Historically, golf course superintendents have not been the best communicators, especially to golfers who arguably are their most important audience. For a number of reasons, today’s superintendents are some of the best communicators in the industry. Some of the improvement is a direct result of the concerted efforts on the part of educators. For at least the last 20 years, it seems like every golf course management education conference featured speakers who emphasized the importance of superintendents working on their communication skills, and the dangers associated with poor communication techniques. The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has also worked hard to give superintendents a myriad of education opportunities to help them improve their communication skills.
One of the most exciting and effective communication tools that has been embraced by superintendents is the blog. The ability to easily add text, photos, links, and video with just few minutes of editing fits perfectly into the superintendent’s busy schedule. Managing the database of subscribers is essentially maintenance-free thanks to well-designed blogging software that allows users to easily subscribe or unsubscribe. And, most blogging sites offer free or extremely low-cost subscription options making it possible for even the very low-budget course to present a highly professional image.
As a means of emphasizing the effectiveness of communicating via blogs, over the coming weeks this update will feature some of the best blogs in the Mid-Continent Region. This update features the Glen Echo Country Club Golf Course Maintenance blog. Joe Wachter, CGCS, is the Managing Director of Grounds and Landscapes of “the oldest club west of the Mississippi” and the only course in the world to host Gold Medal matches in the Olympics (you will have to visit the blog to find out the year in which the matches took place.) This blog includes excellent photos and video and is frequently updated, all keys to making it interesting and informative. Visit Joe’s blog at http://geccgcm.blogspot.com
If you have a blog or know of one that you feel does a great job and you would like to see it featured here, please send the link to the blog via email to Jim Moore at jmoore@usga.org
Source: James F. Moore (jmoore@usga.org)
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