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Popping its way to success in North Central Wisconsin
March 9, 2026
KOHLER – Eight years after his first Wisconsin PGA recognition, Dan Hastreiter is back in the spotlight – this time as 2026 Golf Professional of the Year.
The Wisconsin Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (WPGA) recently announced its 2026 special award recipients, with Hastreiter leading the class.
The PGA assistant general manager and head professional at Blackwolf Run in Kohler said this is his second WPGA special award – being awarded Assistant Professional of the Year in 2018.
Hastreiter said the selection process begins with a nomination, typically submitted by a colleague familiar with the candidate’s work.
Nominees then complete an extensive written portfolio, he said, outlining their job performance, service to the PGA of America and involvement in their local communities.
That portfolio, Hastreiter said, is then reviewed by peers within the PGA, with the entries narrowed down to one winner each year.
“The fact that someone I work with felt I was worthy of being in contention [for the award] means a lot to me,” he said. “That’s the first thought that comes to mind. I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of great mentors over the years.”
Now in his 21st season with the Kohler Company at Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, Hastreiter said he credits those around him for his development.
“These mentors have invested in me, believed in me and provided me with the opportunities to learn and grow,” he said. “I take that very seriously and believe strongly in passing my knowledge and expertise to the next generation.”
Day-to-day duties, hours vary greatly
Hastreiter said there are two main components to his job at Blackwolf Run.
The first, he said, is managing the staff – providing the best guest experience possible.
“That’s our core goal here at the resort,” he said. “We want them to remember their time on the golf course and their experience with the staff positively. We want to leave them with the desire and interest in returning at some point.”
Hastreiter said the second component of his job is mentoring the next generation of golf professionals and others interested in the game.
“I thoroughly enjoy that part of the job,” he said. “I want to help develop them into the next stages of their own careers.”
To that end, Hastreiter said Kohler operates an internship program that serves as the primary pipeline for hiring assistant golf professionals.
“We get a lot of great individuals who both stick with us or find positions elsewhere [after a period of time],” he said. “The moment when they establish themselves here and make the decision they want to be with us for a few years, that’s where I feel I really have an opportunity to make an impact on their learning and career.”
Hastreiter said his goal is to open doors through the internship program and allow participants to chart their own career paths.
He said his responsibilities also include providing golf instruction.
“The majority of those are given to Blackwolf Run resort guests who come in to play for a few days,” he said. “We have some members at our courses who I teach lessons to. As far as the staff goes, everyone helps everyone. It’s a nice benefit to being in the golf industry.”
Hastreiter said another benefit of his role is its variety, noting that no two days are the same – a feature he particularly enjoys about the golf industry and his position.
“I could be teaching for five hours one day and the next day running a large charity event,” he said. “I enjoy the significant variety of things I do daily.”
Hastreiter said a key part of his daily routine is checking in with his staff – which includes 80 direct staff members and 50 part-time caddies.
These conversations, he said, allow him to provide coaching and positive reinforcement, ensure the team is on track and identify areas for improvement to help everyone perform better over time.
Hastreiter said his schedule shifts with the demands of the day.
“I try to position myself where I can be of most support to the staff for that day, and then also take care of anything else that may arise,” he said.
Though the typical season runs from early April to mid-November, Hastreiter said “there’s plenty to do in the offseason, albeit things are at a slower pace.”
“Most of the time [during the winter], I’m more involved in project management and different things happening around Blackwolf Run,” he said. “There is also financial planning, getting things set up for the next year, hiring back-of-the-house staff, doing other administrative-type duties and getting ready for the next season.”
A new course being built
In addition to his daily responsibilities, Hastreiter said he is involved in major projects, which currently includes a new golf course that broke ground last fall and is slated to open in mid-2027.
“My 2026 will have some time spent on planning, preparing and getting ready for opening another course and operating it out of our existing footprint, including the pro shop,” he said. “The course will be unique in that it will be a 14-hole course.”
Hastreiter said the new course will be a slightly different experience for guests.
“It should take around three hours or so to play,” he said. “It just gives us another offering for those who are staying with us at the resort to experience Kohler golf differently.”
Hastreiter said the decision to build a 14-hole course was made collaboratively by the golf leadership team, the course designers and the ownership group.
“We also have a 10-hole, par-3 course here at Blackwolf Run,” he said. “We have two 18-hole courses – The River and The Meadow Valleys – and then our par-3 course is called The Baths, with the 14-hole course upcoming.”
Hastreiter said the goal of the 14-hole course is to create the best possible layout for the property while keeping it fun and playable – a combination that led to the 14-hole design.
Getting into golf by accident
Hastreiter, 41, said he first picked up golf at 15 after a friend invited him to play.
“Truthfully, I don’t think I knew what golf was at that time,” he said. “I borrowed my grandfather’s clubs, and we were both equally terrible, so the competition of playing with somebody of your same skill set piqued my interest. Golf is not a reactionary sport – it’s all thinking and planning, and that was a little different for me than what I’d experienced in other sports. I found that appealing, and I quickly became a golf addict.”
As a teenager, Hastreiter said his mother would drop him off at the course at 5:45 a.m. and pick him up at 8 p.m.
He said he went on to play high school golf before attending Florida State University, where he completed a PGA-sponsored program that allowed him to earn PGA membership while earning a business administration degree with a focus on hospitality and golf management.
“When you enroll in the schooling portion of the PGA’s path to membership, you’re technically not an amateur anymore, and that happened in 2003,” he said. “I obtained my PGA membership in 2008. That’s when I graduated from college, and I completed my PGA membership, which is the schooling portion of being a PGA member.”
Hastreiter said he competes in 12 to 15 tournaments each year and enjoys the chance to step away from his home club to play elsewhere for a day.
“There’s also a social aspect of playing golf that can’t be overlooked,” he said. “It’s one of the rare times, especially in today’s society, where you can put your phone away and enjoy being outside with people you enjoy being with, laughing about your bad shots and celebrating your good ones.”
Hastreiter said what he enjoys most about golf is how closely it mirrors life, offering lessons that extend beyond the course.
“Golf requires integrity from the individual playing if you’re responsible for playing the game in accordance with the rules,” he said. “It also involves planning and execution, all while trying to better yourself. There are also elements of fun, all while enjoying the outdoors.”
When not working, Hastreiter said he spends time volunteering with Food for the Hungry programs, Habitat for Humanity and helping the parks department maintain some of its trails.
“Within the confines of Blackwolf Run, we run several programs for veterans – such as PGA Hope and Semper Fi – which are all designed to help those in the military who are looking for something to give them stability and a new focal point in their lives,” he said. “A lot of them have found great success in picking up golf. Those are some of the more rewarding golf instruction programs we’re involved in I enjoy being a part of.”
