First Impressions - GIS 2011

Today is a big day in my career: my very first day hitting the floor at a Golf Course Industry show. I've been bounced from booth to booth, shaken by the hand and introduced to so many people I feel like I've been speed dating for eight hours. After today, I can say I know more about the golf course industry than I ever have before.

And there were plenty of people out on the floor with information about products. The new greensmowers from Toro pulled me in again, but a presentation from Club Car on the Visage system definitely caught my interest as well. However, since I’ve currently got what you might call “an outsider’s perspective,” I hope you don’t mind if I borrow yours. I talked to some people about the floor as I wandered today, and found that at least some showgoers are here more for education this year because the show itself seems to be smaller.

Superintendents I talked to showed up to check out the educational offerings at GIS. We’re all a little bit behind a budget, and while new equipment may sound good, it may be a better time to look at building up those skills that will help a course run smarter. Jake Falke of Aspen Glen Golf in Carbondale, Colo., told me that he hadn’t seen anything on the floor today that blew him away, but he was looking forward to picking up some educational points to strengthen his course. Michael Fabrizio of Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. said he had signed up for the seminar about establishing native and natural vegetation in naturalized areas to enhance the visual interest of his course with local wildflowers.

The products out on the floor might be worth another look regardless of your budget, but it might be the year to improve your educational resources once you walk the floor.