Since I started working here way back in 1998, I have noticed that GCSAA employees are a dedicated group who really do care about doing the best job possible. Often people go above and beyond the call of duty — and sometimes an entire organization puts forth exceptional effort. We see that kind of effort every year at the Golf Industry Show, but in honor of employee appreciation week at GCSAA, I'd like to tell you about a long-term project where the effort has been largely invisible to GCSAA members and the public at large.
Last week GCSAA employees received an e-mail announcing that GCSAA/The Environmental Institute for Golf had received Golf Inc.'s Green Award in the operations and associations category for the association's Golf Course Environmental Profile project. The Green Awards are sponsored by Rain Bird and "recognize top performers in the industry in development, management, maintenance and leadership in implementing and promoting practices that embrace environmental sustainability."
The Golf Course Environmental Profile, funded through The Environmental Insititute for Golf by The Toro Giving Program, is a long-term project that aims to describe property features and environmental stewardship efforts of U.S. golf courses and document water use and conservation, nutrient (fertilizer) use, pesticide inputs and energy consumption. The data collected to develop the profile are being supplied through five surveys completed by golf course superintendents. The first survey, which describes property features and environmental stewardship efforts, was sent to superintendents in 2006.
The data from each survey will be compiled and analyzed, and the results will be published. Thus far, the data from the first two surveys, the property features survey and the water survey, have been published in the scientific journal, Applied Turfgrass Science. The project — from the idea of gathering basic information about golf courses and golf course management to producing documents that present the data and place them in a scientific framework — has been possible only because of the work of nearly every GCSAA employee.
GCSAA's Clark Throssell, director of research, and Greg Lyman, director of environmental programs, have spearheaded the program and, with Mark Johnson, senior manager of environmental programs, have done much of the work of developing the surveys and then writing up the papers after the data have been compiled. Greg Stacey, senior manager of market research and data, has also been instrumental in developing the questionnaires and helping with analysis.
The surveys were sent to 16,009 golf courses in the U.S. — and here's where the cooperative effort really comes together. In order to have statistically valid survey results, a certain percentage of completed surveys had to be returned. To achieve that number and ensure the success of the project, many employees, including most (maybe all?) of the Finance and Member Solutions Department made hundreds of calls to superintendents, encouraging them to complete their surveys. Even though the surveys were not always easy to finish, more than enough were submitted to ensure valid results for each phase of the project.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have a tiny confession to make. I have been — and will continue to be — part of this project as well. I have edited the two papers that have been published and one that has been completed but has not yet published, and part of the third paper is on my computer right now. But that's just a tiny, tiny piece of the overall picture, which has also involved our allied associations, the National Golf Foundation and Audubon International.
In summary, I humbly suggest that the Green Award to GCSAA is the result of a cooperative effort by all of the association's employees. Happy Employee Appreciation Week, and congratulations to everyone!
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