As the sun sets on the 2021 golf season, it seems hard to separate the events of the last two seasons as both years provided significant challenges for the golf course industry.  The first half of the pandemic provided most of us with operational challenges (increased rounds and tighter labor markets) whereas this last season those same issues were compounded with additional agronomic challenges (ice storms and record-breaking temperatures).  Inevitably, everyone made it through, and we are hopefully onto some sense of normalcy for 2022.

In late August, Alec Kowalewski and the rest of the Oregon State Turfgrass team hosted another fantastic Field Day.  The group covered a wide range of topics including anthracnose management, PGR effects on cultivation recovery, long-term effects of topdressing and cultivation practices, and proxy timing for seedhead suppression.  If you haven’t attended either the summer or winter Field Day, I would highly recommend doing so.  In addition to the knowledge gained from all their terrific work, it is an incredible networking opportunity.

The current OGCSA Board of Directors had the fortune of spending a couple of hours with Steve Randall, GCSAA’s Director of Chapter Outreach, for a Board orientation and strategic planning session in late September.  The orientation provided an opportunity for the existing directors to become better acquainted and gain a greater understanding of the importance of communication with each other and members of the association in general.  The strategic planning session included “self-assessment” of the organization and resulted in a few action items for the Board to focus on in the short term.

One subject that continues to come up in conversation is how to get more members involved in the Association.  Each year, Alexis is tasked with the tall order of the filling out the ballot for the Board of Directors.  I can honestly say I was one of the worst offenders as it took me almost 10 years to get involved in the Association after moving back up north.  Whether it is simply getting involved with a committee or running for the Board next spring, I promise it isn’t as much of a time commitment as you think.  It is a total cliché, but I can attest that you definitely get more out of volunteering for the Board than you put into it.  If you have any interest in volunteering for a committee or a position on the Board next year, please contact Alexis or me.

The Board of Directors was thrilled to partner with the Oregon State Turfgrass program to offer a scholarship to attend a full year of the PACE course.  Through the generous donation of this newly developed program, the Association accepted resumes for the month of September and will be announcing the selected candidate in the coming weeks.

Hopefully this off-season will allow all of us to take some time away from the job and reset!

Brian Koffler, OGCSA President