Association relationships highlighted at builders meeting

Jersey City, N.J. – Members of the Golf Course Builders Association of America met on the banks of the Hudson River Aug. 10 to 12 for their annual meeting. The message was clear that maintaining strong relationships with other golf-related associations is important to keep the business side of golf running smoothly.

Tommy Sasser, GCBAA president, would like to see the association's relationship with others in the golf industry continue to grow.

More than 200 people, 175 of which are members, attended the meeting.

The association’s president, Tommy Sasser, who is also the v.p. of Weitz Golf International, says the GCBAA needs to continue to develop and maintain the relationships it has with the National Golf Course Owners Association, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

“We need to make sure those associations know what the GCBAA does,” he says.

Signifying the relationship the GCBAA is maintaining with those associations, representatives from each spoke to the builders.

Tom Marzolf, president of the ASGCA, says the focus of the association is on the environment, technology and education. The ASGCA is partnering with the GCBAA to publish a book about golf courses and the environment. As far as technology, the U.S. Golf Association is monitoring ball and club manufacturing, and Marzolf says the ASGCA would like to see the ball not go any farther. Educationally, the architects are working with existing courses on master planning. Marzolf says golf courses need to address long-term issues, and a one-year budget isn’t the way to do that because it’s just a way planning to get through the year.

Steve Mona, c.e.o. of the GCSAA, says the association is talking with tier two partners for the Golf Industry Show, which will feature six solutions centers in one building with one master plan.

“We’re pleased that golf is coming together,” Mona says. “We’re creating a better platform for associations to promote their messages.”

Mona also says the GCSAA is working to establish competencies to have superintendents become construction or grow-in superintendents.

Steve Mona, ce.o. of the GCSAA, is pleased with the direction the industry is headed.

Another example of associations working together is when the GCBAA, GCSAA and ASGCA will be present at a parks and recreation trade show later this year.

Mona says the Environmental Institute for Golf is trying to change behaviors and create best management practices to raise the standards of environmentally friendly golf course operations. The GCSAA also is working to inform legislators about its relationship with the environment.

“We’re trying to change the perception of golf courses’ use of land and the inputs that go with it,” he says.

Cart path problems
The GCBAA’s annual meeting also featured an architects panel that spent time discussing the golf course building market in general and cart path liability.

Jeff Brauer, a past president of the ASGCA and president of GolfScapes, says he isn’t seeing much glamour work and more new courses will come back in a year.

John Harvey says he is seeing more depressed sites.

Bill Love, immediate past president of the ASGCA, says the industry is being hindered because of cost.

Bill Love, immediate past president of the ASGCA, says the industry needs to grow the game, which is being hindered by its affordability. He’s also seeing business pick up.

Tom Marzolf says real estate is impacting golf course development and developers are afraid of interest rates so they are pressured to sell lots and get properties on the market before interest rates increase.

Greg Muirhead of Rees Jones Golf Course Design, says most projects the firm works on are real estate driven. The firm is looking to do more projects in the Caribbean. Muirhead also is seeing more courses shut down for a year so they can be completely reconstructed.

The panel also has concerns about cart path liability. Love says he wishes architects could get rid of cart paths because the liability issues are a concern.
Brauer questions where the liability lays with cart paths: the architect, engineer, golfer, owner or builder.

Harvey says they are all at risk. He gave an example of a newly opened course that decided to not put cart paths on the course as a cost cutting measure but ended up needing them.

Marzolf says it’s not ideal, but architects might need to lay the hole around the cart path, while keeping the path nonintrusive. He also says the paths are used for maintenance equipment.

Brauer says he puts clauses in his contract that deal with cart path liability. He thinks if there is an accident, all will get sued and there is nothing you can do. GCN