MARION, Mass. – This is a story about homage and a young man’s commendable mission to pay it in abundance – with passion and a magnanimous humility – to those beautiful influences that have impacted his life:

To a small and unpretentious golf course that has stood proudly for 118 years; to a father whose legend in the game still resonates 20 years after his tragic death; and to a college that shaped both of their lives.

This is the story of Jeremiah Daly, whose zeal to restore what George Thomas created, remember what Jerry Daly taught him, and thank Dartmouth College for what it provided him are marvelous offerings that the human spirit is alive and well, so long as you know where to find it.

Let us start with an off-the-beaten-track journey to Marion Golf Club.

Should you embrace this nine-hole course that tips out at just under 2,700 yards as “quaint” and “fun,” then you are headed in the proper direction. But if you should agree with Andy Johnson (a.k.a. “The Fried Egg”), who wrote, “If you’re curious about what American golf looked like in its earliest stage, at least stop and look . . . ” then take comfort in knowing that Jeremiah Daly and two partners – Michael Kane and Will Fulton – share your sentiments and have taken it a step further.

They are equal owners on a benevolent mission on behalf of this hidden gem.

“We see this as a museum, a piece of art that has been ignored,” said Daly, who along with his partners bought Marion GC in the spring of 2020. They have added new irrigation and showered it with TLC in a short window hampered by the pandemic, but what puts an exclamation point in their quest is their recruitment of Gil Hanse to oversee a restoration.

“We are providing advice and a master plan to help guide them to restoring the course to George Thomas’ original design and intent. Going to be a very cool spot!!” texted Hanse, whose brilliance is unquestioned with both his original designs (Boston Golf Club, Inniscrone, Streamsong Black, Vineyard Club) and heralded restorations (The Country Club, Sleepy Hollow, LA North, Oakland Hills, Southern Hills, Baltusrol, among so many others).

It is here where we shall address one of the many intersections in this story. Back in 1997, Hanse was picked for a restoration project at The Kittansett Club, one of the world’s grandest seaside courses in Marion, a mere 2 miles from Marion GC. The president of Kittansett then was Jerry Daly and his vision and leadership to hire Hanse was indicative of a business acumen that at the time made him a shining star in the golf industry.

“Jerry Daly was one of the best and it remains a tragedy he was taken from us at such a young age,” said Wally Uihlein, the former CEO and President of the Acushnet Company. Uihlein credits Daly’s “keen analytical skills and wonderful golf industry intuition” as instrumental in helping Acushnet win the bid in 1985 to buy FootJoy.

It was an epic transaction by Acushnet, a signature moment in Daly’s impressive career, but when the former Dartmouth All-America golfer and four-time NCAA qualifier died of brain cancer in 2002 at the age of 48, the heartache in the Acushnet family, Mass Golf circles, and golf equipment industry was immeasurable.

Still is, in many quarters. Jerry Daly was that special.

Jeremiah Daly was following in his dad’s footsteps at Dartmouth in 2002 when cancer took away the center of his universe. That Jeremiah also cherished his four years of varsity golf for the Big Green is a sweet spot for those who appreciate symmetry and the quality at play here.

“I was,” said Jeremiah, the oldest of five children born to Jerry and Anne, “incredibly fortunate to have my dad as my dad.”

Uihlein doesn’t have any doubt that Jerry Daly would be similarly proud of Jeremiah and the path he has forged. It is not so much the business career, which is impressive – Jeremiah is co-founder (with good friend Andy Hunt) and general partner of Elephant, a venture capital firm started in 2015 – as it is what Jeremiah has done to pay homage and give back.

When it was announced in late 2020 that Dartmouth would disband the men’s and women’s golf programs, there was a huge outcry. Many pledged their support, including Jeremiah Daly whose leadership behind the scenes was crucial.

“He is a man of his word,” said Alex Kirk, head coach of Dartmouth’s women’s team. “Jeremiah stood up for the right thing.”

Along with his partners (and his younger brother Will, who is involved in day-to-day operations at the course), Jeremiah is doing what’s right for Marion GC, the legion of golfers who love it, and golf course architectural mavens who consider Thomas to be an iconic figure.

Daly, Kane and Fulton know that Marion was designed in 1904, years before he created masterpieces out in Los Angeles – Riviera, Bel-Air, and LA North.

“We even know that Thomas was known for raising roses, so we’ve incorporated that logo,” said Jeremiah, who concedes that he is blessed to be a member at Kittansett, where he learned the game, but that he always loved playing Marion where some approach shots are made to greens protected by stone walls.

So inspiring, this golf course design from another era and in Hanse, the new owners of Marion GC have the perfect restoration artist.

And equally inspiring is the goodwill that motivates Daly, Kane and Fulton. Marion GC will be an anchor to the Mass Golf tournament for young golfers and it will remain an affordable golf option for this area that doesn’t have many.

Further breadcrumbs that hint at exactly why Jeremiah Daly named his company Elephant. Because these majestic mammals “stick together . . . and are a little quirky,” laughed Daly. But mostly because of that old saying, “elephants never forget.”

Praise goodness that Jeremiah Daly doesn’t either.