The Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame was established in 1972 by the Board of Directors of the Southern Golf Association. The following qualifications were established as criteria for nomination of an inductee, but an inductee does not have to meet every single criteria. The candidate must have: 1) Outstanding competitive career; 2) Outstanding administrative contributions; 3) Outstanding promotional contributions; 4) The candidate must have met the above criteria while a member of a Southern Golf Association Member Club. The Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame is unique in that it does not necessarily induct a member each year, nor does it select multiple inductees.
In 1984, at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida during the Southern Amateur Championship, Marvin (Vinny) Giles was inducted in the Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Because of Vinny's involvement in all phases of golf, he easily qualifies in all the criteria expected of an inductee.
Administratively, he was on the Executive Committee of the Virginia State Golf Association for over 20 years, and then was first an Associate Director and then a Director of the Southern Golf Association for three years.
As active administratively as Vinny was, that pales in comparison with his competitive amateur career.
Highlights of that career:
1964 NCAA All-American
1965 NCAA All-American
1966 NCAA All-American
1967 Southern Amateur Champion
1967 U. S. Amateur Runner-Up
1968 U. S. Amateur Runner-Up
1968 The Masters - Low Amateur
1969 Walker Cup Team Member
1969 U. S. Amateur Runner-Up
1969 World Cup Team Member
1970 World Cup Team Member
1970 U. S. Amateur - 6th
1971 Walker Cup Team Member
1970 U. S. Amateur - 3rd
1972 World Cup Team Member
1972 U. S. Amateur Champion
1973 Walker Cup Team Member
1973 Porter Cup Champion
1973 Eastern Amateur Champion
1973 U. S. Open Low Amateur
1973 U. S. Amateur Semi-Finalist
1975 Southern Amateur Champion
1975 British Amateur Champion
1975 Walker Cup Team Member
In addition to all of the above accomplishments, Vinny also won the Virginia Amateur Championship six times and the Virginia Open Championship twice.
The addition of Marvin (Vinny) Giles to the SGA Hall of Fame is another jewel in its already illustrious crown of outstanding amateur golf activists.