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Inside GCM by Scott Hollister, GCM editor |
Getting in the trenches
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“Hey GCM!” a voice called from behind me in the hallway of the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence.
When I turned to see where the greeting had come from, I saw two men approaching me, hands extended, smiles on their faces. “Love the magazine. I keep them all,” said Jim, who introduced himself as a superintendent at a course not far from where we stood. “Great resource.”
“Yeah, I read it all the time,” said the younger of the two and Jim’s assistant superintendent.
We traded further pleasantries as we waited in line for a cup of coffee, chatted about the weather, the golf economy in New England, the offerings at the New England Regional Turfgrass Conference and Show — the event that had brought us together in the first place — and the tastefully appointed GCM golf shirt that had given me away a few minutes earlier.
Then as we said our farewells and prepared to go our separate ways, Jim turned back to me, a somewhat puzzled look on his face. “Say,” he asked, “So what are you guys doing here anyway?”
It’s a valid question, I guess. Why is the editor of a national magazine charged with covering matters of golf course maintenance from coast to coast taking time out of his schedule to attend an event with such a narrow, regional focus?
The answer, as I explained to Jim and his young apprentice, really goes to the heart of how we construct the overall editorial product that you see in each issue of GCM. We are firm believers in the value of the face-to-face meeting, of putting GCM staff members on the ground and in front of superintendents to learn what makes them tick, what makes them sweat and what makes them get up so darn early every morning to do this job.
What we learn from these personal encounters often provides the impetus for future feature stories and column ideas for the magazine. Because if something is a concern to a superintendent in Vermont, chances are it’s a concern to a superintendent in New Mexico, even if their agronomic situations are completely different.
And although it’s possible to get that kind of in-the-trenches insight over the phone or by e-mail, there’s no better way to mine those details than in person. That’s why you’ll find staff members from the magazine at regional conferences and trade shows like the one I attended in Providence, at select chapter events across the country and at industry events where superintendents are the primary audience.
We’re looking for perspective and we’re looking for information. So when you see one of us at these events, sporting a tastefully appointed GCM golf shirt, make sure to stop us and let us know what’s going on in your world. That’s what we’re doing there, anyway.
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