The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is launching a property profile and environmental stewardship practices survey as part of its Golf Course Environmental Profile survey program. An in-depth questionnaire that will ask about property details and environmental stewardship practices will be sent electronically to superintendents at approximately 14,000 facilities. The survey will be open from Sept. 1 through Oct. 17. The GCSAA also announced the creation of the Larry Powell Scholarship, which honors a man who is a 48-year GCSAA member and golf course superintendent at Clearview Golf Course in Canton, Ohio.
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) will seek critically needed data from superintendents regarding property details and environmental stewardship practices to support the profession and industry as part of the on-going efforts to maintain necessary golf course management resources.
To collect the data, an in-depth questionnaire will be sent electronically to superintendents at approximately 14,000 facilities. The property profile and environmental stewardship practices survey is part of the third phase of GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profile survey program, which consists of three surveys that are funded by the GCSAA Foundation. The survey will be open from Sept. 1 through Oct. 17.
Since 2006, the data collected has enabled GCSAA to help members succeed and support the golf industry. GCSAA needs representation from across the U.S. from members, non-members and all facility types. Superintendents should look for an email from the National Golf Foundation, which is conducting the survey on behalf of the GCSAA, or find access on GCSAA’s website. The Golf Course Environmental Profile survey program will be administered by Mark Johnson, director of environmental programs for GCSAA. The information will be analyzed by J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D. and Travis Shaddox, Ph.D. All superintendents should participate, and those who complete the survey will receive 0.5 service points and be entered into drawings for prizes.
“The data from the surveys has been vital in our efforts to advocate for the profession and industry,” said GCSAA President Kevin P. Breen, CGCS, superintendent at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif. “It demonstrates the proactive environmental best practices that superintendents use to maintain their facilities.”
The results from the property profile and environmental stewardship practices survey will be announced in 2023 and compared against numbers published from the first phase in 2007 and the second phase in 2017.
This is the last of three surveys in the third phase. The first survey, Water Use and Management Practices, was conducted in the fall of 2021 with results announced in July. The second, Nutrient Use and Pest Management survey was conducted in the spring of 2022 with results to come later this year. All the topics closely mirrored the first two phases.
The GCSAA also announced the creation of the Larry Powell Scholarship, which is administered by the GCSAA Foundation and will recognize students in underserved populations seeking a career in golf course and turfgrass management.
The scholarship was announced by GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans on Aug. 29 during a presentation at the African American Golf Expo and Forum in Charlotte, N.C.
The Larry Powell Scholarship is named in honor of Larry Powell, a 48-year GCSAA member and golf course superintendent at Clearview Golf Course in Canton, Ohio. Powell’s father, Bill Powell, was an entrepreneur and pioneering golf course owner who opened Clearview Golf Club in Canton in 1948. The integrated course was the first and only course to be designed, constructed and owned by an African American. Bill was a member of GCSAA for 37 years prior to his death in 2009. Bill and Larry were the first African American father-son members in GCSAA history. The Powell Family, which includes Larry’s sister, Renee, who was the second African American player in LPGA history, was awarded GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award in 2019.
“Larry Powell has served and advanced his family’s legacy at Clearview Golf Club as superintendent for over 40 years,” Evans said. “He is a humble leader who has shaped and impacted the lives of many. Larry serves as a beacon of hope for young minorities seeking to establish a meaningful and rewarding career. We want to help create pathways and provide financial support to others who desire to establish a meaningful career in our industry.”
The scholarship will focus on underserved populations who are GCSAA members or interested in becoming members. Scholarship preference will be given to needs-based applicants with consideration for leadership skills and community engagement.
The lead gift to establish the Larry Powell Scholarship Fund came from GCSAA Immediate Past President Mark F. Jordan, CGCS, natural resources leader at Westfield Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio, who first met Larry Powell more than 20 years ago. Additional early support came from the Westfield Insurance Foundation and GCSAA Past President John R. Fulling Jr., CGCS, superintendent at Kalamazoo (Mich.) Country Club.
“Larry struck me as an unsung hero, never seeking attention or the limelight,” Jordan said. “I have since learned this to be true in all aspects of Larry’s life. He deserves to be honored for the work he has done at Clearview Golf Club, upholding an important African American family legacy and serving as a role model for underserved communities.”
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