When

Monday, December 4, 2017 at 1:00 PM EST
-to-
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 1:00 PM EST
Add to Calendar 

Where

UVA Darden School of Business, Charlottesville, VA 
100 Darden Blvd, Charlottesville
Charlottesville, VA 22903  

 
Driving Directions 

Contact

David Norman 
VGCSA 
804-708-9760 
dnorman008@gmail.com 

UVA Inn at Darden

Official Hotel of the VGCSA Annual Conference

For reservations please call 434-297-7384. Please identify yourself as a VGCSA member to ensure you receive the group rate ($99) and are included in the room block. Reservations must be confirmed by Nov. 28, 2017 and all room reservations are based on availability.

Questions? Contact Kathy Sledd at
434-297-7994 or sleddm@darden.virginia.edu

Conference Speakers

Mark Cote

VGCSA President
Director of Golf Maintenance, Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech
Event Emcee 

Mark Cote is the Director of Golf Maintenance at the Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech and also the President of the VGCSA. He started his career in the golf industry at the age of 12 working as a caddy. He spent two years teaching and coaching at Southampton Academy before returning to golf. He has worked at Farmington Country Club, River Creek Country Club, The Greenbrier Resort and eight years at the Homestead Resort prior to his association with the River Course, LLC. Mark is a 16 year member of the GCSAA and is a Class A member. He has served as President of the Virginia Turfgrass Association (VTA) and has been active in helping to form legislative policy for the future of the golf industry in Virginia.

Dr. Cale Bigelow

Purdue University
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department

CALE BIGELOW is a Professor at Purdue University specializing in Turf Science and Ecology and housed in the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department. He is heavily involved in undergraduate instruction and advising. His applied research program is focused on urban sustainability issues. This involves the evaluation of turfgrass species and cultivars for the region, studying nutrient management and soil related problems in fine turf areas, management programs utilizing plant growth regulators for recreational turf areas and more recently has been focused on urban water use, acute drought events and best management practices to conserve water.

Dr. Bob Rotella

Sports Psychologist
Volunteer Assistant Coach at UVA

Dr. Bob Rotella is consistently recognized as the world's premier sports psychologist. He has dedicated his life to helping coaches, athletes, business leaders, and salespeople use their minds and emotions to take them to the top of their chosen professions. Rotella is the author of Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, the bestselling sports psychology book of all time, as well as several other top-selling books. He has been selected as one of the Top 10 Golf Teachers of the Twentieth Century. In addition to being a columnist and editorial board member for Golf Digest magazine and a contributing editor for Sports Psychology Journal, he appears regularly on NBC's High Performance Golf , on the Golf Channel, and on Larry King Live .

Tim Hiers

Director of Agronomy
The Club at Mediterra

Tim Hiers has more than 30 years of experience in the field of agronomy and golf course maintenance, including positions at nationally ranked John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Quail Ridge Country Club in Boynton Beach, Collier’s Reserve Country Club and most recently as golf course superintendent and builder for Old Collier Golf Club in Naples.

Hiers is widely regarded as one of the top agronomists in the U.S. In 2003, Golf Digest ranked him as the number two superintendent in the country, and in 2010 he was listed among Golf Inc.’s annual 20 most admired operators. He has been active in the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America at both the regional and national levels.

Bob Helland

GCSAA Director of Congressional & Federal Affairs

Bob Helland serves as an expert resource for the GCSAA as it continues to address various current legislative and regulatory issues, such as implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Rule, which expands federal regulation of surface waters protected under the Clean Water Act.  He also supports the integration of the association’s lobbying efforts with the Grassroots Ambassadors program, which seeks to link superintendents directly with their federal legislators.

Everette Fortner

Associate VP, Career and Professional Development and Adjunct Faculty Member
University of Virginia and UVA Darden School of Business

Everette Fortner provides strategic leadership and vision to shape the Career Center's efforts and presence at UVA. He is an innovative and action-oriented leader within higher education and career management.

Everette teaches two courses at UVA - Liberal Arts & the World of Work and Creating Your Professional Summer Experience. He also teaches a course at Darden - Business Development for Professional and Personal Success.  All three courses challenge students with applying design thinking skills to the "problems" of lifelong career management.

Addison Barden

USGA Agronomist

Addison Barden is a Northeast Region agronomist based in Glen Mills, PA. He helps golf facilities maintain better playing conditions through the USGA Course Consulting Service on-site visits, educational outreach, and research throughout the five-state region of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.

Addison grew up in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida where he started his career in turfgrass at TPC Sawgrass. He attended Auburn University for his BS in Turfgrass Management and Masters in Entomology.

Elliott Dowling

USGA Agronomist

Elliott Dowling is an agronomist in the USGA Green Sections Northeast Region. Elliott works out of the Glen Mills, PA office under NOrtheast Region Director David Oates, helping golf facilities maintain better playing conditions through the USGA Course Consulting Service on-site visits, educations outreach, and research throughout the five-state region.

Elliott received his BS degree in Horticulture with an emphasis in turfgrass management from Iowa State University, and his Masters of Professional Studies degree in turfgrass management from Penn State University.