Associations and Events

GCSAA Launches Certification Program

By Rob Thomas

Posted on June 7, 2022

The Certified Turf Equipment Manager designation is the highest recognition that turf equipment management professionals can achieve. Also, Kyle Marshall, Director of Golf Courses and Grounds at Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga., has been named a Grassroots Ambassador Leadership Award winner for advocating on behalf of the industry and sharing with Congress how superintendents are committed to sustainable environmental stewardship.

Five decades after creating the first certification for golf course superintendents, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) has debuted the Certified Turf Equipment Manager (CTEM) program to bestow upon turf equipment management professionals who have demonstrated a high degree of knowledge and proficiency in their profession.

The CTEM designation was developed by turf equipment managers and educators under the guidance of a professional psychometrician. The CTEM designation is the highest recognition that turf equipment management professionals can achieve. It is the first certification program in the world for turf equipment manager professionals.

The CTEM program is the culmination of an ever-expanding list of programs for equipment managers since GCSAA added the Equipment Manager membership classification in 2015. Two years later, the Equipment Manager Certificate Program (EMCP), which demonstrates key competencies in eight different areas on two different levels, began.

To be eligible to enter the CTEM program, individuals must be currently employed as a turf equipment manager, have three or more years of experience, and have successfully completed the EMCP Levels 1 and 2.

“Our certified golf course superintendent designation is widely recognized as the pinnacle achievement in the profession, and we are proud to expand that tradition to turf equipment managers,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans said. “Ever since equipment managers became a part of the GCSAA family, we have continually expanded our resources and opportunities for them to grow their careers, and CTEM is that commitment realized.”

Once an eligible individual submits his or her application and is accepted into CTEM, he or she will have 12 months to complete the attesting process. The CTEM attesting criteria was developed following the same psychometric process as the CGCS attesting.

The attesting, which can take place in person or virtually, will be conducted by two equipment managers who have already earned their CTEM designation. To pass the attesting, an applicant must demonstrate a minimum competency level over the entire attesting content. Once an individual becomes certified, he or she must earn a combination of 5.0 points through continuing education and service every five years to remain certified.