Eastern Michigan University Golf Headed to New Heights

By Tom Lang

The biggest announcement in college golf in Michigan this year, and perhaps nationally, is the recent $6.5 million financial investment at Eastern Michigan University by GameAbove – which first built the remarkable new indoor practice center and is now funding an entirely new direction for the men’s and women’s golf programs.

This will no longer be your father’s EMU.

The recent influx of financial support marks a new era for Eastern Michigan men’s and women’s golf, as the transformation of the program began with the opening last January of the $8 million GameAbove Golf Performance Center, dedicated to recently-retired and legendary coach Bruce Cunningham. This wonderful 13,000 square foot indoor training facility, coupled with the new $6.5 million infrastructure gift from GameAbove, has enabled EMU to hire top-tier coaches, expand the tournament schedule and possibly position the program for national championship success.

"GameAbove’s reinvestment in EMU Golf further bonds our strategic partnership to build a national powerhouse,” said GameAbove’s Chairman Keith J. Stone. “By empowering coaches, academic awards, and every side of player development, we are creating an unrivaled environment to attract top recruits and cultivate champions. Together with the GameAbove Golf Performance Center, EMU Golf is poised to become a perennial contender, bringing pride and recognition to EMU for years to come."

Eagle Crest Golf Course, the home of the GameAbove Center and both the men’s and women’s teams, was recently ranked No. 9 best college golf course in the country by NBC’s GolfPass raters. The new financial infrastructure will also allow the teams to travel to top tournaments all over the country in an effort to develop championship opportunities and individual growth of the athletes to achieve more than they imagined. One small example, EMU has hired their first-ever full-time women’s assistant coach, Caterina Don, a former top player at Georgia. 

With all these positives going for it, EMU golf will have a totally different look and feel this season and beyond.

Josh Brewer was tapped as the new women’s head coach. During his tenure at the University of Georgia, Brewer guided the Bulldogs to 16 tournament wins, 10 NCAA Regional qualifications, and four NCAA National Championship appearances.

“Our players have aspirations of competing on the LPGA Tour and in the Olympics,” Brewer said. “Our schedule prepares them for these dreams as we will play back to back weeks just like a tour player. We will also compete against the best amateurs in the world. This is important as it allows our players to raise their college and world rankings, thus allowing them to be named an All-American, selected for their national teams or receive invites to elite amateur events.  Our schedule will rival any program in the country. I must also thank the coaches who invited us to their events and have allowed us to compete in their storied events."

Another benefit to the GameAbove infrastructure support was the naming of Dan McLean as Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director, General Manager for Golf. This type of administrative collaboration can only help elevate the golf program.

The new men’s coach is Andy Walker, coming from Virgina Commonwealth (VCU). Walker was in mid-August named 2024 Black College Golf Coaches Association (BCGCA) Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I. A four-time national champion as a player and coach, Walker was a key component of the 1997 Pepperdine NCAA Championship team, then won a national title as coach at Lynn University, and two more leading South Mountain Community College (SMCC). Between Pepperdine and coaching, Walker embarked on an 11-year pro playing career.

Under Walker's guidance, individual accolades at VCU included the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, with three players being named to the A10 All-Conference team. Walker's vision and recruiting propelled the team to a national ranking of No. 38, a significant leap from their No. 187 ranking when he started. A career highlight included Walker's selection as the coach for Team USA at the Toyota Junior World Cup of Golf in Japan. By the end of the 2023-24 season, VCU had achieved three wins and four more top-three finishes.

I ran into Walker by chance at the PGA Tour Champions Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills and he was ecstatic over the infrastructure support from GameAbove and how it will so dramatically shape the new season and the long-term future of the program.

EMU grad Brett White, who made his PGA Tour debut earlier this year at Phoenix, is also supported by the GameAbove Sports program, which is sponsoring EMU grads in their professional pursuits.

“This is huge news for EMU, and I’m excited to see the results. I haven’t heard of any other (college) program doing what EMU is doing,” White told me. “I am super happy to be on board with GameAbove and I hope you’ll see our brand all over professional golf tours too.”