I hear that it's often the time commitment. Too many members have to juggle time between their families and work. Between little league or soccer and other family commitments, there just doesn't seem to be time to attend a conference.
Some say it's a generational issue. The younger generation just doesn't seem to want to engage -- they get all the education and networking they need from their iPhones in the palms of their hands.
Then there are those that simply don't have support from their facilities to attend the meetings. Some can't attend because they are running such a tight crew and the course couldn't manage without them, and some simply don't have the budget.
Trust me, I don't have the golden answer that is going to solve all of these scenarios, but somehow, chapters are seeing a change. I'm seeing a few success stories lately, and hopefully this is a trend that continues into the future.
Last week I had the privilege of attending the Idaho GCSA Spring Meeting in Boise, Idaho. I started hearing the buzz about the meeting weeks prior to the event, so I knew there could be a good crowd. In an association that has close to 57 Class A and SM members, there were 115 attendees at the day-and-a-half conference.
Idaho typically has two meetings a year. The Spring Meeting is always in Boise at the Red Lion Inn, and the Fall Meeting moves around the state. Many times the venue will dictate the success of an event. I'm not saying the Red Lion is not a good venue, but it's not a five-star facility, so that discounts the venue excuse.
However, the educational line-up was pretty good. The Gem State has always lured some great speakers, and this meeting was no exception. There were four speakers at this event providing solid and relevant education. They included Thomas Nikolai, Ph.D.; Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D.; John Sorochan, Ph.D.; and Terry Buchan, CGCS, MG. The highlight of the meeting was the Turfgrass Talk Show hosted by Nikolai. It really seemed to create two-way exchange of information between the speakers and the attendees. I heard from various members that the information they learned was valuable and will be put to use when they return to their courses.
There were at least five members who were first-time attendees at the meeting -- a great thing! Over all, it was estimated that close to 62% of the Idaho membership attended this meeting.
Just south of the State of Idaho, the Intermountain GCSA has experienced similar success in its meeting attendance. Just last month, on Jan. 29,the chapter held its winter conference at Fox Hollow Golf Club in American Fork, Utah. I attended this event last year, and there were 100 attendees. This year wasn’t too far off the mark with 90 attendees.
Last year, Pat Finlen, CGCS, presented, along with The First Green Foundation at Riverside Country Club in Provo. This year the subject was on course renovation, and speakers included Steve Wolfard from Weibring – Wolfard Golf Design, Jim Ruelle from GPS Golf As-Built Design and Rex Hanson from Rainbird Golf Services. What stood out to me here was the offer of five hours of education (.5 CEU’s) for only $30. The IGCSA has kept the price affordable, which has attracted not only superintendents but assistants as well. In this case, the IGCSA has roughly 50 As and SMs, but they attracted over twice that in attendance, which is very similar to Idaho.
Like I said, I really don’t have the golden answer, but from what I see, we are experiencing a positive trend among chapters so far this year. There are all kinds of ways to increase the attendance at local meetings, the secret is finding the right recipe that fits your demographic. There is a lot to be said if boards reach out to other boards and share ideas. GCSAA field staff representatives can also help communicate BMPs amongst chapters as well.
Let’s continue to support the local chapter in 2015. If you haven’t been to a meeting in some time, perhaps it is time to make a change. The networking alone is invaluable, not to mention the quality of education that is offered at such an affordable price.
