Paul Carter’s Bid for GCSAA Board

Tennessee GCSA is proud to announce and support the candidacy of Paul L. Carter, CGCS for the position of Director on the national Board of Directors for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Paul, a longtime member of both TGCSA and TTA, has served on several committees and task groups at the local, state, and national level. Paul served as a member of the TTA Board of Directors for over 10 years including serving as president in 2014–15. He was also the 2015 recipient of the Dr. Tom Samples Professional of the Year Award. He is currently employed as the golf course superintendent at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Harrison, Tennessee and also serves as the Director of Agronomy for the Tennessee Golf Trail, a collection of nine courses across the state of Tennessee.

Paul L. Carter, CGCS

Recognized across the nation as a leader in environmental stewardship, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, under Paul’s guidance, has received numerous awards and recognitions for their work in protecting the environment and promoting the environmental benefits of golf courses. The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay received the GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2015, the overall and national public GCSAA Environmental Leaders in Golf Award in 2013, the Golf Digest Green Star Award for Outstanding Environmental Practices in 2013, and Paul was awarded the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award in 2011.

Paul’s passion for the golf course maintenance industry took hold in the summer of 1992 when he was an intern at The Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama, under the watchful eye of Mr. Lee McLemore, CGCS. Upon graduation from Auburn University in 1993, Paul continued his path in the golf industry with stops at Valley Hill Country Club in Huntsville, Alabama, Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, Tennessee and Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee before settling down at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, his home since 2001.

2015 TTA Professional of the Year

“The golf industry has given me so much throughout my 25-plus year career and I have strived to give back whenever possible. Serving on committees and task groups at the local, state, and national level, as well as being president of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association in 2014–2015 has been a great honor and allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for the inner workings of the associations I am a part of. It would be an honor to serve our association at the national level and I believe, as a golf course superintendent at a municipal, public golf course, I can provide a unique prospective to the board to better serve all our members. I am very grateful for the nomination and support of my fellow members of the Tennessee GCSA. Without their support and encouragement throughout the years this career dream of mine to serve on the GCSAA Board of Directors would not be possible.” – Paul L . Carter, CGCS

Elections for the GCSAA Board of Directors will be held at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego, CA on February 7, 2019 during the annual GCSAA business meeting.