Dennis Lyon, CGCS, played such an important role in Colorado's golf industry that a decade ago the state's golf association dubbed him its Superintendent of the Century.
A former GCSAA president and superintendent and manager of golf for the city of Aurora for 37 years before he retired in 2010, Lyon (right) died Feb. 19. He was 76.
Lyon's accomplishments in golf were many. He served as GCSAA president in 1989 and won the USGA Green Section Award in 2011. Just a few weeks ago, on Feb. 6, he received the Leo Feser Award at the annual GCSAA Conference and Show in San Diego. The award is presented annually to the author of the best superintendent-written article published in Golf Course Management magazine. While accepting the award, Lyon talked about how he enjoyed reaching out to provide feedback to fellow superintendents whose work appears in trade publications and was grateful for the support he received for his award-winning work in GCM that was a reflection on his three-plus decades as a superintendent.
In 2013, he was the recipient of the GCSAA's Col. John Morley Award that is given each year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent profession.
During Lyon's 37-year career in Aurora, the city's golf portfolio grew from one to a high of seven (it currently manages five), and he was the host superintendent for the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship held at Murphy Creek Golf Course.
On a local level, Lyon also was a former president of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association. In 2005, he was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame and in 2011 was the recipient of the association's lifetime achievement award. The Colorado Golf Association named him its Superintendent of the Century at its 2015 Century of Golf Gala.