The son of one of ASGCA’s original members, William F. Gordon, David was a life-long resident of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Army Air Force in World War II as an instructor pilot in B-24 bombers, Gordon studied at Penn State University, earning a degree in Agronomy. He then joined his father’s golf course design business.

David became a partner in the Gordon firm in 1952 and was involved in all aspects of the business. After his father's death in 1974, Gordon continued practice in golf course architecture until retiring in the mid-1980's.

In the 1990s, Gordon presented to the ASGCA Foundation a 1914 manuscript from ASGCA founding member Donald Ross on golf course architecture. This never-before-published writing from Ross, which Gordon discovered in his attic, became Golf Has Never Failed Me: The Lost Commentaries of Legendary Golf Architect Donald J. Ross by Ron Whitten. The book, published in 1996, became a best seller.

David Gordon was the longest-tenured ASGCA member, having been welcomed in 1951. He became a Fellow in 1993 and served as ASGCA President in 1959-60.