Col. Morley looks great in bronze; A salute to GCSAA’s 100-year celebration

It was like a high school reunion combined with powerful speeches and a networking reception. It had perfect weather, industry leaders and cameos from local politicians. The evening event featured Jack Nicklaus on a live stream, some kind words from a writer-turned-golf-course-owner and a $2 million check presentation.

It was last week’s GCSAA’s Centennial Celebration event at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., and at the downtown Kansas City Sheraton. And it was just about the perfect way to celebrate an association turning 100.

“Our founder and our president, Col. John Morley… knew it was all about people, period,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans told the crowd of 200 people seated in the headquarters parking lot. “A century ago, a small group of greenkeepers came together through the vision and the inspiration of this man, Col. John Morley, our founder and our president. Morley understood early on that if he could bring people together just like this, around a common purpose, something powerful would happen.”

Powerful indeed. Wouldn’t Col. John Morley be proud of this day?

Some personal perspective

Before I get into the speeches, allow me a moment to reflect on this moment, and the last 25 years…

I was honored to get an invitation to attend the event. Sure, I’d already attended the GCSAA’s 100th anniversary celebration at the GCSAA Conference and Show in Orlando back in February, but this was different. This was at GCSAA headquarters — where I got my start in the industry. And this was also important because the 75th anniversary celebration was tragically taken away.

Back in 2001 I worked for GCSAA when we were preparing for the 75th anniversary. The ceremony was to take place on Sept. 13, 2001. It was all hands-on deck. Everyone was asked to do something beyond their regular jobs. I remember my job for the 75th, I was to be the valet for VIP attendees and park their cars when they pulled up.

This wasn’t a menial job to me — I was excited!

Then the tragedy of the events on September 11, 2001, forced the cancelation of the entire event.

These memories came back to me as I was driving to Lawrence that morning. My thoughts were, ‘Wow, that was 25 years ago?’ and then ‘Man, I’m glad we’re actually doing this.’

I pulled into the GCSAA lot on a Thursday morning. There was no valet parking at the 100-year edition but there was some security guarding the lot. At first, I was questioned, until a familiar face spotted me and waved me in.

I knew I’d see familiar faces from the industry, but what really surprised me was seeing so many of my old coworkers, some of whom I haven’t seen in over a decade. It was interesting, I was there trying to wear a Golfdom hat, but instead I kept putting on the “former GCSAA staffer” hat as we’d reminisce with each other, catching up on our families and how old everyone’s kids were.

It was a trip down memory lane.

And then the show started

I don’t know what I expected of the morning ceremony but I do know this: what we got surpassed my expectations.

I stood there and watched as a bagpiper led 27 past GCSAA presidents to their seats. I listened to the speakers, and felt this incredible pride in our industry, and the many individuals who work to make it what it is. GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans gave a fine speech, singling out the many different groups who make up the industry. His reoccurring question was, ‘Why are you here?’

“So, why are you here? I’ve shared a lot of different answers, but at the end of the day, you all know it boils back down to people believing in one another, lifting one another up, staying connected, and giving back,” Evans told the crowd. “Morley had it right from the beginning. In his own words, ‘No life is or can be self-existent. We depend upon each other.’”

Earlier in his speech, Evans reflected on why Morley felt the inspiration to form an association of greenkeepers in 1927, when travel, communication, arranging meetings … heck, everything … was much more difficult.

“Col. John Morley, our founder and our president, understood early on that if he could bring people together just like this, around a common purpose, something powerful would happen. They would share what they know. They would help one another,” Evans said. “They would serve and give back. They would treat one another with fairness and respect, and with goodwill. They would help one another, and ultimately would make each other better. Morley understood that the more people give, the more they receive, and the stronger our community would become.”

GCSAA President Paul Carter, CGCS, spoke about the history of GCSAA, the work that went into getting the association off the ground and how far the association has come in 100 years.

“Morley decided that the cornerstones of this association should be these three: justice; brotherhood and generous benevolence. And he thought the association should be one of character,” Carter said. “On Sept. 13, 1926, at Sylvania CC, they held the first meeting. At that meeting, 31 of the attendees became charter members. Six months later, there were 300 members. By the end of 1928, there was a member in every state and every Canadian province. Today, what we know as the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, supports over 21,000 thousand members in 74 countries.”

Other speakers included Emily Palmer, chief member services officer of the USGA; Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldai; Senator Roger Marshall; State Representative Tracey Mann; and Jim Croxton, CEO, the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA).

Croxton especially shined as a speaker, bringing multiple laughs to the ceremony while also recognizing GCSAA as the global leader for greenkeeping.

“(BIGGA) announced early this year a new strapline (tagline) — a kind of reason for being for our association — and in one sentence we try and encapsulate all we do. It says, ‘We support greenkeepers through education, recognition and community to enhance course quality and continually elevate the game of golf.’ I think that resonates hugely with the GCSAA,” Croxton said. “It pains me to say it, but the GCSAA is undoubtedly the leading association in greenkeeping around the world. (It’s) three times (the size of) our membership, the building is approximately 50 times the size of mine. You even have a parking lot that you guys can sit in! It’s the large association, and I believe it leads the way globally in one of those key words from our strapline, which is recognition.”

A look inside the time capsule

Once the speakers were done, they unveiled the Col. John Morley statue to a round of applause. Morley now stands right next to the Old Tom Morris statue.

And another round of applause is deserved for how GCSAA has transformed the front entrance to their headquarters. Beyond the statue, there’s also two walls of bricks that carry messages from industry stakeholders.

As the main event ended, attendees were invited to tour GCSAA headquarters to see the improvements made on the building. I remember when there was a receptionist desk in the lobby, now it’s all wide open and you get a great view of the landscaping in the back.

I turned the corner and saw Cam Oury, CFO.

“Seth, there’s a rumor that your photo is in the time capsule,” he said to me.

I didn’t know what that meant — was that a ‘you’re getting old!’ joke?

I was about to leave and was saying goodbye to my wife, who still works for GCSAA (that’s where we met), when one of her coworkers came up to me and said, “Before you go! Have you seen the photos from the time capsule? You’re in them!”

OK, so that wasn’t some old man joke from Cam… there really was a time capsule? And it’s been opened?

Turns out, GCSAA made a time capsule back in 2001, for the 75th anniversary, to be opened on the 100th. I walked into the multipurpose room and saw the table (proudly presented by longtime staffer Lisa Wick) with the contents of the time capsule spread out.

Yup, that’s me. Twenty (ok, 30) pounds lighter with a head full of dark hair. And what am I doing? I’m helping install the Old Tom Morris statue back in 2001!

And by “helping install” I mean, “watching.”

Going out with a bang

Many of the approximately 250 attendees jumped on shuttle buses to play some afternoon golf. (I passed on the golf outing and got ready for the evening event.) The evening event was a reception and dinner at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Kansas City.

The cocktail hour was a whirlwind. There were so many people I wanted to say hi to. In every direction, it was a who’s who of the industry.

It’s hard to be efficient in that moment — every conversation is important, but the ability to walk away at the right moment to find a new conversation is a delicate art that I sometimes struggle with.

For example, how did I not say hello to Gary Leeper, executive director of the Rocky Mountain GCSAA chapter? (Hi Gary, sorry I missed you!) By the end of dinner, I just waved to Nate Watkin, SOX Erosion Solutions. I wanted to thank him for his help with my Thankless Summer cover story in Golfdom. (I guess the title of that story was appropriate.) Did I not even shake the hand of Jonathan Bennett, CGCS at Sunflower Hills GC? (OK, probably a good thing… my Jayhawks are playing his K-State Wildcats this weekend… I didn’t need to be reminded.)

The evening reception got off to a hot start: Jack Nicklaus was piped in via video and did a question-and-answer session with Golf Channel’s Lauren Thompson.

“I think golfers really take (superintendents) for granted, unfortunately,” Nicklaus told Thompson. “The experience of a golf course and the enjoyment of the golf course falls on the guy who gets up at four in the morning … the guys who get out there, cut the greens, rake the bunkers, they cut the fairways, they cut new holes. And by 7:30 their work is done. That’s a pretty good chore, because a lot of it’s done in the dark.”

Tom Coyne, author of “A Course Called America” and the editor of The Golfer’s Journal, gave two speeches. He spoke about the experience he had when he bought a golf course and learned firsthand the challenges of keeping it in good condition. All attendees were given a signed copy of his book “A Course Called Home: Adventures of an Accidental Golf Course Owner.”

But the biggest bang of the night went off when a group representing the Melrose Foundation took the stage with an oversized check — for $2 million — and presented it to GCSAA. The Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation, established by Ken Melrose, former CEO and chairman of The Toro Co., supports GCSAA programs like the Melrose Leadership Academy and the Melrose Equipment Management Experience.

“Ken believed deeply in people and in creating opportunities for them to learn, grow and then pay it forward,” Evans said. “As GCSAA begins its second century, we are deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift and committed to putting it to work in ways that will make the greatest impact for our members, advance the profession and strengthen the golf industry. It’s a powerful continuation of Ken’s legacy of service.”

By the end of the program, the lights kicked back up. The event was over.

We never got to celebrate GCSAA’s 75th, and I didn’t know exactly what celebrating 100 years would look like. But if the kid in that time capsule photo could see me today, he’d say, “Wait, you’re still doing basically the same job?” I’d reply, “Yeah, man… and it turns out way better than you think.”