Broad-based learning

In 2020, I had the opportunity to share time with Matt LaWell for the “Off the Course” podcast, where he correctly introduced me as a bibliophile. As “a person who collects or is a lover of books,” I am proud to fit that Oxford English Dictionary definition, and aside from providing me with the perfect icebreaker when meeting people, it allows me to see the world through a different lens. Steve Leveen, in his book “The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life,” sums up my feelings on understanding the world through books perfectly, “The point of reading is not reading but living. Reading helps you live with greater appreciation, keener insight and heightened emotional awareness.”

While on the podcast, I shared that I enjoy finding inspiration and advice in books regardless of the topic. I view books as “Aesop’s Fables” to where I look for a quote, an anecdote or a story that I can draw life lessons that may be unrelated to the specific topic you are reading. For instance, you could read a story about a business unrelated to turf and be able to draw something apropos to your life as a golf course superintendent or assistant. For some books, it slams you in the head like Robert Iger’s “The Ride of Lifetime,” or one of my favorites, Yvon Chouinard’s “Let My People Go Surfing.” In fiction books, it could be a soliloquy from a character, like Howard Roark’s speech at the end of “The Fountainhead.” As I continue to enjoy reading, I love digging out these nuggets of knowledge that don’t require a master’s in English to mine.

While my literary education ended after required English courses at Ohio State, I have been privileged to stretch my reading and writing muscles as the editor-in-chief of The Greenerside, the quarterly publication of the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of New Jersey. The magazine allows me to feel like a writer without giving up the superintendent life. New for our issues this year was, “Wisdom in Uncommon Books,” where I shared my favorite books and the lessons that I have learned from them. I enjoy sharing these things with the members of our association in New Jersey, but as a writing turfhead, I wanted to share some examples I have found with a wider audience.

“Honest self-assessment is in short supply.”

— “Upheaval” by Jared Diamond

Diamond gained notoriety for two amazing books about society, including “Guns, Germs, and Steel” and “Collapse,” and with his third book “Upheaval,” he dives in how societies have moved at pivot points in their history. When I read this sentence about “honest self-assessment,” it struck a chord with me about how we as superintendents or turf managers need to really step back and assess how we are doing, specifically from the perspective of our members or owners. Don’t be too headstrong to say that you are doing everything perfectly or that you don’t need help. Take a moment and review where you are and make the changes you need to for success.

“It also made him realize the contributions that could come from unexpected sources, and that he must always be open to the idea that the man on the job knew more than he did. He never failed to go down the line every evening asking for suggestions for improvements.”

— “The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti” by Meryle Secrest

During the podcast with Matt, I mentioned this book as an example of a simple quote or lesson that I found within a book recommended by a friend of my wife. While the book is an interesting story of Olivetti’s early introduction of a personal computer and how it met an untimely demise, this quote stood out to me as it references how the general manager at the Olivetti factory trusted the experience and knowledge of his staff over his own. As turf managers, we can’t rely solely on our expertise and observations; we need the support of our staff who will have firsthand knowledge of what is going on at the course.

Rule 13 — Embrace Paradox

Rule 23 — You are your best publicist

Rule 28 — What worked in the past, won’t work in the future.

— “Eat A Peach” by David Chang

At the end of Chang’s memoir is a long list of important rules that he has followed as a chef in New York building a worldwide noodle restaurant franchise, a streaming TV show and a large social media following. The three rules I have pointed out were selected from 33 at the back of the book and each can be helpful in our turfgrass careers. I am fond of photography of my course, so “You are your best publicist” strikes a loud note with me as I believe we need to be hard working self-promoters of what we are doing every day.

“Craftsmanship means dwelling on a task for a long time and going deeply into it, because you want to get it right.”

— “Shop Class as Soulcraft” by Matthew B. Crawford

In my career as an assistant and then as a superintendent, I have strongly viewed work on a golf course as a craft and that we as superintendents are craftsmen, spending our careers working on fine tuning and learning the art of golf course maintenance. As the quote says, we want to “get it right” which requires us to devote time to improving ourselves and our work. The book is a deep study in the personal benefit of dedicating oneself to a craft and the rewards of a job that creates a physical tangible result, another lesson that I instill in the staff working for me. I preach that at the end of the morning or the day, you can look across this beautiful landscape and see the physical manifestation of your labors.

“I think the conscientious pursuit of happiness by itself can validate decisions to change, to try again, especially when failure to change will lead to lives of duplicity, dishonesty, and deceit.”

— “A Good Life” by Ben Bradlee

When you pick a book to read, it should be on a topic that you are interested in. While you can say, “Duh!” at that, many of us spent the early parts of our lives reading what we were told to read. As a I struggled to read in high school, I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who promoted the idea of reading a book of our choice each month outside our normal required reading. By doing this, she encouraged us to explore topics and pick content that we wanted to read. During this time, I discovered authors that I continue to read including Jon Krakauer, Sebastian Junger and Bill Bryson. In short, if you are enjoying the topic that you are reading about, you will find that the pages turn effortlessly. Outside of reading about golf and turf, I have dedicated my reading time to multiple subjects with two standing out most recently: Theodore Roosevelt and the investigative journalism surrounding Watergate. For the latter, I have read at least a half dozen books on the subject as I am fascinated by that era of investigative journalism. While I love “All the Presidents Men” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the book that really stands out to me is the autobiography of Bradlee, their editor at TheWashington Post. A well-known figure in Washington politics for his control of the newsroom, he was a fearless defender of the truth. His quote above stood out to me as a life lesson about not fearing change, whether it is a change in your career, your personal life or something small — if it is motivated by what is going to give you a successful, happier life.

“Get out of your house. Get off of your phone. Then go and participate in things that thrill you.”

— “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told” by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally

I want to close with some advice that I recently started to really appreciate after getting married. Through my relationship with my wife, I have learned that books are best when shared with others. This very funny book by Offerman and Mullally was the first selection in our cheesy-as-hell book club that my wife and I have together (sorry, only two members). We pick books together, share our experiences reading, talk about our favorite parts and constantly look for additions to the shelf. In the last four years we have been together we have shared 56 books. The experience of discussing books together has allowed us to grow closer while elevating our understanding of the world.

As I have also grown close with turf managers who read in New Jersey, I encourage you to share the books that you read with other industry friends, look for deeper meanings and keep reading.