OAKMONT, PA. There are only a few people within the broader golf universe that can be described as a game changer. Count Mike Keiser in that category.
Keiser was a virtual unknown to many in the golf world but after finding success in owning and seeing to fruition a 9-hole private layout among the sand dunes in Michigan called The Dunes Club, he then went boldly forward with a golf course development project along the southwestern coastal area of Oregon.
The first 18-hole layout opened in May 1999 and was called Bandon Dunes. The architect was a little-known Scotsman architect named David McLay Kidd.
Few people thought such a remote location would draw interest. Keiser believed otherwise. Keiser wanted a golf course where walking is promoted and where the holes would tie together a close connection between the aerial and ground games similar to the famed links courses in Scotland and Ireland.
The fanfare accelerated when a second course designed by Tom Doak called Pacific Dunes opened in 2001. With that addition the name of Bandon Dunes became a mecca gathering location for golf connoisseurs. Several other courses would soon follow.
Before going full tilt into the golf arena – Keiser had served in the US Nacy before cofounding a greeting card company — Recycled Paper Greetings – which would grow into one of the largest in the US.
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Presented annually since 1955, the Bob Jones Award is the USGA’s highest honor. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships. Below is the full list of Bob Jones Award recipients – |
| 1956 – William C. Campbell | 1980 – Charles Yates |
2004 – Jackie Burke Jr.
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| 1957 – Mildred D. Zaharias | 1981 – JoAnne Carner |
2005 – Nick Price
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| 1958 – Margaret Curtis | 1982 – William J. Patton |
2006 – Jay Haas
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| 1959 – Findlay S. Douglas | 1983 – Maureen Ruttle Garrett |
2007 – Louise Suggs
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| 1960 – Charles Evans Jr. | 1984 – R. Jay Sigel |
2008 – George H.W. Bush
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| 1961 – Joseph B. Carr | 1985 – Fuzzy Zoeller |
2009 – O. Gordon Brewer Jr.
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| 1962 – Horton Smith | 1986 – Jess Sweetser |
2010 – Mickey Wright
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| 1963 – Patty Berg | 1987 – Tom Watson |
2011 – Lorena Ochoa
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| 1964 – Charles Coe | 1988 – Isaac B. Grainger |
2012 – Annika Sorenstam
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| 1965 – Glenna Collett Vare | 1989 – Chi Chi Rodriguez |
2013 – Davis Love III
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| 1966 – Gary Player | 1990 – Peggy Kirk Bell |
2014 – Payne Stewart
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| 1967 – Richard S. Tufts | 1991 – Ben Crenshaw |
2015 – Barbara Nicklaus
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| 1968 – Robert B. Dickson | 1992 – Gene Sarazen |
2016 – Judy Bell
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| 1969 – Gerald H. Micklem | 1993 – P.J. Boatwright Jr. |
2017 – Bob Ford
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| 1970 – Roberto de Vicenzo | 1994 – Lewis Oehmig |
2018 – Dennis Walters
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| 1971 – Arnold Palmer | 1995 – Herbert Warren Wind |
2019 – Lee Elder
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| 1972 – Michael Bonallack | 1996 – Betsy Rawls |
2020 – Se Ri Pak
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| 1973 – Gene Littler | 1997 – Fred Brand Jr. |
2021 – Robert C. Lewis Jr.
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| 1974 – Byron Nelson | 1998 – Nancy Lopez |
2022 – Juli Inkster
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| 1975 – Jack Nicklaus | 1999 – Edgar Updegraff |
2023 – Johnny Miller
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| 1976 – Ben Hogan | 2000 – Barbara McIntire |
2024 – Tiger Woods
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| 1977 – Joseph C. Dey Jr. | 2001 – Thomas Cousins |
2025 – Mike Keiser
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| 1978 – Bing Crosby & Bob Hope |
2002 – Judy Rankin
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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 channeled 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.”
“What inspires us (USGA) 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.
Keiser, now 79, has always believed a fun dimension to golf needs to be promoted. And such promotion is enhanced when such projects intersect with a natural environmental connection which he has always championed as the crucial synergy that elevates golf beyond all other pastimes.
