Ask any golfer, and they will say that providing great putting greens is Job 1 of a golf course superintendent.
In an era where the anti-golf crowd can be loud, the job also is about education and environmental stewardship. The GCSAA recognizes those efforts through an annual awards program.
The association recently honored four superintendents as recipients of the 2025 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards. Seven runners-up also received recognition for their environmental stewardship efforts.
The 2025 ELGA winners are: Healthy Land Stewardship Award — Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, Fairview Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut; Communication and Outreach Award — Kevin Goss, Sugar Creek Golf Course, Villa Park, Illinois; Innovative Conservation Award — Robin Sadler, Mickelson National Golf Club, Calgary Alberta; and Natural Resource Conservation Award — Justin Brimley, Crystal Springs Golf Course, Burlingame, California.
Since 1993, the awards have been conferred upon superintendents and golf courses around the world for their commitment to environmental stewardship, and since 2018 have reflected environmental best management practices and specific areas of focus.
ELGA Award Categories
- Communications and Outreach Award: Recognizes effective communication of conservation strategies with facility employees, golfers and other members of the community.
- Healthy Land Stewardship Award: Recognizes effective strategies for efficient use of pesticides and nutrients, as well as pollution prevention.
- Innovative Conservation Award: Recognizes unique and innovative strategies for conservation.
- Natural Resource Conservation Award: Recognizes effective strategies for water conservation, energy conservation and sound wildlife management.
"Golf course superintendents are committed to environmental sustainability and producing enjoyable playing conditions," said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. "The ELGA recipients are great examples of being able to combine these goals. We are proud of their accomplishments."
The 2025 ELGA winners and runners-up include:
Healthy Land Stewardship Award
Jim Pavonetti, CGCS
Fairview Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut
Pavonetti is a regular ELGA honoree in his 18 years at Fairview Country Club. This year marked Pavonetti's third consecutive ELGA win. He was named the recipient of the Natural Resource Conservation Award last year and the Innovative Conservation Award recipient in 2023.
Pavonetti also is a four-time first runner-up in the ELGA competition — 2018 and 2019 Natural Resource Awards and 2021 and 2022 Innovative Conservation.
His stewardship efforts are not limited to Fairview's greens, tees and fairways. He is a member of Greenwich's Sustainability Committee that identifies and implements environmental policies throughout the town, and he serves on the board of directors of Audubon International.
He praised the work of his team in securing this year's ELGA award. Pavonetti says his team has embraced data-driven course-management programs, and the detailed information they yield have helped reduce pesticide use by 10 percent and cutting water usage by 20 percent.
He achieves water savings thanks to air diffusers and barley straw in cages for pond aeration, infrared cameras, moisture meters and sensors to identify and manage areas of need and interseeding newer drought- and pest-tolerant varieties of creeping bentgrass.
"I am incredibly thrilled and honored to receive the Healthy Land Stewardship Award," Pavonetti said in a news release. "As the golf course superintendent of Fairview Country Club, this recognition means so much. It reflects the passion and teamwork of our staff and members who care deeply about keeping our course sustainable and our property naturally beautiful."
First Runner-up: Jorge Mendoza, Green River Golf Club, Corona, California
Second Runner-up: Michael Bednar, Palouse Ridge Golf Club, Pullman, Washington
Communication and Outreach Award
Kevin Goss
Sugar Creek Golf Course, Villa Park, Illinois
Goss has been the superintendent at nine-hole Sugar Creek Golf Course since 2009. Sugar Creek also is where Goss learned the game growing up and where he started working on golf courses at age 16, so he has a unique affection for the property.
Goss shares the word about Sugar Creek's environmental initiatives through presentations, journal articles, posters and on social media. He also hosts field trips for community groups and students from the College of DuPage, where he is a guest speaker and advisory committee member.
During his time at Sugar Creek, Goss has contributed to Elmhurst Park District environmental committees in the areas of environmental policy, energy conservation, invasive species management, and recycling.
In 2024, the golf course completed a streambank naturalization project that positively affected the watershed and local ecosystem.
"Thanks to the whole group involved in the Sugar Creek Restoration Project, I have been asked to give tours to many groups," Goss said. "Many are surprised and excited to see butterflies, bees, herons, hummingbirds, turtles, and native plants thriving at their local golf course."
Goss, the first runner-up for the Healthy Land Stewardship ELGA in 2023, also designs posters about local wildlife, native plants and environmental projects to keep golfers informed at the clubhouse.
First Runner-up: Christopher Hayman, The Crossings at Carlsbad, Carlsbad, California
Second Runner-up: Carl Thompson, CGCS, Columbia Point Golf Course, Richland, Washington
Natural Resource Conservation Award
Justin Brimley
Crystal Springs Golf Course, Burlingame, California
Crystal Springs, where Brimley has been the superintendent for six years, is surrounded by native habitat that supports abundant wildlife, and is adjacent to the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir. The 58,000 acre feet impoundment is a major source of potable water for the San Francisco Bay area.
The course, where former superintendent Tim Powers, CGCS, was a National Overall ELGA winner in 2011, has been certified with the Audubon Sanctuary Program and Habitat Control since 1998.
Conservation efforts under Brimley include expanding native areas to reduce water use and creating 20 acres of habitat corridors.
Brimley was the recipient of the 2022 ELGA Healthy Land Stewardship Award and was the second runner-up for the Natural Resource Conservation Award each of the past two years. He also was the second runner-up for the Healthy Land Stewardship honor in 2015.
First Runner-up: Patrick Parkins, TPC Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Second Runner-up: Robert Esposo, Pacific Grove (California) Golf Links
Innovative Conservation Award
Robin Sadler
Mickelson National Golf Club, Calgary, Alberta
Sadler is in his fifth year at Mickelson National Golf Club, which has been recognized as one of the top environmental golf courses in the world.
Sadler's environmental initiatives include utilizing solar power for eco-friendly algae control, grass clipping separator, reducing water use by 13 percent, honey harvesting and a lithium battery-powered equipment fleet.
He also has become a voice for sustainable management practices throughout Canada.
First Runner-up: James Sua, CGCS, Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf and Country Club, Taipei, Taiwan
Click here for a complete list of past winners and runners-up.