Letters

More mellow

Thank you for putting Basil in your magazine. I thought the entire article was great. Turf needs more of these stories to keep things more mellow than the turf industry is most of the time.

Trevor Morvay
Golf Resort Superintendent
Sawmill Creek Golf Resort and Spa
Camlachie, Ontario

Old vs. new

There are flaws that exist among the professional staffs in our industry. I will touch on the pro shop, which you mentioned in your article about the poor attitude of many pro shops ("Have you hugged your golf pro today?" August, 2013). This a serious issue which the PGA must pay attention to in the future. There are many professional club pros, but by and large pros at public courses lack management ability, customer service and business capability.

As for superintendents, at one of my courses I have an older superintendent who has been in the business for decades. He is excellent in his management abilities, his ability to manage his employees and care for his equipment, and order only chemicals and other necessary ingredients for caring for his course. There are many who are like this superintendent. Most are mature in age and have learned the trade by facing the day-to-day battles of golf course grounds operations. This group is very secure in their job.

On the other hand there is a group of younger superintendents who do not belong in the industry. They are good in agronomy, but totally incapable of managing their personnel and making and meeting budgets. They treat their machinery as a daily replaceable item. Many of these new entries into superintendent positions cost owners or members far more than is comprehensible due to their lack of caring, knowledge, and experience.

The superintendents’ association should be very careful who they bestow a Class-A designation. The GCSAA has been a dismal failure in sending Class-A superintendents into the workplace, especially the younger ones who are just not trained to take on the responsibilities that are expected of them.

Name withheld on request

We’d like to hear from you. E-mail us at gci@gie.net with your thoughts and opinions.