As GCSAA celebrates its centennial, six 50-year members reflect on the friendships, opportunities and professional pride that have shaped their careers.
Key takeaways
- Six GCSAA members are celebrating 50 years of membership, representing half of the association’s 100-year history.
- Their reflections highlight how GCSAA has supported decades of professional growth through education, resources, involvement and lasting relationships.
- Their careers demonstrate the enduring impact members can have on the profession and one another as GCSAA begins its next century.
GCSAA’s 100-year history is built on the dedication of generations of golf course superintendents, including members who have been part of the association for half of its existence.
This year, a group of retired Certified Golf Course Superintendents are celebrating 50 years of GCSAA membership. The milestone provides an opportunity to reflect on careers shaped by continued learning, lasting friendships and a shared commitment to the profession.
Although much has changed in golf course management since they joined GCSAA, their reflections reveal that the value of professional involvement and connection remains remarkably consistent.
Where did the time go?
Reaching 50 years of membership can be difficult to comprehend, especially when the decades seem to have passed quickly.
“Frankly, I cannot believe it has been 50 years. I feel like I’m only 55,” said Bradley G. Kocher, CGCS Retired. “I have been so proud of GCSAA and what they have done for golf, golf course superintendents and the golf industry.”
Kocher said the friendships he developed during his career were among the most meaningful parts of his experience.
The milestone felt equally surprising to Kevin Downing, CGCS Retired. Its significance became clear when he received his membership card recognizing five decades with GCSAA.
“It’s hard to imagine that I’ve been a member for 50 years,” Downing said. “I just sat there in utter amazement to see it had been that long. I’m proud to be a member that long.”
Getting out what you put in
For Vincent Matics Jr., CGCS Retired, GCSAA membership began with a memorable lesson while he was a student at Penn State.
“Fifty years — can’t believe it!” Matics said. “I remember when Dr. Duich passed out the applications to join when I was at Penn State, and I naively asked, ‘Well, what do we get out of it?’”
The response has stayed with him throughout his career.
“In his typical stoic way, he looked right at me and replied, ‘You get out of it what you put into it!’ I wanted to crawl under my desk,” Matics said. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
That advice became more meaningful as Matics discovered the value of becoming actively involved in the profession and helping others along the way.
“It is a great feeling to be a part of something where you can make a difference, maybe in someone’s life, as he did in mine,” he said.
Gary Sayre, CGCS Retired, also credits GCSAA with providing both the professional resources and personal connections that helped shape his career.
“When I joined GCSAA in 1976 as the assistant superintendent under Richard Malpass, little did I know that it was going to be the best time of my life,” Sayre said. “GCSAA membership has provided me with the knowledge and resources to succeed while developing great friendships in the golf management community.”
Opportunities to learn and grow
For Michael Smith, CGCS Retired, GCSAA conferences were an important part of his membership experience. During his working years, he attended more than 25 conferences.
“I am very proud to have reached this milestone,” Smith said. “I found the conferences both useful and fun.”
Now, he has another symbol of his long-standing connection to the association.
“The 50-year pin will be on my lapel,” Smith said.
Bruce James Worzella, CGCS Retired, remembers GCSAA membership as an important part of his professional development and the opportunities he experienced throughout his career.
“I do want to thank GCSAA for all they have given me in my profession and the opportunity to expand my career,” Worzella said.
Earning his CGCS designation was an especially meaningful achievement.
“When I became a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, it was a very important honor and accomplishment in my life,” he said.
A legacy that continues
Together, these members have experienced half of GCSAA’s history. Their careers span decades of advancement in turfgrass science, technology, education and golf course management, but their reflections center on something more personal: the people they met, the knowledge they shared and the opportunities they found through GCSAA.
As the association celebrates 100 years and looks toward its next century, the experiences of Kocher, Matics, Downing, Smith, Worzella and Sayre demonstrate the lasting value of membership — and the impact one member can have on another.
As Matics learned at the beginning of his career: You get out of it what you put into it.
Thinking of joining them in GCSAA membership? Looking for more on GCSAA's centennial? Revisit a century of progress.
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