Field Staff - How can we help you?

The following post was written by Field Staff Director Steve Randall.

Recently, GCSAA received results from its Member Needs Assessment. First, thank you for participating in the survey. We take information received from our members very seriously. We use this information to ensure programs and services of value are offered.

If you are unaware, the field staff program began as a pilot program in 2006. It started with a chapter liaison of organizational development, then expanded with a chapter liaison of association management.  I was fortunate to obtain that position more than seven years ago. The roots of this program are in "chapter effectiveness."

Because of member support, the program has expanded to include nine regions in which a resident field staffer resides. A question I hear from members across the country is, "What does this field staff person do?" Or, "Why haven't I seen my field staff representative at our course?" This article hopes to shed some light on those questions.

We have been able to connect chapters to GCSAA in many areas. Through the connection with their field staff representative, chapters have successfully added assets and resources for their industry partners. Field staff representatives have also visited member and non-member facilities and individuals.

As the program evolves, I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions to enhance the program. While site visits have been conducted, would expanding this concept be an effective way to broaden our membership outreach? There are financial considerations to consider, but if evolving the program to include more direct member interaction is of benefit, let me know.

Without the efforts of everyone at GCSAA, the field staff program could not be effective. This is an organization-wide effort. We take information from the field and apply that to ensuring quality programs and services.

Let's take a look at the basics of the program. Call it "Field Staff 101" if you wish:

Objectives of the field staff program:
The mission of the field staff program is to: Administer outreach and support to members and affiliated chapters to provide direct services to our members

The vision of the field staff program is to: Accomplish the "we" between chapters, members and the GCSAA

Accomplishing this vision is important. We want to eliminate the "us and them" mentality. We are all together to benefit the industry.

So, how do we accomplish the mission and vision?

• Be a two-way communication vehicle - we only know what we know
• Establish a direct voice for chapters to relay their needs and opinions to GCSAA and golf-related organizations
• Expand the superintendents role as being a leader in the golf community. Support allied organizational efforts, state/regional golf days, events that support the the growth and enhancement of golf

Day-to-day functions of our field staff members:

• Assist chapters with developing and implementing best practices
• Facilitate strategic planning sessions. From sessions conducted in 2013 alone, chapters developed new outreach programs, assistant education sessions, networking events for members, membership recruitment and retention programs, communications plans and much, much more!
• Assist chapters to improve financial standing. This includes working with chapters to identify proper revenue streams, effective cost/benefit analysis efforts and adding programs of value
• Support chapters and research development through Rounds4Research
• Work with chapters and members who have gone through natural disasters. Providing tool kits and communicating the message about the importance of golf to our communities is essential
• Be part of board and membership meetings to provide information on the golf industry. Be a voice to provide resources provided by GCSAA that can be used by members and chapters alike
• Provide communications tools and articles for publication. This includes our regional pages on www.gcsaa.org 
• Enhance the profession through:
• Working with allied organizations to provide communications tools and golf industry information
• Coordinating education and information with chapter executives
• Providing case-study analysis for member retention, recruitment and meeting attendance
• Working with chapters on educational programs and providing educational sessions
• Facilitating communications for government affairs/advocacy issues
• And much more!

This month alone I have facilitated strategic planning sessions, provided information and education at regional turfgrass conferences and been part of board meetings to share best practices and ideas that have worked across the country. This outreach is consistent among all our field staff members.

We are skilled at facilitation and listening to your requests. Working with our chapters and members directly while providing strategic oversight for the program is why we need to hear from you!

If you have not met your regional field staff representative, please give them a call. These regional pages are a tool to introduce you to our quality staff and to the programs and services GCSAA offers. Take advantage and have a great start to 2014!

Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Life Member Bill Rohret and wife Dian honored by the Southern Nevada Chapter PGA

Bill Rohret, CGCS, a former golf course superintendent and now a spray technician at Highland Falls Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nev., and his wife, Dian, recently received the 2013 Citizens of the Year Award from the Southern Nevada Chapter PGA for their volunteer efforts with Special Olympics Nevada. 

The Citizens of the Year Award is given annually by the chapter to those who provide exemplary efforts within their community. 

Bill, a 37-year life member of GCSAA, and Dian started volunteering with Special Olympics Nevada in 2001 after their children, James and Nicole, left for college, leaving the two as empty nesters. 

“For the first time, we didn’t have our kids' school activities, practices and games, and it left a void in our lives,” Bill said.  “A friend told Dian and I about an opportunity with Special Olympics Nevada, and we have been working with the organization ever since.”

The couple, who met on the golf course and have been married for 35 years, coach a number of sports, including basketball, golf and track, to adults and children with intellectual disabilities. “Special Olympics Nevada is a terrific organization, and to see these athletes and families benefit through participation in sports is a great feeling,” said Dian. 

“I have had the opportunity to work with some great PGA professionals during my career, and to be recognized by the Southern Nevada chapter is truly humbling,” Bill said. “Working with Special Olympic athletes has changed my life, and I look forward to assisting the organization in the future.”

Bill landed his first superintendent position in 1973 at Cedar Crest Country Club in Columbus Junction, Iowa.  He became a certified golf course superintendent in 1990 and has held superintendent positions in Southern Nevada at Desert Rose Golf Club, Stallion Mountain Country Club, Angel Park Golf Club and The Legacy Golf Club. He served as president of the Iowa Golf Course Superintendents Association in 1986 and the Southern Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association in 1989 and 1990. 

“Bill has a tremendous track record as a superintendent and has been a longtime friend to area PGA professionals. We are honored to award him and Dian for their service to Special Olympics Nevada,” said Greg Brockelman, president of the Southern Nevada Chapter PGA.

Rohret retired as a superintendent in 2012 but quickly found that the retirement lifestyle didn’t suit him. Now semi-retired, he serves as a spray tech at Highland Falls Golf Club – a position that gives him the flexibility to travel and visit his grandchildren. 

“The game of golf has been very good to me, and it’s nice to be able to mentor the younger guys on the crew and educate them on what it takes to be a successful superintendent,” he added.   

Trio of dogs represent the Southwest Region in the annual LebanonTurf Dog of the Year Contest

We are only three short weeks from the 2014 Golf Industry Show and GCSAA Education Conference and I look forward to seeing all of you in Orlando.

As you browse the show floor, please don’t forget to visit the LebanonTurf booth (#1521) to cast your ballot in the 11^th Annual Dog of the Year Contest.  LebanonTurf has been supporting golf course superintendents and their chapters through the Dog Days of Golf Calendar for more than a decade.

This year’s contest features 14 finalists (chosen from a field of over 350) with a trio of canines proudly representing the Southwest Region.

Lance, a six year old border collie, patrols the grounds of Del Rio Golf & Country Club in Modesto, Calif., under the watchful eye of Class A superintendent Dave Bermudez.  Lance was brought in to remove geese from the property and did his job so well that none remain.  Lance now spends his days chasing other forms of water fowl and critters around one of the area’s premier private clubs.  According to Bermudez, Lance is adept at his job and is a quick learner except when it comes to skunks; he has been sprayed on several occasions.  

Lance - Del Rio Golf & Country Club, Modesto, Calif.

Honey and Tessa, sisters and four year old border collies, are employed at the Journey at Pechanga in Temecula, Calif.  Class A superintendent John Martinez oversees the pair and their main job is ridding the course of mud hens, whose acidic droppings damage the turf.  When Honey and Tessa first came to Pechanga three years ago, over 1,500 mud hens called the course home and now only a couple dozen dare to challenge the sisters.  The pair has quite a following and Martinez says that he often receives more questions about the dogs than the golf course.  

Honey and Tessa - Journey at Pechanga, Temecula, Calif.

 

The winner of the LebanonTurf Dog of the Year Contest will be announced in the April issue of GCM magazine. LebanonTurf will donate $3,000 to the winner's GCSAA affiliate chapter, award $500 to the winner's local Humane Society and award $500 to the dog's owner.

Make sure to visit the booth and show your support for Lance, Honey, Tessa and the Sierra Nevada and San Diego GCSA chapters that these great dogs are representing. 

Have a safe trip to Orlando and if I can be of any assistance to you during GIS, please don’t hesitate to email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org. 

Planning early for Rounds 4 Research is a key to success

Now is the time for GCSAA affiliated chapters to start planning for the 2014 Rounds 4 Research (R4R) auctions. 

 

In 2013, nine of 10 chapters in the southwest region participated in the inaugural R4R auctions and three of the chapters (Hi-Lo Desert, San Diego and Southern California) finished in the top 10 nationally in funds raised for research, education, advocacy and the environment. The 2014 auctions are scheduled for June 9-22 and Aug. 1-10, 2014, which coincide with the playing of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst and the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.  Donated rounds for the first auction are due Apr. 15, 2014, and rounds for the second auction are due June 16, 2014. Eighty percent of the funds raised from the donated rounds goes back to the chapter in which they were solicited and designated.  

In my experience with planning for R4R, the key to a successful program is establishing a committee (with participation from the chapter executive) and in particular, finding one individual who will champion the cause. This champion will ultimately be responsible for putting together a target donor list for the committee, marketing the program to the general membership and making personal asks for donations throughout the chapter area. In 2013, the Hi-Lo Desert, San Diego and Southern California chapters were able to identify individuals to be champions for the program and I credit much of the chapters' success to their efforts.  

As the rounds are being gathered, marketing efforts can take place to promote the auctions on a local, regional and national level.  Please access all of the R4R marketing materials at http://www.gcsaa.org/_common/templates/GcsaaTwoColumnLayout.aspx?id=7760&LangType=1033. Additionally, I have obtained marketing and advertising assistance from the various state and regional golf associations in the Southwest to help promote the program to their player databases.  This gives us access to over 300,000 golfers in the region. 

As a member, you can assist your chapter by volunteering for the R4R committee, donating a foursome from your facility (http://www.rounds4research.com/courses/) or reaching out to other superintendents in the area to make them aware of the program and the benefits that R4R brings to turfgrass research at the local/state level.  If you have any questions concerning R4R, please don’t hesitate to contact Mark Johnson, associate director of environmental programs with GCSAA or myself and we will be glad to assist you. 

Happy New Year and thank you for your support of GCSAA in 2013. I wish you nothing but prosperity and success in 2014. 

GCSAA recognizes members who give back through Giving Tuesday

On December 3, GCSAA celebrated the second annual Giving Tuesday with stories of chapters and members who are giving back to their communities. 

The social media campaign featured tweets, Facebook postings and blogs that highlighted members' efforts throughout the country.  I personally conducted a Twitter campaign that focused solely on members in the Southwest Region who volunteered time during the past year to make their communities a better place to live.  

In the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to take time to recognize a few of those individuals in greater detail:  

Steve Plummer, CGCS, general manager at Tustin Ranch Golf Club and Javier Avalos, Class A superintendent at Tustin Ranch.

• In Orange County, Calif., Steve Plummer, CGCS, general manager at Tustin Ranch Golf Club and Javier Avalos, Class A superintendent at Tustin Ranch raised funds and constructed a First Tee facility which includes a practice range and four hole short course.  The First Tee of Orange County now gives southern California youth another learning facility to not only improve their golf games, but learn life skills that will benefit them in the future.

• In northern California, Gary Carls, CGCS, golf course maintenance director for the city of Sunnyvale and Gary Ingram, CGCS, superintendent at Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland have introduced inner-city youth to careers in golf course management, environmental sciences and the green industry through the Oakland Turf Education Initiative (OTEI).  OTEI board members and volunteers engage students through on-course study tours, remote site field trips, career-to-school fairs, after school programs, guest speaking engagements and an internship program.

• In Arizona, the Cactus & Pine GCSA donated $1,000 and volunteered their time at a golf fundraiser to assist families of the 19 firefighters that perished in the Yarnell Hill wildfire this past June.  Damien Smith, GCSAA Class A member and director of golf course maintenance at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale donated the course for the event.  

• In Las Vegas and Henderson, Nev., the Southern Nevada GCSA donated $2,000 to Special Olympics Nevada to assist in the sponsorship of the organization's golf program that hosts over 50 athletes each year. Additionally, numerous superintendents with the SNGCSA donate their time to work with the athletes who are able to participate in the program free of charge.  

While it would be impossible to mention all of the charitable activities that GCSAA members in the Southwest are involved with, the above are shining examples of the superintendent profession going above and beyond to serve their communities and those in need. 

I thank you all for your contributions to the game and charitable activities in 2013 and I wish you the happiest of holidays.  See you in the New Year!