This spring, more than 30 people – including around 20 volunteers from the Western Washington GCSA and the Oregon GCSA chapters – gathered at American Lake Veterans Golf Course in Lakewood, Wash., to help prepare the course for the upcoming season.

Although the day was clear and cold, the volunteers quickly warmed up as they tackled a full slate of projects. Greens were sanded and aerated, landscape edges around the property were cleaned up, and a variety of other maintenance tasks were completed to get the course in top shape.

By the end of the day, Randy Moen, superintendent at American Lake Veterans Golf Course and a seven-year GCSAA member, was grateful for the support and impressed by what the group accomplished.

“We got a lot done. It’s so great to work with the chapters on this project,” Moen said. “We’re all volunteers and have been here a long time, but it’s always nice when the ‘experts’ come and give us a hand.”

The WWGCSA/OGCSA Service Project has been a spring tradition since 2019, except for 2021, when it was paused because of the pandemic. Each year, the two GCSAA-affiliated chapters alternate between American Lake Veterans Golf Course and The Children’s Course in Gladstone, Ore. Organizers are already planning to return to The Children’s Course in 2027 to continue the tradition of giving back through volunteer service.