As I pen my last presidential message, I cannot help but reflect on the craziness of the last 2 years.  Many things have changed in our lives, but the early summer weather this year has kept us all busy and courses bustling with golfers, which feels somewhat normal at this point.  Much like golf as a whole, the OGCSA has come through the pandemic strong and is in a good place.  2020 was a year of postponements and cancellations, followed by virtual meetings and seminars.  The OGCSA Board worked hard to keep our membership informed and up to date on the status of golf in Oregon and SW Washington, while still providing value through on-line educational opportunities.  The light at the end of the tunnel became more visible as we began this year.  Schools offering hybrid learning, restaurants opening in some capacity, vaccinations beginning, and now even mask mandates changing.  I hope that we keep trending in the right direction and can put COVID-19 behind us sooner than later.

Thank you to all the courses that donated to this year’s Rounds 4 Research, and to Eric Feldhusen and the staff at Pumpkin Ridge for hosting a successful OGCSA Open last month.  The Oregon and Washington facility BMP tool is up on the website and if you were not able to attend the training webinar, the on-demand recording is there for you to access as well.  The OGCSA Annual Meeting is less than a week away, and we are excited to finally hold an in-person meeting.  Thanks to Curt Morgan, Pub Course Superintendent, and the staff at McMenamins Edgefield for working with us to make this meeting possible. It is sure to be a good day with the business meeting followed by recognition of award and scholarship recipients, retired veterans, an update from Alec and the OSU team, and 20 holes of entertaining golf. 

I would like to thank the members and partners of the OGCSA for making the OGCSA a truly professional organization.  It has been an honor to serve on the Board and I would highly recommend Board service to those interested in giving back to our industry.  My term as President was fulfilling, albeit somewhat unconventional due to the times, and again I am proud to have led such a great group of individuals.

Hope to see many of you, IN PERSON, next week!!!

Shane Hadwick

President OGCSA