Inaugural Golf Industry Show gets a thumbs up.

If there were doubts about the value of the Golf Industry Show in the weeks leading up to the event, those concerns quickly evaporated when the doors opened to an eager throng of golf course management professionals.

Orlando's Orange County Convention Center was the venue for the inaugural Golf Industry Show this past February. The event combined the tradeshows of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). It was designed as a progressive event that featured unparalleled networking opportunities and hands-on access to resources for professional members of the golf industry. Also participating as supporting organizations were the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA), the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), and the National Golf Foundation (NGF).

A novel tradeshow floor layout that featured education and hands-on demonstrations captivated 22,723 attendees. That figure easily surpassed the projected 21,000 mark and represents the largest registration for a GCSAA-sponsored event. Last year in San Diego, GCSAA's Conference and Show drew 19,314 attendees. Perhaps even more important than the overall figures was the number of "qualified buyers" (those who can influence purchasing decisions) walking the show floor. Last year in San Diego at the GCSAA Conference and Show there were approximately 6,200 qualified buyers. That number was eclipsed at the Golf Industry Show in Orlando as 8,149 qualified buyers attended.

The tradeshow featured 826 exhibiting companies, covering 270,670 square feet of floor space, surpassing the projected final total of 255,00 square feet. At last year's GCSAA's show, there were 684 exhibitors covering 240,000 square feet. The all-time best for square footage at a GCSAA Conference and Show was 278,000 in Dallas in 2001. This year's exhibit space total marks the third highest for a GCSAA-sponsored event. Interspersed among the exhibits were eight solution centers that focused on the various aspects of golf course management, including a 2,500-square-foot putting green, a driving range, an electronic vehicle test center, a clubhouse, maintenance and equipment test center, irrigation, agronomic case studies, and GCSAA membership.

"By any measure, the Golf Industry Show was a success," GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE said. "That is due to the combined efforts of the host organizations, the industry partners, educators, and numerous others critical to the event. The feedback thus far indicates a high level of satisfaction from those in attendance."

While the trade shows of the organizations were combined to form a new industry event, each retained autonomous education conferences that ran concurrently with the Golf Industry Show. The objective was to present an industry trade show that represents the significant aspects of a golf operation--from ownership, to feasibility and design, to construction and operations. The GCSAA Education Conference also drew strong interest. At week's end, 7,329 seminar seats were processed, marking the second highest total since 7,903 seats were sold in New Orleans in 2000. Last year in San Diego, seminar attendance was 6,772. A total of 100 seminars were offered, while another 40 hours of forums, sessions, and panels focusing on golf course management were presented.

Feedback from attendees and exhibitors is still being collected through surveys, but the initial response has been positive. Among those weighing in was longtime tradeshow consultant Steve Miller, CEO of The Adventure. Miller reported that the 2005 Golf Industry Show was the third-highest rated tradeshow event he had attended. He noted high scores in the areas of "buzz, experience, and value." Miller also indicated a strong sense of industry pride, new offerings, quality education, and networking opportunities as strengths of the event.

The 2006 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show will be held in New Orleans, LA, Feb. 6-11. The Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) will become associated with the event as a present partner in 2007 when the show goes to Anaheim. Mona says the addition of CMAA will only enhance the event.

"From a facility standpoint, the opportunity to engage its superintendent, owner, and club manager in continuing education, the exhibition of products and services, and networking will only strengthen operations," Mona said. "The feedback we have received in the past is overwhelmingly positive from the employer/supervisor perspective. Those individuals gain a greater appreciation of the role and the sophistication of the golf course superintendent profession. The Golf Industry Show is a must attend for those responsible for any aspect of facility management."

GCSAA also conducted its annual meeting at its education conference. Timothy T. O'Neill, certified golf course superintendent at Country Club of Darien (CT), was elected GCSAA president at the association's annual meeting. GCSAA members elected three officers and three directors from a field of eight candidates, including: Vice President Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Pendleton, OR; and Secretary/ Treasurer Ricky D. Heine, CGCS, general manager/director of grounds, The Golf Club Star Ranch, Austin, TX.

Elected as directors were: James F. Fitzroy, CGCCS, director/superintendent, Presidents Golf Course, N. Quincy, MA; Mark D. Kuhns, director of grounds, Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, NJ; Robert M. Randquist, CGCS, director of golf course and grounds, Boca Rio Golf Club, Boca Raton, FL; and Jon D. Maddern, CGCS, immediate past president, Elk Ridge Golf Course, Atlanta, MI. Robert J. Maibusch, CGCS, MG, Hinsdale Golf Course, Clarendon Hills, IL, retired from the board of directors. Mark J. Woodward, CGCS, golf operations manager for the city of San Diego, will serve on the board for one year as immediate past president. Gary K. Carls, CGCS, Sunnyvale and Sunken Gardens golf course in Sunnyvale, CA, and David S. Downing II, CGCS, The Pearl Golf Links of Ocean Isle Golf Club, Southwest Sunset Beach, NC, each have one year remaining on their two-year director's terms.

Other highlights of the GCSAA Education Conference and the Golf Industry Show included:

* Jack Nicklaus, one of golf's most influential forces on and off the course, was presented with the 2005 Old Tom Morris Award from the GCSAA at the Opening Session, Feb. 10. GCSAA's most prestigious honor, the Old Tom Morris Award is presented each year to an individual who "through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris."

* Seth Strickland, golf course superintendent at Miami (FL) Shores Country Club, held off defending champion Tommy Robinson to win the 2005 GCSAA Golf Championship, which wrapped up Feb. 8 in Orlando. Strickland fired a 1-under-par 71 on the International Course at ChampionsGate to cap off a two-day performance of 4-under-par 140. He did three shots better than Robinson, and six shots better than a trio of superintendents who finished tied for third. The GCSAA Golf Championship, which drew 530 competitors, is presented in partnership with The Toro Co.

* The Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA, celebrated its 50th anniversary at the 2005 GCSAA Education Conference and inaugural Golf Industry Show. A modest $200 scholarship--awarded to a promising young turfgrass student in 1955--has evolved over the past 50 years into a collaborative effort of the environmental and golf communities, dedicated to strengthening the compatibility of the game of golf with the natural environment. The GCSAA Scholarship and Research Fund was established in 1955.

* For the fourth straight year, Iowa State took top honors in the Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition conducted at the 2005 GCSAA Education Conference and inaugural Golf Industry Show. The winning Cyclone team made up of Andy Pudenz, Shea Nelson, Joel Vint, and Ben Stover edged another team from Iowa State to take the top spot. Third place went to a team from The Ohio State University. The teams from Iowa State were coached by a previous two-time turf bowl winner and now a graduate student at Iowa State, Marcus Jones. The Iowa State faculty advisor is Dr. Nick Christians. This year's turf bowl had a record 80 teams competing from both two- and four-year programs with a total of 305 students. The students work in teams of up to four to complete an exam with seven sections that include turf, weed, seed and soil identification, mathematics, and more. Leah Brilman, Ph.D., of Seed Research of Oregon, and a representative of the Turfgrass Breeders Association facilitated the competition.