Off to the Golf Industry Show

The first week of February is here and as usual, I am off to the Golf Industry Show and Education Conference.  This year it is held in San Diego.  Oh rats, I have to leave 23 degrees and snowing sideways to spend a week in sunny San Diego.  While you are probably feeling sorry for me that I have to be subjected to such a miserable task (and likely a nasty sunburn), I assure you I am dedicated to suffering through it in the name of my profession and our club. :)

All kidding aside, this is one of the best conferences and trade shows in the business.  Hundreds of seminars on everything from business classes, pending government legislation, turf science, social networking and many more alongside the most comprehensive trade show in the golf maintenance industry.  It is a fantastic gathering that really keeps superintendents moving forward as professionals.  It is definitely a benefit to me as a professional AND the club.  If I stop learning, we stop improving.  Also, the networking that happens is invaluable.

If there's one thing I have a really hard time explaining to most members, it's that my profession is a great deal more involved than it looks on the surface.  I've always thought that being a superintendent is the best example of "Jack of all trades-master of none".  Most people like to think it's just all about growing and mowing grass while in reality, that is only about 10% of what I worry about most of the time.  Personnel management, budgeting,  long-range planning, staffing, inventory management, tree and landscape management, facility management, environmental compliance, pesticide management and compliance, and did I mention I don't have a janitor to clean my office and I was the last maintenance employee that had to run to the store for toilet paper?

Anyways, the point is that while I will never claim to be the master of anything, I am required to do a lot of different things well.  Continuing education on such a wide range of topics is essential to help me do this (I guess I am admitting I need all the help I can get ).  While not every superintendent is fortunate enough to have available funds to attend this conference, I am truly thankful that I am able to go......despite having to suffer the sunny, warm, lovely, weather of San Diego.

If you want to explore the kind of things that happen at such a show, click on the link below.

Golf Industry Show Website Click Here