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President's message |
Connecting the dots at home
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Golf course superintendents have just scratched the surface of our collective potential. We are recognized as a key to the enjoyment of the game of golf. Our employers recognize that the varied technical skills we must master to become successful superintendents make us a rare combination of multimanager.
Golf Digest asked golf’s best customers to name the most important criteria when selecting a course, and the top two involved course conditioning. In 2007, GCSAA stands ready to sell these realities of our world to the golfing public. The question is, are you?
GCSAA promotes your professional image to virtually everyone who touches your career. We market you to employers, influential golfers, general golf fans, government regulators, the environmental community and your golf management peers.
There are a lot of great stories for our members to tell, but making them memorable at your facility or in your chapter’s geographic area takes action on your part. Is GCSAA’s logo displayed at your facility? Your employer has paid for this recognition (remember, 98 percent of all GCSAA dues are paid by employers). So when GCSAA spends money to promote the professional virtues of GCSAA members, it also promotes the quality of your facility because it employs a member.
Does your chapter use GCSAA’s logo on its publication’s masthead and letterhead? I understand legacy and honoring the past, but when GCSAA splashes our logo on the Golf Channel 800 plus times this year, we need to connect the dots at home. Marketing brands and image in today’s business world is every department’s responsibility. What holds true for GCSAA also is the responsibility of chapters — and perhaps more important — members.
My term as GCSAA president ends Feb. 23. I can’t help but look back and consider what we’ve accomplished this past year. I’m proud that we have taken steps to better frame our perception by creating a statement of GCSAA values.
We also have amended our vision statement to reflect a desire to become an inclusive association. GCSAA operates today in a world of transparency, and we must note that we are not a very inclusive group. We estimate that our membership is 97 percent male Caucasian.
In 2007 we ask your help in identifying your race and gender when you complete your dues renewal. This will help us develop realistic targets for diversity. There are no good arguments against this when we are so out of balance with our national community. The future of golf depends on minority participation, and we as superintendents have a stake in it and a responsibility to follow through.
It has been my great honor to serve as GCSAA president. I could not have accomplished it without the support of my family and my employer, Wildhorse Resort & Casino. I would like to thank my fellow board members for their hard work and dedication this year. I am sure that GCSAA is in good hands for many years to come.
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