Each year the Alberta Golf Superintendents Association presents a Distinguished Service Award to a superintendent in the province that exhibits exceptional agronomic and leadership skills. James Beebe, the golf course manager at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club in Priddis, Alberta, Canada, has been chosen as the recipient of this award based on his proficiency as a golf course superintendent, his involvement in the AGSA and the golf industry both provincially and nationally.
James is a graduate of the Penn State (1995) turfgrass program, has been a golf course superintendent for 11years and a Class “A” member of the association for 10 years. He has been involved with various AGSA committees, was the Property Manager’s Conference chairman and was the President of the association in 2002. James has also been active at Olds College with the Turfgrass Advisory Committee (7 years) and has been the AGSA liaison to the Alberta Golf Industry Association. At the national level, James is currently a member of the CGSA Conference Coordinating Committee and will be moderating a panel discussion at the 2008 Conference in Calgary. His confidence and public speaking skills are second to none and he inspires others to follow his lead.
As the Superintendent at Priddis Greens G&CC, James has proven his abilities as a golf course superintendent. He and his staff hosted the 2007 spring AGSA meeting and everyone enjoyed the day on a very well-manicured golf course in a beautiful location with rolling tree-lined fairways, native flowers and abundant wildlife.
It was also an opportunity to view the extensive work that has been done to become a Certified Audubon Sanctuary. In 1998 Priddis Greens was the first golf course in Alberta and the 11th in Canada to become certified as a sanctuary through Audubon International and the course has been recertified 3 times.
Priddis Greens has gone through a number of expansions while James has been the Superintendent, including the back 9 of the Hawk course that was built in 2003 and the renovation of the front 9 of the Raven course in 2005. These accomplishments have been recognized by Score Golf Magazine, as they were named the number one golf course in Calgary and number 45 in Canada in 2004. To top it off, James was the host superintendent for the 1999 LPGA du Maurier Classic.
