Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force receives GCSAA award

The Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force received the 2025 Excellence in Government Affairs Award from the GCSAA for its advocacy on a wide array of water issues facing the industry throughout California’s Coachella Valley.

The Excellence in Government Affairs Award recognizes a chapter, superintendent or coalition for outstanding advocacy or compliance efforts in government affairs. The Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force will be formally honored Feb. 6 during the Government Affairs Session at the 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.

The Coachella Valley has the largest concentration of golf courses in the United States and faces numerous water and climate-related challenges that threaten the industry. The partnership between the Coachella Valley golf community and the Coachella Valley Water District was established in 2014 for the purpose of meeting the conservation goals of the Coachella Valley Water Management Plan and facilitating the substitution of the Colorado River water for groundwater. The task force is made up of valley golf facilities, members of two GCSAA-affiliated chapters (Hi-Lo Desert Golf Course Superintendents Association and Golf Course Superintendents Association of Southern California) and other water/golf industry stakeholders.

“Over the 10 years of its life, the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force has brought tangible, practical and quantifiable benefits to the golf clubs in California’s Coachella Valley, rendering the hours spent by those who brought those benefits time well-spent for not just their clubs, but for all 121 golf facilities in the Coachella Valley,” said Craig Kessler, a consultant for public affairs for the Southern California Golf Association.

The Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force, with Kessler serving as its longtime chairman, lets superintendents bring their knowledge, perspective, ideas and energy to the table, and then the Task Force reviews the policies, programs and compromises that benefit the golf courses in Coachella Valley and the Water District that services them.

“Being acknowledged for excellence in government affairs by the GCSAA, the game’s undisputed leader in the field, makes receipt of this award particularly impactful,” Kessler said. “No other national golf organization dedicates as much energy, staffing and focus to public affairs as does GCSAA.”

The formation of the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force has many overarching benefits, including forging of cooperative relationships among the golf community and CVWD staff and elected board members.

“GCSAA applauds the Coachella Valley Golf and Water Task Force for its dedication to sustainability, which helps to ensure the longevity of the game of golf and the golf course management profession,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “We commend the steadfast efforts to conserve water in the Southwest and congratulate the partnership on this award.”