Mark Esoda, superintendent at the Atlanta Country Club in East Cobb, was recognized Saturday night as one of the four inductees to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. He is only the second fulltime superintendent enshrined at the Hall of Fame, and an active player in working with legislators in water management.
Esoda championed the cause of responsible water usage by courses during several years of drought in the early 2000s, educating regulators and bringing clubs together in the face of the weather conditions in Georgia.
As a member of Georgia’s golf industry’s water task force since 2001, he helped develop an agreement for best water management practices. As of 2007, 97 percent of the courses in Georgia met the standards of that template.
GCI profiled Esoda in 2008, following up with him about his efforts both within the industry and with legislators to make that template an effective tool for eco-friendly courses.