Unfair? Not really. You have to be a little twisted in the head to do this job. But what most people should know about the serious turf professional, is that we are basically personal trainers for grass. I'd like to say doctor, but you'd have to delve deep into the pathology arena of the scientific world to latch on to that label. Though educated in the physical and chemical needs of turf, we are there to keep the plant healthy, vibrant, and growing. But growing grass is the easy part.
The name of the game is hospitality, ladies and gents. The owners, the employees, and the property are NOTHING without patrons. As a young greenskeeper you see a mower and grass, clubs and a ball, and the person digging "fox-holes" in the ground trying to get it into a hole. But those people are your bread and butter, so once they tee off the first hole, they become your best friends. Never thought that my time as a bartender would ever make me a better candidate for superintendent, but I was wrong. Amazing the similarities between a great superintendent and a great bartender. Any bartender can make a good drink, but people don't normally frequent bars for the drinks alone. They want atmosphere, just like golfers want perfectly kept grass, but even atmosphere can be tainted by a server with a bad attitude. Bar patrons like to walk in the door and be greeted by name, they like to sit at their favorite area of the bar and receive their usual drink or be asked if they would like their usual drink without having to ask. Costumer satisfaction. Bars need regulars, because regulars bring their friends, just like members who are proud of the establishment and its personnel enjoy showing off the club to their friends. I was a great bartender with many regulars, and the establishments I worked at were less than amazing pubs, but making every guests that comes in feel like they're the most important guest in the bar holds more weight than any other amenity that can be offered. Golf Clubs are no different. Club amenities can only offset the poor service and incompetence so much before the member/patron feels the negative out weighs the positive. Seen it, hate it. So easy to make people feel special. Only about 10% of the people you meet feel they need to be waited on hand and foot, and that's fine, because you can still "butter someone's toast" without acting fake. Personality management. Finding the small qualities of a person's persona and playing off of that, or as I like to call it, being a verbal artist. Maintaining the human interaction and not turning yourself into a smiling, nodding robot. The costumer is always right, but they can be reminded that boundaries exist in the world that are wrong to cross. People know that rules exist, and everyone like to push the limits to see how far that rule can bend before it breaks. Others will break the rules repeatedly, because they have seen that all they get is a half hearted talking to and a small hand slap. Monkey see, monkey do. Once one person gets away with no fear of repercussions, a small rebellion starts and soon even though they hate the person breaking the rule, "they do it, we do it" becomes the motto. But "we" fear the response to punishment so much, "we" continue to let the rules be broken, and then you lose integrity, trust, and respect. You will lose more patrons this way, when all you had to do was put show that crossing the line is horribly disrespectful to the people who set their lives aside to make the patrons days as enjoyable as possible. Respect, integrity, honesty, accountability, and morality... key pieces to running any hospitality business.
See, growing turf is the easy part. Managing relationships, personalities, and issues is what makes this business awesome. Yeah, nothing beats the smell of morning dew and fresh cut grass:
See, growing turf is the easy part. Managing relationships, personalities, and issues is what makes this business awesome. Yeah, nothing beats the smell of morning dew and fresh cut grass:
Nothing compares to the fescue as it turns blond in the early summer months:
But in the end, the patrons are the life blood of everything on the golf course, because everything you'll do as a superintendent is for them... Work hard, Play hard, love hard..
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