Chapter Delegates Meeting is in the books

Five months into my GCSAA field staff representative position, I can honestly say I am enjoying the role more each day. The position allows me to work with chapters and members on a daily basis and help them get more out of their GCSAA membership. I have been able to see what a wonderful job our members are doing, not only professionally, but also personally, as so many are great role models on and off the course. Meeting industry peers and hearing all the success stories our industry has to offer is motivating. This week echoed these feelings as over 100 members met in Lawrence and Kansas City to conduct the annual Chapter Delegates Meeting.

Besides the outstanding networking opportunities, attending the Delegates Meeting allows chapter delegates to meet and hear from the GCSAA Board of Directors directly. This gives the delegates the opportunity to not only hear about future endeavors the board is pursuing, but gives the delegate the chance to voice the opinions and concerns his/her chapter has on these issues. The board takes this feedback seriously and uses the information when creating or adjusting members services and programs. Some of the topics discussed this year included the proposed Member Standards, a report from the Affiliation Agreement Task Group, member benefits offered to Equipment Managers, 2016 GIS highlights, a Government Affairs update and BMP updates, to name a handful.

Throughout the day and during the presentations, it's easy to see the board's and the GCSAA employees' enthusiasm about these programs. It's also great to hear the delegates feedback on ways to improve and build upon future and existing member programs. All of these programs and services coincide with the GCSAA mission and vision, and it's awesome to see the delegates passion about making these progams the best they can be, not only for the association members, but to advance the profession, as well.

We all know the enthusiasm superintendents have for the industry. This was just another great example of seeing this firsthand and on such a large scale. It's great to see the board looking to the future and setting up the association for success in years to come. I commend all the delegates for taking the time to attend the meeting and offering productive feedback. The participation and dedication from the members is what truly makes this association so valuable and this was just another example this week. I hope you all reach out to either your chapter delegate or anyone on the GCSAA team to hear about the exciting programs GCSAA is offering now and in the future.

Dealing with frost delays on the course

Superintendents may hate frost delays more than golfers. With numerous jobs to complete before play hits the course each morning. maintenance crews oftentimes find themselves playing the waiting game, just like golfers. Tasks such as mowing greens, raking bunkers or cutting cups are preferably started hours before the first tee time. Frost, however, can change all of that. For several reasons, such as safety and pace-of-play, it is not ideal to have maintenance crews and golfers on the same hole, and while golfers who have been waiting for long stretches of time at the pro-shop are eager to get on the course, delaying them a few minutes longer while maintenance crews get a head start is a benefit to all of those involved.

Golf course superintendents know the negative repercussions cart and foot traffic has on turfgrass during a frost, but communicating that information to members and golfers can be challenging. Superintendents have had some success posting flyers and bulletins in locker rooms and around the pro-shop about traffic on frosted turf, and in my experience making sure you are available to answer any questions during a frost delay and talking personally to golfers waiting has always gone a long way. I have also always made sure to let the pro-shop staff know a day or two ahead of time when frost delays are expected, this way they can communicate the information to members and customers beforehand. Educating staff is also important. The more crew members know about frost and the potential damage it can cause on turf if driven or walked on, may prevent turf injury from happening in the future. I've also seen many instances where the more crew members know about 'why' superintendents make certain decisions, the more they feel part of the team.

With many northern golf courses experiencing their first frost delays of the year this week, I wanted to share with the Great Lakes region a GCM Magazine article written a handful of years back, but still has valuable information on the subject.

The article, written by Ed Brotak Ph. D., a former atmospheric science professor at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, provides extensive information on why and how frost forms and offers some great talking points when you are discussing frost delays with golfers whose tee times may be affected in the morning.