Connolly Takes Reins As 49th President of the Carolinas GCSA

Chuck Connolly, from Smithfields Country Club in Easley, SC is the 49th president of the Carolinas GCSA. Connolly was elected at the association’s annual business meeting during Conference and Show at Myrtle Beach Convention Center yesterday.

He launched his term urging colleagues to be better ambassadors and advocates for the golf course superintendent profession. He remarked on the path of so many superintendents that “began with a summer job that turned into a passion that became a career.”

“I ask you, where has that love gone? A lot of times, we sit around and we share horror stories or commiserate on how tough it can be, or how bad the weather is, or how xyz member or xyz golfer makes our lives that much harder,” he said. “But the reality of it is, we still have the passion for what brought us all here. We love being outside, we love taking care of God’s creation and manicuring the golf courses. And that’s the kind of love I would like to see us promote to everybody around us.

“It’s not all gloom and doom, what we do. We are leaders at our facilities. We’re leaders at our clubs. But a lot of times, we’re too willing to take the back seat and let other people take the credit. It’s great to be that type of leader. But at the same time, we need to work to be recognized as the professionals and the leaders that we are.”

As we welcome Chuck Connolly as our Carolina’s GCSA President, we must thank John “Billy” Bagwell for his service.

Related: Bagwell honored as president of Carolinas Golf Course Superintendent’s Association

The Carolinas GCSA provides its members the opportunity to excel professionally and enhance the game of golf through responsible turfgrass management.

The Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association was formed in 1954 to further the profession of the golf course superintendent in North and South Carolina. With around 1,800 members, the association is the largest affiliated chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.