And away we go!

Welcome to 2016!

As I become more "seasoned" (older), I harken back to my mother's insightful words when I was a kid:  "Steve, time goes by faster the older you get."  So accurate!

Soon, we will be in San Diego, readying for the Golf Industry Show.  We hope you plan to attend. Registration for the GCSAA Golf Championships recently closed and we have a solid turnout and look forward to another successful event.

If you haven't pulled the trigger and registered for conference and show, there are still seminars available.  In addition, we have added a list of seminars sorted by day. You can also get seminar descriptions.

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing many of you around the central plains region and across the country.  In January, I'll be in Michigan attending the Michigan Turfgrass Conference in Lansing, working with Shane Conroy, our Great Lakes regional representative, on the strategic planning sessions with the Kentuckiana and Southern Illinois Chapters and attending annual meetings with the Minnesota and Iowa GCSA chapters.

In February, following GIS, I will be with Kevin Doyle facilitating a strategic planning session with the Central New York GCSA, and hit the "Dakota Circuit" for presentations in both Fargo, North Dakota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  I will be back to Iowa in early March for their Golf Summit.

It will be a busy time and I'm looking forward to outreach with our members.

A summary of 2015

This past year was very successful on many fronts.  Our chapter outreach team saw the loss of Central Plains Representative John Miller, as he moved on to the LPGA Tour.  Shane Conroy has done an outstanding job filling John's shoes since June.

The western United States was in horrific drought.  Kudos to our members for properly managing water as a resource at their facility.  In addition, our Southwest Regional Representative Jeff Jensen has worked tirelessly with our members and other allied golf organizations to help communicate the message of proper water use.

It was a pleasure to join Chava McKeel, along with Florida Regional Representative Ralph Dain and South Central Regional Representative Brian Cloud at National Golf Day in April.  (This year's event is scheduled for May of 2016.)

A big thanks to Dave Phipps in the Northwest Region for his work on the First Green board of directors.  (At GIS in San Diego, GCSAA will offer a session on how to host a First Green event at your facility.  This is a great program to introduce students to golf course operations and golf course management.)

Chase Rogan in the Mid-Atlantic and Kevin Doyle in the Northeast have done an exceptional job working on many advocacy-related issues in their regions.  Recruiting Grassroots Ambassadors and communicating the process with WOTUS, among other issues has added tremendous value to our members and chapters.

Ron Wright in the Southeast continues to work with chapters and members on various fronts to enhance our profession.

2016

This will be a year focused on executing initiatives.  Again, Grassroots Ambassador recruitment will be a priority.  It is our goal to have a GCSAA member matched with a member of the US House and Senate.  Rounds4Research will have a new date!  This year, the auction will take place April 1-10.  We hope chapters will jump on board and appreciate the change.  It will be key to get golfers to bid.

Our chapter leader/executive symposium will be held March 29-30.  The date will coincide with our Spring Board meeting.  This will give attendees and our board time to network and interact.

We are planning to hold the chapter delegates meeting in October.  Official dates will be set in the near future.

Along with this, GCSAA continues to update our social media platforms and communication streams.  We are working to update our website and looking to enhance our "Thank a Superintendent" marketing campaign, all during the course of the 2016 year.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  It is our mission to serve our members.  It is our goal to ensure you receive value for your membership.

The journey has begun!  I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming months.