My own take on promoting our good work

                                                                                                                                                              
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                     Sustainable Golf 2.0                

Previously posted on Turfhugger.com:

I just sat down to read the new digital edition of Golf Course Industry magazine and came across this article called Sustainable Golf 2.0, written by Jim Black. I'm usually not the type to editorialize but I felt the need to say something here. There is a quote from Tom Mead, a golf course consultant, that stood out to be very profound.
It read as follows:
" I think there's a better chance for long-term financial success if we get off the treadmill of trying to meet golfers' expectations by continually increasing maintenance intensity and budgets, and figure out how to make money respecting the real intent and spirit of the game while protecting the planet's vital resources. Plenty of superintendents can see the need for some sort of transition, and they have the ability to develop a sustainable maintenance program. The problem is that they do not have the time of ability by themselves to educate their boards and members, or owners and paying golfers, about what they are doing and why."
So, do we not have the time or the ability to educate our board members and golfers? I think superintendents do. A number of superintendents are doing this exact thing.  If we can find the time to communicate our message, others can do so as well. We all want to see our industry succeed but it is difficult for some to put themselves "out there". Being "out there" is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not a matter of shameless self promotion but a matter of educating others of your successes and putting your industry in a good light. Tom Mead makes a perfect point in this story so lets get behind it and continue to promote our good work and help our golf courses achieve a more sustainable operation.

1 comment:

  1. You're right, David! Being 'out there' goes against the standards of yester-year. As a group, superintendents preferred to stay in the background and when you stuck your head out it typically got chopped off. Now is the time to stick that neck out. Education and sustainable golf are hot topics and it's up to us to lead the way. I think there's a horrible misconception out there that superintendents only care about cutting grass. I was once told, "we manage from the core of the earth all the way to the heavens and everything in between." We care for the game, and operation of our clubs/courses, and the communities around us. We're more valuable to the industry than grass growers.

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