2009 recipient - Eddie konrad

On December 22, 2009 the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association (IGCEMA) announced its third annual winner of the Edwin Budding award, sponsored by Ransomes-Jacobsen. The winner was chosen by a committee of industry professionals selected by the IGCEMA.  

The award will be presented To Eddie during the Golf Industry Show in San Diego, Ca February 10-11. Eddie will travel to San Diego as the guest of Ransomes-Jacobsen.

Eddie Konrad graduated in 1957 from the Austrian College of Trade and Economy in Vienna with diplomas in electronics and mechanics.  He then flew as helicopter pilot in the Austrian Air Force for six years.  For 23 years he worked as the Head Mechanic of the Ladies Golf Club of Toronto. In 1992 Konrad became director of the Golf Equipment Technicians Association of Canada and held that title until GETAC merged with the CGSA (Canadian Golf Superintendents Association) in 2004. For 12 years he edited the REEL-GRIND a magazine for Equipment Technicians, and now writes the Mechanic’s Corner for the CGSA in the GreenMaster. Presently Konrad is a contract professor at Seneca College in Ontario teaching Reel Technology and holding seminars for Golf Associations from coast to coast in Canada.

The Edwin Budding Award Committee Members are:

Chair: David Withers – Managing Director - Ransomes/Jacobsen
Carl Osterhaus – The Toro Company
Garry Carpenter – John Deere Golf and Turf
Stephen Bernhard – Bernhard and Company
Jim Letourneau – Foley United
Steve Spuhler – IGCEMA