Back in the saddle

Some, maybe most, golf courses in our neck of the woods still depend on students – college and high school – home for the summer for the bulk of their seasonal staff. I always felt it was a great answer to our short-term labor demands; the young people have an enthusiasm that is contagious, positive and rewarding.

Decades of experience have proven to me that they are fully capable for the part they play in keeping a course in excellent condition. I am prejudiced, I admit, because that is where my interest in a career germinated.

The problem that a student staff poses is that they don’t start until around mid-May and depart right after Labor Day. That leaves the staff shorthanded during some super golfing days. We filled the shortfall with part-timers, retirees and others available at those times. It may be a little inefficient, but it worked well for a long time.

So it was no surprise when I got a call this fall from Chad Grim, my successor. He wondered if I wanted to help out a bit. I jumped at the chance. They had some events to prepare for and wanted to give those players the same conditions a group would expect only a few weeks earlier. The kids might leave, but the grass continues to grow, diseases still crop up, other problems seem unending and golfer demands are still high.

When I return to work, it’s for a short time – a day or two or three – and I operate only as a volunteer. And I have to maintain a low profile otherwise I end up chatting with members I have known for years.

But it is a purely joyful time, an experience you couldn’t buy if you wanted to. I love the smell of the shop, the camaraderie with the staff and the immersion in an absolutely beautiful landscape. It’s a bit of heaven on earth.

As soon as I walk into the shop, the insults start. “Are you lost?” Or, “I wonder how long it will take you to break something?” Or, “Did you miss the nursing home bus at the senior citizen bus stop?” Then there’s grief about my pay – zero as a volunteer – and how “that’s about the right amount, exactly what you are worth!”

It is my role to walk in and start issuing orders, which all the guys are anxious to ignore. I demand the easiest assignment, insist on the newest machine and then I list the jobs I won’t do – too hard, too much pressure to perform or not much fun!

My assignment is usually mowing fairways, one of the best tasks these days. The equipment is operator friendly – quiet, smooth and responsive. I still appreciate having all the cutting units in front of the tires, an emotion common to old gang-mower operators like me. The hydraulic units give a superb cut and the results are immediate and beautiful. No wonder I like it so much.

We mow in teams, and on this day Chad and I were the only team. Obviously, the goal is to keep ahead of play, so there is the usual competition to cut the straightest pass, to minimize turning time and to do the best job on the cleanup round. The challenges can be enjoyed even on a pleasurable task, reminding me that I will probably be a competitive person to the day I die.

The days of fall require comfortable clothes, warm boots and, if lucky, sunglasses. The air is fresh, and the results of one’s effort are immediately visible, almost startling. That almost instant revelation appeals to nearly everyone who has worked for any length of time on a golf course. These days there are fewer and fewer jobs that offer that appeal.

Our course is located on the shores of the 10,000-acre Lake Mendota that our city is built around. It is 200 feet from the shoreline to the play areas around the clubhouse. From that promontory, I can look across the lake and see where I have lived for almost 40 of the 50 years since I came here as a college student. The early hints of fall color and the beautiful days to come remind me why the Sac Indians of 1,000 years ago lived here – the same reason we do.

Mowing fairways like this, when operator and machine are nearly one, gives the operator some great thinking time. And what I was thinking about most is that I am so fortunate to have settled on a career that offers so much. We manage people, budgets and property. We are responsible for assets commonly running into the millions. We are charged with providing conditions that give so many the opportunity to enjoy a great sport.

And occasionally, even in retirement, we get to go back to when we were young, and understand with clarity why we chose this career. It doesn’t get much better than that.

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.