I woud like to put my two cents in on this topic...
I think Marc's thought's are right on target in that we superintendents need to add value and worth to our trade. We are out there doing alot more than just mowing grass and cutting cups.
I work at a club that has no GM and I report directly to the Green Committee Chair.
In my tenure I have come to belive that budgeting and the ability to work within those budgets is about the most important thing a GCS can do to be successful within the eyes of its membership. Yes, golf course conditions matter, but how those conditions are achieved is of even greater consequence. I have learned that because the club down the road spends x, I have to prioritize my x-100 to bring about the desired coure conditions to please my members...I do this by being thrifty and using a combination of old and new school maintenance practices.
Information Officer is another task essential to the GCS. PR within the club is best left to a powerful Green Committee, but lacking that it is up to the super to let the membership know what is affecting their playground BEFORE they can formulate thier own opoinions. Externally, the GCS is best suited to be the point man in PR work because the topic of discussions will never be the membership. A GCS will focus on the environmental stewardship that exists at the club and help the community see the club in a different not so PRIVATE light without stepping on memberships toes...If you haven't gotten involved with local schools, watershed committees or planning groups you are missing some great chances to raise the sense of comunity interaction that your club needs to be viewed as proactive.
Okay, that might have been closer to 3 cents, but what I am getting at is that a GCS is often devalued into being a lawn boy, when this person is typically a motivated, educated, and underused asset in his/her positon