Students in Arizona participated at the FFA State Leadership Conference in Tucson, which included a First Green event hosted by GCSAA and Cactus and Pine GCSA. Photo courtesy of Frank Santiago
Editor’s note: Chapter Spotlight is a bimonthly GCM feature designed to highlight notable achievements and impactful initiatives among GCSAA’s 94 affiliated chapters. To submit ideas for this feature, contact Howard Richman at hrichman@gcsaa.org.
They put on a show — make that shows — over three days, June 5-7 in Tucson, Ariz. Thomas Smith enjoyed showtime.
The freshman this fall at the university of Arizona attended the Arizona FFA State Leadership Conference at the Tucson Convention Center. Cactus and Pine GCSA hosted a career expo. Also, a First Green program at The Club at Starr Pass was hosted by GCSAA and Cactus and Pine GCSA.
For Smith, the entire experience was uplifting. “I just love golf,” Smith says.
More than 900 FFA students participated. Part of the event showcased career options, such as agronomy and turfgrass management. A key figure in the outing was Frank Santiago. A senior representative for turf and ornamentals at BASF, Santiago is a University of Arizona graduate. He was thrilled of what went down in 2024 when the university chartered the University of Arizona TurfCats. It became the first team from Arizona in 30 years to participate in the GCSAA Turf Bowl, and it occurred during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix.
“I’m happy that students are finding a career and a passion in the golf industry and the green industry in general,” says Santiago, who thanks BASF for supporting and championing his industry efforts. “I see the value of programs developing students in the context of leadership, a valuable opportunity for young people to apply what they learn in a classroom and professional setting.”
Cactus and Pine GCSA Executive Director Carmella Ruggiero said of Santiago, “We’re so very fortunate to have him. And our superintendents … I brag about them all the time.”
Santiago was joined during the conference by BASF intern Sydney Loflin and GCSAA Southwest Region Field Staff Representative Jeff Jensen, who encountered some proud students at GCSAA’s booth. “Our booth was busy the entire day with students coming up and showing their GCSAA membership cards and wearing our lapel pins. I also had numerous students inquire about summer jobs, so word is getting out about our efforts both nationally and at the state level,” Jensen says. “The Cactus and Pine has been a great supporter of the Arizona FFA Leadership Conference, and it’s encouraging to see the students getting excited about careers in turf.”
The First Green event at four-year GCSAA superintendent Alex McCallister’s facility encouraged Jensen about the future. “Alex was a great host and had a lot of stuff going on to keep the kids interested,” says Jensen, adding that Troon has been a great partner and host of First Green events.
First Green is a GCSAA’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math environmental outreach program that uses the golf course as a living laboratory. Kindergarten to 12 students participate in hands-on outdoor learning stations that include lessons on wildlife habitat, soil science, environmental stability, mathematics, water conservation, water quality, career exploration and more. First Green is a program of the GCSAA Foundation, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA. Leann Cooper, GCSAA director of First Green and workforce development, applauds what leaders like Cactus and Pine GCSA and other association chapters do. “Our members and chapters are interested in participating in events that help generate interest in the profession and golf course management industry. The Cactus and Pine GCSA has been a leader in this arena, and having 900 students at the Arizona FFA at the Arizona FFA conference to engage with has proven to be a successful event for the students and the chapter,” Cooper says. “The Cactus and Pine chapter doesn’t just exhibit at the leadership conference — they take it a step further and host a First Green field trip with the emphasis on career exploration in conjunction with the overall event. It gets students on the golf course, gets the wheels turning in a beautiful location, and inspires kids to be a superintendent or equipment manager.”
That is among the goals at The Club at Star Pass for McCallister, who has connected with Smith. Smith is interning for McCallister when he’s not in class. “I was talking to these kids at First Green about what I do as an avenue for golf for them. I wanted to be a firefighter,” McCallister says. “Now I have the best job in the world, in my opinion. Once I was in their (students’) shoes. Now I have the chance to promote what I do.”
Smith has listened to the pitch. “I’m thinking about getting into agronomy,” he says. “Actually, I dreamed as a kid (of) running a golf course. My aunt played golf in college in Montana. And the more me and Alex talk about golf, I like it, and the brain power it takes to make a golf course so good has drawn me to being in it.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor