In 2026, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America proudly marks 100 years of innovation, dedication, and growth for the golf course management industry. GCSAA was formed in 1926 by Col. John Morley, who served as the association's first president.
Morley, who was a vegetable grower and greenkeeper at Youngstown (Ohio) Country Club, would hardly recognize the organization he formed. First known as the National Association of Greenkeepers of America, the group started with 60 greenkeepers coming together on Sept. 13, 1926, at Sylvania Country Club in Toledo, Ohio. Today, GCSAA has more than 20,000 members around the world who are science-based college graduates who oversee all aspects of golf course management, from agronomics to environmental sustainability.
GCSAA members have often been called the game’s unsung heroes, but Arnold Palmer recognized their true significance to the game.
“The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and all golf course superintendents are probably the most important entity that we have in golf… The conditions and the golf course’s beauty, the environment, the wetlands, everything depends on their perseverance and their knowledge and the work they do to maintain the golf courses,” said Palmer, whose father, Deacon, and younger brother, Jerry, were both superintendents at Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club.
Morley, who was commissioned as an honorary Colonel by the governor of Kentucky, was dedicated to advancing the profession, visiting more than 200 golf courses to help build support for the new organization.
He was recognized by famed architect Donald Ross, who wrote to congratulate Morley on his efforts.
“I congratulate you on your work as a greenkeeper of outstanding ability, and with leaders of your type, an association would unquestionably be a great success, not only from the standpoint of the members, but also from the clubs who employ them,” wrote Ross in October 1926.
Leading up to the Centennial on Sept. 13, 2026, GCSAA will celebrating how its members have been keeping the game on course for 100 years and where they are headed in the next century.