Voice Of Reason

The buttoned-up man behind the scenes at the USGA, shows he no stuffed shirt

'Technology should not get the upper hand on skill. Over the past 20 years or so, I think it has.'

Photo: Peter Greguire

By Peter McCleery

Photo By Peter Gregoire

June 2002

As executive director of the U.S. Golf Association, the bow-tie wearing, meek-looking David B. Fay usually stays in the background. The head of the USGA's 200-person staff based in bucolic Far Hills, N.J., sometimes is referred to as the governing body's "chief bureaucrat." He leaves the limelight to those he (technically) works for: the ever-changing volunteer members of the USGA's 15-member Executive Committee. But don't underestimate Fay. When controversy moves the USGA to the foreground -- whether it's about a disputed hole location or a clubhead's "springlike effect" -- Fay articulates the USGA's position in a way that is both convincing and disarming.

A former caddie, Fay comes from a publinx, liberal background that clashes with the USGA's blue-jacketed, blue-blooded image. Staff members, while lamenting Fay's legendary parsimoniousness, praise his evenhandedness and juggling of the three key constituencies of the USGA: the staff, the Executive Committee and the past presidents. If he's known to the public, it is as the USGA's on-air rules interpreter on Open telecasts, a role that displays his expertise but rarely his self-deprecating wit.

This year's Open at Bethpage Black outside New York City is especially near and dear to Fay. Much as his predecessors hatched the idea of taking the Open to remote Shinnecock Hills 20 years earlier, Fay championed the concept of bringing the Open to a truly public facility. Fay discussed the Open at Bethpage and a variety of USGA hot-button issues in two lengthy interview sessions. No matter the topic, he demonstrated a shrewd ability to size up and see all sides -- and not take himself too seriously.

Golf Digest: You're the head of the USGA staff, and yet you've said that baseball is the best of all games. How do you explain that?

Fay: I just love every aspect of the sport. I happen to think that baseball, more than any other sport, is timeless in a positive way. I'm amazed that the creators of the game had the genius to establish standards such as 90 feet between the bases and 60 feet 6 inches from the mound to home plate. Even as people have gotten bigger and stronger, those still seem to work.

You're also known for your bow ties. Where did you come up with that trademark?

I'd gotten to the age where I was dripping stuff on my ties. As my wife pointed out, it's one thing to wash a shirt -- most of mine are wash-and-wear -- it's another thing to get a tie cleaned. It's expensive. I didn't know how to tie a bow tie and she said, "Learn -- or think about wearing a bib."

What's your first memory of the U.S. Open? Were you at the '67 Open at Baltusrol?

That was my first Open. My uncle had given me a pass for the week as a Christmas gift. I was there each day from the moment the gates opened until dark. I collected about 125 autographs, including Hogan's. It was a great week.

Leaving the premises on Sunday after Nicklaus had won, I spotted an armband that had been dropped in the mud. It was blue with red lettering: USGA. I had seen some old guys in ties and blazers wearing these on the course. I snapped it up, thinking, "Great souvenir." I had no idea about the USGA. I had about as much interest in golf officials as I had about who was calling balls and strikes at Yankee Stadium. USGA, PGA ... it was one big alphabet soup. It's unrealistic to expect rank-and-file golfers to keep them straight. The game and the players are the thing.

Your first U.S. Open working for the USGA involved a famous incident with the planting of the Hinkle Tree at Inverness [near the eighth tee after the first round in 1979], to prevent Lon Hinkle and others from using an adjacent fairway. What was your involvement?

I had to buy it. No, I take that back. I had to pay for it.

How much?

A hundred and twenty dollars. Still have the receipt somewhere. Picture this: It's 5 a.m. on Friday morning, and Bob Yoder [greens chairman] from Inverness walks in with a big smile, and he drops the receipt down on my desk for a pretty mangy looking black-hill spruce. I thought it was a joke -- some kind of rookie hazing thing.

Who's decision had it been to do that?

Sandy Tatum, the USGA president at the time.

I guess Tatum gets the credit or blame.

Let's just say he gets the notoriety. P.J. [Boatwright Jr., then the USGA's executive director] didn't like it, but I don't know if he made his views known.

There was a tree sequel the next year at the Women's Open. P.J. saw Beth Daniel hitting down a parallel fairway during a practice round and walked out and moved the tee markers forward about 10 yards. He told me in that droll way of his that he was saving the USGA about a hundred bucks in Christmas-tree costs.

Early in your USGA career you were the starter on the first hole of the Open. Any memories stand out?

Oakmont in '83. Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros were the last pair to tee off. I had an earpiece on, and Terry Jastrow of ABC was saying, "Let's hold them for three minutes." I pass this along to the players. They ask why, and I tell them. Seve is not happy at all, asking, "What gives?" Tom stuck a little needle in him by saying, "Seve, I'm glad you got here on time; we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened at Baltusrol, would we?" [Ballesteros was late for his tee time in the second round in 1980 and was disqualified.] You could just about see the smoke coming out of Seve's ears.