USGA Green Section agronomist Keith Happ remembered (Oct 30)

October 30, 2015 – Keith Happ, a longtime USGA Green Section agronomist, died Oct. 27, 2015. Happ was serving as the Green Section’s Central Region director before suffering an illness. He was 58.

The USGA hired Happ as an agronomist for the Mid-Atlantic Region in 1993. Prior to joining the USGA, Happ attended The Ohio State University College of Agriculture, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in 1992 and completed graduate coursework. He worked at Double Eagle Golf Club in Galena, Ohio, while attending Ohio State.

Happ opened a sub-regional office of the USGA Green Section Turf Advisory service in Pittsburgh in 2000. He provided on-site consultation, education and outreach to superintendents and greens committees throughout a four-state area. He was appointed director of the North Central Region in 2013 and continued his leadership in the restructured Central Region through 2015. He served on the USGA Research Committee and was a member of the board of directors of the First Tee of Pittsburgh.

Before enrolling at Ohio State, Happ worked eight years as the superintendent at Legend Lake Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio, and attained Certified Golf Course Superintendent status. While at Legend Lake, he served on the board of directors for the Northern Ohio Superintendents Association as well as the GCSAA Public Relations Committee.

Born in Cleveland on Oct. 7, 1957, Happ was a four-sport athlete (football, wrestling, baseball and golf) at Chardon High School. He was a member of the Lake County Community College golf team and carried a scratch handicap as a competitive amateur golfer. He achieved an elusive hole-in-one in 2013 at Chartiers Country Club, Pittsburgh.

Happ is survived by his wife Mary Beth (Lapa) Happ; sons, Christopher and Ian; brothers, George and Kenneth; sister, Pamela, and nieces and nephews. Ian Happ was the first-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.

The family will be receiving friends on from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 at Scioto Country Club, 2195 Riverside Drive, Upper Arlington (Founders Ballroom).