San Diego, United States: As the golf course management industry came together this month for the annual Golf Industry Show, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) announced their intentions to collaborate on several important initiatives aimed at strengthening the golf industry and enhancing the knowledge shared between superintendents and owners.

The NGCOA and GCSAA confirmed they will continue working in co-operation on the following programmes:

• NGCOA will help match course owners and operators with GCSAA’s First Green programme, an innovative environmental and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education outreach programme using golf courses as environmental learning labs.
• NGCOA will encourage course owners and operators to have their golf course management staff join GCSAA to accelerate their professional skills and positive impact at the golf course business.
• GCSAA will encourage GCSAA members to have their facilities join NGCOA to take advantage of a variety of business-related benefits.
• NGCOA will publish important turf and water management news and findings from GCSAA that is most relevant to facility owners and operators to help them make informed decisions about the most important physical asset at their businesses, the golf course.
• NGCOA will promote GCSAA’s Best Management Practices (BMP) initiative, including development and adoption of state and facility BMPs created through GCSAA’s BMP Planning Guide and Template to support model operations with regard to nutrient, drought, water and pest management.
• GCSAA will offer insight and expertise to NGCOA’s Top Agronomic Officer (TAO) special interest group, that represents the nation’s largest multi-course operations. The biennial meeting of the TAO will continue to take place at the GIS.
• GCSAA and NGCOA will continue to collaborate on any advocacy and research initiatives aimed at advancing the interests and health of the golf industry.

“As long as maintaining land and water is an important part of the golf business, you will see a close working relationship between NGCOA and GCSAA,” said Jay Karen, the NGCOA’s Chief Executive Officer. “While the golf industry is quite large in many ways, the industry is too small not to work closely together on our most important initiatives. I look forward to continuing our work with GCSAA.”

Rhett Evans, the GCSAA’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “As allied associations both working to grow the game of golf and to improve the professional lives of the men and women who make their living from this great game, collaboration between GCSAA and NGCOA benefits us all. We look forward to a continuing our close relationship with NGCOA and its members.”