Wade Merry

Wade 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. 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.