October 29, 2009 – The Metropolitan Golf Association is pleased to announce that David B. Fay, executive director of the United States Golf Association, will receive the 2009 MGA Distinguished Service Award. Recognized throughout the world as one of the foremost authorities on golf, Fay has been with the USGA since 1978 and executive director for 20 years. Under his leadership, the USGA, and by extent the entire golf industry, reached new heights of popularity and growth. The Distinguished Service Award will be presented at the Metropolitan Golf Association’s 112th Annual Meeting and Dinner at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y., on Wednesday, December 2nd.

The MGA Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a candidate who has contributed “distinguished service to golf and its related activities, consistent with the valued standards and honorable traditions of the game.”

Fay grew up in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., and learned the game as a caddie at the Tuxedo Club and as a regular player at the local nine-hole municipal track, Central Valley. As he recalled in a 2002 Golf Digest interview, Fay first attended the U.S. Open in 1967, at Baltusrol, and spotted a red and blue USGA armband left on the ground, which he scooped up as a souvenir. Little did he know that he would someday lead the organization, the most influential governing body in golf.

Four years after graduating from Colgate University in 1972, Fay began his career in golf administration as the communications director of the Metropolitan Golf Association. He was instrumental in the expansion of the MGA volunteer program, which became the backbone of the association, and he created the club rep program. He also oversaw the creation of the MGA Player of the Year award and began his continuing education on the Rules of Golf.

In 1978, Fay accepted a position as the tournament relations manager at the USGA, and over the next ten years helped implement the GHIN and Slope Rating systems, and continued to be a major presence at USGA championships. In 1989, these contributions culminated in his being named, at age 38, the fifth executive director in the history of the USGA, succeeding Frank Hannigan.

Over the ensuing 20 years, Fay has been instrumental in every major service initiative the USGA has undertaken. He oversaw the creation of the USGA Foundation and the For the Good of the Game Grants initiative, which challenged the nation’s golf organizations to “open up the game” and create programs that would make golf more accessible. Largely through this service, he has strengthened the relationship between the USGA and regional golf associations throughout the country.

As a guardian and defender of the Rules of Golf, Fay has championed the USGA’s efforts to keep equipment standards in line with modern golf course design, even when those decisions have flown in the face of popular opinion. Perhaps most famously, he led the charge to bring the U.S. Open to Bethpage Black, giving public golfers everywhere an enormous sense of pride.

The game and business of golf has changed enormously over the last 20 years and the USGA has stayed ahead of the curve thanks to the dedicated efforts of David B. Fay, who has gone above and beyond his duties as executive director. Under his leadership, golf has opened its doors to millions of young players from all walks of life and he has ensured that the game continues to hold true to its values and traditions. For these reasons and many others, the MGA is pleased to award its highest honor to David B. Fay.

The award will be presented at the 112th MGA Annual Meeting and Dinner on Wednesday, December 2 at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y. For more information on the 2009 MGA Distinguished Service Award, please contact Jeanne McCooey (jmccooey@mgagolf.org) or Bob Nielsen (bnielsen@mgagolf.org) at the MGA office at 914-347-4653.

 

Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients