Day 3 at CITC 2013- All For One

The schedule for day three of the conference was packed with education lessons, social hours and trade show opportunities, but it started off with an act of international diplomacy.

Curtis Tyrrell, director of golf course operations at Medinah Country Club, talked about the process of preparing his course for the 2012 Ryder Cup. He shared great stories about the infamous European team comeback, dubbed the "Miracle at Medinah" and how both teams, although competitive, were eager to learn from each other and from Tyrrell. 

Tyrrell also talked about his experience with redoing greens, fairways, tree removal and relocation and many other monumental tasks he and his team had to accomplish in the five year lead up to the event. He shared techniques, challenges, solutions and lessons learned with his counterparts to the north. His willingness and excitement to tell others in the industry how to improve and grow shows the amazing sense of unity that always exists among golf course management professionals and unveils itself on a grand scale at this conference. 

The unity that is aimed for and achieved is one of the truly great elements of the CGSA and its members from coast to coast. From the conversation on the trade show floor to the hearty laughter of the annual banquet and even the rapid sharing of information on social media, it is evident that every single member is dedicated to building up the industry and understands that this can only be done by joining together.

Brian Youell, CGSA's 2012 Superintendent of the Year, said in his presentation "We all have a story to tell, we just need to learn how to package it together to say it powerfully." We are powerful together and we have shown that this week at the CITC. We have shown that raising our voices together is crucial to making an impact (unless it was at the silent auction; the key word being silent).

At the end of the day we have shown that if we all stand together, we all reap the rewards, which is a healthy industry, an innovative industry and definitely a fulfilling industry. 

A big thank you to all the people who made bringing everyone together at the conference and trade show possible. Thank you to the board members, committee members, staff, vendors, speakers and especially CGSA members. Without all of you, none of the learning, sharing, support or fun would have happened.