DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: Carl E. Rose of Carl’s Golfland

By Greg Johnson

    The late Carl E. Rose said once in an interview for a Carl’s Golfland publication that he never felt he had a job.

   “It has kind of been my life,” he said of growing up in a family business founded by his parents, Carl F. and Donna Rose.

    “I got to work with my dad and my mother. My dad taught me how to behave, influence, and treat people the way you want to be treated. They both taught me hard work and that if you love what you do, it is never a job. I loved coming here as kid, driving the tractor picking balls, having fun with the different mowers. I still love coming here.”

    Carl E. Rose, who passed away in January of 2024 at the age of 65, has been posthumously named the Golf Association of Michigan’s (GAM) Distinguished Service Award winner for 2026. 

  Casey Baker, COO for Carl’s Golfland, said Rose would be humbled by the award and would credit his parents and his employees, the Carl’s Golfland family, for any and all successes.