Election took place as part of the 2022 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego

Lawrence, Kan. (Feb. 11, 2022) – Kevin P. Breen, the certified golf course superintendent (CGCS) at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., was elected to a one-year term as president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) at the association’s annual meeting Feb. 10, held in conjunction with the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show. He is the 86th president in the association’s history.

Breen served as vice president of the association in 2021 and has been a member of the association’s board of directors since 2015. A 31-year member of GCSAA, Breen is also a past president of both the Sierra Nevada GCSA and the California GCSA.

Breen has served as the superintendent at La Rinconada CC since 2011. Prior to that, he served as the director of maintenance at Lahontan Golf Club in Truckee, Calif., and as the superintendent at Los Alamos (N.M.) Golf Course. 

“I thank you for the opportunity I have before me this coming year in leading our organization, GCSAA,” Breen said. “I have a full year of endeavors and work ahead of me that I am really looking forward to."

He has bachelor's degrees in horticulture/turf from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and in meteorology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Other elected officers were Kevin P. Sunderman, CGCS, director of grounds at Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club in St. Petersburg, Fla., as vice president, and Jeff L. White, CGCS and superintendent at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan.; as secretary/treasurer.

Board members Douglas D. Dykstra, CGCS, golf course superintendent at White Mountain Country Club in Pinetop, Ariz., and Marc E. Weston, CGCS and superintendent at Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, Conn., were elected to serve again, while Steven J. Hammon,  superintendent at Traverse City (Mich.) Country Club, was newly elected to the board.

T.A. Barker, CGCS and superintendent at Fore Lakes Golf Course in Taylorsville, Utah;  and Paul L. Carter, CGCS and superintendent at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Harrison, Tenn., continue their service on the board. Mark F. Jordan, CGCS, natural resources leader at Westfield Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio, will serve as immediate past president, while John R. Fulling Jr., CGCS, grounds and facilities manager at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club, retired from board service.

2022 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show highlights

The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, known as the Golf Industry Show from 2005 to 2021, is the largest annual event in the turfgrass management industry. After a virtual event in 2021 due to the pandemic, the GCSAA Conference returned to an in-person event in San Diego. A total of 3,700 seminar seats were filled. In addition to education for superintendents, the event also included specialized education for assistant superintendents, equipment managers, students and more. The in-person conference and show will be followed by a two-day virtual education event Feb. 23-24. The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in-person total attendance was 6,500.

“The first tenant of GCSAA’s mission is serving members, and in surveying our members, it was abundantly clear that they desired a return to an in-person event,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “We knew, based on data from other conventions this year, that our numbers would not be typical because the world isn’t typical right now. But, as a member service, we were dedicated to doing what we could to move things forward for the industry and provide the best experience possible for those in San Diego and offering a virtual education option for those who couldn’t attend. We are very pleased with the high level of engagement from those who joined us. The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show continues to offer an unmatched experience and the opportunity for attendees to move their careers and facilities forward.”

The trade show covered nearly 114,000 square feet of exhibit space at the San Diego Convention Center and hosted more than 300 exhibitors.

“It was so refreshing to be back amongst the most influential folks in our industry,” exhibitor Todd Jenkins, vice president of Better Billy Bunker, said. “Every colleague and attendee I spoke with echoed the same. I appreciate the efforts of GCSAA in planning a great week during uncertain times, and thanks to every GCSAA member who made the trek to San Diego.”

The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show is produced by GCSAA along with its presenting partners the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA) and American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA).

“It’s been fantastic,” said Chad Mark, director of grounds operations, at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, and a 24-year GCSAA member. “Show floor is active, it’s been fun, and I love it. It’s been great to be back. The number one reason (I come to the GCSAA Conference) is the reunion with all those people you form relationships with throughout your career, whether it’s people you’ve worked with or vendors you’ve done business with. There’s a lot of great business reasons and lot of great networking and personal reasons to make the trip.”

The 2023 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show will head to Orlando, Fla., Feb. 4-9, at the Orange County Convention Center.

In other news from the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show:

• A team from Purdue won the annual GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition, which was presented in partnership with John Deere Golf. Purdue took home the trophy for the second year in a row.
• Bob Farren, CGCS, and director of golf course and grounds management at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort, received GCSAA’s inaugural Col. John Morley Award during the Opening Session, while country music star, philanthropist, and avid golfer Vince Gill accepted GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award during the Closing Celebration.  
  
• Seth Strickland, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Miami Shores (Fla.) Country Club, is the winner of the 2022 GCSAA National Championship. This is Strickland’s fifth title, and the 20-year GCSAA member was the defending champion after prevailing in the 2021 tournament held last October in Palm Springs, Calif. 
• GCSAA membership continues to grow and during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show membership reached 19,122.