Page 26 - GreenMaster Winter 2022

uBACK NINEuDARREN KALYNIUK, CGSA PAST PRESIDENT
All in The
I know it has been a while since I
wrote my last Back Nine article in GreenMaster, however when Barb mentioned who the next candidate was, it wasn’t hard to dust off the old laptop and start writing again. Since being a member of CGSA, I have had the pleasure of getting to know this next candidate over the years, bumping into him at many of the conferences and Fall Field Days.
This year, he is celebrating a milestone in his career, working at the same course for 50 years. Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Doug Campbell, AGS, of Riverside Country Club, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Doug started his illustrious career probably without even knowing it, very early in life while going out with his father to change holes on the weekends. From there, he became a junior member and eventually officially started working at Riverside at the age of 13. When asked who his biggest influencer was, he immediately mentioned his father, Don Campbell, who was a leader in our industry. “I owe a lot to him, everything from teaching me the ins and outs of the turf industry to the value of having a strong work ethic,” says Doug.
After being in the industry for 50 years, I asked Campbell what he enjoys the most about working at the
Doug Campbell, AGS with a 50th anniversary picture presented to him signed by the members.
26 • CGSA • GreenMaster
course. This is what he had to say, “I enjoy many aspects of the golf industry, everything from early mornings as the sun comes up, facing the ever-changing challenges of Mother Nature, being around all my staff and co-workers, members at the course, meeting so many great people in the industry from across Canada, but most of all, I get to bring my dog to work!”
Every day, turf professionals see the ups and downs of the industry and the evolving challenges and changes that comes with it. When asked what some of the challenges and changes he has seen in the golf industry, he mentioned, “Some of the golfers’ unrealistic expectations
about course conditions and the ever-changing weather patterns seem to be some of the challenges I’ve been seeing.” I think many can agree with his statement that expectations have risen over the years but unfortunately, budgets remain the same. To add to that, many across the country are challenged with finding qualified staff or just staff in general to be able to try to meet these higher expectations.
Being in the industry for quite some time, Doug has accomplished many things throughout his stellar career. When asked what he was most proud of Campbell had this to say, “Being recognized by your peers