By Gary K. Carls CGCS

Last week I visited Lawrence, Kansas for the GCSAA Education Committee Meeting. One of the items on the agenda that was discussed was the future of educational programs for the new generation of superintendents.

The superintendent of today has access to more technology than ever before. This technology can provide us with access to tremendous amounts of information without ever leaving our office. You can obtain a degree from the comfort of your home. There are those that believe that you can get everything you need from the internet and the experience of a face to face meeting will be less important in the future.

For many of us who started our careers in the 70’s the greatest source of information was from our peers. We gathered at chapter meetings or the national conference to exchange information about what we had learned on our courses. Many feel that with the new technology this is less important than it was in the past. Much of what I learned came from observing the success and failures of my peers. Although I have a formal education, there isn’t a computer in the world that could have taught me half of what I actually learned working out on the golf course with my peers and mentors.

Does that mean that I don’t believe the access to new technology is a valuable tool? There is tremendous value derived from computer access. As I stated earlier, there is a great deal of information out there, but you still need the advice of some wise peers to filter out the good information from the bad. Discussion forums such as can be found on the GCSAA or CGCSA websites can be a great source of information. Keep in mind that they can also be the source of a lot of misinformation. This is not to mean that the authors are deliberately providing false information, only that each golf course is unique in many ways and what works one place may not work in your situation.

The greatest value of a peer or mentor network is assistance in sifting through all the information that is out there. I’m sure we all experienced the value of learning from others as we began our careers. It is also important to understanding the value of teaching those who follow us. I have felt fortunate during my career to work with or have the assistance of the wiser, more experienced superintendents. Perhaps the new generation of superintendents does not see this as important but it may be even more important now than it was 10 or 20 years ago. With all the information available out there it still comes down to one basic question, how does it work on my golf course? I still believe that most often, the answer to that question will come from a mentor or peer.

We work in a business that is often as much art as it is science. By viewing the work of our fellow artists we are inspired to do new or different things. The valuable lessons learned by our peers will help us all avoid future pitfalls. We have all developed great friendships with our peers over the years and have mutually benefited from those relationships. To some of the younger guys out there, I urge you to attend chapter meetings when possible and seek information from your peers. Start to develop some of those friendships for the future. To those of us who have been around a little longer, try and take some time to meet the next generation of our profession. There is a lot of information and energy among the younger group that could have a positive effect on your outlook. As we all learn from each other, we will all benefit in the end.