Golfdom, February 2015

5 nifty gis events Continued from page 30 Obispo Calif and Andrew J Staples president of Golf Resources Group will be taking you through low to no cost adjustments that can be made to your facilities for immediate and long term impact This seminar requests you bring an 11x17 aerial print of your course via Andrew Staples Google Earth or another source so it can be analyzed and then youll be told what youre doing wrong 3 BASFs Beers Banter and Brats 1 30 p m and 3 p m Wednesday Feb 25 booth 4111 Four of Seths favorite things will be available simultaneously at the BASF booth beers banter brats and himself Moderated by Golfdom EIC Seth Jones guest speakers include Kevin Robinson CGCS at Pinehurst Resort Joe Kennedy CGCS at Vanderbilt Legends Club John Thompson Sycamore Hills GC along with BASFs Strategic Account Manager Brian Thompson among others Seth will be slinging beers while also having the group discuss their challenges what theyre expecting for the 2015 golf season and some recent successes theyve witnessed The 1 30 p m session is dedicated to Northern courses and the 3 p m session is dedicated to Southern courses 2 Closing Celebration 5 p m to 7 p m Thursday Feb 26 Lila Cockrell Theatre Every ice cream sundae needs a cherry on top and every GIS needs a closing ceremony This years proverbial cherry will not disappoint Start at 5 30 p m with a few drinks during the reception before the program Watch out for the spit takes during the Continued on page 34 Passing the gavel Keith Ihms CGCS discusses his year as GCSAAs 78th president with GCSAAs 53rd president Dennis Lyon CGCS Ret and looks ahead to the future of the superintendent profession and the game of golf By DenniS Lyon Dennis Lyon Tell us about your travels this year Where did you go What were some of the important meetings and activities in which you were involved Keith ihms Travel has been challenging but amazing I have been everywhere from Beijing China to Monterey Calif and many places in between I spent three days at the BIGGA Conference in England without luggage I learned my body style doesnt conform to the European clothing idea I had a great opportunity while in China to spend some oneon one time with Gary Player who was also part of an event Some of the most productive and valuable meetings during my year were with the USGA Executive Committee and with the PGA officers We worked with the USGA on promotion of sustainable golf and with the PGA on ways our associations can grow the game and make it more enjoyable Lyon Golf has had some difficult times since the 2008 economic downturn What are your thoughts on the current status of golf in the U S where is the business of golf headed and how will the superintendent profession change and evolve ihms Golf although stabilized a bit is still struggling However I think recently there has been a more positive attitude from golfs allied groups Ive also seen more capital investment in many facilities which is encouraging On where the golf business is headed facilities companies and organizations will continue to look for better ways to do business We must continue to reduce inputs provide quality experiences do more for less and work together to grow and strengthen the game This requires controlling maintenance costs along with making the game more affordable and accessible We need to lower the time commitment to play the game and most importantly make playing the game more fun Superintendents are the boots on the ground and can have the greatest impact in many of these areas Lyon I understand the GCSAA Board of Directors has been evaluating membership classifications among other topics Bring us up to date on some of these issues ihms The Board has been working on member standards and will continue in 2015 Continued on page 34 32 Golfdom February 2015 Golfdom com