Harry Easterly, Former USGA President, Dead at 82



June 17, 2005
By David Normoyle, USGA

A lifelong resident of Richmond, Va., Easterly was involved with the game of golf for close to 80 years, first as a player and competitor, later as an administrator, and finally through the development of a golf course for the benefit of golfers in Virginia.

"I first met Harry at the 1975 U.S. Amateur," said USGA president Fred Ridley. "He was a great friend of mine for 30 years and his contributions to Virginia golf and the USGA will be remembered for a long time. His is a strong legacy and we will miss him a great deal."

Easterly's introduction to the USGA came at the 1955 U.S. Amateur, held at his home club, the Country Club of Virginia. He joined the USGA Executive Committee in 1968 after a term as president of the Virginia State Golf Association, and later served as chairman of the Championship Committee and oversaw the course setup of the U.S. Amateur in 1975, won by Ridley.

"We talked a lot about the difficulty of the course setup this week at Pinehurst and other Opens," said Ridley, "but I have to say that how Harry set up the Country Club of Virginia with five-inch bermuda rough remains the toughest, thickest USGA championship setup I've ever seen. I wore out my one-iron off the tee that week."

Easterly served as president of the USGA from 1976-77. A unique moment in USGA history occurred in the 1977 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, when Easterly made the decision to inform eventual champion Hubert Green about the death threat made against him before the start of the final round.

Three years after his tenure as president ended, Easterly was appointed as the chief administrative officer of the USGA. It was the first time a former president became a full-time staff member of the USGA. He served in that position from 1980-1983.

Easterly was born on August 31, 1922 and was educated at St. Christopher's School in Richmond and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute. He served with the Marines at Iwo Jima and in Okinawa during World War II before beginning a career in the financial industry.

David Normoyle is the coordinator of education and outreach for the USGA Museum & Archives. Email him with comments or questions at dnormoyle@usga.org.