Behind the Scenes: How GreenMaster is Made

You've probably heard the news; the CGSA has taken over the publication of GreenMaster Magazine.

But what does that mean?

Well, let’s look at it in simple and quite honestly more appealing terms than bland numbers and jargon. What it means is the CGSA is doing some home cooking.

We’re making the magazine from scratch, with original articles that will make our industry and our members strong and thrive.

We’re making it at home, with all the recipes for success passed down from generations. GreenMaster is being written, edited and put together by staff and members who know the business inside and out with decades of combined experience.

And we’re always looking to add more flavour to the pages of GreenMaster with innovative ideas and features that will keep members up to date and ahead of the curve.

So that’s the end product, a magazine of the members, by the members and for the members.

But how does it go from lonely, blank paper in the cupboard to your course’s lunch room table?

Well, it all starts in two places.

The first is in the offices of the CGSA in Mississauga, where editors and directors get together to brainstorm for the coming editions, taking into account the issues facing golf course management professionals across Canada.

But it also begins in the minds of members just like you.

Every time we talk to the Communications, Marketing and Public Relations Committee, great ideas spring up. Every time a member wants to share new information or an innovative approach, an article starts to grow. Every time someone goes above and beyond or writes about an experience they must share with their colleagues, a feature is born.

GreenMaster starts with its members, because they are the inspiration for the magazine and the fuel behind it.

Once we have decided on the theme for the issue and the topics we would like to cover, we reach out to members and other experts, like professors, architects, lawyers, etc, and ask them to contribute with an article, a picture or an interview.

After the ideas come alive on paper, we get down to editing and polishing them for the magazine.

Next we place them in the best order to educate and entertain our readers, putting them amongst our other features such as the President’s Address and the Back Nine.

Meanwhile, we are working tirelessly to collect ads to put in the magazine for two reasons: to finance the printing of the magazine and to present to our members the people and companies they can trust to provide them with the best services and equipment.

If the members are the backbone of GreenMaster, the advertisers are the lifeblood.

Once we have gathered the articles, features, pictures and ads, determined the look of the magazine and made everything shine, we send it to the great folks at Blenheim INK, where GreenMaster is printed. It is here that the PDFs, Word documents and mock ups turn into the real-life, page turner that we ship out and deliver to your door.

This is a process that never stops. We are always looking for stories and ways to improve the magazine to provide the most benefit for our members and that includes hearing your great ideas for content. If you have any ideas for articles or stories that you would like to write or see in GreenMaster, please contact us. We always look forward to your feedback and input.

So there you have it, the making of GreenMaster, from floating ideas to solid content.

If you have any other questions about the publication please do not hesitate to contact us at the CGSA and we’ll be happy to answer them.

We’re keeping the tradition of GreenMaster going and we’re always striving to make it stronger than the issue before.