April 28, 2009 — MGA Executive Director Jay Mottola was honored with the USGA Ike Grainger Award in recognition of his more than 25 years of volunteer service to the USGA. The award was presented by USGA Executive Director David Fay at the MGA Tournament Officials Seminar on April 27 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J.  The award is named for Isaac B. “Ike” Grainger, a dedicated volunteer and rules official who was president of the MGA from 1943-45 and of the USGA from 1954-55.

“Jay is chief executive of the MGA, but he is much more than that,” said David Fay during his presentation. “He is a volunteer in every sense of the word, even going beyond golf. His service to the USGA and golf has been extraordinary.”

Mottola began his career at the MGA as an intern with the Assocation’s Tournament Field Team in 1977. He joined the full-time staff as the Deputy Executive Director and Tournament Director in 1980 and was promoted to the Executive Director’s position in 1982. Mottola has been a member of several USGA Committees, starting with the Handicap Procedure Committee from 1982 to 2006 — a committee he chaired from 1999 to 2004. He was also a member of the Handicap Committee from 2000 to 2006. Mottola is currently a member of the Regional Associations Committee (since 1982) and the Joe Dey Award Committee (since 1997).

Mottola is also active outside of the Association and serves on the boards of the National Club Association and Golf 20/20, a collaboration of members of the golf community designed to galvanize the industry around strategic initiatives. A past president of the International Association of Golf Administrators, he is also an officer of The First Tee of Metropolitan New York.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition from the USGA and its especially nice that David was able to make the presentation,” said Mottola. Fay and Mottola have been close friends for many years and both got their start in golf as caddies at the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo, N.Y., where Mottola is now a member. He is also an honorary member of Waterville Golf Club in Ireland.

“The MGA and the USGA have engineered a very close working relationship for more than 100 years,” added Mottola. “And I think we can both take pride in the service we provide our member clubs, golfers and the game.”

For more information please contact Bob Nielsen (bnielsen@mgagolf.org) or Greg Midland (gmidland@mgagolf.org) at the MGA office at 914-347-4653.

About the MGA: The Metropolitan Golf Association is an organization made up of more than 500 member clubs in the metropolitan New York area, encompassing Fairfield County in Connecticut, Westchester County, Long Island, New York City and the Hudson Valley in New York, and the northern half of New Jersey. The MGA conducts 17 championships each season as well as qualifying for all USGA championships, including local and sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. The MGA also administers USGA Handicap Indexes for more than 120,000 golfers in the Metropolitan Area.