Dr. Phil Hughes, a prime mover in the establishment of the Miami Valley Golf Association, died on March 16 at a hospital in Hilton Head Island, S.C. He was 80.

Dr. Hughes, a native of South Orange, N.J., was a graduate of Princeton University. He came to Dayton in 1965 to practice ophthalmology after serving four years in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps.

Hughes, who had key relationships within national golf organizations, used those contacts to solicit funds for the MVGA when it was in its infancy. After retiring in 1996, he served as president of the fledgling MVGA for six years. He was inducted in the Dayton Amateur Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.

Dr. Hughes was a longtime member of Dayton Country Club, carrying a 3 handicap at one time, and won the DCC club championship in 1971. He also was a member of the renowned Pine Valley Golf Club in Clementon, N.J., and was proud of having once defeated the decorated amateur Billy Joe Patton in a match.

He was also a director of the Western Golf Association and a strong supporter of its Par Club, which supports the Evans Scholarship Program.

Dr. Hughes and his wife, Marian “Miki” Hughes, moved to Hilton Head many years ago and belong to the Belfair Country Club.

Services for Dr. Hughes are to be held in Hilton Head on Friday, March 22. The Island Funeral Home & Crematory is handling the arrangements. A celebration of his life will be held at Dayton Country Club later in the spring.