Enviable job perk

I attended a turf conference last month. I ate lunch at a table with three superintendents and a sales professional who previously worked as an assistant superintendent.

I’m not one of them. As people in this industry are wont to do, they made me feel like one of them.

The quartet discussed the 2023 golf and growing season. They conveyed stories of no-show employees and unrealistic customer expectations. Three of the four admitted they needed to play more golf.

The sales professional never mentioned the products he sells. He occasionally shared stories from his golf course maintenance career.

I didn’t say much. Listening yields more learning.

The superintendents worked at facilities in different parts of the state. Their facilities feature different ownership models and climates. The annual conference brought them together for a day of learning. They likely gleaned more from the informal lunch chat than from nearly six hours of formal education.

On the drive home, I reflected on the conversation. Receiving 45 unscripted minutes with superintendents when they are away from golfers and mowers added value to an already productive trip.

Superintendents hold difficult jobs. I’ll never be one of them, because we aren’t forced to work in the rain or strive to give somebody a $150 product for $50. If the job were easy, publications such as Golf Course Industry wouldn’t exist.

An incredible perk, though, accompanies a golf maintenance professional’s work. The industry offers an enviable professional network. Everybody receives opportunities to eat lunch with their peers. Everybody can call, text, email or DM a peer for guidance. Everybody can access free information to help them do their jobs, understand a confounding industry or elevate their careers.

Unfortunately, not everybody appreciates the gigantic knowledge share.

The quartet I joined for lunch had space at their table because many of their peers skipped the conference. The weather was nice and work rarely stops on a golf course. Labor remains tight and falls are warmer. Golfers expect tidy turf year-round, even during the “bonus golf” months on the cool-weather calendar. Perhaps some superintendents and industry professionals are too busy to support their local, state and regional events. Others figure they already possess a big enough professional network. A few might not want a professional network.

Even more troubling are the superintendents and industry professionals who reach what they consider a career pinnacle and curtail the sharing, learning and expanding. People in this group stop being one of them until they need one of them again, which usually happens following a job loss or when their course requires a product, service or extra body in a pinch. Almost always, that person receives the desired help regardless of how much they might have neglected their industry roots.

Help, at least in the golf industry, remains unconditional. Golf maintenance professionals are fortunate to have structured and unstructured support systems. Trust me when I tell you similar support infrastructure doesn’t exist in most industries.

I work in the publishing/media business. Editors, writers and graphic designers rarely play golf, hunt, fish or eat lunch together. Neither computer nor paper companies are funding educational and networking events for us. We don’t receive themed magazine issues filled with inspiring and informative articles crafted by our peers. I rarely sit at tables with four peers and learn how they keep newsletters and social media feeds fresh.

Chunks of a publishing/media professional’s career journey occur in solitude. Remote work has resulted in physical solitude for many editors and writers. The impact of that solitude on mental health has yet to be determined. Fortunately, our parent company, GIE Media, remains committed to providing a physical workplace.

Golf maintenance professionals work long hours and constantly tussle with fickle weather and demanding people. They also receive abundant opportunities to sit across the table from somebody else working long hours and coping with fickle weather and demanding people.

Never take that perk for granted.