Thinking outside the box for turfgrass research

The Carolinas Chapter came up with a new way to raise money for turfgrass research at its winter meeting at Bulls Bay in Awendaw, South Carolina.

First, let me introduce the club mascot at Bulls Bay.  His name is Titleist, and he is a 16-year-old longhorn bull.  He does what all cattle do — he eats for a living and deposits piles of fertilizer in a random fashion.  He's a handsome fellow who loves to have his picture taken, and on this day he was an integral part of a fundraising project.

So, what does all this have to do with raising money for turf research?  This is where the innovation part kicks in.

You may notice that Titleist is sitting on a grid of squares.  The participants at the meeting had the opportunity to "buy" a square for $20, and while we were on the course Titleist was tethered to the flagpole in the middle of the grid free to roam around the area and make a fertilizer deposit wherever and whenever he chose. Whoever "owned" the square with the biggest fertilizer deposit won half of the money collected, with the other half going towards turfgrass research.  Now, I'm happy to report that my square did receive some love from Titleist, but unfortunately, it wasn't the biggest pile.  Fifty squares were sold, and a cool $500 was raised for research at the drop of a ... well, cowpie!

It was a great meeting, and kudos go to the staff at Bulls Bay for hosting the event.  Who would have thought that raising money could be so easy — and that's no B.S.!

Is your chapter thinking outside the box?

The time of year to reflect and review

Thank you to everyone who had responded to the environmental surveys that have come out the past few months. Now, there's another one in your inbox. This survey, the GCSAA Member Needs Assessment, is important to us so we know how we're doing with our efforts to serve you and serve the golf industry. You should have received the e-mail as of December 7. This time of year is especially busy, so we appreciate you taking a few moments to provide us with feedback.

This is also the time of year to reflect on the events of 2015 and start planning for 2016.  I've had the chance to meet and work with some amazing people in the Southeast this year and everyone seems to be headed for bigger and better things in 2016.  I'd like to thank all the chapter executives and their staff for making all of the chapters function so well.  I'd also like to thank the chapter boards for their willingness to give their time and push our industry forward; we have some great thinkers here in the Southeast.  Finally, I'd like to thank the members of the five chapters with which I work.  I have had the opportunity to meet hundreds of members this year and I look forward to meeting hundreds more in the next year.  I plan on visiting at least 50 courses this year in my travels, so don't be surprised if you get an email asking if I can stop in for a visit.

I hope to see everyone in San Diego for the 2016 Golf Industry Show! You can sign up for the GIS and the Golf Championship here. Happy holidays!

Chapter Delegates Meeting camaraderie

Another Chapter Delegates Meeting has come and passed without any big revelations or problems.

There is one thing that will stand out in my mind from this meeting, though, and that is the never-ending sense of brotherhood that exists amongst our members.

The members of the New Jersey chapter sent more than their delegates to the meeting; they also sent a gift from the heart: a donation for the members of the Carolinas chapter, who have been impacted by the flooding in South Carolina.

They didn't want any extra attention or fanfare, they just wanted to make sure that there were turkeys on the table at Thanksgiving and toys under the tree at Christmas for those who were impacted by mother nature.  This is yet another example of the character of our membership and the devotion to their fellow superintendents.  Thank you to the ladies and gentlemen of the GCSANJ, you
are truly outstanding!

Talk to your local politicians

Seems like television is dominated with presidential candidates talking about what is wrong with the world and how their opponents are responsible for the chaos.  Of course, election campaign years are like that and we know that the mud is just starting to get flung.  There's no better time for you to get involved in the process.  You can get together with your local congressional representative and talk about topics that directly affect our business. Yes, I'm talking about the Grassroots Ambassador Program.

With just a little bit of training and some helpful materials to leave behind, you could be stopping in to your local representative's office to discuss the economic impact of golf in your state and throughout the country.  There are other important items to discuss including WOTUS and labor issues that are facing our industry, both of which are written in confusing language making them difficult to understand.

Perhaps you'll even be selected to visit Washington D.C. when the industry sends its delegation to the annual National Golf Day in April.  You can sign up on the GCSAA website or see your regional field staff representative to get started.  It's an interesting way to witness how government works and it doesn't take much of your time.  Get to know your local representative.  Sign up today!

Upcoming golf course management events

The summer heat is here and many of you are battling wilted and stressed turf, but now is the time to start planning for fall events. Yes, it may be 94 degrees outside, but we're only a month away from football season. Before you know it, the kids will be back in class and that morning jog won't be so miserable.  Here are a couple of events you'll want to make plans to attend:

First up is the all new Deep South Turf Expo in Biloxi, Mississippi, on October 13-15.  This event is a regional turfgrass show that brings together the Alabama Turfgrass Association, Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association, Louisiana-Mississippi Golf Course Superintendents Association, Gulf Coast Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Mississippi Turfgrass Association.  There will be plenty of education classes and opportunities to earn pesticide certification points, as well as a large trade show.  For several years now, many of the host organizations were looking for a way to make their individual annual meetings bigger and better, so they combined their efforts into a large regional event.  Make plans to be in Biloxi this October to be a part of this first-time event.  You can find more info here.

Second, the registration will soon open for the annual Golf Industry Show in San Diego.  Turfgrass professionals from all over the world will get together in this amazing city on February 6-11, 2016. Hotel and travel arrangements will be available in September. The best hotels fill up quickly, so be ready!  There will be plenty of great education and networking opportunities in the Gas Lamp District of San Diego.  This is always a popular spot for members to come with the pleasant climate, abundant activities and area attractions.  While you're at it, make plans to play in this years Golf Championship, held in conjunction with the GIS.

It's that time of year...

Here we are in the heat of the summer.  Golf course crews throughout the Southeast are dragging hoses around the course and hoping for a thunderstorm to cool the world off a bit.  This is also the time of year that chapters cut back on meetings because everyone is especially busy.  That means that my travel schedule slows down, as well, giving me a chance to work on some of the big picture projects going on in our business, namely water BMPs, congressional visits and new member recruitment.

I will be hitting the back roads of the Southeast over the next couple of months looking for members who have become detached from the organization or golf course industry individuals who have never been members.  I will work with the chapters to find those superintendents that haven't been seen or heard from in a long time and try to get them back on board with the chapter.  I hope to come away with some interesting stories and a bunch of new members.

I will also be making trips to several state capitals in the next few weeks to talk about water.  The Louisiana-Mississippi chapter has had two very productive meetings with their state water regulators recently and here in Alabama, the governor is asking the golf industry for help in creating a water policy for the state.  Georgia is being sued by Florida over water and it looks like Alabama may do the same.  You would not expect there to be water wars in an area that typically receives more than 50 inches of rain, but everywhere you look, water is very much a hot topic.

August is just around the corner and it's the month that the U.S. Congress takes a break.  That means that your local member of Congress will probably be in your area and there's no better time to arrange a meeting in the local office.  If you are a Grassroots Ambassador, now is the time to set up your meetings.

Plan on attending the Government Relations Quarterly Briefing on July 8.  I will we the featured field staff representative and my guest will be Kim Caviness-Reardon with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. We will be discussing ways that the golf industry can position itself as a leader in water quality throughout the country. You can sign up here.

(Here's a cool site on water quality in the U.S. from the USGS.  The website has live water monitors located around the country that give continuous data on nitrate levels, dissolved oxygen levels in lakes and streams and more.)

It's time to talk up Rounds 4 Research

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Rounds for Bandon Dunes up for bid.

Don't underestimate the effect of telling golfers at your club about the Rounds 4 Research auction that is now underway.  Most courses have many members who travel frequently and take their golf clubs with them.  With over 750 rounds available for auction throughout the United States, Canada and Switzerland, golfers can enjoy a round at a new course. Some rounds even offer stays at an accompanying resort. Your word of mouth is one of the easiest ways to market and sell rounds through the program.

Of course, if you happen to know the golf editor or sports writer at the local newspaper or television station, it wouldn't hurt to tell them, as well.  Many chapters have worked very hard to gather the rounds for the auction and now it is time to sell them to support turf research throughout the country.

Be sure to tell a golfer about the program every day while the auction is underway, you never know who might bid on a round of golf.  Much of the success of the program lies within our own hands, so be sure to do your part and spread the word about R4R today!

The auction is open through June 21.