Second-generation turf pro earns 2024 Edwin Budding Award

Henry “Skip” Heinz, CTEM, equipment and facilities manager at Royal Poinciana Golf Club in Naples, Florida, is the winner of the 2024 Edwin Budding Award from the GCSAA.

The Edwin Budding Award, named for the inventor of the lawn mower, is given annually to an equipment manager or related innovator, technician or engineer who has made a significant impact on the golf course and turf industry.

Heinz, a 28-year member of GCSAA, grew up with a front-row seat in the golf industry, as his father, Robert, was the longtime superintendent at Key West (Florida) Country Club. Throughout his own career, Heinz has worked at golf courses in five states with positions ranging from equipment technician and equipment manager to assistant superintendent and superintendent, and that experience has given him a unique perspective on the importance of both roles.

“The more education your equipment technician gets, the better,” Heinz said. “There is huge value in attending the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show. Let ‘em go. Help ‘em get there. There is so much GCSAA offers for both.” 

Heinz’s perspective also showed him the value of community for equipment managers, and in 2006, he became one of the founders of the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association. He was also a driving force behind IGCEMA’s assimilation into GCSAA in 2015. He has been highly engaged in GCSAA’s efforts to provide opportunities for equipment managers. Heinz served on the association’s first Equipment Manager Task Group, which established the requirements for Levels 1 and 2 of GCSAA’s Equipment Management Certificate Program and, later, the Certified Turf Equipment Manager designation.

“Skip has been an unwavering advocate for equipment managers, and his efforts have truly changed the trajectory of the profession,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “Honoring him with the Budding Award is a reflection of his tireless work and dedication to equipment managers and the entire industry.”

The timing of the Budding Award is bittersweet for Heinz, just a week after finding out he won the award, Heinz’s wife of 33 years, Deb, lost her three-year battle with cancer.

“The call came at a good time,” he said. “Cancer had taken its toll on her, and I was kind of down. It’s humbling, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s a huge honor. It brings so much joy to me, and it brought so much joy to my wife.”

Heinz will formally receive the award during the 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.