SIOUX FALLS – Wade Merry, Executive Director of the South Dakota Golf Association from 2005-2018, has been elected to the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame.
His induction ceremony was Jan. 11 at Minnehaha Country Club and included remarks from his friend Jim Sturdevant and board members Patty Coddington and Kevin Buntrock. The South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame exhibits are located at the SDGA office in the Holiday Inn and Suites at 2040 West Russell St. in Sioux Falls.
Merry became the fourth person to be named executive director of the SDGA when he was hired to replace Jay Huizenga in January of 2005 and is the 59th member of the Hall of Fame.
During his tenure as executive director, which ended in 2018, the SDGA expanded its offerings of championship golf in South Dakota, developed an annual golf expo and created a permanent home for the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame. The International Association of Golf Administrators recognized the SDGA with its 2014 Gold Tee Award in the category of Alternative Revenue Streams/Corporate Partners for best practices in generating additional revenue outside the normal avenues of memberships and tournament entries. He was also instrumental in the growth of the SDGA Junior Golf Foundation, which oversees junior golf and The First Tee of South Dakota, a statewide youth development initiative serving more than 26,000 young people across the state.
