For many superintendents today, hiring and building a reliable maintenance staff is the number one concern heading into each golf season. It’s increasingly difficult to fill all the maintenance staff positions each year, and the rising cost of labor is forcing superintendents to adjust how they maintain the course each day. The amount of labor available directly impacts course conditioning, so it’s understandable why being short-staffed is such a serious concern.

There are many theories as to why it is harder to build a maintenance staff now than in years past, but focusing on those issues can be counterproductive. Instead, this article will highlight various strategies that superintendents are using to build high-quality, reliable maintenance teams in today’s challenging labor market.