Is our vision 2020?

I was in my office the other day trying to get my internet service to quit crashing. It reminded me a little bit of a Monday morning as a superintendent. You know the drill: A couple of employees are no shows; a greens mower will not start; a fairway unit is leaking hydraulic fluid; and a bunker rake has ended up in a lake - all before 7 a.m.!

My technology trials are vastly different, but they serve as a reminder of how much we rely on our machines. It is when they are not working that we truly grasp the importance of technology. The way that technology has advanced in the 27-plus years that I have been in the golf industry would have been inconceivable in the late 1980s. In fact, my wife, Tennille, relayed to me recently that the Voyager 1 probe that was launched in 1977 and has been reported to have left our solar system is powered by technology that is inferior to today’s smart phones. The Voyager 1 probe has three computers that can process about 8,000 instructions per second compared to your smartphone that processes 14 billion per second!

Where am I going with all this? Take a moment and look around as you read this. Think about the things that may be different in seven years in 2020, or even 27 more years in 2040? In 1985, I was the night irrigation employee, and I moved quick coupler heads around the course all night. Today you can control all your heads individually from your computer, radio or smartphone, and you do not even need to be on the property. What will irrigation systems look like in the next 20 years? What regulations will be imposed on your ability to utilize water resources?

Now move beyond the facility level and think of the changes for your local chapter. What will you need as a member of your local association? What issues will the chapter face within seven years? Will there be an issue with membership retention? Who will your members be? Will there be continued support from vendors or allied partners?

Recently at the Chapter Delegates meeting, GCSAA set forth on an examination of what the industry will look like in the year 2020. How will GCSAA need to adapt to meet the needs of members? Are the efforts to market Class A sufficient? Should we change our membership structure? Do we need to address the standards to attain or maintain Class A status?

In addition to these issues, what programs and services will be enhanced or implemented to assist members in their efforts to achieve professional success? The core of GCSAA is built on professional development, environmental stewardship, advocacy, community and responding to member needs. We know that has been the cased for nearly 90 years and will no doubt continue for the next 90.

We are faced with regulations regarding water use, fertilizer and pesticide, as well as labor issues. These issues will definitely transform the industry and GCSAA. We will look much different in 2020 as we aspire to be the leader in golf. We will continue to focus on our mission, and we know that technology will certainly be a focus moving forward.

Arthur C. Clarke stated that, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Even though this year’s Golf Industry Show will be held in close proximity to the Magic Kingdom, we are not magicians at GCSAA. However, the diligent work of the board of directors and the 89 employees who support you every day will move the association forward in a direction that may well be incomprehensible today - no sleight of hand, just good old fashioned hard work with an eye on the future. For the record, my internet did not crash once while I wrote this . . .(knock on wood).