Kerry Haigh earns Outstanding Contribution Award from GCSAA

Kerry Haigh, PGA of America chief championships officer, has been selected to receive the 2027 Outstanding Contribution Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

Haigh will formally receive the honor during the 2027 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in New Orleans, Jan. 21, 2027.

The Outstanding Contribution Award is given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the membership, through outstanding contributions for the golf course industry. The contribution must be significant in both substance and duration. The outstanding contribution may be or have been regional in nature.

“I’m honored and extremely excited,” Haigh said. “I’m biased, but I really admire what all superintendents do. They all seem to reflect the same great traits and are extremely knowledgeable and personable. The way they continue to move the industry forward and work with technology and data that has taken such great strides in recent years is incredible.” 

Since August 1989, Haigh has overseen PGA of America championships and managed the Ryder Cup, taking charge of course setups for the world’s top golfers at major events like the PGA Championship. The son of a schoolteacher, he was introduced to the sport by his father, Gordon. Growing up in a Yorkshire coal-mining town, Haigh spent his weekends tagging along with his dad at Wheatley Golf Club in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England.

Haigh was good enough to play for his college team, the University of Leeds. There, his classes foreshadowed his future: Haigh studied planning and administration, setting the stage for his career. An internship for six weeks at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland gave him his first experience working in golf, where he learned “generally what goes into managing and operating on the club side.”

The British PGA was a career starting point for Haigh in the early 1980s. He did myriad things in his role from managing events, overseeing rules, learning about agronomy, golf course setup, roping and staking.

Haigh has been on the scene for PGA Championships such as Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., when Mark Kuhns, CGCS, was there.

“He takes care of us to the end,” said Kuhns, 2009 GCSAA president and 46-year association member. “He’s a champion for superintendents.”