Pavonetti adds President's Award to his list of environmental achievements
Jim Pavonetti, CGCS at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a regular on the environmental awards circuit. Jim Pavonetti photo
Throughout his career as a superintendent, Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, has been dedicated to making the golf course where he works a more enjoyable experience for members and the community where he lives a more environmentally sustainable place to live for his family and neighbors.
For his efforts, Pavonetti (right), a longtime member of TurfNet and the GCSAA, has been named the recipient of the association's 2025 President's Award for Environmental Stewardship.
The award was established in 1991 to recognize "an exceptional environmental contribution to the game of golf; a contribution that further exemplifies the golf course superintendent’s image as a steward of the land" according to the GCSAA. Pavonetti will receive the award Feb. 2 at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando.
"Being named the recipient of the President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship is both an incredible honor and a complete surprise," Pavonetti said. "I had no idea I’d even been nominated, so when (GCSAA president) T.A. Barker called to share the news, I was genuinely stunned."
The news should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Pavonetti's stewardship work.
Pavonetti has been a regular ELGA honoree in his 18 years at Fairview Country Club. Recently he was named an ELGA winner in the Healthy Land Stewardship category, marking 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. He also is a four-time first runner-up in the ELGA competition — 2018 and 2019 Natural Resource Awards and 2021 and 2022 Innovative Conservation.
Pavonetti employs what he described as an integrated approach to sustainability where every decision considers the impact on the environment. Those decisions are made to demonstrate how efforts to protect natural resources and demonstrate how environmental sustainability and course quality are not mutually exclusive.
That integrated environmental plan includes:
Water Conservation: Implemented advanced irrigation technology to save water and energy, while also making the golf course play better.
Habitat Restoration: Established naturalized areas and pollinator habitats that enhance biodiversity and refuge for wildlife.
Nutrient and Chemical Management: Use precision application and organic alternatives to minimize runoff and protect nearby waterways.
Energy Efficiency: Transitioning to electric and hybrid equipment, while improving energy performance throughout the entire club’s facilities.
Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, was first drawn to a career in golf by his love for the outdoors. Jim Pavonetti photo
Pavonetti cites the work of a host of great superintendents in the Metropolitan New York area as inspiration for his own work in implementing environmental sustainable practices.
"My love for the outdoors is what first drew me to a career in golf course management," he said. "Throughout my career, I’ve looked up to the hall-of-fame superintendents whose leadership and commitment to environmental stewardship set the standard for our industry—they inspired me to follow the same path. Guys like Ted Horton, Bob and Joe Alonzi, Peter Salinetti and Matt Ceplo were pioneers in these efforts, and I wanted to be like them as I grew in my career."
In his 18th year at Fairview, Pavonetti is a graduate of the Rutgers turfgrass management program. He previously was superintendent at the Edison Club and the West Point Golf Course at the U.S. Military Academy.
Last year, Pavonetti was named to the board of directors of Audubon International, which certifies the environmental stewardship efforts in several arenas, including golf, lodging and sustainable communities. Two years ago, he submitted his work at Fairview that netted the 2023 ELGA Innovative Conservation Award for consideration for a sustainability award given by the Greenwich Sustainability Committee. He did not win the award, but he was invited to sit on the committee as an expert on the BMP's of Fairview and eight other golf clubs in the Greenwich area.
"Just as we refine our agronomic programs each season to improve the course for our membership, we continually look for ways to strengthen our sustainability practices," Pavonetti said. "When you apply those ideas consistently over decades, the impact truly adds up."
A graduate of the Rutgers turfgrass management program, Pavonetti worked at West Point Golf Club at the U.S. Military Academy and earned a winter golf turf management certificate from Rutgers University. He served as the superintendent at two New York golf courses, West Point Golf Course for two years and The Edison Club for five years, before moving to Fairview Country Club in January 2008. He became a Certified Golf Course Superintendent (CGCS) in 2009.
The win places Pavonetti in elite company.
Previous winners are: 2025 — Matt Gourlay, CGCS; 2024 — Wayne Mills; 2023 — J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D.; 2022 — Andrew Jorgensen, CGCS; 2021 — Matt Crowther, CGCS; 2020 — Gary Ingram, CGCS; 2019 — CourseCo; 2018 — Frank Rossi, Ph.D.; 2017 — Josh Heptig; 2016 — Peter McDonough; 2015 — Paul Carter, CGCS; 2014 — Roger Stewart, CGCS; 2013 — Matt Ceplo, CGCS; 2012 — David Phipps; 2011 — Dean Graves, CGCS; 2010 — Anthony Williams, CGCS; 2009 — Dan Dinelli, CGCS; 2008 — Jeff Carlson, CGCS; 2007 — Pinehurst Resort; 2006 — Golf in Colorado: An Independent Study of the 2002 Economic Impact and Environmental Aspects of Golf in Colorado — a collaborative effort by the Rocky Mountain GCSA, Colorado Golf Association, Colorado Women's Golf Association, Colorado Section of the PGA, Colorado Chapter of the Club Managers of America and the Colorado Chapter of the Golf Course Owners Association; 2005 — Stephen A. Kealy, CGCS; Peter Lund, CGCS; Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association; 2004 — Jeffrey L. Gullikson, CGCS; 2003 — Center for Resource Management; 2002 — Environmental Management Resource Manual; Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association; 2001 — Michigan Turgrass Environmental Stewardship Program; 2000 — Tom Watschke, Ph.D.; 1999 — Ted Horton; 1998 — Joseph A. O' Brien; 1997 — Michael J. Hurdzan, Ph.D.; 1996 — USGA Environmental Research Program; 1995 — Tim Hiers, CGCS; 1993 — Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program; Audubon Society of New York State; USGA; 1991 — Cape Cod Study Participants: Bass River Country Club (Erwin Nash), Eastward Ho! (Brian Cowan, CGCS), Falmouth Country Club (J. Buckner Hall), Hyannisport Club (Charles Passios, CGCS).
