Gary Austin

Gary Austin made his mark on golf in Nebraska as a dedicated volunteer.

He was a graduate of Burwell High School, before attending UNL. After his graduation as a Husker in 1966, Austin enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1967. He was a pilot and oceanographer over his 26 years of service, eventually retiring in 1993 with the rank of captain.

After working a couple civilian jobs, Gary retired for good and began looking for ways to volunteer. He began his journey with the Nebraska Golf Association in July of 2007 and quickly made an impression on the full-time staff. Within three years he agreed to take over leadership of the program, as volunteer coordinator.

Gary has been instrumental in growing the volunteer program, which provides rules officials and more to assist with NebGolf Championships and events, as well as several other outside events over the years. Currently, more than 80 volunteers are engaged in the program, providing 376 tournament days in 2025.

In his 19 years, Gary has led by example, as the organization’s most prolific volunteer. He's worked approximately 350 events conducted by NebGolf, spending more than 650 days on the course officiating. That excludes the extra work he put in over the years helping with course marking, setup, and travel. In 2025, he worked a whopping 49 days, almost twice as many as any other volunteer.

He has served as the official-in-charge at several events, including NSAA State Championships, and has worked many collegiate events. A personal highlight was an invitation to work on the Rules Committee at the 2015 USGA Women's State Team Championship at Dalhousie Country Club in Missouri.

Gary has also been honored by the Nebraska School Activities Association for distinguished service and NebGolf presented him with the Virgil A. Parker Special Recognition Award in 2013.