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Opportunities abound
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All it takes to fill this room and spread the word about the superintendents profession is you. GCM file photo |
Sometimes the easiest audience to talk to is a captive one. Leverage the opportunities provided by special days at your course to spread the message of what the superintendent profession entails and how you play a key role in the golfers’ enjoyment of the game.
Special events, whether through Play Golf America platforms or other vehicles, provide an instant group of engaged golfers with whom you can share your story.
There are a variety of ways you can use these events to educate golfers about your role at the facility.
1. Work in tandem with others at the facility. If your golf professional is providing free lessons through Play Golf America’s Free Lesson Month, be sure you are there to greet new golfers along with the golf pro. You can provide some basic information about the course or show them the proper way to repair a divot.
2. Have a presence, even if you can’t be there. If an event is going on, but you can’t attend, you can still be “seen.” You can develop a handout with some simple facts about the golf course or who does what on the course, or write FAQs about frost delays, out-of-play areas, or other topics that may be of interest to your
golfers.
3. Know your audience. Bring Your Daughter to the Course week is a great opportunity for young women to get an introduction to the course. A simple presentation or display in the clubhouse on the types of wildlife that inhabit the course can go a long way in making the golf course a place where kids want to be.
4. Be part of the welcoming committee. You don’t have to make a formal talk to make a great impression. On special event days, spend some time at the first tee welcoming golfers to the facility and introducing yourself. It’s free promotion for you, and a great chance for them to ask any questions they may have.
These and other efforts not only give you the opportunity for interaction with current and future customers at your facility, but also give you a chance to show your employer that you are engaged in activities that promote the overall success of your facility. Visit the Play Golf America Web site at www.playgolfamerica.com for a synopsis of various special events. For more information on public relations tools you can use at your facility, visit www.gcsaa.org, then click on “PR Tools” in the Solutions/Tools section, or contact the GCSAA communications department at 800-472-7878 or by e-mail at commteam@gcsaa.org.
Charlie Fultz, a Class A GCSAA member, has joined the agronomic staff of Grigg Bros. Foliar Fertilizers in New Market, Va. A superintendent in Virginia for the past 13 years, Fultz most recently worked for Shenvalee Golf Resort in New Market. He will work for Grigg Bros. as a technical and distributor representative for the Southeast and be charged with the task of training the sales staff at a new Virginia distributor of the Grigg line. He will also support distributors and customers in the three-state region. Fultz, a 12-year member of GCSAA, spoke at the 2005 Golf Industry Show’s Innovative Superintendent session and, in 2006, won GCSAA’s Leo Feser Award for the best superintendent-written article to appear in GCM. |
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