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 FARMINGTON HILLS – Terri Anthony-Ryan has taught a countless number of golfers while working for 33 years as a teaching professional at the Southfield’s Evergreen Hills and Beech Woods golf facilities, and she is in year 39 as a PGA member.

  She said through the years her favorite times and memories are from the lesson tee.

  “I love working with people, teaching, talking, on the tee, in the shop, I haven’t had a day where I wake up and don’t want to go do it again,” she said.

  Anthony-Ryan, 63, has been named the 2023 Golf Association of Michigan Club Services Representative of the Year. The GAM annually presents the honor to a club representative who demonstrates outstanding service to golf in Michigan.

  Anthony-Ryan has been involved in golf at multiple levels. She has continually volunteered her skills to various grow-the-game efforts, including the Michigan Women’s Golf Association’s LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Program, which won the GAM’s 2022 Champion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

  She is probably best known though for her coaching of high school and college golf teams and individuals, most notably serving as the head coach at the University of Detroit Mercy women’s golf team for 13 seasons, winning three conference championships and being named the Horizon League Coach of the Year three times. She has also coached at Farmington Hills Mercy, Redford Union High and Henry Ford Community College, and helped several other programs and individual players.

  In addition, she has also served the Michigan Section PGA in various capacities and helped mentor some 30 interns and others who have made golf their career choice.

 Ryan, who with her husband Paul Aguayo have two sons, Sean, 30, and James, 27, said she was just doing her job and was surprised to win the honor.

  “It’s rewarding in a special way because it recognizes my work with kids and adults in golf, which has been rewarding in itself,” she said.  “When I’m teaching and I see somebody improve, that’s the coolest thing. When they hit a shot in the air for the first time, or they come and say, 'I broke 70 today,' that’s what it’s all about.”

  She said the award means a lot coming from the GAM because it does a tremendous job of recognizing those who work in the golf industry, and in serving the industry.

  “The work they do is so important, especially all the tournaments, the rules, helping me with officials when I coached, the handicap system, and then there are the people from the GAM like Francine Pegues, Janina Jacobs and Sara Wold who do so much for the game and especially young women in the game,” she said. “I’m so proud to know them and work with them.”

  Ryan said she still has more to give to golf and winning an award inspires her to do more.

  “I feel good, I still play, still have a few good years to give to the game,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot over the years and maybe the best thing is seeing the PGA and the GAM and golf really recognize women playing the game and then going on to develop ways to help them be better golfers and people.”