Best Idea Shared: Chad Allen

Chad Allen relishes transparency.

He shares everything and anything on his @BentgrassWizard Twitter feed — including data spreadsheets from his computer. The spreadsheets offer snapshots into the programs and metrics The Club at Chatham Hills superintendent uses to keep a Pete Dye-designed course in suburban Indianapolis in fabulous condition. 

From dollar spot probability charts to clipping yield trackers, Allen views the spreadsheets as a tactic to inform members of daily activities and inspire peers to integrate data into their respective operations. Twitter allows him to share the data with a wide audience.

Allen’s data spreadsheets have been selected as a 2023 Super Social Media Award in the Best Idea Shared category. The annual awards honor the best of turf on social media. All 2023, 2022 and 2021 winners will be recognized at the 12th annual Golf Course Industry Tweetup — #GCITweetup23 — scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Aquatrols Booth #2373 at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando.

In advance of #GCITweetUp23, we spoke with Allen about how he has embraced social media in his job. 

How do you use social media for work?

The average age of our membership is in that 45- to 47-year-old range, so I use social media in a few ways. One way is to communicate what we are doing and to open up the avenues for communication between us and the membership. I also use it as a learning tool. I have found some really good ideas by just scrolling through and seeing things that people are freely posting. It’s crowdsourcing at its best level. Another thing is that I want to put a face to our team. I’m not out there taking pictures of myself. I’m out there taking pictures of the course and the guys and girls who are making the course the condition that it is. It’s easy to give the superintendent the credit. But it’s really not the superintendent out there doing everything. It’s our full-time staff and our assistants who should receive the credit.

What convinced you to share your data spreadsheets with others on your Twitter feed?

We’re open-ended. I really do believe in years past people were a little more hush-hush about how they get to where they are going and the conditions they are providing. I’m confident in what I’m doing and the position that I’m blessed with. I feel like the more information that we share with others, the greater we can increase other people’s positions and be able to aid people who want to go down this path. It’s not about holding it in and trying to be better than somebody. It’s about helping us all be better at what we’re doing. It’s shared ideas. That’s what I’m about. It’s a reciprocity thing. I’m sharing and I hope you share the same stuff with me, because I’m not on an island. I need information, and I’m craving to know how people are doing certain things and how it’s working for them. It just enriches everything we’re doing out there.

What do you see the future of social media being in the turf workplace?

I was thinking about this the other night. We have a good time on turf Twitter and social media when it comes to the turf industry. We are very professional on this format. I have always noticed — and I hope this trend continues — that we are always there to pick somebody up. If somebody is down, somebody is hurt or somebody is in need, it feels like, if they are willing to put themselves out there, nobody is saying, ‘Why don’t you take care of it yourself? You put yourself in this position.’ The vast majority of time all the responses that I see within conversations offer others nothing but the best or something along the lines of, ‘What can I do for you? Who can I talk to?’ or ‘I tagged so and so.’ I just hope that we continue to keep this thing lighthearted, but when it comes to the stuff that’s really important to somebody, we continue to be as professional as possible and lend a helping hand.

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