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CAREER track |
Start spreading the news
Jeff Bollig
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GCSAA’s vision statements have been carefully crafted and revised throughout the years because they provide a map for the overall direction of the association’s programs and services.
In terms of outreach (media/public relations, advertising, marketing, etc.), the vision statements form the messaging strategy and how the association and its members are positioned in the minds of a variety of audiences. GCSAA uses several outreach strategies for specific audiences, including the influential golfer and employer audiences.
The feedback we have received indicates that these efforts have elevated the profile of GCSAA members and the association. Later this year, the association will conduct its third survey of avid golfers since 1996 to measure their attitudes and perceptions of superintendents and golf course management.
“Our research in 2002 showed significant gains in how golfers view the golf course superintendent,” says GCSAA Chief Executive Officer Steve Mona, CAE. “Other surveys, such as the ones Golf Digest did in 1997 and later in 2005, support the value superintendents have for a facility and for golferenjoyment.
“That quantitative data and the anecdotal feedback we have received make it clear that the efforts our members and the association have made to elevate the profession have been successful.”
Here is a look at some of the vehicles GCSAA will use in 2006 to achieve those established vision statements.
The Golf Channel
For the third year in a row, GCSAA has increased its investment in a comprehensive package to be aired on The Golf Channel. Now available in 70 million homes, The Golf Channel is a highly efficient vehicle to reach the golfer and golf industry audiences, and it will become the home of several PGA Tour events in 2007.
The cornerstone of The Golf Channel media buy is a commercial package that will be aired during the weeks of high-profile and major golf events, largely during prime time viewing hours. Testimonial spots from Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman, and a new 30-second commercial highlighting GCSAA’s 80th anniversary and member commitment to environmental stewardship will be aired (visit www.gcsaa.org to view the commercials).
GCSAA will continue to be featured in interviews live from tournament locations as part of The Golf Channel’s “Live From” programming. Interviews from the following upcoming tournaments will be conducted:
June 1-4, The Memorial, Muirfield Village Golf Club
- June 15-18, U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club
- June 29-July 2, U.S. Women’s Open, Newport Country Club
- July 6-9, U.S. Senior Open, Prairie Dunes Country Club
- July 13-16, Ford Senior Players Championship, TPC of Michigan
- Aug. 17-20, PGA Championship, Medinah Country Club
In addition, two feature segments from the Golf Industry Show were broadcast the week following the event in Atlanta.
GCSAA and its members will be the subject of a 30-minute feature as part of the “What’s in the Bag” series. Hosted by Adam Barr, this year’s episode will focus on the golf course and the playing of the game from the superintendent’s perspective. Last year, this feature program took a look at the day in the life of Jon Jennings, CGCS, as he prepared for the USGA’s Walker Cup matches. It also included interviews of numerous GCSAA members on various aspects of the profession. This episode will be replayed 12-15 times during the summer.
Other elements of the package include one-minute course set-up features for all LPGA and Canadian Tour events, plus the airing of the GCSAA logo after various programs.
“The feedback from our presence on The Golf Channel has been positive, not only from GCSAA members, but from the industry and viewers as well,” Mona says. “Golf is a visual sport, and television offers a great medium to showcase GCSAA members.”
PGA Tour satellite radio
For the second year, GCSAA will have a weekly presence on satellite radio via XM Channel 146, PGA Tour Radio, hosted by Peter Kessler. The association receives a weekly 20-minute interview segment, featuring GCSAA members and others in the golf course management industry. Discussion subjects include golf course previews for professional events, The Environmental Institute for Golf, USGA Green Section and GCSAA. Kessler, who was the voice of The Golf Channel for many years, was the keynote speaker at the 2005 GCSAA Education Conference General Session.
“The information we get from superintendents isjust great,” Kessler says. “We love having them on the show to give our listeners some insight they cannot get from anyone else.”
Project Evergreen
Through its membership in Project Evergreen, GCSAA is reaching the general consumer this year. Project Evergreen is a coalition of green industry organizations and individuals that is focused on communicating the value of green spaces — environmentally, economically and recreationally. This three-year old initiative conducts an extensive media relations program; has funded restoration and beautification programs for athletic fields, Habitat for Humanity and public spaces; and conducts an awards program to recognize outstanding achievement.
This year, Project Evergreen and GCSAA are presenting a national radio campaign targeted at consumers. GCSAA members will be scheduled for radio interviews in the top 25 to 30 metropolitan markets. The interviews will be conducted on sports call-in shows, morning drive time shows and weekend home and garden programs. In addition, plans call for a video project featuring superintendents later this year.
Editorial placement
Another GCSAA strategy is to place key messages in a variety of publications with specific audiences. GCSAA staff and members write articles for placement in The Boardroom, Club Management and Club & Resort Business magazines to reach the private facility employer/manager; in state, regional and district golf publications to reach the avid golfer; in Golf Business magazine to reach owners; and numerous specialty publications that target the management of municipal, county, state, military and management company-owned golf facilities. GCSAA also produces a video feature, in cooperation with EPIC Creative Communications, in the Superintendent’s Video Magazine. The video is directed to the golf course management industry, primarily superintendents, builders and architects.
Special projects
By leveraging relationships with various individuals and organizations, GCSAA gains exposure for its members and the association. Earlier this year, Sports Illustrated magazine shadowed a group of GCSAA volunteers from the Rocky Mountain GCSA who traveled to New Orleans to aid in the recovery efforts at golf courses in that area. A video crew also documented the work, and footage will be aired in various venues in the upcoming year.
| Editor’s note: The Career Track feature in the July issue of GCM will share the various resources GCSAA offers to assist chapters and members in their outreach efforts. GCSAA VISION
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For the third consecutive year, GCSAA will be recognized in the People vs. The Pros competition, presented by BASF. The association and GCSAA members will be recognized in various avenues through the prime time telecast on ESPN later this year. As a supporting sponsor of the Special Olympics National Golf Championship, GCSAA and its members are recognized for their philanthropic efforts.
“GCSAA and its members have long been known as supportive partners in local, regional and national initiatives,” Mona says. “We know golf is a galvanizing event and brings people of many backgrounds together. The GCSAA member plays a key role in making these events happen.”
The annual GCSAA Leadership Survey, conducted on site at GCSAA’s conference and show and online, has been an effective way to communicate golf course management issues. Golf publications and newspapers have used the results of the survey and accompanying graphics in notes column and special golf sections.
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