Editorial – The New Golf Course News

Welcome to the new Golf Course News. GIE Media is pleased to become the publisher and to join the dynamic golf course market.

"Dynamic" is not a word used enough to describe the golf course market these days. Compared to the roaring 1990s, golf rounds are down. New course construction is down. Fees are down. You read that. You hear it. Everyone knows the dynamics of booming growth have given way to the need to operate under new business rules.

At Golf Course News, we believe much opportunity still exists – opportunity that makes golf a dynamic business. Certainly expansion of the golf "pie" has slowed, but smart course owners, managers and superintendents are now focused on the size of their slice. Smart managers are not waiting and banking on a return of the boom days as the means to success.

At Golf Course News, we see an opportunity to serve the market. A core conviction in the magazine will be that the superintendent is the key to the successful course today. Superintendents have
always played the central role in maintaining great courses, but today’s superintendent wears more hats, does more with less, discovers new ways to get the job done and strives to meet the ever-increasing and often unrealistic demands of golfers. Our editorial mission is to help busy superintendents do all this and more.

We also see an opportunity for Golf Course News. Magazines, like markets, must change with the times and with the needs of their readers. Golf Course News was founded at the start of the boom in golf course construction. The need at the time was for news. Today, the need has shifted to business news — specifically information and ideas to help the superintendent meet increasing job demands.

Technology also has changed since Golf Course News was launched. Most superintendents now use the Internet and e-mail to gather information and communicate. So, while Golf Course News will continue to include news in the magazine, we’re going to deliver more news faster through daily news updates on our Web site: www.golfcoursenews.com.

Some things in the magazine have not been changed. We’re keeping the distinctive, "big book" tabloid format. But we’ve added a contemporary new design to allow us to showcase the beauty of the unique golf course market. The redesign also reorganizes the departments and features to make it easier for you to find the information you need.

Editorially, we’ve expanded the number of pages and are adding business management features. Each issue also will cover market news, commentary, business information, agronomic advice and updates and product news. To help us plan all this editorial content, we’ve surveyed readers (see page 11 for recent survey results), held focus groups with superintendents, and talked one-on-one with members of our editorial advisory board. We’ve also relied on the advice, perspective and help of two previous editors, Mark Leslie and Andrew Overbeck.

We’re heartened by the positive response we’ve received from many subscribers. At the same time, we hope to hear from even more of you about the changes we’ve made to improve Golf Course News, and any additional changes that you can suggest.

GIE Media, which also publishes Lawn & Landscape, Commercial Dealer, Snow Business, Interior Business and Pest Control Technology, has become a leader in the green industry by paying close attention to the needs of its readers. Listening to the reader might not exactly be a rocket science concept, but listening and acting upon what we hear is the key to powerful and relevant editorial. Staying close to readers is a job that is never done, but you can help by taking a few minutes to complete and mail the stamped and pre-addressed survey included in this issue to tell us what you think.

I also invite any of you to call me directly at 216/961-4130 anytime, or send me an email at rstanley@giemedia.com. I’m interested in your reaction to the new Golf Course News, criticisms, comments and ideas for feature topics.

Finally, a very special thanks to the many advertisers for their support in making the new Golf Course News possible.