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Accolades for Anaheim
GIS on solid footing following strong 2007 run in California.
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The blueprint for the Golf Industry Show is a living document that’s moving in the right direction.
In a news conference preceding the close of the 2007 show in Anaheim, officials of the three presenting partners — GCSAA, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Club Managers Association of America — were fairly beaming as they wrapped up the third GIS, which rolled out as the most successful yet in the short but highly scrutinized history of the event.
The Anaheim show started out in gangbuster fashion on the education front and continued to gather momentum with dynamic, well-attended Opening and General Sessions and a busy, fully appointed trade show. In the end, attendance and participation numbers not only surpassed those of the first two GIS venues (Orlando in 2005 and Atlanta in 2006), but also set all-time highs for a golf course show in the process.
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Proof’s in the pudding
“Everyone I’ve talked to has been 100 percent positive about the new GIS,” GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE, said during his opening remarks at the wrap-up session.
Historically, West Coast conference and shows have lagged in overall attendance, but the Anaheim GIS boasted 23,109 total attendees, passing the previous high of 22,723 at the inaugural GIS in Orlando. Anaheim qualified buyers, the key attendance component, numbered a robust 9,706, besting the previous high, also in Orlando, by more than 1,500 and Atlanta by more than 3,000.
The breakdown in total attendance among the presenting partners included 19,670 for GCSAA, 1,150 for NGCOA and 2,289 for CMAA.
Bolstered by a new floor layout and a redesign of the popular Solution Centers, the trade show kept pace with a record number of 950 exhibitors covering 291,100 square feet. A definite highlight was the Golf Course Solution Center that featured construction and renovation projects and included the creation of an actual bunker by members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Golf Course Builders Association of America and the Irrigation Association.
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The creation of a bunker on the show floor was a highlight of the trade show floor. |
Another key number that was perhaps the most satisfying for GCSAA was the 7,086 seats sold for education seminars, which exceeded expectations for the site. The association’s education lineup featured a balance between technical programs and management and leadership programs. In all, there were 118 seminars and an additional 50 hours of free sessions.
Mona noted that the education totals (NGCOA sold 941 seats, while CMAA’s sessions got under way following the GIS) are encouraging because of their overall impact as a barometer for present and future events — as education attendance goes, so goes the show.
Crowd-pleasing teamwork
To be sure, there was a feel-good air to the show from start to finish in reaction to such touches as Native Americans representing three tribes presenting a unique invocation at the Opening Session, which also featured a video message from Tiger Woods congratulating Old Tom Morris Award winner Charlie Sifford, and near-capacity crowds at both the Opening and General Sessions giving rousing ovations to their respective speakers, Johnny Miller and Pat Croce.
Sharing the closing spotlight with Mona were NGCOA CEO Mike Hughes and CMAA CEO Jim Singerling. All three executives attributed the 2007 show’s success to teamwork and leadership within their own respective ranks and, of course, a resounding response from the industry as a whole.
Mona added that other elements helped bring the event together, as well, such as the GIS supporting organizations — the previously mentioned ASGCA and GCBAA, as well as the National Golf Foundation.
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“This show was all about team and it worked out just like we drew it up on paper in our planning,” said Hughes. Added Singerling, whose association debuted as a presenting partner this year: “The staffs of the three organizations pulled it all together and leadership stepped in. It was well thought out and well received. The fact that our people were walking the floor together is good for this business, and it will only get better.”
Singerling also pitched the impact of education and noted that the Solution Centers brought education to the trade show floor and “opened an entirely new chapter in golf industry shows.”
More to do, more to plan
All the presenting and supporting organizations and other groups will be coming together in the coming months for a GIS post-mortem of sorts. GCSAA, for instance, surveys show attendees and exhibitors, in addition to participants in the GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic. The association staff will develop its own assessment, as well.
Singerling praised the magnitude of such a collaborative effort by such diverse organizations, but he also urged a low-key approach to the future.
“I’m going to be very cautious about making any great changes,” he said. “From my perspective, we’ve just played the front nine. I think we need to wait until we’ve had a chance to play the whole course and look at how this evolves over a year or two years.”
The numbers don’t lie and are in fact promising for now and the future. Mona noted that a very successful GIS now moves from the West, where show attendance is historically weakest, to Florida, where traditionally records are set, for its 2008 edition.
“We’re extremely excited about the prospects for Orlando next year,” the GCSAA CEO said.
— Terry Ostmeyer,
GCM senior staff writer
Sifford, Miller open GIS
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Charlie Sifford, winner of the 2007 Old Tom Morris Award, and golf broadcaster Johnny Miller teamed up as “the odd couple” to energize the near-capacity crowd at GCSAA’s Opening Session in Anaheim. |
There were a lot of big hits in Anaheim, but the only one that GCSAA CEO Steve Mona described as a “home run” was the Opening Session, which was presented in partnership with Bayer Environmental Science.
With a near-capacity crowd on hand, the event was a high-energy affair from the start, with Mona emphasizing the association’s focus on the facility and the expanding role of superintendents, and outgoing GCSAA President Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS, fostering an association leadership mantra that goes back 80 years — to explain not only the “what” but also the “why.”
Hoolehan, superintendent at Wildhorse Resort & Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Ore., also underscored GCSAA’s resolve to embrace diversity, first presenting a unique invocation ceremony by members of the Umatilla, Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes and then presenting the 2007 Old Tom Morris Award to golf’s pioneering African-American, Charlie Sifford.
Remarks by the 84-year-old Sifford and later by the session’s keynote speaker, Johnny Miller — tall, blonde and the epitome of a star in the PGA Tour’s golden age a generation or so ago — were as entertaining as any in GCSAA conference and show history. “The odd couple,” as Miller called them, used to play practice rounds together in the 1970s and ’80s and fittingly played the large Anaheim Ballroom audience to rave reviews.
We are ‘family’
Before Sifford spoke, he received congratulations via a video message from his most notable golfing progeny, Tiger Woods, who considers Sifford “my grandfather.”
“Charlie’s diligence, perseverance, stubbornness and talent obviously paved the way for the likes of players like myself,” Woods said. “What he endured during some pretty racially tense times and his pursuit of his dream to play golf has truly inspired me.”
Sifford took it from there, humbly accepting the Old Tom Morris Award and reminiscing about his valiant quest during the volatile 1960s to break the PGA Tour’s Caucasian-only barrier — all the while sprinkling his comments with humorous asides.
“This is a wonderful honor and one that I won’t forget. It’s a great honor named for a great man,” he said, noting that last year while in Scotland to receive an honorary law degree from the University of St. Andrews, he visited the Old Course museum and learned a little about Old Tom Morris.
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The 2007 Opening Session invocation was delivered by members of the Umatilla, Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes. |
That honorary degree was one of a run of major honors that have come Sifford’s way late in a life where much was better late than never. In 2004, he was the first black person inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Then the honor at St. Andrews was quickly followed by the OTMA.
“That’s hard to beat,” he said of the recent recognition. “There were some tough times and now there have been some good times.”
After retracing a long career that began in his teens, highlighted by his arduous but successful inclusion into the PGA Tour, two Tour
victories while in his late 40s and the health issues he endured until they finally sidelined him, Sifford’s parting remark was offbeat yet typical of the man.
“If you play this game long enough like I have for 73 years, you’re going to lose all your hair and get ugly,” he said. And to that, Hoolehan responded for all, “Charlie, you’re beautiful.
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Golf broadcaster Johnny Miller |
Shooting from the hip
Beauty was a recurring theme in Miller’s address, too, as the former golf great turned popular (and controversial) television commentator bounced between life on the PGA Tour in his day and today, an occasional on-stage swing lesson and some serious and sometimes emotional views on golf course management and commitment to family.
“In the old days, the condition of the course was the main topic of conversation among the pros,” Miller said to the crowd of mostly golf course management professionals. “Now superintendents all around the country are doing such a great job that topic of conversation is almost nonexistent these days. My point is, you guys are good. You’re almost too good.”
In sharp contrast to Sifford’s longevity in golf, Miller was the game’s shooting star, winning 18 of his 25 tour titles between 1973-76 and abruptly retiring at the age of 41. Along the way, he said, he has acquired three ranches, a farm and a golf course.
“I have an unusual love of the land,” he said. “I appreciate what (superintendents) do. The beauty of golf is a sacred thing. It’s the greatest game and the most beautiful game, thanks to you guys.”
Miller said he retired because of burnout and putting yips, yet he pointed out that no amount of success is better than your home and your family, alluding that it was no coincidence that he walked away from the game about the same time his children began attending school.
“There is no higher calling than taking care of the earth,” he said. “I also believe that the key to everything in life is being honest. . . . Be true to yourself and be true to your family.”
More kudos
The event also featured other 2007 GCSAA honorees, including:
- Charles Fultz, Class A superintendent at Shenvalee Golf Course in New Market, Va., and the winner of the Leo Feser Award
- Stanley E. Metsker, CGCS, retired, and William A. Meyer, Ph.D., winners of the Distinguished Service Award
- Jason Regan, Class A superintendent at Selma (Ala.) Country Club, and winner of the GCSAA National Championship.
The Opening Session also provided a venue for GCSAA’s philanthropic arm, The Environmental Institute for Golf, to announce major additions to its Advisory Council, The Institute’s funding and strategic beacon (see the Front Nine section in this issue).
— Terry Ostmeyer,
GCM senior staff writer
General Session puts spotlight on teamwork
More than 1,500 golf course superintendents, owners, CEOs and general managers packed into the Anaheim Convention Center’s ballroom Feb. 23 to hear the rally call for a day dedicated to the concept of teamwork.
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The Golf Industry Show General Session was highlighted by featured speaker Pat Croce, who told the crowd, “Everything is impossible before it works. I’ve found out through my journey that opportunities are brilliantly disguised as impossible or very difficult situations.” |
“I am here to tell our Golf Industry Show partners that golf course superintendents are team players,” 2006 GCSAA President Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS, told General Session attendees following his introduction by Adam Barr of The Golf Channel, the master of ceremonies for the event. “Whether it is new construction, a redesign project, a membership drive or a group outing, GCSAA and its members do not take that responsibility lightly.”
Hoolehan was joined onstage by the leaders of the show’s presenting partners and supporting organizations, including Burton Ward, president of first-time partner Club Managers Association of America, who commented, “So far, the Golf Industry Show has been spectacular. We are excited about accomplishing great things together.”
Also onstage were Henry DeLozier, president of the National Golf Course Owners Association, who reiterated the theme of the Golf Industry Show’s first-ever Team Day, saying, “Working together, I’m confident that the future of our game is in good hands;” Greg Muirhead, president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects; and Thomas Shapland, president of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Joe Beditz, president and CEO of the National Golf Foundation, was detained by Los Angeles traffic while en route to the session.
Before introducing the session’s keynote speaker, Barr, who hosts The Golf Channel’s “What’s in the Bag?” feature, made a passionate plea to attendees to team up to “think outside a number of boxes” and develop nontraditional business models to re-energize the industry.
Then it was Pat Croce’s turn to motivate the audience with a rousing, hour-long presentation that ended in a standing ovation. Renowned for his high energy, Croce did not disappoint, as he recounted the setbacks and successes on his journey from a Philadelphia row house to the owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and countless other successful business ventures, including a golf course and a pirate museum.
Croce, who delivered several moments of his speech standing on a chair and who punched the air with several high kicks to demonstrate how he had overcome a devastating leg injury, praised the power of teamwork, but focused on the individual’s power to achieve success by “expecting the best.”
“Unleash the power of your soul,” he advised. “Everything seems impossible — before it works.”
He encouraged the crowd to achieve their dreams by developing a “positive passion” and a “giving attitude.”
“I want you to be unforgettable,” he concluded.
— Bunny Smith,
GCM managing editor
Heine takes GCSAA helm
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Outgoing GCSAA President Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS (left), prepares to introduce newly elected President Ricky D. Heine, CGCS (right) at the GCSAA Annual Meeting, while former President Timothy T. O’Neill, CGCS, looks on. |
GCSAA members elected Ricky D. Heine, CGCS, president of the association during the annual meeting in Anaheim.
Accepting the gavel from outgoing 2006 President Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS, Heine, a 25-year member of GCSAA who has served on the board since 2002, told voters, “We have the best career in the world. We need to appreciate it, live it and love it.”
Heine is the general manager and director of grounds at The Golf Club Star Ranch in Austin, Texas.
David S. Downing II, CGCS at Rivers Edge Golf Club in Shallotte, N.C., was elected vice president, and Mark D. Kuhns, CGCS, director of grounds at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., was elected secretary/treasurer.
Elected to two-year terms on the GCSAA Board of Directors were Keith A. Ihms, CGCS at Country Club of Little Rock (Ark.); Robert M. Randquist, CGCS, director of golf course and grounds at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla.; and James R. Fitzroy, CGCS, director/superintendent at Wollaston Recreational Facility/Presidents Golf Club in North Quincy, Mass.
Sanford G. Queen, CGCS, manager of golf operations for the city of Overland Park, Kan., and Patrick R. Finlen, CGCS, director of golf course maintenance operations at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, both enter the second year of their terms as directors.
Hoolehan, who is CGCS at Wildhorse Resort & Casino on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, will now serve on the board for one year as immediate past president.
— Bunny Smith,
GCM managing editor
Iowa State extends dynasty
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A total of 81 teams competed in the 13th annual Collegiate Turf Bowl in Anaheim. A team from Iowa State took home the trophy for the sixth straight year. |
Iowa State continued its dominance of the annual Collegiate Turf Bowl competition in Anaheim, as a team from the Big 12 school won the competition for the sixth consecutive year. The team of Matt Klingsberg, Mark Newton, Adam Hobbel and Brad Johnson took top honors. Another Iowa State team took second, while a team from Purdue University finished third.
In all, 81 teams competed in the event which challenges students to identify soils, turfgrass species, diseases, weeds and insects. It also features a business management component that requires students to write a case-study scenario.
The Institute brings ’em in
The Environmental Institute for Golf enjoyed a big week in Anaheim during the Golf Industry Show. Not only did it announce the addition of several new members to its Advisory Council and the creation of a new donor program (you can read more about these moves in this month’s Front Nine), but it also secured donations from several sources and agreed to support an important GCSAA initiative.
Aquatrols extends support of Robert A. Moore Endowment. The company agreed to continue its support of the fund — named after the founder of Aquatrols — that supports research into options for golf course managers when faced with drought conditions. Aquatrols is a member of The Institute’s Platinum Tee Club (those who contribute $5,000 or more annually) and the Governor’s Club (those who have contributed between $50,000 and $99,999 since 1987).
Toro steps up to the plate. The equipment manufacturer donated $50,000 to The Institute to help fund the third phase of a multi-year research project — the Golf Course Environmental Profile — that will focus on the amount of nutrients applied to golf courses.
Lesco joins Platinum Tee Club. The prominent distributor presented a check for $5,000, and like Aquatrols, is a member of The Institute’s Governor’s Club. Lesco also made a substantial purchase of GCSAA gift certificates to give back to their customers for their loyalty and support.
John Deere World Championship chips in. Continuing a theme of the week, John Deere donated $15,000 to The Institute from its World Championship, an annual event that features teams made up of the management team from golf courses, typically the superintendent, owner, manager, golf pro, etc. Last year, a total of 44 teams from eight different countries participated in the event.
Chapter program gets Institute boost. The Chapter Leaders/Executive Symposium, a program that teaches interpersonal and organizational skills to leaders in affiliated GCSAA chapters, will be funded through The Institute’s Williams Leadership Endowment. The endowment, formed in 2002, recognizes former GCSAA president Robert M. Williams and has been funded through contributions by GCSAA chapters, organizations, individuals and GCSAA past president Bruce R. Williams, CGCS at Los Angeles Country Club.
Silent Auction pulls in $165,000
The Golf Industry Show Silent Auction generated more than $165,000 for the auction’s primary beneficiaries — The Environmental Institute for Golf, the National Golf Course Owners Association Foundation, the Club Foundation, the Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation and the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
All told, 131 companies donated 238 items for the online auction. Proceeds from the auction support environmental stewardship programs, including research and education, player development programs, grants and scholarships to advance the club management industry and provide young people the opportunity to learn golf and the values the game represents.
For one GCSAA member, taking part in the Silent Auction netted him a free trip to next year’s GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Orlando. John Lof, the Class A superintendent at Riverside Golf and Country Club in Portland, Ore., was selected for that prize in a drawing of all participants in the auction.
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David Pursell (left) of FarmLinks and vice president of sales and marketing for Agrium Advanced Technologies, presents the drawing of Alister MacKenzie to GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE. Pursell has donated a drawing for distribution at the show since 1994. |
Solution Challenge winners
Spending time on the trade show floor at the 2007 Golf Industry Show paid off big time for 18 attendees who walked away with prizes in the Solutions Challenge. Entrants who collected stamps from participating exhibitors and submitted completed cards to be entered into a drawing for the grand prizes. The winners were:
- Allan Mackay from Ainsdale Golf Course in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada, who won one case containing two jugs of Arena, donated by Arysta LifeScience.
- Jerry McVety from Oakhurst Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich., who won $1,000 worth of Insignia fungicide, donated by BASF.
- Tony Bubenas from Lake Spanaway Golf Course in Covington, Wash., who won an all-purpose utility trailer, donated by Speed Roller.
- John P. Martin from Contra Costa Country Club in Pleasant Hill, Calif., who won $1,000 worth of Eagle One merchandise, donated by Eagle One Golf Products.
- Edward Fischer from Old Elm Club in Highland Park, Ill., who won a $1,000 gift certificate from Best Buy, donated by Employers Direct Insurance Co.
- Les Kennedy Jr., CGCS at the Blind Brook Club in Purchase, N.Y., who won two tons (5.7 cubic yards) of Axis soil amendment, donated by EP Minerals LLC.
- Chris Vincent from the Reserve at Lake Keowee Club in Sunset, S.C., who won complimentary registration for the 2008 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show, and the GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic, donated by Ewing Irrigation.
- James Pyle from Stonebridge Village in Branson West, Mo., who won a home theater system with surround sound, donated by FMC Specialty Products.
- Tom Tucci from Rossmoor in Englishtown, N.Y., who won a trip for two to Las Vegas, donated by Honeywell Ammonium Sulfate.
- Gregory A. Highhouse from William Blanchard Golf Course in Tucson, Ariz., who won two cases of either G870, G875, G880, G990 or G995 irrigation products, donated by Hunter Industries.
- Dale Bauer from Burning Tree Golf and Country Club in Macomb, Mich., who won a 356BT backpack blower and 335LX professional trimmer, donated by Husqvarna.
- Robert Rogers from Big Springs Country Club in Louisville, Ky., who won a single-row, 25-yard marking system (which typically includes 92 markers for a full course) with installation kit, donated by Kirby Markers.
- Scott Severance from Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn., who won five tons of Milorganite Classic fertilizer, donated by Milorganite.
- William R. Morton from the Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, R.I., who won an Aqua series deluxe fractional aerator (which includes a choice of 1⁄4- or ½-horsepower models with lights, 115V interchangeable with two patterns), donated by Otterbine Barebo Inc.
- John Colo from the Country Club of York (Pa.), who won a flat-screen TV, donated by Profile Golf.
- Gary L. Keppel from Orchard Park Country Club in Collins, N.Y., who won one case of Cutless 50W turf growth regulator and two pails of Cutless G landscape growth regulator, donated by SePro.
- Larry Hill from Countryside in Norwalk, Iowa, who won $1,000 of Standard Golf accessories, donated by Standard Golf Co.
- Joseph E. Burke from Indianola (Iowa) Country Club, who won a $1,000 gift certificate from Lowe’s, donated by West Technology Systems Inc.
GCSAA Partners
GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic
The Toro Co.
Opening Session
Bayer Environmental Science
Certification Luncheon and Business Meeting
Syngenta Professional Products
Innovative Superintendent Breakfasts
BASF Corp.
GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards
Rain Bird Corp. — Golf Division
Syngenta Professional Products
Conference Seminars
Jacobsen, a Textron company
International Resource Center
Syngenta Professional Products
Phillip Jennings Turf Farms
Internet Café and satellite cafés
DuPont Professional Products
Disney Institute Session,
Team Solution Center
The Toro Co.
Superintendent Grant program
Bayer Environmental Science
Coffee Talk
John Deere Credit
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