NWIGCSA leaders show dedication to chapter and community

In early April, board members of the Northwestern Illinois Golf Course Superintendents Association met and held a strategic planning session with Steve Randall, GCSAA's director of chapter services, and me. The mission of the session was to help the chapter design a roadmap of activities for the coming months and years and to help continue the momentum of a chapter which has made great progress over the years. To kickstart the meeting, Steve Randall worked with the group to determine everyone's expectations for the day's events, which included continuing to better serve and add additional value to the NWIGCSA membership, continually evolve as the chapter progresses, and GCSAA's role within chapters.

NWIGCSA board members working on the chapter's strategic plan.

Following meeting expectations, we moved into the SCOR analysis. Outcomes from the SCOR analysis included the growth of the chapter, valued added membership programs, community involvement, and promoting the superintendent profession, among others. The Northwestern Illinois Golf Course Superintendents Association also addressed the mission statement. After discussions regarding the need to elevate the superintendent profession to reflect their current role in the golf industry, as well as the need to promote the superintendent’s impact on the game as well as their environmental stewardship, the group crafted the following mission statement:

To elevate the profession and to enrich the quality of golf and the environment.

The group also addressed the vision statement and worked together to form the below vision statement:

A regional leader in the golf course management industry that provides value to an engaged membership.

These are two great statements which reflect the overall short-term and long-term goals of the chapter perfectly. The group created goals and action items which support both statements and the direction of the chapter. The goals create a wonderful opportunity for the chapter to promote the superintendent profession in the community and continue to add membership value to an already well-run association.

I want to thank the board members of the Northwestern Illinois GCSA for not only taking the time and contributing to a successful strategic plan but for their unquestioned commitment to the chapter and industry.