By: Shane René, USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern
Joe Malay is the kind of guy you’re likely to spot on the driving range or in the clubhouse before you meet him. Under a trademark goatee and a plume of white hair, selections from his brightly colored and boldly patterned wardrobe spill down toward his feet as he buzzes from person to person, old friends and new ones, representing everything good and everything golf in Idaho.
“Joe Malay, Weiser, Idaho” is how he introduces himself to new faces, proud to represent his beloved hometown along the Oregon border where he’s achieved a rare celebrity among locals. He’s held the course record at his home club — Rolling Hills GC — for more than 40 years. He’s won the club championship 41 times. He’s gone out of his way to play at least one round with every member of the club. And when the maintenance crew is unavailable or understaffed, Malay is always ready and willing to hop on a mower.
Malay graduated from Weiser High School in 1967 and shipped off to Kansas City Community College where he played on the golf team for a year before signing up with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968. He received an honorable discharge in 1969 and returned to Weiser where he “hung around, played golf and had no real plans.”
Planned or not, Malay turned his golf life into something far more significant than “hanging around.” For decades, his presence in the Idaho golf landscape is felt far beyond the Ore-Ida border towns that raised him, consistently competing across the state — with notable success — in every format and division that he could find. And when he’s not playing golf, Malay is one of the most visible champions of junior golf in Idaho. During any given week — even with his 80’s beaming on the horizon — Malay could leave his home town of Weiser, drive to McCall to emcee a Calcutta, hustle through passes to run putting contests at the Junior Amateur in Rexburg, drive through Boise to pal around at a tournament in the Treasure Valley and then turn around to play in the Senior Amateur before driving back home. If you’ve ever wondered what a golf nut looks like, the answer is Joe Malay.
Malay is one the founders of the Idaho Junior Golf Foundation, an organization that raises and distributes money to junior golf programs around the state. Since its founding in 1997, IJGF has provided essential funding to programs like the Idaho Junior Tour, First Tee Idaho and sends Idaho juniors to college on the foundation’s Cody Hayes Scholarship. Every year, Malay hosts a putting competition and raffle at the Idaho Junior Amateur Championship for all players.
In the winter, when there are no golf tournaments to attend, Malay’s charitable nature never cools down. His annual holiday fundraiser — Santa’s Ho-Ho Express — has raised more than a quarter million dollars for underprivileged youth in the Payette/Weiser area. In 2001, locals nominated Joe’s Ho-Ho Express for a national competition put on by Walmart to profile local charities. When Malay won the competition, Walmart sent a camera crew to film a commercial which aired in all 50 states over the Holiday season.
While his legacy is most defined by his presence off the golf course, Malay commands plenty of respect as a player. He’s represented Idaho (as both a player and captain) on more than 50 different cup teams, won the Idaho State Four-Ball seven times, qualified to play in eight USGA Public Links Championships, and carved his name into the Men’s Amateur Championship trophy in 1986.
In 2019, the IGA’s Senior Amateur Championship trophy was named in his honor.
Accomplishment Highlights:
Co-founder of the Idaho Junior Golf Foundation
Men’s Amateur Champion (1986)
Men’s Four-Ball Champion (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1999 & 2011)
Represented Team Idaho on 50 different cup teams and at four Pacific Coast Amateurs