GCSAA names Bill Murray its Morley Award winner

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) named William “Bill” Murray, retired superintendent and 27-year member of the GCSAA, the 2024 Col. John Morley Award recipient.

Bill Murray (Photo: GCSAA)

The GCSAA elevated the award, named after the GCSAA’s founder,  to “pinnacle level”, alongside the Old Tom Morris Award in 2021 and is presented annually to an individual who is, or has been, a GCSAA Class A or B superintendent member and has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession.

Murray spent the final 26 years of his career in the seven-course Monmouth County (N.J.) Park System before retiring in 2022. Prior to that the Lee, Mass., native spent time at courses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.

“Bill is a prime example of what Col. John Morley stood for and what the Morley Award is all about,” said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. “Throughout his long and successful career, he has given back so much to the profession through his service to his fellow GCSAA members on both the local and national level.”

Murray is currently wrapping up a two-year term on GCSAA’s Political Action Committee and has served on numerous national GCSAA task groups and committees over the years, including the scholarship, member relations, communications/outreach and more. He also served as a GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador advocating for the game and as a chapter delegate, representing his chapter at the Chapter Delegates Meeting and annual meeting and election. He served as a Chapter Delegate from 2011 and 2019, visiting GCSAA headquarters annually for meetings to benefit members.

He spent 17 years on the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey (GCSANJ) board of directors, including two as president and is currently a trustee of the GCSANJ Foundation. He was recognized as the GCSANJ Member of the Year in 2009 and won the Shaun Berry Distinguished Service Award in 2019.