×

Former Wildcat Faith Egli has had long career as respected golf pro

Local athletes: Where are they now?

Courtesy Photo/Michigan State University Alpena High alum Faith Egli competed for Michigan State University in the mid 1980s, serving as co-captain for two years and earning first team all-Big Ten honors as a junior and senior.

ALPENA — Sometimes, golf keeps Faith Egli laying awake at night.

When it comes to teaching golf, especially to youngsters, Egli is always thinking about how best to teach the finer points of the game and help foster a love of golf in those she teaches.

“When they actually get it, it’s very exciting and rewarding,” Egli said. “Whether it’s somebody old or (young), the little bit of happiness they get from golf is amazing.”

Over a long career in golf, the former Alpena Wildcat has done it all. She competed collegiately at Michigan State University and completed professionally and played in more than a dozen LPGA events.

Today, she’s recognized nationwide as a top golf professional and teacher.

Courtesy Photos After a successful collegiate career, Faith Egli competed in more than a dozen LPGA events and became a nationally renowned golf professional. Egli, an Alpena Sports Hall of Famer, keeps busy teaching lessons at Sweetbriar Golf Club in Ohio and teaching weekend youth classes to show youngsters the finer points of the game.

Though she considers herself sort of retired, Egli keeps busy giving lessons at Sweetbriar Golf Course in Ohio and also teaches weekend youth classes in the greater Cleveland area. As an international LPGA educational training evaluator, Egli also helps train those who want to become golf professionals.

She’s been recognized as one of top 100 women’s golf instructors by Golf Digest and has been presented with the America Lifetime Achievement Award by the PGA.

But the groundwork for Egli’s success began in Alpena.

Egli’s love of golf began at a young age, when her family moved to Alpena and her parents joined the local country club. In high school, she played on Alpena’s boys team during her junior season, establishing herself as a consistent scorer.

Egli didn’t play golf as a senior, but she did catch the attention of Michigan State coach Mary Fossum at a golf camp and was offered a scholarship.

Courtesy Photos After a successful collegiate career, Faith Egli competed in more than a dozen LPGA events and became a nationally renowned golf professional. Egli, an Alpena Sports Hall of Famer, keeps busy teaching lessons at Sweetbriar Golf Club in Ohio and teaching weekend youth classes to show youngsters the finer points of the game.

“It just felt like home,” Egli said. “It was a great decision.”

In East Lansing, Egli learned the finer points of golf from Fossum and her husband, Bruce. While she was largely self-taught while playing in high school, Egli found she had a lot to learn.

“They revamped my swing and put a lot into me,” Egli said. “Once I learned the game, I learned it was about skills.”

Those changes paid off, as Egli was a two-time first team all-Big Ten selection and served as a co-captain during her junior and season seasons. She also won a few collegiate tournaments and was a finalist for MSU’s Athlete of the Decade award.

Egli majored in commercial recreation at MSU, finding a career path she didn’t know existed. Taking the foundation she gained in school and her passion for golf, her career as a golf professional began right out of college when she was named the head golf professional at Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel.

Through the years, Egli also got to scratch her competitive itch. She competed in the 1989 U.S. Women’s Open shortly after graduating and competed in more than a dozen LPGA events between 1993 and 2010. In recent years, Egli has competed in senior tournaments, including the Ohio Senior Women’s Open, which she won in 2013.

“I enjoyed it,” Egli said. “I’m competitive, and it was still neat to stay competitive and measure my skills during those years.”

While Egli has been recognized nationally for her work as a golf instructor, she’s also been honored locally. In 2002, Egli was one of six inductees into the inaugural class of the Alpena High School Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

“It’s a great game,” she said. “I think the whole sport is just wonderful.”

News File Photo Faith Egli, middle row, far left, is pictured with the Alpena High boys golf team in the fall of 1982. Egli was a consistent scorer for the Wildcats during that season and went on to golf at Michigan State University.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today