Education has always been an integral part of the turfgrass management profession. Regardless of one’s formal education level, our industry prides itself on staying current with developing trends and new science by attending conferences, consuming online webinars, or simply learning through networking at chapter events. I think most of us value this characteristic about our industry, and genuinely enjoy learning new things.

In my opinion, some of the most stimulating education comes from cross-disciplinary events, such as those hosted by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). While we all love our agronomy and related sciences (including myself!), I believe these alternative perspectives and insights can help give us a better-rounded understanding of our industry. I had the opportunity to attend NGCOA Mid-Atlantic’s Annual Meeting at The Federal Club, and found my adrenaline ticking up a notch when listening to some of the education given throughout the day.

One of the pieces of information I always enjoy hearing about, is growing the game initiatives. GCSAA has our own programs, such as The First Green, but I also enjoy hearing what others are working on, especially at the facility level. Lester George, a respected golf course architect and a member of ASCGA, presented a recent study by the Sports & Leisure Research Group that helped shed some light on grow-the-game initiatives. We learned that women and minorities are golf’s greatest opportunity for growth. And while that information may not be earth-shattering, we also learned what women want in their golfing experience:

·        An enjoyable social occasion

·        Should leave them with a sense of accomplishment

·        Should not be fraught with unnecessary physical or emotional stress

One of the trends striking the private sector is daycare options within the club, as well as fitness facilities. In a nutshell, families want family-catered amenities within any facility they would consider joining or supporting.

Furthermore, we learned that millennials value the traditional golf experience, however they must feel welcome at any facility. They need to feel inclusivity is part of the culture. And as you may have heard before, millennials are not shy about spending money on experiences. Which is proving true within the golf industry and the uptick in popularity for golf trips or overnight stays in on-site cottages.

While this information seemed a bit surprising to me, the proof of this exact point was fully displayed later in the meeting when Queenstown Harbor was recognized for their leadership in public golf in the Mid-Atlantic region for their recent construction of on-site cottages. John Anderes, CGCS, and General Manager at Queenstown, accepted this award and said even he has been pleasantly surprised by the high utilization of these cottages. In fact, the facility plans to add more in the near future.

And not to leave out the golf course, we learned that putting green quality is still at the top of the list for golfer satisfaction on the golf course (surprise surprise!). However, the surveys reflect a growing appetite for WiFi accessibility around the golf course, as well as increased interest in golf simulation within golf facilities.