PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Building relationships is key to our success. Owen Russell, OGSA President, Superintendent, Markland Wood GC.
As your association president, I am honoured to represent such a professional group of individuals. It’s incredible to think that in 1924, this association began with 11 registered members. Now 99 years later, our membership is approaching an all-time high with 866 members. Our current mission statement encompasses the founding fathers’ goals: “The OGSA is committed to serving its members, advancing their profession, and enriching the quality of golf and its environment.” It is an exciting time for the OGSA as we approach our centennial year. In just a few months, we will celebrate our founding fathers’ achievements, and at the same time, we are planning events to educate, promote, and support our members for the future.
a member of the OGSA has allowed me to meet colleagues with whom I have built lifelong friendships throughout my career. These friendships allow me to share challenges, laugh about unique situations, and celebrate successes. It’s essential to offer your crew the same opportunities to build professional connections and become part of this community. OGSA members annually receive a roster that gives them quick and easy access to colleagues who share and understand the pressures of the job. When I flip through the OGSA roster, I see the names of my mentors, trusted colleagues, and the young people who have worked with me and have gone on to become very successful superintendents and industry professionals.
We are fortunate that golf continues to experience a resurgence of players entering the game. As we begin another season, we, as superintendents, strive to build a solid team to deliver excellent course conditions for our club members and golf enthusiasts. Recruiting a great team can be a challenge for superintendents with the competition for employees from other industries and the rising costs of living.
We have a unique industry with a desire for everyone to succeed together. It started this way and continues to grow like the grass we Friendships allow me to share love to maintain. Like most superintendents, challenges, laugh about unique my team extends well beyond my shop doors. The partnerships with suppliers, situations, and celebrate distributors and contractors are essential successes. to allow us to produce excellent conditions for our golfers. The roster is another way to engage with those supporting our industry beyond the sales floor. If you reach out, engage, and attend our Our employment referral service has been a handy tool for events, you will experience some of your most valuable insights superintendents and industry professionals to find skilled coming from casual conversations with colleagues. employees to help their operations. In a recent meeting with Cam Shaw from the University of Guelph, he shared that he is seeing a We aim to reach 1000 members by 2024, and with your help, we renewed interest in the DTM program, which means an increased can get there. If you have an assistant, mechanic or team member flow of newly motivated students to the industry. The OGSA has who isn’t a member, I encourage you to sign them up and get them also seen an increase in student memberships and their interest in involved in all the OGSA offers. With a strong membership, we our referral service, opening the door for these new prospects to can continue to build resources for all of our members, support locate and fill critical positions on maintenance crews. turfgrass research and create a place where superintendents, assistants, technicians, and mechanics can share ideas, develop Engaging with the OGSA for the last 25 years has provided me professionally, and build lasting friendships. with great memories from conferences, golf tournaments and other networking opportunities that have undoubtedly helped I hope you have a wonderful summer with warm days, cool nights, me succeed in my profession. I’m genuinely thankful that being and rain every 4th night. ■ JUNE 2023 | ONCourse 5
