GCSAA Member Delegates Travel to the U.K.

After an extensive application process, ten GCSAA members were chosen by Bernhard and Company to travel to England and attend BIGGA's British Turf Management Exhibition (BTME). The trip was an opportunity for GCSAA members to see how it is done on this side of the pond.

For the past six years, Bernhard and Company has sponsored ten BIGGA "delegate" members to travel to the U.S. and attend GCSAA's Golf Industry Show. In the autumn of 2006, Bernhard and Company announced that they would be providing the opportunity for GCSAA members to visit BIGGA's BTME at Harrogate.

Click here to meet the 2007 GCSAA Delegates (PDF File)

Education and professional development opportunities are some of the key benefits delegates receive - as well as the chance to network with greenkeepers from the U.K and around Europe.
Ken Williams, CGCS, golf course superintendent at Stanford University Golf Club summed up his experience by saying:

"Becoming a GCSAA Delegate and attending the BTME was one of the best things I've done professionally as a superintendent.  I was able to travel to the UK with nine other top US superintendents and share experiences.  I was able to get the international perspective on the business and meet many new colleagues who were willing to share information.  Everyone in BIGGA and at the BTME went out of their way to make sure we were having a great experience at their conference and show.  It was something that truly inspired me and something I will always remember."

Activities of the six day trip included visits to Alwoodley Golf Club, Ganton Park Golf Club, the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), and several days at BTME attending education conferences and walking the exhibition halls.
Ideas were shared between the U.S. and British superintendents, as well as an understanding that no matter where they practice their profession, they all face similar issues. In regards to his experience, Roger Stewart, CGCS, of TPC Jasna Polana stated:

"Networking with BIGGA members and meeting people who manage courses all over Europe really opened my eyes to the differences in our management techniques and to the similarities in many of the challenges we face. The differences specifically in regards to golfer expectations and how that relates to budgets, cultural practices and conditions."
"I must say that I was very impressed with both courses we visited when it comes to the conditions they produce. It was a bit overwhelming as I felt like I was walking on hallowed ground."
"The friendship extended us by the greenkeepers we met was beyond my expectations. I hope to keep in touch with as many of them as possible."

The trip was a huge success by all accounts and will be offered to all GCSAA Class A Members again in 2008.
If you are a GCSAA Class A member and would like to apply to become a GCSAA delegate to travel to BIGGA's BTME in 2008, stop by the Bernhard and Company Booth at the Golf Industry Show in Anaheim, 2036, to find out how.