MTC President's Message

Do the Simple Things Well

It was great to see solid attendance at the GCSAA show. I know the MSU Alumni event had over 100 attendees. Great job representing! Your 2023 Board held our first meeting of the year in mid-February at Canton Country Club. A couple things of interest came from that meeting:

1. As I touched on briefly in our last newsletter, these are important times for the long-term health of our MSU Turf Team. They need your support. Their Dean and Department Heads need to see support from the industry stakeholders. I know there are times you are unable, but if possible send someone from your organization. For many of us that have been involved in this industry and MTA for many years, it is our responsibility to educate and show the next generation the importance of networking with colleagues and supporting those working to better our industry. So, please do your part. I would also ask that many of you consider becoming involved in our board and/or committees. There are many talented young professionals with the ability to serve.

2. The State Department of Education is instituting a turfgrass curriculum for high-schoolers this fall. If you were not already emailed the curriculum, you can find it on our website: www.msturfassociation.org. This curriculum will be available to all public schools in the state of Mississippi. It would be in the best interest of all of us to reach out to our local schools and see if they are aware of the program, have the resources to teach it, and/or need assistance locally. I have had the privilege to sit in on the curriculum writing process with the MSU Research and Curriculum staff, and I am extremely excited about the opportunities this presents to students and the industry.

Spring is here and it is that time to strap in for the long haul. That hard freeze of Christmas seems so long ago! I’ll be honest, even after 30 years in the industry, the growing season is much welcomed after the rain and colder temps of winter. I am sure for all of us that the most dreadful part of the growing season is the difficult process of securing labor that will stay through the grind. It is hard enough to hire one that can show up on time, much less endure the season. In my seat I have the unique opportunity to try and mold tomorrow’s turf professionals. That can be exciting and frustrating all in the same hour on any given day. However, the one point I continually reiterate to them is to “do the simple things well.” Yet it amazes me how many folks under-value timeliness, communication, picking up after themselves, etc. I often use the analogy that we score a touchdown then miss the extra point.

We all fail at this sometimes. There is always a list, always something else to do, that often pulls us away from simply finishing the task well. It is my hope for us all that this season is one of success with all things simple done well.

Our next event together is the Yard Dawg Classic on Tuesday, June 6th. We will be back at the MSU Golf Course. It will be exciting to see the changes made by Nathan Crace during last year’s greens renovation. Jimmy McPherson and Jake Sorrels have done an outstanding job establishing the TifEagle greens.

Please feel free to reach out to any board member or myself with comments, questions, or concerns.

See you in June, if not before!

Will Arnett

EMCC’s Lion Hills Golf Course