2024 Super Social Media Conservation Award: Ian Gallagher

Sand Ridge Golf Club is 35 miles east of downtown Cleveland. One of the Midwest’s largest cities seems like a few states away when traversing the 360-acre property.

“Our core members always say, ‘This place is special,’” director of golf course operations Ian Gallagher says. “A lot of that is the golf course and a lot of that is coming out and you’re 30 minutes from a big city, and it’s just an escape for them.”

Sand Ridge members are lucky. Their course sits at the headwaters of the Chagrin and Cuyahoga Rivers, and the Tom Fazio design strategically meanders wetlands, ponds and myriad tree species. Wildlife is abundant; the turf is pure.

Gallagher uses the @SandRidgeTurf X account to demonstrate how fabulous golf can blend with responsible land management. Followers are as likely to notice phragmite maintenance and egg-laying turtles on Gallagher’s feed as they are to see aerification or irrigation images.

His willingness to use social media to tell a positive environmental story earned Gallagher the 2024 Super Social Media Conversation Award.

Gallagher and other award winners will be honored Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Social Media Celebration at Aquatrols booth #2747 during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix. The event begins at 2:30 p.m., with winners being honored around 3 p.m. The event is open to all and free drinks will be served.

How important is effective communication to your job?

It’s important. That’s part of why I put this stuff on Twitter, especially some of the stuff on the fringes with the Audubon and the pollinator plots. Members might not really see that because they are so focused on the golf course, so it’s letting them know there’s this other stuff we are doing to do our best for the environment. I wasn’t always like that. I always wanted to be environmentally friendly, but coming to Sand Ridge and coming to an Audubon course really stressed the importance of that to me. Letting membership know, letting our ownership know, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing in addition to trying to give them a great golf course.’ Their priority is obviously the golf course, but we try to let them know that there are other things we need to be concerned about here in addition to delivering just a great golf course.

What type of forum can social media be — if used correctly — to showcase the work golf does to help the environment?

Pretty consistently I’ll put out today’s pin position and the cart rules on Twitter. I also highlight the things that we are trying to do and the people we are working with. The FairWays Foundation is doing great work. Any time I get a chance to say, ‘Hey, they helped fund this,’ I try to do it. I worked with an Ohio Department of Transportation program where they got us some seed for our front berm, and I’ve tried to highlight that. The Great Lakes Phragmite Collaborative has given me a lot of education that otherwise I wouldn’t have access to. We don’t learn about phragmites in school, so I try to highlight all these different great associations that are doing their best to help wherever they can and help anybody who’s willing. A lot of these people I emailed out of the blue and they responded, ‘Yes, absolutely, we’ll help.’  Golf gets a bad rap in some people’s eyes, so anything we can do to highlight what we are doing I think is great.

What are some keys to posting good wildlife pictures on social media?

We are lucky. Our equipment manager has a really nice camera and he’ll bring that with him from time to time. If you’re lucky enough to have someone who has the passion on your team, let them do their thing. As far as me, everybody has a smartphone with an amazing camera on it. Sometimes the picture comes out great, and sometimes you take the picture and you’re like, ‘Well, that doesn’t do it justice.’ But you can still put it out there. We have sandhill cranes that come back every year and I love getting pictures of them.

What would you tell somebody in the turf community who’s a little uneasy about using social media for work?

I was a little reluctant when I first started. But you’ll find — or at least I have found — that there are at least five members who are always liking a post or commenting, and they’ll say something like, ‘I saw this picture and I love the updates.’ Even if it’s only five or eight people who comment on stuff, that’s still positive feedback. You have to be careful with what you say. I don’t tweet everything. You’re being biased and you’re showing your good side, but that’s something in our job that’s not always seen. I think it’s worth doing.

Guy Cipriano is Golf Course Industry’s editor-in-chief.