Outgoing Carolinas GCSA President Chuck Connolly (left) poses for a photo with his successor, Pete Gerdon, the association’s 50th president. (Photo: Courtesy of GCSA of the Carolinas)
The directory Caroline’s GCSA Conference and Trade Show capped what association president Chuck Connolly called a banner year for golf in the region.
“We have the largest membership we’ve ever had, with over 1,800 members,” he says. “It’s been a banner year and I think that reflects what golf is today. We are starting to see more participation and more job opportunities.
The event raised more than $830,000, an increase of more than 15% compared to the previous record set in 2022 according to the association. Attendance reached its highest level in a decade with 1,995 people coming to Myrtle Beach.
Connolly credits the new educational sessions on topics such as thatch management, the decline of cool-season putting greens and self-driving mowers as a major draw.
“In terms of seats sold, we are seeing record amounts,” he says. “In addition to this, we have seen increased participation in golf championships and our sports club. But it’s not just the show, we have Rounds 4 Research who was born and raised here in the Carolinas, to see that reach of over $100,000 was phenomenal.
The association sold 1,511 places for educational seminars, breaking the previous record of 1,366 in 2019.
New faces and recognition
In addition to educational seminars, the association elected its 50th president, Pete Gerdon, director of agronomy, to Grandfather G&CC in Linville, North Carolina, and three new members to its board of directors; Eric Dusa, CGCS Marlboro County Golf and Recreation Complex in Bennettsville, South Carolina; Matt Jones, CGCS Forsyth CC in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Todd Lawrence, CGCS of Wakefield Plantation Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina
The association also honored Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., from North Carolina State University, with the Distinguished Service Award for his years of work with superintendents across the Carolinas. Yelverton is scheduled to retire in 2024 after nearly 40 years at NC State.
The future exposed
While superintendents, assistants and equipment technicians were attending training sessions, the next wave of Carolinas golf course professionals were competing in the annual Turf Bowl.
“I’ve been coming to this show for almost 18 years and I’m 52 now. I was sitting at an event last night and I kept saying how young the band has become. There are a lot of people I haven’t had the chance to meet yet. It’s really exciting and encouraging.
In the competition, Clemson and Horry Georgetown Tech shared the crown. Students from several colleges, including North Carolina State, Central Piedmont Community College and Abraham Baldwin, an agricultural school in Tifton, Georgia.
