Stephen Kircher (center) joins award-winning sports journalist Greg Johnson (left) and former Michigan Amateur champion Kevin VandenBerg (right) as the 2024 inductees.
BOYNE FALLS, MI – Stephen Kircher, the President and CEO of Boyne Resorts, has been inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. Kircher, along with Greg Johnson, an award-winning sports journalist and Hudsonville resident, and Kevin VandenBerg, a multi-time amateur golf champion originally from Mattawan, were inducted at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.
Kircher, 60, is the son of Michigan Golf Hall of Famer Everett Kircher and followed in his father’s footsteps in leading the largest family-owned four-season resort company in North America. They are the third parent-child duo in the MGHOF joining Bruce Matthews and Jerry Matthews, and Pete Green and Suzy Green-Roebuck.
“Boyne Resorts is very excited to see Stephen join his father for this incredible honor in Michigan’s golf industry,” said Bernie Friedrich, the Director of Golf Course Renovations and Development for Boyne Resorts and himself a member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. “Everett was a pioneer for golf in the state of Michigan, and today, Stephen continues that vision through BOYNE Golf, which continues to impact Michigan and help to position the region as one of the top golf destinations in the country.”
Kircher was a player first, winning an individual state high school championship for Boyne City High, earning letters at two universities (Northwestern and Michigan State) and maintaining a scratch handicap for over 30 years.
His numerous contributions to golf include leading efforts to grow and develop the industry in Michigan. He is a past chair of the Michigan Travel Commission, a founding member of the America’s Summer Golf Capital Association, co-founder of the unique Tournament of Champions, co-designer of the Hills Course and Bay Harbor Golf Club courses and works closely with the Boyne team on new projects.
Johnson, 67, worked for almost 30 years with the Grand Rapids Press and is currently a media consultant for the state’s most prominent golf associations. He has authored newspaper and magazine stories on all aspects of the game and has covered Michigan’s biggest golf tournaments for four decades.
In addition, during his newspaper career he was a columnist covering sports at every level in Michigan and nationally as well, including major championship golf, the Olympic Games, Super Bowls and more.
A longtime committee member of the MGHOF, Johnson was instrumental in establishing its new home at Ferris State and currently serves as chairperson and president of the Michigan Golf Foundation.
VandenBerg, 58, has demonstrated playing excellence at state and national levels. The former Kalamazoo Golf Association president most notably is the only golfer to win the Michigan Amateur, GAM Championship and GAM Mid-Amateur Championship in the same year (2000).
He moved to Pulaski, N.Y., in 2007 and focused on building a financial management business, but after turning 55 started playing senior competition, including two U.S. Senior Opens and two U.S. Senior Amateurs. He was runner-up in Golfweek’sSenior Player of the Year rankings in 2022 before being named Golfweek’sSenior Player of the Year in 2023, a year in which he had 13 top five finishes in 20 tournament starts.
VandenBerg regularly returns to play in Michigan tournaments by maintaining his Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) membership, and earlier this year he won the GAM Senior Match Play Championship.
The threesome brings the number of inductees to 140. The ceremony was conducted in the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center at Katke, which houses the MGHOF.
The MGHOF includes a heralded collection of portraits and memorabilia that commemorate the leading Michigan golfers and contributors to the game.
The MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, and funded through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation (501(c)(3)) since 1996. It includes 17 people representing a cross-section of the state’s golf associations as well as golf media and conducts an annual election to recognize the achievements of competitive Michigan golfers, but also the accomplishments of individuals who have contributed to the game. For more information and to learn about the current members of the Hall of Fame, visit mghof.org.
About BOYNE Golf
Boyne Golf has been named one of North America’s “Premier Resorts” (Gold) by GOLF Magazine.
Bay Harbor Golf Club and the Inn at Bay Harbor are Boyne Resorts’ flagship Michigan properties, set along the stunning Lake Michigan shoreline. They feature 45-holes including three golf course combinations designed by Arthur Hills (Links/Quarry, Quarry/Preserve, and Preserve/Links), along with the scenic Crooked Tree Golf Club. The Inn at Bay Harbor is a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel combining luxe comfort with gracious hospitality.
The Highlands, rated the No. 1 Golf Resort for Value by Golf.com, features 72 holes of premier golf design. The Heather, the 2019 NGCOA Course of the Year, was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., while the Hills Course was crafted by Arthur Hills. The Donald Ross Memorial is a rendition of the legendary architect’s great holes from around the country, and The Moor course was recently updated. The Highlands is the perfect buddy trip destination for golfers who like to play as many holes as they can during the long summer daylight hours that northern Michigan features.
Boyne Mountain not only features two fun 18-hole courses (The Monument and The Alpine), along with the charming Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa, it is also the leading family-friendly golf destination in the region with the Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark, junior golf camps, and various kid golf programs. Golf Digest named Boyne Mountain one of its “Top-10 Destinations for Family Golf Trips.”
For more information, visit BOYNEGolf.com
