The golf course superintendent is a professional golf course manager period.

Pietro Longhi: The Charlatan, 1757

Amid the growing talk of mental-health and the golf industry, it doesn't appear that anyone is really getting down to the nitty-gritty of the main issues.  Job burnout, failed relationships, and sustance abuse are real issues in our industrty and the majority of working environmentsare being ignored.  We have a long history of a mindset that if the top facilities are doing ok by the superintendent, then the middle and bottom will naturally rise up, (the rising tide raises all ships).  In my travels, I can tell you, the previous aphorism is false.  It is high time that we change our professions guiding statement.

Lately, I have been lamenting over the willfull delegation of expertise on the part of the golf course superintendent to other golf entities. It seems there are a number of golf course superintnedents whom struggle getting significant "listening to." Like the young man who cried "linda, Linda, listen Linda," the golf course superintendent has resigned himself to outdated equipment, poor shop conditions, unrealistic expectations, and worst of all; no voice. Talk to ten random golf course superintendents and I will almost bet that 8 out of the ten will agree to some extent that the decision makers "dont get it." It is an interesting phenomenon in our industry.  In contemplating the plight of the modern golf course superintendent, I see the Dunning-Kruger effect, a lack of proper messaging, and the devaluation of the profession as predominant obstacles to a brighter future.

The Dunning-Kruger effect....

People play golf, so they believe they know more than the golf course superintendent about running the golf course. I cant imagine thinking that becasue I can drive, I should tear apart my car or tell my mechanic how to fix it. There are certain things you may know a little about and your resulting confidence is high regarding your perception of understanding of the entire topic. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The Dunning-Kruger effect explains why a little bit of knowledge of a subject over-inflates your confidence in a given subject. Once you learn that a subject is a little more complex, your confidence goes down as you become aware of your own ignorance. When one learns even more about the subject, the reality of the complex nature takes shape and people return to a "normal" level of confidence. These people are the ones who will listen, engage in a meaningful conversation, and can actually learn something from others. The golf course superintendent also needs to take responsiblity for their messaging as well. 

Knowing your audience and speaking in the terms that make sense to decision makers is also a skill that is not taught in turf school.  The articulation of the needs for increased allocations of resources requires time to gather supportive information and data as well as time to contemplate and formulate a clear and succinct message.  A superintendent without those moments are left to simply deliver innuendos or passing statements and hope that they will spark some sort of future change.

Maybe the problem is in the message

The golf course superintendent is doomed to failure in negotiaing certain items if they are unable to propose the right information supporting their desired outcome. I believe this is what seperates the wheat from the chaf and why some superintendents are successful with funding requests. When it comes to personal interactions, I like to say that there is no such thing as stupid people, just those that we have not figured out how to communicate with. Taking time to research and carefully plan a funding request is a very important step. 

The golf course superintendent who says "I keep telling them that the fairway mowers are old and they keep breaking.......but they don't care, or they are stupid,  or they dont get it, ect, ect......believes that they should be listened to just becasue they said so. Golf is expensive and in some opinions, unnecessary.  The process of asking for 70,000 dollars is a big ask, and if you think that those types of decisions should garnish support for just because you say it, probably in an aggrivated tone, well then....good luck to you. In many instances, I feel like the golf course superintendent has taken a back seat in the expertise bus of the golf industry.

Giving your power away......

In contemplating the seemingly large number of facilities that don't consider their golf course superintendent an expert, I can't help but to draw the conclusion that we have given our power away.  The golf course superintendent writes no articles for Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, The USGA publications, National Golf Course Owners Association, just to name a few.  The true influencers seem to always be at least one step away from the superintendent position.  This industry has no lack of so-called professionals that the decision makers believe have a better understanding of their facilities issues, than the person that is steering the boat.  This industry boosts USGA agronomists, PGA agronomists, and University Researchers as experts just to name a few.  Google golf course consutlting and look at the result! 

When it comes to managing the property, there is no person with greater knowledge than that of the golf course superintendent.  If you are a decision maker and you don't believe that it is the case that your superintendent is "the guy," then you better pay, at a minimum, the industry standard compensation and get a skilled superintendent.  Having "experts" that are not on property is going to cost you a lot of money over the course of time and it's just plain inefficient.  

We are the story we tell ourselves.......

When you are sick, you don't go to the doctor and ask questions and then take the advice of some quasi-political association for a treatment plan.  Your doctor knows you and hopefully there is a sense of trust there.  I have a vanity license plate and it is a joke.  The name on the plate is a reference to the comedy of self-branding.  We are the story we tell ourselves.  If the golf course superintendent sits back and lets other associations promote themselves as the authority of golf course conditioning, then it becomes difficult to wonder why your voice isn't heard when you appear to be screaming.  The golf course superintendent has been fed a narritive that they are humble, quiet, haters of the limelight.  The shy schoolboy narrative is not a healthy one for improving the quality of the golf course superintendent's life.  We are human and desire to be a part of something, to contribute, and to be valued.  I believe it is the most primary of goals of a professional assoiciation to speak up and to lead in the telling of the story.  

I will also note, that the story of the golf course superintendent is not only the story of the guy leading a top 100 course (no offense to these guys, thats not the point)......they are part of it, but to exclude the thousands of superintendents at smaller venues is missing a very important and large part of the story.  "The rising tide raises all ships," is a failed axiom and the result has been the disenchantment and possibly the alienation of a large group of golf course superintendents.  

Skilled Professional Labor is never free......

I can't think of a more glaring example of golf course superintendents not valuing themselves than the donation of labor that we provide for professional golf events.  We are valuable and skilled, or we are not. In our industry, we have cheapened ourselves by giving away our skill for free.  We ask industry partners to donate resources that could come back to serve our own membership in order to feed and clothe the volunteers at these events.  Not only are we giving our time away, but resources that could be used for a infinate number of needs.....It is a giant "double dip," and we perpetuate it.  At some point, we all have to ask ourselves, "what role do you play in your own suffering?"  

If a group of indidviuals are willing to work extra hours for zero pay during the busiest time of the year, why should anyone pay them? Why should they be fed? Why should they be recognized?  If your answer has any type of chairitable tone or greater good axiom, I think you are misguided.  This industry is experienceing a wave of "burnout."  Lack of recognition plays a significant role in burnout, and it seems like volunteering some crazy hours so people can knock a ball around for an industy that you play back fiddle in, plays right into the situation of obscurity.  Want to feel good about yourself?  How about having the golf world recognize the skilled job you do and include you to speak at the table of all things relevant to successful golf facilities?  It appears that we don't value ourselves enough to speak up.  

Why are we so desperate for attention that we will grind ourselves into the dirt to get an atta-boy?  I imagine having an adult evening type conversation with successful individuals where I explain how I have to go home early because I am getting up at 3am to volunteer to cut grass or rake sand for millionaires.  Self-respect is a complicated subject, I am not sure what it is, but I know what it is not.  In the above instance when long hours are complicatiing important relationships, there seems to be a great lack of self-respect.  Everything comes at some cost and I guarantee that each of us have someone who loves us and wishes that time we are volunteering away was spent with them.  We must believe that we have all the time in the world to use time in such a manner, unless there is that greater good that is genuinely deserving of such a sacrifice.  I know some may interject the brotherhood or networking discussion here.  The networking that happens at these events is relevant, but those things could also take place without the great sacrifice.  

The plight of the golf course superintendent has robbed way too many individuals of their passion for this great game.  The golf course superintendent knows the game, the spirit of the game, and the intricacies of the needs of facilities where the game is played.  The golf course superintendent is, or should be the champion of the spirit of the game.  The golf course superintendent should have time during working hours to educate themselves, play the game, collect data relevant to their operation, and formulate proposals for futrure allocations of resources.  While I am at it.....the time for the later should have a clean, well organized and lit workspace in which to complete those tasks.

If we want to make the life of the golf course superintendent better, we have to find away to value ourselves first.  We are the story we tell ourselves.  If we believe we are deserving of dimly lit, poorly funded, outdated working conditions, well then........we are, and we will get just that.  However, if we believe that we are the experts, who are skilled and deserving of quality working conditions, well then....our messaging, conduct, and communications will follow.  They say that it all begins at the top, and right now what appears to be at the top, are people tripping over themselves to do a free job for people who can afford to pay.  

I think we can do better....for all golf course superintendents.

Cheers,

Turf