Jerry Faubel was the admired head superintendent at Saginaw Country Club for over 35 years. The long tenure was an achievement in itself but Faubel’s service and leadership in the turfgrass industry were especially exemplary.
He became the first president of the Mid-Michigan Turf Association in 1980. Its objective was the advancement of the art and science of turf management along with collecting and disseminating practical and scientific knowledge about turfgrass and landscape management. Faubel was a leader and set the example of that objective.
Later, Faubel served seven years as a Board Member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), one of the largest golf associations in the world.
In 1990 and 1991, he served as the President of the GCSAA, only the third Michigan superintendent to be elected to that prestigious post, following Norm Kramer (1970) and Ted Woehrle (1977). Woehrle was elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. In 1991 when Faubel presided as President, more than 16,400 members of the golf course industry attended the International Golf Course Conference and Show hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).
As GCSAA President, he was on the road 160 days per year. His travels took him to Canada for the annual golf tournament between the two countries’ superintendent organizations; England to visit British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) headquarters and the Sports Turfgrass Research Institute; and Spain to help develop the Valderrama Masters Scholarship for a Spanish student to study at a U.S. turf school.
In the ‘90s, Jerry started the Executive Golf Search Inc. along with Ken Payne and Robert Trent Jones, Sr. He and his partners successfully placed hundreds of superintendents in positions across the country. He also worked with GCSAA and the legendary Jones to establish the Robert Trent Jones Endowment Fund that continues to provide funding for research and scholarships to outstanding young people pursuing careers in golf course management.
Inducted: 2023
| Last Name | Faubel |