Page 20 - GM spring 2024

uFEATUREuT-JAY CREAMER, AGS, SUPERINTENDENT, OLYMPIC VIEW GOLF CLUB
Talking from Canada
In the spring of 2023, I received an email inquiring if I would like to be
a speaker at the 2023 Bulgarian Golf Greenkeepers Association (BGGA) annual conference, taking place in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, on October 26-27. I was asked to speak on sustainable golf course maintenance. While this can be a broad topic, my extensive use of data- based agronomic decision-making fits well within this topic and I was excited to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with this audience.
I was initially contacted by Kremena Kaneva, who is the local Toro distributor and a native Bulgarian. She has been heavily involved with the association since its inception over 16 years ago and was responsible for recruiting speakers for the conference. This year would be the first time that the conference would expand from a one-day to a two-day event.
When I inquired as to why she had contacted me to speak, she said that some of her international contacts through Toro had recommended me. Additionally, they had never had a Canadian speak at their conference and were excited to do so. Alongside a slate of exceptional industry presentations, they had also invited Sandy Reid, who is the Director of Greenkeeping at St. Andrews Links, Scotland and Carlos Venegas Gamero, who is the Head Groundsman at Sevilla Football Club, Spain.
THE GOLF INDUSTRY IN BULGARIA
Located on the west coast of the Black Sea and north of Greece, Bulgaria has a population of nearly 7 million people and a total of eight golf courses, five near Sofia and another three approximately 5 hours away on the coast of the Black Sea. While golf is a growing sport in Bulgaria, it faces challenges as no courses are near population centers and the cost to play these courses can be prohibitive. There are no entry-level courses, such as a typical municipal course, that we would find in Canada. Tourists and the more affluent members of the local population are most of the players. Despite the limited number of courses, they certainly have a strong group of Superintendents and are developing quality greenkeepers within their association.
20 • CGSA • GreenMaster