Written By: Greg Johnson
GAM President Emeritus John Standish remembered vividly traveling with his then USGA President father, James D. Standish Jr., to Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania for the 1950 U.S. Open and watching the legendary Ben Hogan play the entire final round.
“It was one of the first tournaments I went to with my father,” he recalled for a GAM Centennial Celebration story in 1919.
“It was really a thrill for me. We watched Hogan play the entire last round, and we saw that 1-iron shot into 18 that is in that wonderful famous photo so many people have seen.”
John also had wonderful memories of the ’51 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills Country Club, another involving his father, and this one involved firsthand duty for John.
“Joe Dye, the executive director of the PGA then, and my dad were close friends and worked together on the major championship,” John said. “I happened to be with Joe as play was finishing. He called me Johnny. He said: ‘Johnny come with me for a minute.’
“So off we go. I wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but we went in the clubhouse, past the guards and he opens this great big box that had the U.S. Open trophy in it. He told me: ‘I want you to carry this down to the 18th green for the presentation.’ I was 17 at the time. That was a very big deal to me. The trophy was beautiful, all silver with all the incredible golf names on it and quite heavy. I carried it down, right through crowd and remember very distinctly walking to the table on the green and putting it down. It was an amazing experience.”
John toting the U.S. Open trophy foreshadowed his legacy. He loved golf, served golf, including the GAM and the family heritage as members of Country Club of Detroit, his entire life.
He passed away in August at age 91. His family lost a leader, role model, loving father, grandfather and more, and golf lost a tremendous gentleman golfer who witnessed and was part of the game’s history in our state and beyond.
Earlier this year in May, John attended the GAM annual meeting, which this year was fittingly held at Oakland Hills. Like Oakland Hills, the Standish name has been affiliated with the GAM since the very beginning of the association, on May 7, 1919.
One day shy of 107 years later on May 6, 2026, John was honored for his 50 years of service to the association and golf in Michigan with the presentation of a custom engraved watch.
John was the second son of James, an original member of the GAM, president of association for 10 years and president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) in 1950 and ’51, not to mention a three-time Michigan Amateur Champion and North and South Amateur Champion.
John, whose older brother James III was the GAM’s first Executive Director, followed the family’s dedication to golf in Michigan and the GAM. He served as president of the GAM in 1993 and ’94, and for the last 50 years has helped continue what his father helped start, the Evans Scholarship program with the Western Golf Association legend Chick Evans.
At the May Annual Meeting, he also witnessed once again the GAM’s presentation of the annual James D. Standish Jr. Awards to the outstanding Evans Scholars from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
“It’s wonderful to be here and meet these great young people and so wonderful to see the GAM is doing well,” he said that day. “The GAM has always meant so much to Michigan golf and it has been an honor for our family to be involved.”
GAM Executive Director Chris Whitten, upon learning of John’s passing, said it meant a great deal to have him at the annual meeting.
“With John it’s a family legacy starting from the first days of the GAM,” Whitten said. “When I think of John personally, he was such a cheerleader of what we were doing, and he brought a lot of warmth and kindness along with being an inspirational person for our volunteers and staff. A lot of people got involved in the GAM over the years because of him and his family. He inspired them to make contributions to golf. It was wonderful to see him and hear from him at the Annual Meeting, for the staff but even more for the volunteers. He was such a tremendous example of giving back.”
A memorial service was held on Aug. 19 at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church in Grosse Pointe Farms, and a reception followed at the Country Club of Detroit, John’s longtime club. John’s son, John Jr., wore the watch the GAM had given his father in the spring to the service and reception.
George Forster, director of golf at the Country Club of Detroit, said John and the Standish family have made an incredible impact.
“The Standish name is synonymous with CCD almost since inception,” he said. “What that family, and especially John, did not only in governance but in support of the caddie program, the Evans Scholarships and so much more, means the Standish name will stand forever at CCD, but also in Michigan and across the country. What John meant personally to the members at CCD can’t be measured and will be missed for many years to come.”
