Serving With Honor

Bob Jones Award

Barbara McIntire

Of the countless individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the game, few have made theirs in the unassuming manner displayed by Barbara McIntire. Her first brush with the game was at age 3, pulling golf carts for her parents in Toledo, Ohio. She made her first appearance in a national tournament at age 12, playing in the Doherty Championship. Before collecting two U.S. Women's Amateur titles she was in an 18-hole playoff for the 1956 Women's Open. She represented the U.S. in the Curtis Cup six times as a player, five times on the victorious side. "Never once in all her years as a competitor did you see Barbara lose her temper," read one letter nominating McIntire for the Bob Jones Award. "Each loss and each victory was met with the same quiet stoicism and acceptance." It was the example the USGA had in mind when it inaugurated the Bob Jones Award in 1955. Although the USGA rewards outstanding service for volunteerism to the game and for work with the Green Section, the Bob Jones Award is the Association's greatest honor. It is given at a special dinner following the Annual Meeting, conducted this year in San Francisco. "Any competitor may think about winning a championship, or playing on an international team" representing the U.S., McIntire said in her acceptance speech. "But I doubt any Jones Award recipient thought about winning the Bob Jones Award. I am extremely pleased, very humbled and most honored to join this illustrious group." The award is given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in the game. It seeks to recognize an individual who emulates the spirit, personal qualities and attitude toward the game and its players that Jones displayed so readily during his life. McIntire becomes the 47th recipient of the award. She is also the 10th female honoree, joining the likes of Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1957), Patty Berg (1963), JoAnne Carner (1981), Betsy Rawls (1996) and Nancy Lopez (1998). Although she is widely known as a player, and the words of those nominating her for the award often spoke of those talents, McIntire's contributions extended beyond what she could do with 14 clubs. She proved a motivational captain of a U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1976, then two years ago reprised her role. Among her players were Jenny Chuasiriporn, Beth Daniel and Nancy Lopez. And she proved an effective leader of the USGA Women's Committee, a group she joined in 1985 and chaired in 1995 and '96. Yet her years as a player established McIntire's base as an administrator. Her formal introduction to the game came in 1944 at the age of 9, under the tutelage of Harry Moffitt, who went on to become president of the PGA of America. In winning the 1959 Women's Amateur and the 1960 British Ladies Amateur, she became one of eight women to hold those titles simultaneously. A testament to her longevity as a player is witnessed by four chapters. She reached the quarterfinal round of the inaugural U.S. Girls' Junior in 1949. She represented the U.S. in the first Women's World Amateur Team Championship in 1964. She was an entrant in the first U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur in 1987. And the 22 years between her terms as Curtis Cup captain is a record. But it is her first Women's Amateur, in 1950, that brought one of the most memorable events of her life. She was only 15 when the championship convened at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, long the home course of Jones. "It was there that I met Mr. Jones," she recalled in her acceptance speech. "He was absolutely charming and such a gentleman. Although he was quite crippled, he was out every day in his electric cart as a member of the gallery. I will never forget meeting Bob Jones."

Green Section Award

Palmer Maples Sr.

A pioneer of sorts for this country's southern courses, Palmer Maples, whose family can be traced back to working with such legends as Old Tom Morris and Donald Ross, was among the first superintendents to bring bentgrass greens to a region that up until the late 1950s had exclusively utilized bermudagrass. His passion started at age 12 when "my first job was putting used motor oil on sand greens and making them smooth. From there, I mowed the fairways and rough, raked bunkers and spread fertilizers." Maples interned at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga., before making Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club his first major project after being named superintendent in 1959. His 38-year career also took him to The Standard Club in Atlanta (1970-76) and eventually to Summit Chase C.C. in Snellville, Ga., where he retired in 1997. In between, Maples served as president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America in 1975 and, after leaving The Standard Club in 1976, served as the director of education for the GCSAA until 1980, when he went to Summit Chase. Maples volunteered his expertise to the USGA Green Section Committee and the Green Section Award Committee and is a member of the Donald Ross Society. Maples still shares his knowledge by teaching at Gwinnett Technical Institute in Lawrenceville, Ga., while also consulting with other courses and speaking at turfgrass seminars.

Joe C. Dey Award

Jack Emich

In recognition of meritorious service to the game as a volunteer, the 2000 Award was presented to Jack Emich, 81, of Baltimore, Md., a longtime administrator with the Maryland State and Middle Atlantic golf associations. In a relationship with the USGA that dates back to 1964, Emich's service includes 13 years as a member of the Green Section Committee beginning in 1965, 30 with the Sectional Affairs Committee (from 1966-96) and four years, starting in 1997, with the Regional Association Committee. He is a former president of the MSGA (1960) and MAGA ('88). Since 1961, he has held the MSGA staff position of secretary/executive director. "I'm absolutely humbled at even being considered for such an award," said Emich. "It's a wonderful feeling that's made even better because I knew Joe Dey well." In his youth, Emich was an accomplished player. He qualified for the 1950 U.S. Amateur at Minneapolis (Minn.) Golf Club, where he lost in the opening round of match play to Dow Finsterwald. Seventeen years later, Emich played in the British Amateur. Emich was also instrumental in securing the 1965 Walker Cup for the Five Farms Course at Baltimore Country Club, where he served as the event's general chairman. In 1995, Emich was a recipient of the Ike Grainger Award for 25 years of volunteer service to the USGA.

Piper and Oakley Award

Jaime Ortiz-Patino

Long before Valderrama Golf Club splashed onto the international golf scene at the 1997 Ryder Cup, Jaime Ortiz-Patino was tuning, refining and shaping this course in Sotogrande, Spain, into a splendid gem. The 68-year-old owner, president and self-appointed superintendent received the Piper and Oakley Award for meritorious service to the USGA Green Section and the game through work not only at his course, but for generous contributions worldwide. Ortiz-Patino, winner of the 1999 Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, has used his course to fund scholarships, allowing five Spanish students to attend Michigan State University for turfgrass research and education. He's also headed the GCSAA Foundation's endowment campaign to improve opportunities for superintendents worldwide. In rebuilding Valderrama, Ortiz-Patino worked judiciously with Robert Trent Jones Sr. to make the course a world-class venue - from realigning tees to rebuilding the greens to USGA specifications. They lengthened holes, moved lakes and added landscaping and mounds. Besides the 1997 Ryder Cup, Valderrama hosted last year's inaugural World Golf Championship.

Ike Grainger Award

For his quarter-century as the honorary chairman of the USGA Members Program, Arnold Palmer was one of five persons to receive the Ike Grainger Award, given to those who have been a USGA volunteer for 25 years or more. Palmer has been the program's national spokesman since its inception in 1975. The other 1999 recipients are: Gordon H. Ewen of Wilmette, Ill., a member of the Museum and Library Committee since 1982. Ewen is also a former member of the USGA Executive Committee, having served six years beginning in 1975. James R. Hand of Manchester, Vt., who was a member of the Executive Committee for 11 years beginning in 1975, including the last two as president. Phyllis Schofield of Sommers, N.Y., has not served on USGA committees for 25 years but receives the award in recognition of her years as a longtime assistant to Grainger. She has been a member of the Senior Women's Amateur Committee since 1991. Paul T. Wise of Savannah, Ga., currently serves as a member of the Sectional Affairs Committee. His relationship with the USGA dates back to 1975, when he joined the Handicap Relations Committee.