Digging again

If you have attended an industry event, there’s a good chance you have bumped into Justin Apel and members of his Golf Course Builders Association of America team.

Apel, the organization’s executive director, oversees the organization from its headquarters in Lincoln, Neb., although sometimes it seems like he’s everywhere but home. His job requires plenty of traveling, and numerous meetings with GCBAA members, industry leaders and anybody else with an interest in the renovation and construction side of the business.

He brings a different perspective to the GCBAA because he didn’t experience the industry boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Despite seeing some GCBAA members endure a lean era, Apel is confident the past decade strengthened the organization and that the next decade will be filled with exciting opportunities for the industry’s earth movers.

The energetic and easygoing Apel recently provided GCI with his observations on the renovation and construction side of the golf market.
 

You were named executive director in 2011. How have you seen the overall industry change and evolve– for better or for worse – over the last few years?

I became part of the GCBAA team in 2006. Next year will be my 10th year with this fantastic group, half of which I have been in the driver’s seat. GCBAA has an inventory of experienced members and association volunteers who have stood by their staff and helped us through some very difficult times. Having entered the golf industry during the beginning of the “decline” was a challenge right out of the gate. When I look at the last decade and think about the changes, both good and bad, we definitely experienced attrition of membership, however, we weathered the storm much better than what could have been expected. The one common denominator in our members that survived the downturn is they remained involved in the organization. This was invaluable to the staff. The membership shows us how to work closer together during difficult times, as did the industry and our allied organizations. I have been honored to collaborate with industry leaders on initiatives to improve the game.
 

Take the temperature of the builders’ segment of the golf industry. What’s its health as we close out 2015 and head into 2016? Are they better today than, say, three to five years ago? Why?

As the economy improves, so does the attitude of the membership. The recovery seems most prevalent in the past 24 months as financing and money has become more available for golf course capital improvements. Most companies have been able to pull out of survival mode and now are seeing small-, medium- and large-scale projects available for competitive bidding. These projects have gone through rigorous review and have a clear scope and expectations prior to bidding. This has created a need for hiring experience and for that owners look to our membership. Challenging times help all industries. Remember that the lowest bid is not necessarily always the best option. Today we are seeing bids awarded using a broader criteria. This helps the golf industry recover stronger, allowing bid openings to have a chance for owners and builders to work together as a team helping ensure project success. Our members are now marketing their company value and owners are fact-checking references.
 

How have builders been keeping busy? What seem to be the hot golf renovation and construction projects everyone is doing this year?

Golf course construction is the most challenging type of landscape construction, period. Following a tight construction schedule, unique designs, weather, along with a respect for working the environment, has created a small army of skilled individuals who can tackle any kind of “horizontal construction” in most any type of environment or condition. For many years, we have had members building sports fields for NFL practice areas, new high school football stadiums, soccer complexes, along with softball and baseball complexes. We also have many members involved in reclamation projects repairing the landscape after large-scale mining or municipal improvement projects. With so many influences to facilities to either lower maintenance costs, upgrade their irrigation system or improve drainage, the bottom line for today’s projects involves minimizing any course downtime and balancing the weather with a narrow completion date.
 

How is the GCBAA evolving to meet the changing needs of its membership?

I think GCBAA has been and is going to stick with what we do best – networking. There is nothing more exciting than when you put this group of day-to-day competitors together in the same room. The energy and camaraderie is indescribable. Walking around the room eavesdropping on the conversations, you will hear a little bit of everything under the sun that you can talk about all with a common theme; everyone helping one another. Each year at the Golf Industry Show when GCBAA hosts its Opening Reception (also the presentation of our Don A. Rossi Award) the event turns into the who’s who of golf course construction and design. The roar of the room is filled with plans for the following year around the globe. The latest trends in construction, technology available and areas of growth all can be heard about. With the organization representing not only the builders, but equally as important the suppliers and consultants for construction, we have been creating opportunities for our membership to keep networking beyond the receptions. GCBAA has been offering more educational opportunities today than ever before and we have plans to expand the networking at our national events into regional opportunities.
 

Tell me a little bit about the new irrigation contractor program that the association has launched. What feedback have your heard?

This program hit the ground running. With water leading the conversations in golf for the indefinite future, the importance of having specialized contractors through our irrigation contractor program will grow and expand each year. With the latest technology available along with the challenges and improvements that comes with the technology, we have a great opportunity to help our membership be the best installers on the market. The golf course irrigation contractor industry has proved, much like golf landscape construction, to being the most challenging of its type. Everyone in the industry knows the demand put on a golf course irrigation system. Most often it is one of the largest investments for the facility that is buried out on the course. It needs to be dependable and efficient all while cycling between the final round of golfers and that first early morning tee time.
 

Last question, the association is going to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2021. That’s just a few years away. Could you share some association goals you’d like to have accomplished in time for or to coincide with that anniversary?

It seems like such a short time ago we were celebrating our 40th and on stage with the legendary and founding member Mr. Jim Kirchdorfer Sr. congratulating him on his individual anniversary, as well. Before his passing the following year, he had shared his appreciation for what the organization has evolved into since his first meeting in 1971. To think about the 50th celebration, and while I have some personal accomplishments I would like to see for this organization, I cannot help but think about Jim and the other founding members and remember their vision on keeping GCBAA a member-driven organization. It reminds me that we must keep an open mind of the challenges our members are facing and how we as an organization can work together to turn the challenge into an opportunity. I would also like the group to focus on our success at helping grow awareness of the profession of golf course construction that now reaches recognition globally, as well as having the leading suppliers and consultants available for education. I think it is also important to keep our relationships growing with our media partners and allied associations, and grow our participation and involvement in the industry initiatives that are growing the game of golf.