TurfOps Weekly | Issue #003

The first morning of the industry’s biggest show always feels familiar. You show up early, coffee in hand, scanning the hallway for people you know while realizing how many faces you’ve never seen before. Conversations start before the doors open.

This week is the largest gathering the golf and turf industry has. Students, assistants, superintendents, equipment managers, architects, builders, owners, vendors, educators, and retirees all show up carrying different titles but the same shared reality. The job keeps getting harder. Expectations are higher. Labor is tighter. Budgets rarely grow at the same pace as responsibilities.

That pressure is why association membership still matters. No one builds a long career in this industry alone.

This annual gathering is the most visible example of what membership delivers when it’s done well. Education that fills rooms. A trade show floor large enough to represent every corner of course operations. Side conversations that quietly shape careers for years.

In 2025, more than 11,000 people attended in San Diego. Over 6,700 education seats were filled, the highest level of education engagement since 2008. Nearly 470 exhibitors filled more than 150,000 square feet of trade show space. Those numbers matter because they represent participation, not just attendance.

But the real value isn’t the square footage or the jam-packed schedule. It’s the network.

For students and young professionals, this week compresses years of exposure into a few days. College Turf Bowl teams compete. Interns attend their first national shows. First-time attendees realize the industry is bigger and more supportive than they imagined.

For assistant superintendents, the value often shows up as confidence. Education sessions sharpen technical understanding. Conversations with peers confirm that the challenges at home aren’t unique. Networking events create relationships that quietly open doors.

For superintendents, the value shifts again. The week becomes a place to validate decisions, learn from mistakes others have already made, and reconnect with the broader profession. Many of the most valuable moments happen between sessions or at the outside of the trade show floor.

Equipment managers experience a different kind of payoff. Inside the Shop demonstrations, CTEM-focused education, and manufacturer conversations directly impact uptime back home. Few environments allow equipment managers to compare systems and solutions at this scale.

Even retired superintendents remain part of this great industry. Their presence reinforces that this profession values continuity and experience. Many serve as mentors, speakers, or chapter leaders long after leaving full-time roles.

The national event is only one layer. The deeper structure is the chapter network.

Across North America, roughly 95 affiliated chapters support nearly 20,000 members. These chapters deliver local education days, scholarship programs, government relations, and year-round networking. They’re where relationships deepen after the national event ends.

Membership works because it scales with a career.

Keep in Mind:
Association value isn’t transactional. It compounds over time.

How to Implement:
• Attend one education session outside your comfort zone
• Introduce yourself to three people you don’t already know
• Spend time with your local chapter leaders while you’re in Orlando
• Follow up with one new contact within a week

What to Watch Out For:
The week can become overwhelming without intention. Wandering the floor without a plan limits your return on time and cost. Set simple goals before you arrive.

Bottom Line:
Strong careers in turf are built through connection, not isolation.

— Kurt TeWinkel

This week marks a century since the association’s founding in 1926. One hundred years later, the mission remains the same: support the people responsible for the game’s playing surfaces through education, advocacy, and community.

One simple habit separates professionals who grow from those who stall. They show up consistently.

Association involvement doesn’t require holding office or speaking on stage. It starts smaller and matters just as much.

• Attend local chapter meetings even when the topic feels overly familiar
• Volunteer once a year for a committee or an event
• Bring a student or intern to a meeting
• Ask one question at every education session

These actions compound quietly. Over time, they turn names into relationships and relationships into valuable resources.

Result:
More support, better decisions, and fewer blind spots when challenges arise.

From a business standpoint, association membership is easily one of the lowest-cost professional development tools available.

A single education seminar can prevent an equipment purchase mistake worth tens of thousands of dollars. A peer conversation can shorten a learning curve by months. A chapter scholarship can change the trajectory of a student entering the profession.

Consider the math. One avoided equipment failure or one improved labor process can pay annual dues many times over. The return is rarely immediate, but it’s consistent.

The strongest operations treat association involvement as part of the job, not an extracurricular activity or “perk.”

Takeaway:
Budget for membership the same way you budget for training and maintenance.

• Education engagement continues to rise, with seminar participation last year at its highest level since 2008.
• Equipment Manager sessions and CTEM visibility continue to expand through dedicated demonstrations and education.
• Robotics and automation discussions are shifting from novelty to workflow impact as labor remains constrained.

The industry often talks about labor shortages without talking enough about retention.

People stay in professions where they feel connected, appreciated and supported. Associations create that connection. Chapters provide belonging. Conferences reinforce that the work matters.

If we want stronger teams and longer careers, we need to invest in community, not just compensation.

The future of turf depends on who we bring along and how well we stay connected.

Who helped you the most early in your career? How are you paying that forward today?

If you’re in Orlando at the conference this week, make one introduction that feels slightly uncomfortable. That’s usually the one that usually turns into the most valuable one.

I’m still building TurfOps Weekly in public. Last week’s Issue #002 went to 84 inboxes and was opened by just over 65%. This week, Issue #003 was sent to ~105 recipients. Slow growth, real engagement. That’s the goal.

Thanks for reading Issue #003
If you’re in Orlando, have a great few days and learn a lot. If you didn’t make it this year, hopefully 2027 will be your year.

Interested in the similarities between golf and life? How about a golf ball side-hustle?
Check out my books below.👇
- Kurt TeWinkel