The past six years have been great. I’ve been lucky enough to visit golf courses from New England to Miami. The best part about traveling around to so many courses each year has been the people I’ve met. Great people.
My travels as a USGA agronomist allowed me to see some great course conditions and some not-so-great conditions. To be honest, it was the not-so-great situations that were the most fun because we could find solutions to the problems. All of the various situations I experienced as an agronomist allowed me to think back to what I would have done differently as a superintendent before I joined the USGA. After seeing so many successful operations, I wondered what could I have done to be a more successful superintendent?
- Surround myself with as many smart people as possible. I have been fortunate enough to learn something new every day from someone smarter than me. Whether it was a new way to do a simple task, or something as complex as successfully managing nematodes, I should have spent more time with and listening to others.
- Keep it simple. There are a ton of products out there that promise to fix all our turf related issues. Most do what they claim under specific circumstances. But little is known about how products interact when used in combination with other products and repeatedly applied over long periods. Some of the healthiest turf I consistently saw wase produced using very basic agronomic programs at both low and high-end facilities. Looking back, I should have listened to that chemistry professor who taught us the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid).
- Less is more. Similar to the previous statement, most of the time doing less yields a better product. When turf is struggling, it’s the nature of a superintendent to do something to fix it. This is a hard urge to fight. Most of the time, nothing – or very small change – is all that’s needed to solve the problem. Patience, taking some time off, and taking pictures to monitor progress are the best way to keep yourself from doing more than you should.
- Value who matters. People are the biggest asset to a golf facility. This goes for employees and golfers. Without either, the facility fails. At times I used to get frustrated with both groups, asking why Mr. Smith always had to play as a single at 7:30am or why Frank had to be taught, again, how to rake a bunker, which did me no favors. Superintendents that understand the needs of their employees and golfers and deliver on those needs without sacrificing the overall goal of the facility are consistently successful. I wish I had spent more time on this when I was a superintendent.
- Grow. I wish I had put more focus on how the course, operation, and staff could improve more each year. It was easy to get into a routine of daily maintenance and projects, but superintendents who are leading the way are always refining their processes, trying new ideas, and listening to what other have to say.
It’s been a great six years with the USGA, and I appreciate all the opportunities the organization has given me. This article isn’t meant to be a list of “5 things that make a great superintendent” but a genuine reflection on what I learned from being an agronomist up and down the East Coast for the past six years. While I can’t go back in time and make changes, I’ll learn from them on my next journey.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Chris Hartwiger, director, USGA Course Consulting Service – chartwiger@usga.org
Steve Kammerer, Ph.D., senior consulting agronomist – skammerer@usga.org
Addison Barden, agronomist – abarden@usga.org