The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) will be joining a growing number of international Superintendent and Greenkeeping associations, to  recognise those who are essential to golf’s success with the return of the popular International Thank A Superintendent Day. 

all golfers, those who are in the golf business or anyone who benefits from the game is encouraged to thank a Superintendent and their team of turf professionals for their hard work and dedication to creating the playing surfaces enjoyed by millions around the globe.

In addition to the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA), other groups taking part in the global event include:

• Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA)
• The British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA)
• Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGCS)
• Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations (FEGGA)

Together the groups represent more than 31,000 golf course management professionals in 78 countries around the world.
 

As has been widely publicised over the last few years, Australia has seen a variety of extreme weather conditions – from bushfires to floods, excessive periods of prolonged heatwaves well above annual temperature averages - and many parts of the country are experiencing the most significant drought ever recorded.   Through all of this, Superintendents and their turf management teams have been working tirelessly to manage the largest and most valuable asset of every golf facility - the Course. As Superintendents and their teams continually strive to keep the game’s turf and surrounds healthy and attractive, environmental stewardship is always a primary focus.  Thanks to the efforts of many Superintendents, Course Managers and their teams, Australia is home to some of the most breathtaking courses in the world; where golfers continue to experience playing on world-class facilities.   From small regional gems, to international tourism drawcards, to remarkable metropolitan icons, Australian Golf Courses are maintained by dedicated teams, delivering hundreds of thousands of rounds of golf every year, prepared employing sustainable environmental management practices and expanding greenspaces and natural wildlife habitats.  To recognise their efforts, the ASTMA is partnering with allied Associations around the globe to support International Thank A Superintendent Day, a campaign to recognise the efforts of our Superintendents and course management teams, and say “thank you” between May 13th to 20th.   The ASTMA encourages all Club members, and administrators to get involved, by posting a message of thanks to their Superintendent and course management team to Social media using the campaign hashtags of #ThankASuper    and    #ThankASuperAUS

Some of the areas that make Superintendents so valuable to Golf in Australia:

• Constant education, knowledge sharing and Research & Development by Superintendents have resulted in turf that needs less water, is more sustainable and offers natural wildlife habitats on our Courses.
• Superintendents manage labour, materials and costs associated with preparing and maintaining the course at its finest, and they are also heavily involved in the business-related activities of the facility including staffing, HSE and training.
• Superintendents manage the health of the golf course, the sporting needs of the public, members and their guests, and the financial sustainability of the golf club 
• Help promote player, Member and Club satisfaction through maintaining a quality Golf Course Maintenance program 
• Golf Course Superintendents guide Clubs to adopt water management and water conservation practices, reduce irrigated acreage and use innovative technologies, such as targeted irrigation systems and ground moisture measurement tools, along with weather monitoring systems, providing the science to utilise water only when and where it is needed.
• Among the dozens of tasks Superintendents undertake daily, are the operation of plant, equipment and machinery, irrigation design and construction, vegetation management, HSE education, turf trial and field research, environmental stewardship and assisting in Course operations for members, social and tournament golf
• The Management of Sports Turf is a science, combining elements of chemistry, biology, horticulture, meteorology, soil and water sciences, entomology and plant pathology
• Superintendents are highly educated and invest in continual learning and implementation of best practice management and environmental stewardship

 

To assist Club Members, Administrators and Golf lovers across Australia to get involved, the ASTMA and partner Associations have produced a series of campaign resources that can be downloaded and used to promote the Campaign, and provide a message of thanks to your Course Management team.  Contact the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association to discuss or request these Campaign resources to help promote the Thank A Superintendent Campaign 

  
Because if you are one of the millions of Australians who love the game of golf and are proud of your course, Thank a Superintendent!