GCSAA Discusses Challenges Superintendents Are Facing

Recently, I came across a publication based out of Laguna Beach. Now I know that Southern California has some of the most breathtaking and beautifully manicured courses in America. Although, golfers commonly pay big bucks to these courses, and generally it is worth it because of California's picture perfect coastline and unbeatable weather. In any case, this publication entitled, Boardroom, is one that I have never heard of before, yet it was worth the wait.

Boardroom has some terrific articles aimed to educate golf course owners, directors and superintendents. With 12 years of distribution behind the magazine, I took a further look and found a fantastic article entitled “Challenges Are Many For Course Superintendents.”

In it, Boardroom sat down with the president of The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Timothy O’Neil, to discuss the many challenges facing golf courses today.
Here are some of the questions that were asked:

What are some challenges superintendents are facing as they work to maintain courses?

How much autonomy should a superintendent have?

What is GCSAA and how does it benefit private country clubs?

What role would GCSAA see for an elected greens chairman?

What is the Golf Industry Show?

What is the future role of the superintendent?

Be sure to check out how O’Neil answered by clicking here

Are Americans Giving Up Golf?

The New York Times (NYT) is worried about golf in the United States. This may or may not be a surprise to you, but golf courses are going to have to work harder to stay afloat. Paul Vitello from NYT reported yesterday that more and more Americans are giving up golf.

• The total number of people who play has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF) and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

• More troubling to golf boosters, the number of people who play 25 times a year or more fell to 4.6 million in 2005 from 6.9 million in 2000, a loss of about a third.

• The industry now counts its core players as those who play golf eight or more times a year. That number, too, has fallen, but more slowly: to 15 million in 2006 from 17.7 million in 2000, according to the NGF.

When Vitello questioned why golfers are on the decline, many possibilities were found: economics - too much supply and not enough demand, changing family roles, etiquette rules, and time, which seems to be the biggest factor contributing to the current decline. The problem is not a game of golf, but the game of golf itself.

Here is what some industry professionals had to say about it:

"The problem is time,” said Walter Hurney, golf course real estate developer. “Men won't spend a whole day away from their family anymore. They'll play early at weekends but have to be back by lunchtime.”

“The old adage 'once a golfer, always a golfer' no longer exists.” said Jim Kass, research director of the NGF. “No time; two jobs; real wages not going up, pensions going away, corporate cutbacks in country club memberships.”

“Years ago, men thought nothing of spending the whole day playing golf – maybe Saturday and Sunday both,” said Richard Rocchio, New York regional director of the National Golf Course Owners Association. “Today, he is driving his kids to their soccer games. Maybe he’s playing a round early in the morning. But he has to get back home in time for lunch.”

Every golf course has its rules and struggles with pace of play, but 18-holes still takes more than four hours on average. Not to mention the time involved booking a tee time (unless you’re smart and book one online rather than waiting on the phone with the pro shop while he searches for tee time availabilities in between his or her customer service responsibilities and retail sales), preparation to go to the course (because how many of us are lucky enough to live right on a golf course?), getting golf gear together, socializing, warm-up, etc. A game of golf really takes a full day.

So what can be done about all this? Perhaps that is why golf is often closely associated with business networking and corporate success? When people have jobs to do, would they rather do them on the fairway than in an office? I know I would.

Check out what the New York Times has to say.

Stay On Top Of What's Happening: Network While Learning More About Course Maintenance

Why network? Only because it is the most effective and powerful way to make professional connections and build enduring, mutually beneficial relationships.

Why is that important? Only because it is the best way to stay on top of what is happening in the industry and to disseminate information from the experts, educators and sometimes the decision makers who are making things happen.

“It’s not what you know, it’s not who you know, it is what you know about who you know."

Here are some upcoming opportunities to network and attend some educational workshops being held across the country for golf course superintendents and owners to learn more about important topics such as course maintenance.

February 18 -21
Environmental Connection 2008 – The world’s largest soil and water event to be held at the Colorado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida. This educational gathering, by the International Erosion Control Association, will offer full days of training courses, case studies and technical paper presentations and more than 160 vendors.
Visit www.ieca.org/Ec08 for registration information.

February 19 -20
Gateway Green Industry Conference – Focused on turf issues, golf course maintenance, trees, landscaping, athletic fields, aquatics, greenhouse insects and diseases. This event will be held at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois.
Visit www.illinoisturfgrassfoundation.org or email pstanton@uiuc.edu for more information.

February 25 -28
2008 Illinois Turfgrass Short Course – Consists of lecture and hands-on laboratory sessions offering information on management, soils, fertility, and pest control. This event is being hosted by the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation and will be held in Willowbrook, Illinois.
Visit www.mrtf.org for registration information.

February 25 -28
Western Pennsylvania Turfgrass Conference – This session is designed to help golf course superintendents and turf technicians gain a good understanding of reel mower application, quality of cut and after-cut appearance. Understanding reel technology concepts will aid in the development of reliable diagnostic practices for resolving after-cut appearance issues and improving turf quality. Hosted by the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council, this event will be held at the Greater Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville.
Visit www.paturf.org or call 814.238.2402 for more information.

February 27
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is hosting a Webcast: Bunker Sand Selection 2008 – GCSAA Education.
Visit www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/webcast.aspx or call 800.472.7878 for registration information.

February 27
Strategies and Products for Managing Weeds and Invasive Plants – This program will give an overview of the many strategies and products available for managing weeds and invasive plants in ornamental beds and landscapes. Also, management strategies for several of the most difficult-to-control weeds will be outlined. UMass is hosting the event at the Publick House in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Visit www.umassgreeninfo.org or call 413.545.0895 for more information.

February 27
Southeast Regional Conference by the New York State Turfgrass Association – Dr. Daniel Potter will talk about destructive turfgrass insects. The conference will be held at the Holiday Inn in Suffern, New York.
Visit www.nysta.org for registration information.

March 3 -6
New England Regional Turfgrass Conference and Show – Green Industry Professionals will share the latest in turf news, education and research. The New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation is hosting the event at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
Visit www.nertf.org or call 401.848.0004 for more information.

March 4
Strategies and Products for Managing Diseases of Landscape Trees and Shrubs – The workshop begins with a detailed discussion of management strategies – especially what things about the plant, the disease, and the environment to keep in mind when deciding on a particular strategy. The emphasis will be on management products available with an examination in some detail of what they do to disrupt the disease infection process. Finally, the program will look at several disease problems commonly seen in the diagnostic lab and discuss which of the strategies discussed earlier apply to their effective management in landscapes. The Umass Forestry Program is hosting the event at the Holiday Inn in Marlboro, Massachusetts.
Visit www.umassgreeninfo.org for registration information.

March 4 -5
Michigan Green Industry Trade Show and Convention – This workshop will instruct on lawn and landscape equipment, heavy duty equipment, snow equipment, trucks, nursery stock, chemicals, hardscapes, irrigation, water features and lighting supplies, business related equipment and other services. The Michigan Green Industry Association is holding this event at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Michigan.
Visit www.landscape.org or call 248.646.4992 for more information.

March 11
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is hosting a Webcast: Phosphorus Fertilizers and Pollution: What Turf Managers Need to Know – GCSAA Education.
Visit www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/webcast.aspx or call 800.472.7878 for registration information.

March 18
Strategies and Products for Managing Insects in the Landscape – Over the past five years there have been many changes in the products available to the landscape professional for managing insect and mite pests. Additionally, several new pieces of federal and state legislation have removed many of the old-style broad-spectrum chemicals from the market. While many of these new products work very well, understanding exactly when and how to use them can be a bit complex. This lecture will explore the major new groups of these insecticides and miticides while explaining the appropriate usage and timing for each one. The Umass Urban Forestry Program is hosting this event at the Holiday Inn in Marlboro, Massachusetts.
Visit www.umassgreeninfo.org for registration information.

March 20
Non-chemical Products and Strategies for Disease, Insect and Weed Management in the Landscape – In recent years many customers have called upon their landscape professional to use non-chemical or organic strategies and products for managing landscape pests. This program will outline the various options available when a landscape professional attempts to fulfill this request. Abiotic factors that contribute to the occurrence of diseases, insects and weeds will be discussed at this event hosted by the Umass Urban Forestry being held at the Sheraton Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts.
Visit www.umassgreeninfo.org for registration information.

March 25
Adirondack Regional Conference – Hosted by the New York State Turfgrass Association, this conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Lake Placid, New York.
Visit www.nysta.org for more information.

March 27
Weed Management for Garden Retailers – Customers commonly ask garden retailers questions about weed identification and the control of weeds in lawns, landscapes and gardens. Some of the questions to be discussed include "What can I use to control weeds if I don't want to use pesticides or herbicides?," "Will corn gluten meal control crabgrass effectively?," "What time of year should I spray my weeds?," "If I seed my lawn in the spring, how do I stop crabgrass from taking over?," "What is the best way to control bittersweet, poison ivy and brush?," and "How do I get rid of Japanese knotweed?" A wide range of weed control strategies and retail products will be discussed in-depth. Tips and resources for weed identification will be covered. The Umass Urban Forestry is hosting this event at the Sheraton Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts.
Visit www.umassgreeninfo.org for registration information.

Attract More Golfers: Giveaway A Few Rounds

In a Golf Business magazine article entitled Flip Side: An Indecent Proposal, author and editor Ronnie Musselwhite suggests how to attract more golfers and prove a facility stands apart from the crowd by giving away a few rounds.

Musselwhite makes the valid point that most people wouldn't buy a car, or subscribe to a magazine or order a new flavor of ice cream without first sampling the merchandise. He suggests giving away a couple rounds to actually encourage more rounds in the long run.

Whether you opt to make this a holiday tradition or pick a day of the week for possible new members and customers to give the course try, offering a "test run" will promote your course to seasoned golfers and beginners.

Beginning golfers might take a chance on playing golf for the first time, something they have been thinking about for ages. And, regular golfers may just find that your course is one they want to return to...

To read the entire article, click here