Keeping up with the Jones: GCSAA’s fresh start in San Diego

Me and some friends were in the car, heading to watch the slate of afternoon NFL games, when one of the group reflected on this same time last year. His wife reminded him he had to miss some things, including our watch party because, at the time, he was laid up with COVID.

He argued that wasn’t the case; he’d only had COVID once, and it was much earlier in the pandemic. But she reminded him of the specific circumstances, to which he replied: Oh, yeah, sorry Honey … I forgot.

We all chuckled at the story, and then I shared my theory: When it comes to bad things or even semi-bad things (there’s a better word than semi-bad, but you know what I mean) that we want to move on from, we move on. We put them behind us and forget the details. For example, I told the guys I barely remember recovering from a minor surgery a few years ago. It was a big deal at the time, but now I only recall bits and pieces of it.

I feel the same way about the 2022 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show that took place in San Diego. Remember that one? Maybe only bits and pieces. Or did you miss that one? It was, after all, poorly attended.

That’s because that show was the first one back after the pandemic (remember the virtual GCSAA Conference the year before? Me neither). The ’22 GCSAA conference had the bad luck of being in California, where restrictions were still tight at the time. Oh, what we all would have done for a GCSAA conference and show in Orlando that year. If I recall correctly, you had to present either a vaccination card or proof of a negative test before they’d even let you enter the San Diego Convention Center. The result? Social distancing wasn’t something you had to practice; it was just a fact of life.

Now it’s 2025, and we’re back to San Diego. Ron Burgundy from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy might say, San Diego? No one knows what that means anymore. But I think I do.

It means we’re at the start of a new year, a fresh start. The election, whether you liked or loathed the result, is behind us, and we can move on. The 2025 golf season is in front of us. Forty-five million golfers are clamoring to get back out on the links and make this the year that they really shave some strokes off their games.

In this issue, we preview what is sure to be a much-improved San Diego experience from the 2022 edition. The times have changed, for the better, and I’m celebrating by spotlighting my must-see booths and must-attend events in this month’s cover story. We also share a map of the trade show floor to connect the dots, as well as a Golfdom-partner-driven feature, “Hot List,” where our advertisers share with you why you have to stop by and see them at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, whether they’re a company you’ve known for years or a new kid on the block.

There’s also more in this issue beyond the coverage of the conference. Michelle Boone, Ph.D., and Holly Puglis, Ph.D., write on the topic of golf courses and how they interact with amphibians; Managing Editor Rob DiFranco recaps his busy December at Green Start Academy and Syngenta Business Institute in back-to-back weeks; and my 19th Hole Q&A is with cancer survivor Rob Dorsch, CGCS at Richter Park GC in Danbury, Conn.

As I write this, I’ve just returned from the 2024 Golfdom Summit in Orlando. It was one for the record books, for multiple reasons. But I’m saving that content and how you can attend in 2025 for next month’s issue.

Happy New Year, and I hope to see you in San Diego!

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