What’s to fear?

In between tweeting, retweeting, staring at beautiful pictures of golf courses on Twitter, packing for San Antonio and posting articles on Facebook, we conducted a series of 15- to 20-minute interviews with the recipients of our 2015 Super Social Media Awards.

The package of tips is designed to help and inspire anybody in the industry with an interest in communicating via social media. If one skeptical superintendent reverses his views on social media, the project achieved its desired outcome.

The interviews revealed many things about our winners. They are engaging, enlightening, energetic, entertaining and accommodating. In short, they are capable of guiding the industry into an era of openness where many fears are eliminated.

Fear, unfortunately, blankets the industry like the shade provided by an unwanted tree behind the 12th green. What happens if golf fails to connect with Millennials and their children? How far can participation numbers plunge? Are we headed toward a future with fewer than 10,000 U.S. courses? Will fitness trails, dog parks, sports complexes, farmers’ markets or the dozens of other spaces Millennials value replace the land where golf courses rest?

Overcoming three fears linked to social media, coincidentally, are ways to eliminate uncertainty about golf’s future. The fear of the unknown, getting fired and adding one more task to already crammed schedules are among the reasons why some industry professionals avoid social media, which happens to be a quick and easy way to connect with Millennials.

Sure, the unknown is intimidating. Yet anyone who has worked on a golf course has operated a utility vehicle, trimmed a branch or maneuvered a mower around a tight spot. Tweeting and blogging is much easier – and less dangerous – than any of those tasks.

Unless you are former PGA of America president Ted Bishop, losing a job because of a tweet or blog post is extremely difficult. Bishop, by the way, still has his full-time job in Indiana .

The time commitment can be minimal or abundant. The more effort you put into social media, the more you glean from it. Superintendents are saving money, turf and aggravation through communication channels that didn’t exist a decade ago. What’s not to like?

The award recipients featured in this magazine will tell you they are better at their respective jobs because of social media. They are living fulfilling lives while bringing positive attention to their respective facilities. They have succeeded by eliminating trepidation. It’s comforting to know that examples of industry veterans who are overcoming this fear exist.