Turf

FROM THE GCSAA By Jeff Bollig, GCSAA Director of Communications Professional Development Not an Option The annual Golf Industry Show held each February draws thousands. Orlando, Fla. hosts the 2014 show on Feb. 3-6. T he lifeblood of any profession is the continued professional development of its members, whether formal through education or informal through interaction with each other. In the early 1920s, golf course superintendents clearly saw this need when they formed the National Association of Greenkeepers of America, the predecessor to what is today the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The forefathers of the association organized for the purpose of building a base of education on "greenkeeping" and establishing a network to disseminate it. Golf was becoming more sophisticated as a game and the demands for better playing conditions was growing. Those in charge of tending for the course needed the information and training to meet those demands. Colleges and universities began to offer degrees in turfgrass management and GCSAA would conduct annual conferences, publish magazines and organize regionally to educate these professionals. While much has changed since those days, much has stayed the same. Golf course superintendents are still engaging in a variety of professional development activities. In fact, the legendary Arnold Palmer, himself the son of a golf course superintendent, said that the biggest change in the game during his lifetime has been the knowledge of superintendents and the condition of golf courses. "Regardless of the generation, the one constant you hear from GCSAA members is how the profession is constantly changing," said Patrick R. Finlen, GCSAA president. "Whether 22  www.westernturfmag.com it is through new chemistry, emerging grass varieties, government regulation or changing technology, our jobs are constantly evolving. Plus you have a change in the business of golf. The only way to survive is to continue to hone your skills and add to your knowledge base." GCSAA offers a plethora of resources to the golf course industry to assist in professional development. The most well known is its annual education conference and golf industry show. Next year, the event will be conducted in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 3-6. A full menu of events provides the best opportunities the industry has to offer for networking, education and product review. It begins with the GCSAA Golf Championship, which is actually a variety of formats offering one, two or three days of golf. Nearly 500 participants make this a great networking event. GCSAA's education conference is the largest in the world for golf course professionals. Just over 100 seminars, plus more than 60 hours of panels, forums and small group discussions are offered. A trade show featuring almost 200,000 square feet of exhibition space offers the latest products and services to assist superintendents in managing their facilities. "I cannot think of a better investment for a golf facility and a better use of time for a golf course superintendent than attending the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show," Finlen said. "I know for myself, and in talking to other GCSAA members, they take away something every year that makes them more efficient and saves their facility money—not to mention provides a better experience for their golfers as well." GCSAA also provide professional development opportunities 365 days a year through its online menu of services. Webcasts are conducted regularly on a variety of topics and are recorded so that industry professionals can participate according to their schedules. Educational and informational videos are also available online via GCSAA TV. Since it launched in February 2009, individuals in 140 countries have viewed more than 500,000 videos. GCSAA offers the industry's leading technical journal, Golf Course Management magazine. Accessible in print and online, GCM offers industry news, new product information, research, case studies and features on members. The magazine is supported by www.gcssaa.org, an exhaustive online resource of information that addresses virtually every aspect of course management from environmental stewardship, communications, government relations, research, career development, a jobs marketplace, industry news, new product information and more. The information gets down to the local and regional level through GCSAA's network of 99 chapters and the support of field staff representatives. These GCSAA staff members reside in the nine regions and are interacting with members to assist in their needs and help them utilize association services to their benefit. "When you consider what GCSAA offers for the member, it comes down to making the decision of whether $1 per day is worth it to get access to everything the association offers," Finlen said. "To me, that is a no-brainer. I hear stories all the time of how members have saved tens, even hundreds of thousands over the course of their career by utilizing GCSAA resources." In fact, GCSAA was recognized in a recent survey of club managers conducted by the McMahon Consulting Group. When managers were asked to rate all of the associations that provide services to their facilities, GCSAA was rated the most valuable. WT

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