successful and popular instructors at the Kendall Golf Academy at Miles of Golf near Ann Arbor. "My association with Dave Kendall and Chris Mile has made things easy for my students and me," says Haase. "We've got everything any golfer could ever need right here and I'm proud of the success rate our teaching staff of professionals has."

Haase's own success and reputation allow him to stay in Michigan throughout the winter, where his lesson book is no less crowded in the cold months than it is during the summer. In fact, Haase gave 163 lessons in January alone. Noted for his work across all age groups, Haase says his journey as an instructor is never boring. "I like to see what people think about the golf swing," he says. "To me, I've always been fascinated by the misconceptions so many golfers seem to have about the mechanics of the swing."

But not all of Haase's students are lacking in swing knowledge. He's worked with numerous professionals and top amateurs, including highly-regarded senior amateurs Bill Zylstra (Golfweek's second-ranked senior amateur in the U.S.) and John Lindholm, the former Michigan Amateur champion and 2007 Michigan Golf of Hall Fame inductee.

"Paul's recognition with the Michigan PGA award was a long time coming, but that just made it all the more deserved,' says Dave Kendall. "We always crowd in to hear him talk about the golf swing and his students are completely devoted to him." Kendall is a two-time Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year (2000, '04).