Mike Gianopoulos of Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., proudly hoisted the trophy after he successfully defended his GCSAA National Championship in Orlando. Photos by Montana Pritchard
A sigh of relief.
That is what Mike Gianopoulos, CGCS, remembers about Feb. 2 when the final putt dropped into the cup. Truth be told, that sigh was a sign of something truly special. At mid-afternoon on the grounds of Magnolia Golf Course in Buena Vista, Fla., Gianopoulos completed another successful outing in a GCSAA National Championship.
An 18-year GCSAA member who oversees Kent Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., Gianopoulos overcame weather issues and a golfer nipping at his heels to prevail. Gianopoulos’ two-day, 36-hole 2-over-par total of 146 (75-71) resulted in another triumph in the 76th GCSAA National Championship. For the 32nd year, The Toro Co. was presenting partner.
It meant that Gianopoulos, who defeated runner-up Shawn Westacott by two strokes, is the first to win back-to-back titles of the event since Seth Strickland did so in 2021-22 and one of eight ever. He also is one of 15 who have won multiple titles.
“Pretty cool,” said Gianopoulos, admitting that winning the championship in 2025 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif., was only a start. “My goal this year was to do it again. It gave me incentive to see if I can repeat.”
If the 2026 version of Gianopoulos’ win set the table for something more, a pre-GCSAA National Championship visit to the Sunshine State had much to do with fueling this recent result at a golf course where legends Jack Nicklaus (three wins) and Tiger Woods (two) championships made a mark.
The 2026 GCSAA National Championship took place at Magnolia Golf Course in Buena Vista, Fla.
A vacation with benefits
Before he traveled to the GCSAA National Championship, Gianopoulos got more than a peek at the place several weeks in advance. Wife Sally and sons John and Liam Gianopoulos came along for this magnificent ride for the holidays in Florida during Christmas until New Year’s Day for what amounted to fun and a scouting trip.
“Kind of killing two birds with one stone. I took the family, had a good time, and I got a lay of the land,” said Gianopoulos.
He played Magnolia GC. Twice. Why? “I look at it (GCSAA National Championships) as my major,” he says. “Get an upper hand on it.”
What did he learn from the visit? “You’ve got to hit it straight off the tee. There’s not a lot of trouble unless you spray it off the tee,” said Gianopoulos, who departed for home thinking somebody had a shot at finishing the championship under par come February. “I got to play on overseed and bermudagrass again. I made notes. I got to play there myself before playing a practice round when I got there for this year’s championship. Weather was in the 60s, 70s when we were there. Perfect that week.”
Barely more than one month later, Mother Nature reminded Gianopoulos and the other golfers that perfection isn’t guaranteed when the weather comes into play.
A scene from Magnolia Golf Course.
A future with golf formulates
Prepping to finish No. 1 in tournaments was something Gianopoulos had done before joining this industry when he finished atop events in his youth.
“My dad (John) started me at 7. He played because my mom’s dad played. I played Evansville (Ind.) Junior League. I won some events. I played at Castle High (Newburgh, Ind.), usually was our No. 1 or No. 2 guy,” Gianopoulos says. “I had some game back then, a 6 handicap.”
Golf wasn’t his first passion. His acoustic and electric guitars kept him enthralled and happy. When he enrolled at Purdue University, Gianopoulos pursued engineering. That lasted less than two years. “Thermodynamics wasn’t for me,” he says. A friend who knows of Gianopoulos’ golf background suggested the turfgrass program. He followed through, changed majors to turfgrass and gained knowledge there from those such as Cale Bigelow, Ph.D., professor, department of horticulture and landscape architecture. “Mike was one of my advisees/students. It’s been a few years since I had him in class or on campus, but what I do remember was he was engaged, curious and driven to learn and be the best he could be,” says Bigelow, a 28-year GCSAA Educator member. “Clearly, he had some ability both managing and playing the golf course. Super nice human, too.”
Gianopoulos graduated and went to work, including as an assistant superintendent at Beverly Country Club in Chicago for Kirk Spieth. “He was my mentor. His time management skills, how he put the programs together, harped on efficiencies, do more with less, stood out,” Gianopoulos said, “and he played guitar, too. This fall, we’re supposed to be doing bunker renovation with his company (DWS Construction), so that will kind of be a full-circle moment with him.”
As for achieving CGCS status, Gianopoulos is proud of it. “It’s really important. I always have wanted to keep climbing the ladder, so to speak,” he says. “It’s nice to have that CGCS behind your name.”
Golfers faced unusually cool and blustery conditions at the tournaments, but that did little to stifle the competition — or camaraderie.
Getting it done
Gianopoulos was thrilled to hug that GCSAA National Championship trophy. Again. At the outset, it appeared he might be on his way.
It took longer than expected to get things rolling, however. A weather delay for Sunday’s first round, featuring cold temperatures and frost, delayed play by a few hours. Once the championship commenced along with windy conditions, Gianopoulos sensed it could be a trying day. “I wasn’t flushing it by any means on the driving range,” he said. He fired a first-round 3-over-par 75 and was tied with Richard Moore, a seven-year GCSAA member from Aurora Hills Golf Course in Aurora, Colo.
Although he was over par, it appeared that Gianopoulos’ visit during the holidays to Disney was a smart decision as the tournament progressed. His workouts in Michigan, months pre-championships, aided his preparation. “We got a Trackman about three years ago at the club. Hitting on the simulators has been huge, and it’s been pretty accurate. I would get in a solid hour, hour and a half, before work each day. It keeps my timing fresh, and I get a pretty good idea of ball flight,” he says. “I had some lessons with Jimmy Wisinski (the club’s PGA professional). He always straightens me out.”
Gianopoulos’ clubs — Titleist driver, P790 TaylorMade irons and TaylorMade Spider putter — sizzled in the early stages of the final round on Monday. Gianopoulos birdied the first two holes following another lengthy weather delay, finishing the front nine with four birdies and a round of 4-under-par 32. “And I had birdie putts I barely missed on the front,” he says. His efforts continued with a birdie on the par-5 10th. “The biggest thing is taking it one shot at a time. On the first 10 holes, I felt I couldn’t miss,” says Gianopoulos. “Golf was pretty easy at that point.”
That sentiment didn’t last. On the back nine, his five-stroke lead was in jeopardy after Gianopoulos bogeyed four of the last five holes, including the final three. “Grumpy got to me,” he says, speaking about Magnolia GC’s “Grumpy Gauntlet” that is well known for its challenging and demanding stretch from holes 14 to 17. “To me, it was all mental. If I could keep my head straight, I knew I had a good chance, but nerves got to me, and I got ahead of myself.”
As Westacott — a past national champion in 2016, 25-year association member and GCSAA Class A superintendent from Cottonfields Golf Club in Dallas — made a late charge, Gianopoulos avoided a disaster on No. 18, a 434-yard par-4. He fanned a shot wayward right, barely missing putting it into a creek. Playing with Westacott, Gianopoulos survived the near calamity and sank a 2-foot putt for bogey and beat Westacott, who notched an even-par second-round 72, by two. Six-time champion Seth Strickland, 24-year GCSAA member and director of agronomy at Turnberry Resort & Club in Aventura, Fla., made a move with an even-par 72 final round and finished third at 149, three behind Gianopoulos.
In the 27 years of the 2000s, there have only been five winners from northern states. The most recent since Gianopoulos won twice is Colorado’s David Brown in 2011.
This marked the 10th time the tournament was played in Orlando. The first: 1982.
“I limped my way in,” Gianopoulos said, “but obviously joy, knowing I did it again. That was my goal down there.”
Chilly weather forced the Par-3 Shootout to be contested inside on a golf simulator.
A bittersweet taste
After congratulatory handshakes, accepting the shiny trophy and posing for pictures, the scene at the scoring tent was not all that Gianopoulos hoped to partake.
His wife was unable to be there. After she and their sons went to Walt Disney World not too long ago, they didn’t return for either the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show or the golf. The boys were in school in Michigan. Sally was home. She has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). It’s a neurological disorder that affects motor neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing. She was put on a feeding tube early this year.
“It was tough not having here there, not to be able to share it with her,” Gianopoulos said. “It’s been emotional for all of us, a battle every day. It comes and goes.”
Gianopoulos says that golf serves as an escape and gives him something to look forward to “and not think about everything else once in a while.” In July, he plans to be on a famed golf course. His victory in winning the GCSAA National Championship and $500 for his effort comes with another perk: The GCSAA’s national champion receives an exemption to play in the Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship. This will be its 122nd, and Gianopoulos plans to participate in the event July 6-10 in Tulsa, Okla. Among past champions are Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Collin Morikawa.
“I registered. I’ve got to go for it,” Gianopoulos said. “It’s at Southern Hills (which has held multiple major championships). There’s no reason not to (enter). I want to see where I stack up. Compete.”
Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.