This past week GCSAA Director Marc Weston, CGCS made his way from Connecticut to the Windy City area as we embarked on the 2022 version of the Great Lakes Region Board Outreach Visit. One of the goals behind the outreach visits is to connect current board members with GCSAA members outside of their home region to hear from members firsthand – which we were able to do with several members around the Chicagoland area.

During our travels, we were able to meet with 19 members across four properties, two states and one restaurant.

To kick things off, we made our way north of the Cheddar Curtain to Kenosha, Wis. Here we were greeted at Kenosha Country Club by 5-year GCSAA member Justin Prescott, CTEM. Justin sat on the GCSAA Equipment Manager Certification Committee, of which Marc Weston, CGCS, was co-chair. This was a nice way to thanks Justin for his contributions and congratulate him in person on being one of the first GCSAA members to earn the GCSAA Certified Turf Equipment Manager (CTEM) designation.

It was also great to get to Kenosha Country Club to connect with golf course superintendent and 13-year GCSAA member Harrison Beal, 12-year Class C member Patrick Bastron and 42-year Class AA association member Paul Bastron. I can’t thank Justin, Harrison, Patricka and Paul enough for their hospitality. This was a great way to kick off our outreach efforts.

Following our KCC visit, we had to adjust on the fly as our afternoon plans required an audible. We made the most of this however as we reached out to fellow CTEM Brian Bressler at Medinah Country Club. Brian also sat on the Equipment Manager Certification Committee and – along with Justin – was one of the first five EM members across the country who earned their CTEM designation. Brian graciously accepted us last minute and we were glad he did. The facilities at Medinah are first class, which is a testament to the entire MCC team, including director of agronomy Steve Cook, CGCS, MG and superintendent Ben McGargill, CGCS. Again, I can’t thank Brian, Steve, and Ben enough for hosting us on short notice.

The second and final day of our outreach visit allowed us to meet with 19-year GCSAA member Andrew Cross, 22-year member Matt Dutkiewicz and 14-year member Michael Ludwig at the Village Links of Glen Ellyn. In his second season at the helm of Village Links, Andrew oversees more than just the golf course in the village. Responsible for parks and trails, as well as the course itself, Andrew, Matt, Michael and their team have crushed it this season. We were greatly appreciative of the visit to learn more about their operation. 

Following our visit at Village Links, 19-year member Dave Boyce greeted us at Willow Crest Golf Course in Oak Brook, Ill. Similar to Andrew and Matt at Village Links, Dave has been at Willow Crest for short time and has already made a big impact. While the course was jumping with the second outing of the day - a theme which is true on most days — the area of the property we were able to check out looked fantastic. Dave has a small crew and it was awesome to sit down and hear more about his experience in the industry and day-to-day practices. 

The Outreach Visits always allow for an excellent opportunity to meet with members, hear feedback on GCSAA programs and initiatives, as well as thank members for their support of the association and industry — and this year’s visit did just that. Although a longtime Connecticut resident, Marc had a brief stint in Villa Park, Ill., almost 20 years ago and it was fun to get him back in his old stomping grounds.

I want to thank everyone who took us in during the Outreach Visit and I look forward to getting back to the Chicagoland area soon to visit with more members – even though I may be solo. All the best as head into September and, as always, please reach out if I can help with anything!