Today: America. Tomorrow: the world.

The Lawrence-based Golf Course Superintendents Association of America plans to begin a global expansion in 2004.

Hannes Combest, the association’s senior director of membership and professional development, told members of Kansas International on Friday that the west Lawrence company was looking to branch into Australia and the Pacific Rim.

“We’ll start small and grow, but we’re confident we’ll make a global impact,” Combest told about 30 people at Alvamar Country Club.

The 20,000-member organization, which serves professionals who care for golf courses, has begun negotiations with potential partners to expand overseas, she said. An English-speaking country is the most likely target for initial expansion, and Combest said Australia was high on the list because the association had a good relationship with Australian golfer Greg Norman.

A global expansion would provide a strong economic boost to the association, which employs 114 people in Lawrence and has an annual operating budget of $18 million. Combest said the association thought it would be able to sell its services and expertise to new associations that start up in foreign countries.

“We believe it obviously will create a financial reward for us,” he said.

Industry observers agree there is a demand.

Hannes Combest, an executive with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, addresses members of Kansas International at Alvamar Country Club. Combest spoke Friday about the company's plans to expand into global markets.

“When we go overseas, we often find that they’re starved to death for the methods that we have here in America,” said Dick Stuntz, superintendent and vice president of golf facilities at Alvamar. “We definitely have something to sell them.”

Combest said major golfing companies the association works with had made the same comments.

“They tell us that we’re missing the boat,” he said. “They tell us we’re already well-respected around the world, but we’re not taking our education services to where they’re needed.”

In addition to Australia, the association is examining an expansion into Japan, Combest said. The Japanese golf market is second only to the United States’ in size, he said. But the country doesn’t have any formal organization to serve golf course superintendents.

China also may be an expansion target. Combest said the association would be watching for an expected boom in golf course construction in China as part of preparations for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Expansion talks come at the same time the association is contemplating a move of its headquarters to a more “golf-centric” location in either Florida or Arizona. The association has been located in Lawrence since 1972.

But Combest said there had been no new developments in the process.

Association President Steve Mona has said the association was awaiting a June recommendation from an 11-member resource group considering whether a move from Lawrence would be beneficial for the organization.

If the group recommends a move, the membership would have to approve a new location by a two-thirds majority. The earliest that vote could happen is during the association’s annual meeting in February 2005.