World renowned golf course developer Mike Keiser has been awarded the USGA’s Bob Jones Award, which recognises ‘those who personify the character, sportsmanship and respect for the game as its champion namesake’.
“What inspires us about Mike is his love for what is pure and good about the game, his investment in golf that’s open to the public, his drive to promote recreational golf and the joy he feels when he plays – and those strong connections have never wavered,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, who made the announcement at the USGA’s Annual Meeting at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club this weekend. “We’re grateful for the example he’s set, which pushes the entire industry to think bigger.”
A native of East Aurora, New York, Keiser started playing the game at age nine and served as a caddie through most of his school years. His love for golf grew as a member of the Amherst College golf team and continued through both his service in the US Navy and early career as the founder of Recycled Paper Greetings, an eco-friendly card company.
That passion for playing the game, both in the US and abroad, led to a second career in golf course development, focused on preserving and honouring the natural landscapes that his courses occupy. His first project was The Dunes Club, a nine-hole layout in Michigan that he built to save its pristine lakefront property from condominium and townhouse development in the mid-1980s.
Later, he would build and open Bandon Dunes on the Oregon Coast, expanding that signature property into a world-renowned destination resort with seven distinct courses. Other golf properties in Wisconsin, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia followed.
Keiser’s indelible mark on the American golf landscape changed the trajectory of modern course design and travel, driven by his love of links golf and a minimalist approach shaped by land, dunes and sea. An innovator, visionary, conservationist and philanthropist, he has channelled his love for golf into a legacy designed for the recreational golfer, intended to inspire and spark new ways of drawing people to the game.
“There’s a need for great but accessible courses,” said Keiser, who partners with golf architects who bring his philosophy to life through golf experiences that are walkable, natural and open. “If you build something pretty special, you want the public to play it.”
Driven by his father’s love of the outdoors and a commitment to leaving it better than he found it, Keiser continues to support organizations dedicated to the southern coast of Oregon. Net proceeds from Bandon Dunes’ short courses are donated to environmental and community programs.
He also created the Judgie Lytle Scholarship for scholar athletes at his high school alma mater, the Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y., in honor of a close friend and teammate, and is a proud supporter of the Evans Scholars Foundation, which helps high school-age caddies who can earn college scholarships.Among many accolades, in 2024 Keiser received the Golf Writers Association of America’s William D. Richardson Award, which recognizes an individual who has consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf. He was inducted into the Western Golf Association Caddie Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Greater Buffalo (N.Y.) Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
Recipients of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award include Francis Ouimet, Margaret Curtis, Richard Tufts, George H.W. Bush, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam and Lee Elder. Tiger Woods was the 2024 honoree.
The USGA will present Keiser with the Bob Jones Award on June 10 as part of the festivities surrounding the 125th US Open Championship, which is being held at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania from June 12-15.