Hundreds attended GCSAA’s Centennial Celebration at GCSAA headquarters.Photos by GCSAA Staff
As the sun tickled the treetops, a longtime GCSAA member set the tone.
“Being around for something 100 years means you must be doing something right. This is amazing,” says Mel Lucas Jr., 1980 association president, “and I lived to see it.”
Lucas was among hundreds in attendance on Oct. 8 at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., to celebrate a monumental moment on a picture-perfect fall day. The GCSAA Centennial Celebration showcased a recently completed Centennial Plaza, highlighted by a new statue of founder Col. John Morley.
It was an opportunity to celebrate what GCSAA has become since its founding by Morley on Sept. 13, 1926, and what it should continue to be for years to come, supported by more than 21,000 current association members from 74 countries.
Hundreds attended GCSAA’s Centennial Celebration at GCSAA headquarters.
“It’s all about people. Period. If he (Morley) could bring people together like this, something powerful could happen,” said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, who unveiled the new Morley statue standing alongside the Old Tom Morris statue at Centennial Plaza.
“Serve and give back. Cement that together and, 100 years later, look at what this idea has become.”
Dignitaries, visitors and rising industry leaders from the EXCEL Leadership Program funded by Nufarm were also on hand. Jim Croxton, the CEO of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association, even journeyed across the pond for the ceremony.
“GCSAA leads the way globally in recognition, and we want to continue to partner with you the next 100 years,” Croxton said.
GCSAA President Paul L. Carter, CGCS, delivers a speech at the Centennial Celebration. Photos by GCSAA staff.
GCSAA chapter delegates, in town all week for their annual gathering at headquarters, capped their visit with Thursday’s celebration. Bob McLean — director of agronomy at The Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green, Ky., and the Middle Tennessee Regional area president of Tennessee’s GCSA — says his visit confirmed what he already thought about the association.
“This is impressive. And the staff here is incredible. Always incredible,” says McLean, a Class A and 23-year member who participated in a committee for GCSAA’s First Green several years ago. “I started in college in technical theater. I started at my golf club in 1989 as a part-time worker. The theater translated into what I do now. Now, my job at the course is like present day, putting on a show.”
Delegate Mike Fasy, GCSAA Class A member at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Fla., is an 18-year association member who enrolled in high school. He credits GCSAA for helping spark growth.
“Our industry has grown, and so much of it is what GCSAA has done. And that’s a lot.”
GCSAA Vice President Marc Weston, CGCS, and President Paul L. Carter unveil the new Col. John Morley statue.
Brandon Crim, a 17-year GCSAA Class A member and superintendent at Centennial Golf Course in Nampa, Idaho, says networking within the organization helped him reach delegate status.
“Networking made a big difference in my life,” says Crim. “I got a couple jobs from superintendents that told other courses, I’ve got a guy for you, and I’m going to send him your way.’ I’m also happy when I hear more people nowadays talking about us, what we do for the game of golf.”
Former GCSAA employees and the current staff attended, and their presence prompted Evans to pause, as he became emotional describing how they serve members on a daily basis.
This not-so-little-party continued well into the afternoon and evening, and delegates who played at different golf courses in the Kansas City area were treated with Chamber of Commerce weather conditions.
Past GCSAA presidents gather for the Centennial Celebration.
A night to remember
The dinner and evening event at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center was quite the show.
Serving as master of ceremonies was New York Times best-selling author Tom Coyne. Coyne’s love for golf has evolved into much more over the years, and he’s become a true believer in superintendents.
His latest book, “A Course Called Home,” details his adventures as an accidental golf course owner. His visit to Sullivan County Golf Club in Liberty, N.Y., a 9-hole facility in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, served as his inspiration.
Golf was a big part of the Centennial Celebration on a sunny, perfect day in the Kansas City area.
The course was fading, nearing a sale unless a miracle intervened. Superintendent Shaun Smith didn’t let hopelessness deter him, and his encounter with Coyne was the miracle the course needed. Coyne purchased and restored the course, buoyed in part by supporters like actor Bill Murray and former NFL player Jason Kelce.
“One superintendent refused to let it go,” Coyne says of Smith. “These are your (superintendents’) stories because one of you gave me mine.”
Among the highlights of the evening was a video appearance by the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus, who shared several stories, as well as his appreciation for superintendents. A slew of other golfers, from Rickie Fowler to Justin Thomas and Annika Sorenstam, were among those appearing on video for “Thank a Golf Superintendent” campaign testimonies.
Another tribute from career grand slam major champion and 2020 GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award winner Gary Player applauded superintendents. “The word I think of about them is gratitude. You give us the enjoyment we have,” Player said.
GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, below left, welcomed several visitors to the event, including Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall.
Major gift to GCSAA Foundation kick-starts next century
GCSAA’s future received a massive boost with what’s on the horizon. During Thursday night’s event, Evans announced that the Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation has donated $2 million to the GCSAA Foundation in recognition of the 100th anniversary. It is the largest single gift in GCSAA Foundation history.
To cap off the night, GCSAA president Paul L. Carter, CGCS, delivered a final message, looking ahead.
“The next century starts now, with us. We depend on each other. We celebrate those who made these 100 years possible,” said Carter, a 34-year association member and director of agronomy at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Harrison, Tenn.
“We’re excited about our future. Here’s to all who helped us get here and to the next century, keeping the game on course.”
Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.