It ain't broke, but we're fixin' it anyway

A bunch of folks have asked me what my plans are for the magazine now that I'm back in the saddle, so let's chat about that.

As I wrote in the print issue last month, the good news for me is that GCI is already a damned fine publication. Superintendents (and assistants, GMs, owners, etc.) seem to universally recognize that we're the most improved book in the market, we have a great mix of technical, non-technical and opinion and we have terrific columnists.

That said, we can always improve. So, starting in May, here are a few new and different things you'll see in GCI:

• We're launching a new section called "The Whiteboard" at the front of the magazine that allows us to run short, interesting items, weird pictures, infographs, quotes, and top product and people news blurbs in a cool way.


• We're spreading our columnists throughout the magazine folio instead of bunching several of them up at the front. This will help improve the readability of the magazine by breaking up the flow between longer stories and the one-page op/ed pieces everyone loves so much.


• Speaking of which, it's pretty clear that Tim Moraghan's column is a big hit with readers and we'll be moving him far front in the magazine. Tim, the former USGA Championship Agronomist, is just outstanding as a writer and we want to give him more prominence.


• Our research section, which typically features Ph.D.-driven turf studies, is being retitled "Real Science" and will focus even more intensively on applied research being done in the field.

I think our content has been excellent in general, but you will definitely be seeing more of what I like to call "Killer Covers." These are those in-depth cover stories that get everyone talking. Those stories are FUN and they further GCI's most important mission: to provoke discussion that improves and advances our industry.