Thursday, November 3, 2011

2011 GCSAA Chapter Delegates Conference


This past weekend I had the privilege of joining nearly 100 golf course superintendents from across the country at the annual Chapter Delegates Conference.  As a first time delegate, representing the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendent Association, I traveled to Kansas City and boarded a bus to head to Lawrence, KS, home of GCSAA’s headquarters.  This my second visit to the headquarters, the first being a Leadership Symposium in 2008.  The facility is an impressive place with an equally impressive staff that is dedicated to serving the needs of member superintendents and the golf industry as a whole.

Here are a couple of pics of the antique maintenance equipment displayed on the first floor.























Saturday is a full day of meetings, evaluating the state of the Association through presentations, breakout sessions, and open forums.  Delegates are invited to share their questions and experiences with staff members, board of directors, and most importantly, fellow superintendents.


My favorite part of all of this is meeting other superintendents.  I easily made 30 new contacts during the two day conference and acquired contact information from every single attendee.  This is a group of well educated, professional, and devoted managers that drive this industry and produce the conditions that benefit you, the golfer.  I am still impressed by the professionalism of the men and women that make up this industry. 



While Bill Murray as Carl Spackler is a great character in a hilarious movie, he does a poor job in personifying the people who are real superintendents.  Notice how we all are wearing suits, not stained shirts and floppy hats.  Like the machines pictured above, we’ve come a long way.


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