| As far back as 1999, I’ve written about the plight of the 50-something superintendent in uncertain times. There were already signs that it was risky business to be a well-paid, comfortable grass grower at a club with ambitions. Then, a big part of the risk was the flood of talented young people with degrees, sterling pedigrees from a “name” facility, and a willingness to take a job for half of what the incumbent 50-something was earning. Frankly, the plight of the 50-something superintendent hasn’t improved one iota today. If anything, it’s worse. In addition to the usual reasons, an experienced, highly-effective but middle-aged super is at much higher risk of getting canned because a struggling facility flat out can’t afford him. The biggest change in the past decade has been that the 50-something who loses a six-figure job is very unlikely to find another one anytime soon. It’s a buyer’s market for those jobs that do open up so the salaries aren’t what they used to be and competition is fierce. As I sit on the edge of turning 50 myself, I find an increasing number of the “rising stars” I got to know early in my career are now sitting at home, churning out resumes and cover letters and hoping a job will open up and, somehow, they will stand out from among the other applicants. It sucks because they’re incredibly talented, hard-working folks. It sucks even more because they have mortgages, kids in college and a skill set that just doesn’t transfer all that well to other careers. I get a lot of emails and Facebook contacts from these guys. “Jonesy…if you hear of anything, let me know.” they almost always say. They’re old friends. It’s hard to see them struggle. Yet, that’s the reality of the business today. We built too many courses, not enough people are spending on golf, budgets are tight. As tough as the situation is on folks my age, there’s another generation facing a related, but different, challenge. I speak of the 30-something assistant superintendent or younger, under-employed superintendent. These are the bright young folks who were part of the explosion in turfgrass education driven by the golf boom of the late ‘90s. Careers in the profession looked so promising that thousands flocked into schools and enthusiastically took on internships and second-assistant positions with visions of having a “big” job within five years. The problem is the same factors impacting 50-somethings hit these folks at the beginning of their careers. Instead of progressing, they stopped in their tracks. They are stuck in the middle, somewhere between school and the top of the profession and often no longer young and fancy-free. A lot have spouses and kids and roots in their communities. Today, we have a generation of talented, hard-working assistants with limited prospects for advancement. They’re qualified and they’ve done all the right things to build their resumes, but there’s nowhere to go. Whenever a “good” job opens, dozens if not hundreds of more experienced superintendents will be in line in front of them. I bet I talked with 25 or more young people at the GIS who sought me out because they are stuck and they don’t know what to do. They enthusiastically write articles for us or their chapter publications. They take on volunteer leadership positions. They seek out experience-building opportunities like remodeling or renovation. They have gorgeous personal career websites. They do all the right things to groom themselves and be in position for the big job…but none are forthcoming. The notion you could move up the ladder if you paid your dues for five years has now morphed into limbo for 10 or 15 years – particularly in big private club markets like Chicago, Philly, New York and D.C. where high-paying jobs open infrequently. Some have wondered to me privately if they should get out now before they face another seven or eight years as a “semi-career assistant.” It’s frustrating and you can sense it talking to them. I’ve never heard one of them outright say that they felt deceived, but I bet some of them do. They were told if they went to the right school, did the right internships and worked hard, the gold ring would be within their grasp. But, they now find the ring is getting farther away. In a way, as sad as this is, it’s also healthy. It’s another ramification of the shakedown cruise the business has been on for a decade. The best, brightest and toughest will survive if they stick it out. Yet, some of those really good young professionals can’t or won’t be around because they’ve hit the ceiling. Staying stuck in the middle forever just doesn’t work for them…and it’s a shame. GCI |
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