[JSPayne]

WANTED:

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT

College graduate with extensive knowledge and experience in turf management, horticulture, irrigation design and repair, construction, personnel management, budget development and implementation, mechanics and public relations.

You must be willing to work as many hours as necessary to complete the job, regardless of personal life. You must work for hundreds of bosses who second-guess every decision and program you propose.

You will be expected to forecast, compensate and budget for every whim of nature and must be able to motivate underpaid staff to produce quality work on a daily basis. All goals must be achieved without interruption to play or inconvenience to the membership.

Finally, you must work in a barn.

[Joe Hancock]

Well, you posted this, so I suppose you want a response.

I would say no, based on your attitude towards the job. If someone loves this kind of work, they do it regardless of obstacles and unknowns. Besides, doesn't every "job" have negative aspects?

Earn a living doing something you are passionate about and the down side will never be the focus.

Joe

[Phil_the_Author]

Yes, but don't expect to get hired...

[J_ Crisham]

I would agree with Joe's assessment that every job has its ups and downs. I could change a few words and it could mirror my profession-dentistry. Any business owner would have the same stresses in addition to in our age of enlightenment where some patients try to possess an attitude of all knowingness. Kind of like me falsely representing a knowledge of that of a golf course supt. That being said I wouldn't change my decision to do what I do. I still love it after 20 yrs and the patients I serve are very appreciative of my care. Hopefully someday you may view your profession this way.

[JSPayne]

At first, when I was first given this "job ad" by a former boss of mine, I thought that it was funny.

But after reading these few responses, I find them more funny than the "ad" itself.

Why because I post this does it mean that I don't value, appreciate, or am passionate about my profession? I love it when cynical jokes have to be explained.....

Folks, it's simply a poke of fun at the ludicrous, yet sadly true, expectations beset upon our superintendent profession. Yes I know they hold true for many other professions. Yes I know that if this TRUELY is your attitude that you will never get far (or hired for such a position). But that doesn't stop the fact that it is sometimes amusing and even relaxing to just put it out there and look at it and say,

 "Ha....that is EXACTLY what is asked of me everyday, but for some reason I still love waking up before the sun each morning, making the FIRST footprints in the morning dew (NOT the golfers), the chirping of the birds as they wake up, the smell of freshly cut grass, the beauty of a pefectly straight mow line, and the look of awe and appriciation as the golfers on the first tee as the golfers step up to admire the 120 acres of immacutely maintained handiwork that they could only dream of having in their front yard."

That being said, and in light of the original post, do you all truly think that superintendents are adaquately acknowledged, appriciated and understood in doing the job they do and what honestly is expected and required of them to perform such a job?

[J_ Crisham]

JS, Not to belabor my point but happiness comes from within. My chosen profession has the statistically highest suicide rate over the last 40 yrs competing with that of airtraffic controllers . Not something to brag about- my point is you do the best you can in life and be thick skinned when you have to. Somedays when I'm in the midst of a difficult surgery or a tedious root canal I dream about being on the mower! Judging by the thousands of excellent clubs across the country some of the Supts must enjoy it because the places I've been priveleged to play it is apparent in the high quality of their work.

[Mike_Young]

That being said, and in light of the original post, do you all truly think that superintendents are adaquately acknowledged, appriciated and understood in doing the job they do and what honestly is expected and required of them to perform such a job?

JS,
I notice you are 27 years old.....if you are in the supt business I hope you find it gratifying.....many do....but if your goal is to go the way of many of the "FootJoy" supts I have seen it become frustrating.  These guys want an office in the proshop, 5 assistants at least 10 ribbons on their blazer at the national supt meeting....IMHO they are frustrated....
MY father in law was a good supt at several of the best clubs in the country....he even won that nat'l supt award one year....he loved what he did, never wished to have the pro's job and never once did I hear him gripe about acknowledgement...and he got in the dirt.....And I see the same traits in several of the top young guys at some big clubs today....The supt business is changing and changing fast....the ones that love it will come out ok.....JMO.
Mike

[JSPayne]

Mike,

Thanks for the post, and congrats for having such an awesome dad. I can only hope my kids will look up to me the same day.

The real reason I asked is because I DO love my profession now, but would never have even known it existed, at least to the extent that I know now, had it not been for dumb luck. I've always wanted to be a pro golfer, travel, see a million difference courses, make money playing the game I love. Long shot, almost assuredly not happening. Next best thing, work with golf courses. I thought I wanted to design/build. Started school in civil engineering. Professors asked what I wanted to do, I told them, they'd never heard of a CE doing such a thing and suggested I  do some more research if that was my true passion. I literally stumbled onto the bland, low profile website for the turf department at my same school (lucky me, didn't have to transfer) and changed majors in a day.

The whole point of this is, I love what I do and find it more challanging than I originally expected it to be. Even my family had doubts about me going from honor society in engineering to "growing grass". But now that I'm educated and that I've educated them, the perspective has changed.

But what does my expierence say about our profession? Does your average golfer know about superintendents and their role at their favorite facilities? Do they even begin to understand what created the conditions they're playing on? Are young students aware such a profession exisits and can be enjoyable, challanging and fairly profitable (I say that last one lightly)?

I've found this site hosts many intelligent, innovative, and concerned people for the game of golf and even the national association for superintendents struggles with our recognition, so what better forum to gauge some intelligent perception of superintendents than here?

[Mike_Young]

JS,
I don't think the average golfer will ever know what the supt does....you can't think about it....same goes for most architects...no one knows who we are.....or the best example today is the PFC in the HumVee in Bagdad....look at what he does and what he risk while the General gets the credit....

[JSPayne]

Excellent point Mike, about golf architects in comparison, but not as much with the PFC. Don't mistake my disagreement as disdain for our troops (may they come home quickly and safely) but simply because I'm looking at the growth and recognition of the profession and EVERYONE at least knows and recognizes what a PFC is and at least some of what he does (I don't think many of us will ever know the full extent of it however).

Moreso, I am curious how we, architects and supers alike, are supposed to grow our profession and our standards of excellence without the notority and recognition by the public, especially with young people/students, needed in order to recruit, educate and grow the next generation of great minds.

Also, I would like to note, though this may be better saved for an entirely new post, that my personal view on golf and my golf game (the mental aspect at least) have significantly improved as a result of my increased understanding of architecture and maintenance. Perhaps it's because I now know what and who is behind the methods of my maddness.  

[JohnH]

Moreso, I am curious how we, architects and supers alike, are supposed to grow our profession and our standards of excellence without the notority and recognition by the public, especially with young people/students, needed in order to recruit, educate and grow the next generation of great minds.

JS,

After nineteen years in this business, I learned long ago that notoriety and recognition by the public need not be a focal point of my existance in this field.  I gain satisfaction by the goods I prepare, the relationships I aquire, and the pride in which I take to achieve those two, then I will be better off in the long run.  I feel, and this all of course is one mans opinion, if I can instill those qualities (or make known the importance of) in the younger generation then I have made my mark.

Awards and accolades, however, are nice....

[JSPayne]

Words true to my own heart John. And I hope no one construes my using of "recognition" as needing awards and accolades. Much like you, I value the product I create and don't need to know that anyone but my employer is happy with it (we gotta keep our jobs afterall!).

I hope that as I continue I may be able to follow that same path of bringing golf and this profession to the younger people myself, and perhaps you are right. If more superintendents (and architects) did that, we wouldn't need the national organization to try and spend millions doing it for us.

You know the real crux of the matter....I just really want all golfers to know that "YES! We actually do go out and change the hole location EVERY day." Man, if I had a dollar for every look of surprise I've gotten when I told someone that......ahhh, early retirement.

[Kris Spence]

JS, I worked for close to 18 years as a supt before entering the design field and one of the things I decided early on in my career was that I would make sure the club president, boards etc, committe chairs learned a good education as to the responsibilities of the supt from me and no one else.  Too many guys remain in the shadows and let others do the talking for them.  The GCSAA is certainly not going to do it for you, they are content staying on the bottom rung of the ladder and always have.  I used to give them hell about it and they never once showed a geniune interest in getting involved in the right way.  If every supt in the biz provided the GCSAA with 5 names of club board members on their renewal apps each year and the GCSAA hired a marketing firm skilled at reaching the board member,  CEO, Biz Owner type the membership and board would be astounded at the complexity of the supt job.

  The best guys in the business who have the full respect of their employers and peers dont work under the conditions you describe in the mock ad nor do they percieve the business this way.  There are fewer and fewer guys who truly love the biz and get in the dirt like Mike Y eludes too.  

It was discussed on another thread about the cost of golf and if we arent careful we are going to price ourselves out of a job, this goes for the maintenance of courses as well.  Yes courses are more expensive to design and build, expectations have gone through the roof and maintenance budgets have skyrocketed to keep up with this unrealistic demand.  When I was a supt, I generally had a lead assistant who was given alot of responsibility to run the day to day stuff, nowdays the super has a minimum of two to three assistance and these guys get very little dirt under their finger nails.  We are setting a dangerous trend I think.  The best courses I work with seem to follow more of the old school approach, nothing fancy, same  materials from 10 years ago, good cultural practices, they dont follow the latest fads and trends and they are on that golf course every day maintaining that personal connection with the turf and ongoing conditions.

[Ray Richard]

 I was a superintendent for 13 years and I loved the early mornings, the smell of freshly cut grass, the friendship of fellow superintendents and the satisfaction of a successful tournament.

 You have to go into the superintendent business with a realistic perspective of golf club dynamics. A private club is populated by people who spend money to relax. The population can be further divided by the following: 60% want to tee it up, go home and consider themselves relaxed, 30% want to tee it up and critique( good and bad) the club management, then go home, and 10% want to be actively involve in club politics. Out of this last 10%, 9% want to serve on committees and provide constructive feedback, but it’s the last 1% that ruin it for others.

The last one percent are the members who show up with a negative perspective on club operations and it goes downhill from there. It could be personal or business problems that drives them but these people are bent on change and micromanagement and they push an agenda that includes disruption and power. I met a some bad people as a private club superintendent. They were fueled by egotism and a devious business pedigree that made my life miserable and ruined the good karma promoted by the other 99%.

[JSPayne]

Kris and Ray,

Thanks for the great feedback. I must be a little too young to be feeling as much negative karma from the superintendent experience, but I've definetely seen in my mentors many of the things you two describe. The state of golf right now affects everyone, and I honestly think that besides club owners, many of whom are struggling to just break even so we can keep our jobs, the pressure on the superintendents is the next highest in the industry because everyone is looking to them to keep their course alive (literally and figuratively).

Kris-

I agree with you 100% about the need to get back to more of a "grassroots" approach and to not be afraid to get dirty. I participated in the NCGA Supt Intern program and that 1 1/2 years has instilled that in me more than anything. I was in a somewhat in a position of leadership compared to the normal greenskeeper, but I performed ALL their jobs, I dug ditches with them, laid sod, mowed greens, tried to best the set-up guys best time for completing all 18 holes, etc. And I know now even as an assistant that I get more respect from all the crews I work with (1) because I speak the language very well and (2) because while I mostly send them off on jobs and supervise, I still am able to jump in enough to get dirty and sweaty and show them I not only know what needs to be done but that I know HOW to do it as well. However my question to you and any super is that given how much courses are evolving and the super position becomes more of a business manager, required to create more accurate records and budgets and SOPs and business plans, participate in every meeting at the club, give facetime to the members and plan major remodels and restorations at most clubs, how can we hold on to being able to "get dirty" without having to relinquish those jobs to assistants because we simply don't have time anymore after being buried under paperwork?

Rich -

You draw a very accurate picture of what I have observed with my bosses and during greens committee meetings. However, I constantly remind myself that as a super, the only thing I can think to do it is use the power of the majority. You're right, the real majority probably don't care or have much of an opinion about what the 1% wants to do or change, so they won't be of much help. But I do believe at most courses there tends to be a group larger than 1% that are BEHIND the super and acknowledge him as the expert and would prefer to let him make those important decisions and not a few of their fellow golfers. From your experiences, do you really think it is that difficult for a super to try to get that supportive small majority more involved and vocal so as to at the very least outnumber if not overwhelm the 1% that constantly give us headaches?

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