We are excited to welcome Mitch Leininger to the USGA Green Section as an East Region agronomist, where he will be working closely with courses in Florida and the Southeast. A native Floridian with extensive golf maintenance experience, Mitch understands the unique dynamics of the Florida golf scene and is looking forward to serving the area.

After a successful career in logistics management, Mitch found a love of agronomy and a passion for golf course maintenance in 2008 when he started working at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club. While there, he had the opportunity to work and set up the Arnold Palmer Invitational and was influenced by PGA Tour agronomist Bland Cooper to pursue a career in turf maintenance. He obtained his Turfgrass Management Certificate from Penn State in 2011 and continued working his way up the ladder from assistant to senior assistant and then superintendent at the Shingle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.

Most recently, Mitch was the director of Executive golf maintenance for five years for the world’s largest golf-centric 55+ community, The Villages. While there, he oversaw the maintenance and agronomy of 36 executive golf courses that accommodate over 2.5 million rounds of golf per year. Attributing much of his success to his friend and mentor Rickey Craig, Mitch notes that he has planned, budgeted and managed over a dozen full-course renovations. Mitch’s agronomic and leadership experience combined with his steadfast work ethic and positive personality will make him a great addition to our Green Section team.

Mitch resides in Orlando with his wife Rebecca and their son Luke. He enjoys traveling, golfing, relaxing at the beach, and going to Orlando theme parks with his family.