With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Carl Edward Unis, 87, of Brookfield WI who died peacefully on June 26, 2025 in the presence of his loving family. He was a dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor and friend to all the lives he touched. Carl was a renown Milwaukee area golf professional earning celebrity status both on and off the course as a touring, teaching and club pro and a life member of the PGA of America.
He was preceded in death by his parents Carl “Collie” Unis and Rose T. Unis (nee Haddad). He is survived by his loving wife of 29 years Carole Gray Unis, sons Carl Jerome “CJ” Unis (Marlena) of Albuquerque NM and Alexander Edward Unis (Jennifer) of Glenview IL, stepchildren Betsy Gray VanHeesch (Todd) of Hartford WI and Peter Jewitt Gray (Amy) of Calabasas CA; sister Elizabeth Unis Chesko of Cleveland Heights OH; grandchildren Cian and Zian Unis, Emelia and Elliott Unis, Jack and Carley VanHeesch, Peter, Wyatt and Miles Gray, and nieces Suzanne Sacks of Cleveland OH and Lisa Gurnick(Matt) of Tampa FL, as well as great nieces and nephews. Carl will always be fondly remembered by his grandchildren simply as “Po.” Additionally, he is survived by his in-laws, Robert (Jackie) Nailler of Chagrin Falls OH, Murley (Alan) Miller of Dublin OH and their families, dear friends and colleagues.
Carl began his golf career as a young lad who caddied at Ridgewood Country Club in Parma OH. From caddy, he took his first swings and went on to hold the course record of 63 for a number of years. He followed golf from high school to the next level attending The Ohio State University playing competitive golf with the likes of Jack Nicklaus. He completed his education at John Carroll University. Following service in the U.S. Army, he was champion of the Cleveland District Golf Association and won the Ohio state amateur in 1964. Later, Carl relocated to Milwaukee where his golfing ability was recognized by a group of sponsors and two years later qualified for the country’s premier golf event, the U.S. Open, making the cut and competing in all four rounds in the 1967 Open at Baltusol Golf Club in New Jersey. He finished in the top third of the field and, in fact, led the field in driving distance at 285 yards using what is now considered vintage equipment and balls. The winner and runner up of the Open that year were Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, respectively.
Following three years on the Caribbean professional tour (1968-70), Carl began a 23-year career as first an assistant pro at Ozaukee CC (1967) and then head golf professional at Brynwood Country Club (1968-1991) where he managed all things golf. During his tenure he hired a number of young assistant pros helping to move their careers forward thereby fostering three new generations of young players entering the profession as both players and business managers in the field. During his tenure, he also mentored 31 Evans Scholars who started as caddies ultimately earning college scholarships at prestigious institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University.
Lifelong honors and accomplishments include induction into the Northern Ohio Golf Hall of Fame and the Parma High School Hall of Fame, two time champion of the Wisconsin Senior Open (1990 and 1998) and named Wisconsin Senior Player of the Year both those years, played in eight official events on the PGA Senior Tour and 14 years in the Greater Milwaukee Open, served on the Greater Milwaukee PGA Board of Directors from 1988-94, won the Wisconsin PGA Match Play Championship in 1983 and the Wisconsin PGA Stroke Play Championship in 1969 and 1983, served as executive director of the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin (1992-95) and tournament chairman of the Wisconsin Open, among others.
In his later years, Carl worked with youth golf programs with his time and teaching talents as a resolute ambassador to the game of golf and the community. Giving back to youth in golf, he was a professional staff member of the PGA Junior Golf Academy at Stevens Point and chaired numerous fundraising Pro-Am events to benefit the Parenting Network Charity.
Carl’s final putt was a 10-foot downhill slider that ended up in the center of the cup. Every golf game was ended as he finished his life, “Bottom of the Cup.”
Mass of the Christian Burial, officiated by Father Tom DeVries, will be held at Lumen Christi Catholic Church, 2750 West Mequon Rd., Mequon WI at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. Please arrive between 12:15-12:45 to be seated in the church prior to the Mass. No visitation will be held prior.
The mass will be live-streamed Please go online to www.lumenchristiparish.org
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Evans Scholars Foundation, 2501 Patriot Blvd., Glenview IL 60036-8022 or a charity of your choice appreciated.
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by Joe Stadler, PGA
It is with great sadness that I am informing you that the WPGA lost yet another legend. Carl Unis, PGA passed away in the morning on Thursday, June 26.
Carl's story is all about golf, helping others and family. Carl began his career as a caddy at the age of 12 in his home town in Ohio. From there, he became quite an accomplished player. He has his name on two trophies in Ohio along with Arnold Palmer's name - The Cleveland District Match Play Championship and the Ohio State Amateur. Carl moved to the Milwaukee area in 1967 and began working for Bobby Brue, another WPGA legend, at Ozaukee Country Club. During his year with Bobby, Carl qualified and made the cut at the 1967 US Open at Baltusrol, probably the highlight of Carl's golfing career. From there, he moved on to become the head professional at Brynwood Country Club and served the membership for well over 20 years. During this time Carl established himself as one of the top instructors in the area. A passion he kept his entire life. Carl had more accolades as a player: WPGA Match Play Champ, 2-time WPGA Senior Champ, 19 Nelthorpe Cup appearances and 18 time qualifier for the currently named PPC and member of the Northern Ohio Golf Hall of Fame. Carl played over 20 PGA Tour and 20 PGA Tour Champions events throughout his lifetime.
Carl also played in another major for 50 years, this one at Milwaukee Country Club. Anyone of us that had the good fortune of playing in the Slocum Open over the past 50+ years know what a fixture Carl was at that event from his golfing prowess and his control of those two dice. I'm not quite sure how many times I've heard: Hey Joe - How do ducks go to water? Two by two baby, here we go...
Carl was a leader in junior golf. During Carl's time at Brynwood over 30 caddies were awarded Evans Scholarships. He was the Executive Director of the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin and led that group to start the golf programming at Noyes Park in Milwaukee that would later become site of the first First Tee program in Wisconsin. He also began a program to introduce a diverse group of juniors to golf utilizing the PGA professionals at the Milwaukee County Parks. Carl was active at many, many junior tournaments during his time, successfully growing the old Journal Sentinel tournament into one of the largest in the state. He oversaw the GFW Invitational, a year-end event for the top juniors in the state. During his run with the GFW, I was fortunate to have the office right next door to his. Carl and I spent many hours talking about golf, the golf swing and how to keep making things better for the game in Wisconsin. Carl was a fabulous mentor to a young 26 year old that was engaging on a whole new career path. I cherish that time with Carl and could never thank him enough for his support.
Carl was a leader in golf as well. He was committed to helping make tournaments in Wisconsin the best they could be. He spent some 10 years as Chair of the Wisconsin State Open. Another 10 years on the GMO Board, 9 years on the WPGA board with that wrapping up as President of the WPGA from 1980-1981. Carl was also instrumental in raising funds and helping coordinate the Parenting Network Golf Outing that raised over $1,000,000 during Carl's time. Carl was awarded the 1979 WPGA Professional of the Year and the 1996 WPGA Junior Leader Award. I could go on and on about everything Carl did for golf, charities and to support the WPGA. Anytime we needed help, Carl was there.
I was asked this morning what I will miss most about Carl. That is a very difficult question to answer. There isn't one thing I could come up with. I would say his passion, his humor/the expressions he would use, his commitment to golf and making people enjoy the game and play better, his desire to keep improving but overall, simply his friendship. I sent a text to the Past Presidents and their messages to me were all consistent: mentor, friend, great example of a PGA golf professional and a legend in Wisconsin golf. Thank you, Carl, for 58 years of service to the WPGA and golf in Wisconsin and 87 years of being you.
God bless you, Carl and our deepest condolences to Carole, Carl's wife, and the entire Unis family.
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by Gary D'Amato
PGA golf professionals often are asked to wear many hats, but few have worn as many, or have worn them as well, as did Carl Unis.
He was an accomplished player, a club professional for more than two decades, an in-demand teacher, a respected administrator and a champion of junior golf.
Unis, a Brookfield resident and PGA of America Life Member, died last Thursday of natural causes, according to his wife, Carole. He was 87.
“Carl was one of the legends in the history of the Wisconsin PGA,” Joe Stadler, the Wisconsin PGA Section’s executive director, wrote in an email. “Carl did it all, from head professional, instructor, mentor, junior golf leader, fundraiser and more. He will truly be missed.”
Unis never knew his father, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage exactly one week before Unis was born. He got his start in golf in the caddie yard at Ridgewood Golf Course in Parma, Ohio, toting bags for $1.35 a loop and shining shoes in the clubhouse.
As a 12-year-old playing in the club’s caddie tournament for the first time, Unis shot a 108. Four years later, he won the tournament with a 76. He learned how to compete in nickel and dime games with the other caddies and occasionally relieved some of the club’s junior members of their pocket change.
Unis made the freshman golf team at Ohio State University but wound up returning home and finishing his degree at John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland.
In 1964, Unis won the Ohio State Amateur, 10 years after Arnold Palmer, his idol, won the title for a second time while he was a Coast Guard yeoman stationed in Cleveland. Both also won the Northeast Ohio Amateur and were inducted into the Northern Ohio Golf Association Hall of Fame (Palmer in 2003, Unis in 2019).
“I’m on three trophies with Arnold,” Unis said in a 2022 interview with Wisconsin.Golf. “It’s a nice honor to have.”
Unis then turned professional; as a first-year assistant at Ozaukee Country Club he qualified for the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club. He made the 36-hole cut and finished in a tie for 54th place. He also led the field in driving distance with a 285-yard average.
“Now I’m hitting it so short I can hear it land,” he joked back in 2022. “Mother Nature catches up with you real quick.”
Unis never had a top-25 finish on the PGA Tour, though he did finish second in a satellite event, the Nevada Open. He would later play in the Greater Milwaukee Open nine times, making the cut in 1969 and finishing T-59.
In 1968, he became the head professional at Brynwood Country Club (now The Wisconsin Club) and held that position until 1990.
“As a head golf professional, Carl had very strong customer satisfaction skills,” said Alex Antonio, a fellow native Ohioan who followed Unis to Brynwood and was his assistant for three years. “People just liked Carl.”
For years, Unis was among the Wisconsin PGA Section’s top players, winning the WPGA Match Play title in 1983 and finishing runner-up three times in the WPGA Professional Championship.
Later, he was a two-time WPGA Senior Player of the Year and played in eight tournaments on what is now the PGA Tour Champions, with a top finish of T-48 in the 1988 Aetna Challenge.
“Carl was a very, very good player,” said Antonio, who was reinstated as an amateur after leaving Brynwood and went on to win the 1977 Wisconsin State Amateur. “His strengths as a player were that, at the time, he was one of the longest hitters out there. And he was a great putter.”
After leaving Brynwood, Unis served as executive director of the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin from 1992-96. In that role, he launched the First Tee program at Noyes Park with a $5,000 USGA grant. He also conducted the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Junior Golf Tournament and coordinated an inner-city youth program in Milwaukee.
“Carl had a total commitment to golf,” Antonio said. “He was passionate. It was his life, which is recognized in so many things he accomplished, both in Ohio and Wisconsin.”
Unis became a PGA Life Member in 1995 and never stopped teaching. Among his many students were 2011 State Amateur champion Mike McDonald and Tina Kocinski, the 2002 WSGA Girls Player of the Year.
“As a teacher, Carl had a great understanding of the golf swing,” Antonio said. “He worked with what you had. He didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. As a result he had a very strong following, both at Brynwood and afterward.”
Unis is survived by Carole and the couple’s four children: C.J. Unis, Alexander Unis, Betsy Van Heesch and Peter Gray.
