Round table discussions

After what has been described by many superintendents in the region as one of the toughest years regarding weather in recent memory, it's nice to have the Thanksgiving holiday nearly upon us. It's also nice to be able to reflect on the season with your peers and colleagues to find out how others handled various issues and difficult stretches throughout the season.

Near the end of the season, the Miami Valley GCSA offers the MVGCSA Round Table Discussions for superintendents, equipment managers, assistants and vendors to meet and discuss a variety of topics. Rotating each year between a handful of golf courses, the open forums take place at the turfgrass maintenance facility of the host course. Hosting the event at the turfgrass maintenance facility allows those in attendance to tour the host superintendent's facilities and hopefully gather a couple of ideas to take back to their property. It also gives equipment managers a great platform to network with other equipment techs from around the area. During the meeting, there is no official set agenda, members simply weigh in on the successes and failures during the season. This format also allows assistants and equipment managers to be part of the discussions and add their perspective from the season.

Brian Laurent starts the meeting with an association update.

This year's host was 15-year GCSAA member Ryan D'Autremont, head superintendent at Dayton Country Club. Some of the highlights from this year's event included discussions on labor, difficult weather patterns, hosting events, government regulations and course renovations & construction. A huge thank you goes out to all who attended and participated in the lively discussions.

I wish all of you a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. As we take a moment to enjoy this time with family and friends, please keep in mind there are a handful of great social and educational events across the region as we move into December, a list of upcoming events in the region include:

• November 28-29 - Michigan Golf Business Conference - Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
• November 30-December 1 - Wisconsin GCSA Turf Symposium - Kohler, Wis.
• December 1 - Michigan GCSA Northern Holiday Party - Traverse City, Mich.
• December 2 - Kentuckiana GCSA Charitable Christmas Party - Louisville, Ky.
• December 2 - Michigan GCSA Detroit Holiday Party - Keego Harbor, Mich.
• December 5-8 - OTF Conference & Show - Columbus, Ohio
• December 5 - Central Illinois GCSA Annual Meeting - Bloomington, Ill.
• December 5 - Midwest Association of GCS South Side Holiday Party - Frankfort, Ill. 
• December 7 - Tri-State GCSA Christmas Party - Evansville, Ind.
• December 9 - Michigan GCSA West Holiday Party - Grand Rapids, Mich.
• December 7 - Midwest Association of GCS Turf Clinic & Annual Meeting - Medinah, Ill.
• December 14 - Northwest Illinois GCSA Holiday Party - Rockford, Ill.
• December 14 - Indiana GCSA Christmas Party - Noblesville, Ind.
• December 15 - Northwest Ohio GCSA Christmas Luncheon - Toledo, Ohio
• December 16 - Michigan GCSA Western Holiday Party - Grand Rapids, Mich.
• December 16 - Midwest Association of GCS West Side Holiday Party - Woodridge, Ill.
• December 18 - Central Ohio GCSA Holiday Party - Columbus, Ohio