Monroe Miller |
Whenever I think about the changes – some say decline – in golf since I retired in 2008, I’m flushed with gratitude that I worked the 40 years previous. It was a time of unprecedented growth. Golf clubs were full and had waiting lists. Daily fee and public courses were making money and, for a time, we were determined to build one new golf course each day in America. Our course hired an architect and he designed a significant project for us nearly every year, just like lots of other golf facilities. We hired 25 employees, mowed fairways seven days a week with triplex greensmowers (and collected the clippings), and started mowing greens and tees with walkers. Every year brought something new and exciting. Then the crash came and with it came downsizing in every imaginable way in golf. There was a lot of misery that has been well-documented, and most of it continues today. It is related to the lousy economy we’ve had the past half-dozen years. I’ve seen it in my travels around Wisconsin, visiting not only golf courses, but sod producers, lawn care and landscape management companies, and sports turf operations. Our literature has been focused on it, the consultants have documented it and those of us in the field know it. But I think I see signs of an improving economy. These may not be based on statistics, science or research. Sometimes, however, instinct and a well-developed clairvoyance can lead to conclusions that are accurate. Here are a few of the things leading to my optimistic hunch that we have stabilized or are even improving:
1. “A Difficult Par” by James R. Hansen. Hansen, a history professor at Auburn University, is a well-recognized expert on the history of golf architecture, has written a very extensive yet readable biography of Robert Trent Jones. It’s almost 500 pages, and I was up late several nights this summer reading it. It’s a great book; Geoff would have loved it. 2. “Turfgrass History and Literature: Golf, Lawn and Sports” by James B. and Harriet J. Beard. I had the privilege to read the manuscript before it was published, and only one person could have written this magnum opus – Dr. Jim Beard. I would recommend every superintendent’s office have a copy on the bookshelf. It is interesting and invaluable. It was just released from Michigan State University Press. 3. “His Ownself” by Dan Jenkins. Jenkins is one of our best sports writers, and I think his best writing went into golf. This book is pure entertainment. He has written a number of golf novels and I have read all of them also. This is a combo autobiography/memoir, and it is a funny book. 4. “Wide Open Fairways” by Brad Klein. Many of us know the author. Like his previous books, this one is very comfortable reading. I recommend it highly. 5. “Turfgrass: Biology, Use and Management” from the American Society of Agronomy. This monograph is the ASA’s latest on turf. Chapters are written by well-recognized experts/faculty in our profession. It is another “must have” book for your professional bookshelf.
It is too hard being depressed all the time, worrying about our futures in golf. That is why I proposed superintendents work on a Plan B – to relieve some of that stress. But it is also important to look on the bright side, finding a half-full glass instead of a half-empty one. I believe that no matter where you work there will always be concerns about rounds played, variable weather and other entertainment opportunities for families. A closer look, maybe a more objective view, can also expose some good reason for optimism, just like we have found in Wisconsin.
Monroe Miller retired after 36 years as superintendent at Blackhawk CC in Madison, Wis. He is a recipient of the 2004 USGA Green Section Award, the 2009 GCSAA Col. John Morley DSA Award, and is the only superintendent in the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame. Reach him at groots@charter.net. |
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