2014 CSGA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
F
or many years the CSGA’s
tournament
operations
have
included the services of many
committed volunteers. Currently more
than one hundred men and women
throughout Connecticut give their time
for the good of the game. Many arrive
early and stay late working at tournaments
spread across the state. Each year, the
CSGA Executive Committee selects one
individual as the “CSGA Volunteer of the
Year,” someone who has gone “above and
beyond” in serving tournament players and
fellow officials.
The 2014 CSGA Volunteer of the
Year is James R. “Jim” Daly of Trumbull
and Tashua Knolls Golf Club.
A retired risk manager for the
Ethan Allen Company in Danbury, Daly
brought a good-humored enthusiasm to all
of the events he worked in 2014. According
to CSGA Director of Operations, Ryan
Hoffman, “Jim is the kind of guy who
finishes his assignment and immediately
asks, ‘What else do you need me to do?’ He
has a great, positive attitude and we really
appreciate having him at our tournaments.”
Daly can often be found at one of
the more remote and challenging locations
on a golf course. But when the CSGA
needed a last minute replacement at starter
for its biggest tournament of the year,
the Connecticut Open at Rolling Hills,
Hoffman immediately called on Daly to
come in and take over the job. “It was like
going to the bullpen to bring in an ace
reliever,” recalled Hoffman, “I knew we
could count on Jim, and he handled the job
expertly.”
Longtime CSGA Rules Official
and fellow Tashua member Owen Evans
first introduced Jim to the CSGA volunteer
program in 2011. “I needed someone to
drive the car so I could sleep on the way
home,” quipped Evans, “but seriously, Jim
is a really good guy and I knew he’d be a
good fit with the CSGA.”
“I tease Jim about the time he
signed up to work a tournament that he
thought was at Connecticut Golf Club
www.csgalinks.org
JIM DALY
Top: Jim Daly has played a vital role as a CSGA volunteer since 2011 ; Bottom: Jim Daly uses his binoculars to locate off-target
balls during the season-ending One Day Championship.
close to his home,” recalls CSGA Executive
Director, Mike Moraghan. “When he
discovered it was actually at Connecticut
National in the far northeast corner of the
state he had a four-hour round-trip drive.
But typical of Jim, he just laughed it off,
and of course he worked the tournament.”
A native of Philadelphia who
moved to Connecticut in 1987, Daly
attended St. Joseph’s University, one of
Philly’s “Big-5” schools known for intensely
competitive athletics and academics. A
champion hurdler and high jumper, Daly
was a track and field star for his alma mater.
School records he set in the hurdles during
his senior year in 1968 were untouched for
twelve years after he graduated.
“I’ve always loved sports,” said
Daly, “The camaraderie of the CSGA crew
is just great, and being outdoors and seeing
some excellent golf at the tournaments is
a real bonus. I keep hoping some of the
championship golf I’m witnessing through
my binoculars will rub off, but so far that
hasn’t happened. But I’ll keep hoping and
I’ll definitely keep coming out to be part of
the CSGA.”
Connecticut State Golf Association 2014
83