The GCSAA recently named the recipients of its 2026 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards.
This year’s winners are: Communications and Outreach Award Ken Kleinedler, CGCS, Collier’s Reserve Country Club, Naples, Florida; Healthy Land Stewardship Award — Carl D. Thompson, CGCS, Columbia Point Golf Course, Richland, Washington; Innovative Conservation Award — James B. Sua, CGCS, Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf & Country Club, Taipei, Taiwan; and Natural Resource Conservation Award — Harold Ammons, Flat Creek Country Club, Peachtree City, Georgia.
The awards are presented annually by GCSAA and Golf Digest in partnership with Syngenta. Eight runners-up also received recognition for their environmental efforts. Since 1993, the awards have recognized superintendents and golf courses around the world for their commitment to environmental stewardship since 1993. The awards have been based on environmental best management practices and honor specific areas of focus since 2018.
- The Communications and Outreach Award recognizes effective communication of conservation strategies with facility employees, golfers and other members of the community.
- The Healthy Land Stewardship Award recognizes effective strategies for efficient use of pesticides and nutrients, as well as pollution prevention.
- The Innovative Conservation Award recognizes unique and innovative strategies for conservation.
- The Natural Resource Conservation Award recognizes effective strategies for water conservation, energy conservation and sound wildlife management.
Communications and Outreach Award
Ken Kleinedler, CGCS
Collier’s Reserve Country Club, Naples, Florida
Kleinedler has worked at Collier’s Reserve Country Club since 2009. He is responsible for helping develop and share the club’s comprehensive environmental management program. Whether its through staff training, daily crew meetings, social media, presentations in the community or a variety of other initiatives, Kleinedler and his staff are focused on sharing ways to preserve the environment.
Kleinedler has a history of community outreach. Recently, he delivered a presentation at the Naples Botanical Garden on how communities and residents can implement environmental initiatives within their own neighborhoods and properties.
The club works with university professionals and higher-education organizations to provide educational opportunities related to environmental stewardship, ecological management, sustainability practices and science-based golf course management.
First Runner-up: Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, Fairview Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut.
Second Runner-up: Jorge Mendoza, Green River Golf Club, Corona, California.
Healthy Land Stewardship Award
Carl D. Thompson, CGCS
Columbia Point Golf Course, Richland, Washington
Thompson has been a superintendent for 31 years, including 21 years at Columbia Point. He has a long history of being an advocate for the environment. He previously won the Healthy Land Stewardship Award in 2019 and the ELGA Chapter Award in 2016 and ’17. He also has been a runner-up for the Communication and Outreach Award, Innovative Conservation Award and Natural Resource Conservation Award.
Pollution prevention and waste management are important initiatives at Columbia Point. Thompson and his team have eliminated all clippings in their ponds, collect cans from the course for recycling, reuse green-waste for soil modification by composting their own tree debris and utilize a drop box for collecting tree limbs.
Thompson’s waste-management practices have shifted toward increased recycling efforts and utilizing beneficial plant material disposal.
First Runner-up: Kevin Goss, Sugar Creek Golf Course, Villa Park, Illinois.
Second Runner-up: Michael Bednar, Palouse Ridge Golf Club, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.
Innovative Conservation Award
James B. Sua, CGCS
Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf & Country Club, Taipei, Taiwan
Sua has been a superintendent for 34 years, including the last five years at Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf & Country Club.
Sua and his team have practiced environmental stewardship since his arrival to the club. A year ago, Sua and his staff received the first runner-up for the Innovative Conservation Award. In 2024, they were recognized as first runner-up for the Natural Resource Conservation Award.
Under Sua’s leadshership, Pei Tou Kuo Hua Golf & Country Club has focused more on data driven decision making, autonomous equipment integration, community engagement and education, innovative waste management and sustainable design practices.
Examples of Sua’s innovation include reducing water consumption by 30 percent from analyzing usage patterns, a 20 percent increase in maintenance productivity by automating routine tasks and a 30 percent reduction in landfill waste during the past year. Recently, Sua hosted a community event that attracted more than 180 people to raise awareness about sustainability practices and what they can do to help.
First Runner-up: Jonathan Heywood, CGCS, Sleepy Hollow Country Club, Scarborough, New York
Second Runner-up: Jay Neunsinger, Richmond Golf Club, Richmond, California
Natural Resource Conservation Award
Harold Ammons
Flat Creek Country Club, Peachtree City, Georgia
Ammons has been the superintendent for 37 years at Flat Creek, a 180-acre property where water conservation, water quality, energy conservation and wildlife and habitat management are top priorties.
Ammons and his team conduct routine training every six months on water quality. At Flat Creek, the irrigation design saves water on roughs and natural areas. Flat Creek uses several innovative water quality-management practices such as vegitative buffers and a designated equipment wash area with collection drains and clean outs.
To conserve energy, Ammons has implemented programmable thermostats, timers on greens fans, upgraded electric golf car chargers, hybrid mowing equipment and light timers.
Wildlife and habitat on the course is also important. Ammons and his crew have identification signs for sensitive areas, newsletters that update members on current wildlife inventories and breeding schedules, native wildflower pollinators with milkweed and sunflowers, clover for bees, lantana for butterflies and native grasses for dragon flies.
First Runner-up: Robert Esposo, Pacific Grove Golf Links, Pacific Grove, California
Second Runner-up: Juan Pablo Gonzalez, Cherry Island Golf Course, Elverta, California
Click here for a list of all past ELGA recipients.
