Equipment manager at Atlanta Athletic Club was one of the first to earn certification

Lawrence, Kan. (Sept. 2, 2025) -- John Patterson, CTEM, the equipment director at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., is the winner of the 2025 Edwin Budding Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (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.

Patterson, an 11-year GCSAA member, “grew up in a garage” and rebuilt his first engine when he was 8. He and his father would work on cars in their spare time and race them on the weekends.

Patterson started as an automotive mechanic then went into industrial mechanics, working on printing presses in the Chicago area, before resettling in Florida in hopes of becoming a marine mechanic. Instead, he answered an advertisement for an assistant mechanic at The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘This ought to be a piece of cake. I’m just taking care of mowers.’ I’d never even seen a reel mower before,” Patterson said. “A couple of guys took me under their wings.”

That was the start of a three-decade-plus career that made stops at several of Florida’s top courses before he landed at the prestigious AAC 10 years ago. Along the way, he was instrumental in the drive to enhance the reputation and role of equipment managers and technicians in the golf course management profession.

Patterson has given countless presentations at local, national and international events, and he was instrumental in the founding of the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA). He was also a driving force behind IGCEMA’s assimilation into GCSAA in 2015 and was one of the first GCSAA members to earn the Certified Turf Equipment Manager (CTEM) designation.

“Throughout his long and successful career, John has been passionate about education for and recognition of turf equipment management professionals,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “His efforts will have a positive impact on the industry for generations to come, and he embodies all that the Budding Award represents.”

Patterson will formally receive the award during the 2026 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

“I’m really honored and humbled,” Patterson said. “There are some really great folks who have won this award, and I think I learned something from every one of them. It’s gratifying and validating at the same time.”

To learn more about Patterson, read the September issue of GCSAA’s GCM magazine.