I spent Thursday and Friday in Liberty, SC (Carolinas GCSA headquarters) taking my Master Greenkeeper exam. To date, there are only 71 Master Greenkeepers in the world. The exam is difficult to say the least, mostly because the questions are so open ended. Day 1 consists of a technical paper where I answered 5 specific questions mostly based on the science of botany. On day 2, I completed a case study that required me to write a full environmental plan for an 18 hole club in the UK. One of the major challenges is understanding different phrases and words that are written in UK English. Having lived in Scotland for a year, I was fairly familiar with these terms but I could certainly see how a candidate might struggle if he or she wasn't prepared. The results will be known in about 3-6 weeks after their panel of judges critiques my writing.
In order to take this exam, I had to accumulate 200 or more continuing education points! Only until recently did I qualify in that regard. I'm so proud and grateful for the support I receive from Highlands CC when it comes to continuing education. Without HCC, I would not have been ready to take the exam because that was 17 years worth of continuing education credits! The next step, as you may recall, was having 2 existing MG's travel here to attest my operation and the golf course. In March, the Super from Medinah CC in Chicago and Carolina GC in Charlotte spent the day with me at HCC looking at everything from budgets, quality of the course, strategic planning, staffing and environmental planning.
Needless to say, I am anxious to get my results in a few weeks! It was a fair test and feel really good about how I did.