It’s not easy to talk about fears and there is an element of vulnerability in sharing them. It’s like broadcasting your own personal kryptonite and hoping that no one exploits it. That said, there are a lot of similarities in the fears that people have, and these superintendents and maintenance crew members are recognizing and facing their fears in admirable ways.
Property names and hometowns are not included because fears move with us and change throughout our lives and careers. It’s not about never being afraid. In fact, fears can be biologically instinctive. It’s about how you deal with those fears. One thing is guaranteed: You are not alone.
“One of the most common fears among superintendents is losing their job, which is personal and professional,” Micah Pennybaker says. “We are in a business where we are consistently judged by anyone who steps out there. If we have a tough summer and I lose my job, there goes my family’s main income and health benefits. It impacts my whole life.” This was mentioned in almost every conversation for this article.
“The older we get, the more responsibilities we have and that’s when the fears can start to creep into your head,” Pennybaker adds. “I may lose sleep over things like staffing levels or Pythium but that’s part of the job. The thought of moving my family scares me personally — we love the area we are in, the church, the community and the schools.”
Health is another concern. “We all enjoy getting out there and working with our hands,” Pennybaker says. “The older you get, the more your body tells you, ‘You’re not 20 anymore.’ It’s important to keep a positive attitude. Use your network, talk with your peers and don’t be afraid to ask for advice.”
Pennybaker also leans on his faith. “I believe in God and that He will always provide for my family. He will never throw a situation my way that He didn’t think I could handle. You must have faith that things will work out for the best.”
Sean Reehoorn started working as a caddy when he was 9 and is now into his 40s. “With two little kids at home, ‘scared’ is totally different,” he says. “I would be scared of something that would come to harm or affect them.”
Professionally, he would be scared of being fired, but the status of the profession has been elevated. “Superintendents have done a better job of representing themselves,” Reehoorn says. “They dress up, play golf, are in the clubhouse, sharing who they are and talking about their team and staff. It is much harder to fire somebody who is a known professional.”
He combats the fear of being fired through positive interaction and he remembers a lesson from a friend who was defending his Ph.D. “You are the smartest person in the whole room on that topic,” Reehoorn says. “Find ways to explain things to people so they trust you and understand that you are the most educated one about the course and that’s OK.”
Taking it further, Reehoorn remarks, “Being scared is the simple feeling. What is the deeper underlying emotion? Is it being scared to not be able to provide for your family or that you're not enough? You are fearing failure. Getting fired doesn’t mean you failed your family. The fear of getting fired is that you let people down and you weren’t successful.” He expects a lot of himself but also relies on others.
“Counseling has helped,” Reehoorn says. “Talking to someone that cares about you just for you, not with judgement or an agenda. Trusting peers and knowing who you can share with is important. Finding time for yourself helps. I also separate what I do for work from who I am.”
Riley Forbes is learning all about who she is. Settling into her new apartment a week before she graduated high school, she was excited to start her job on the crew. “I love being outside. On the golf course everyone is so happy and positive. I like using my hands and building things, so I tried course maintenance, and it grew from there.”
She was raised by her parents, two chefs, to be independent so relocating was easy. Forbes likes problem-solving and is not a fearful person. However, starting out she was “the only girl besides our assistant,” Forbes says. “Going into a male-dominant workforce was extremely terrifying. I feared being overlooked by guys and I feared not being able to keep up.”
She is keeping up and the director wants her to learn. “He gave me the opportunity to go out with all the guys and do the exact same thing as them,” Forbes says. She was put in charge of mowing a green during a big event and is enjoying her turf studies as a college freshman.
To conquer her fears, Forbes holds her head high. “I know what I want to do, and I am determined to prove myself,” she says. “I started the job when I was 18. I love being young and being able to grow with everyone.” Working and growing together is great at every age.
When asked the question, “What scares you?” Dan Francis replied: “Other people’s opinions — I don’t know how else to put it. Opinions of me, my work ethic, my approach to the golf course or my team.” When there is tension with superiors or the board lacks consensus, that can be scary.
“I value time with my family,” Francis says. “I don’t want my kids to grow up not knowing me. I don’t want my relationships compromised. I work hard and put in a lot of hours. The golf course always wins but there are fears. The fear of disappointing my family, the fear of disappointing members or the leadership. It is the fear of other people’s opinions.”
To cope, Francis invests in his relationships and is reading “The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying About What People Think of You” by Michael Gervais, a performance psychologist. “If I am present in my workplace and I am present at home then I am fulfilled,” Francis says. “I trust my products and my management practices to work. If we have outbreaks there is a solution on the shelf and life goes on. If I miss soccer or volleyball or softball, I can’t grow that back. I can grow back the grass. I’m not trying to be profound but that works in my head.”
Francis enjoys people and promoting this industry, he enjoys problem solving, and he knows there are ways to improve, whatever you are doing. Striving to get better helps him work through the fear of other people’s opinions because he is all he needs to be but he sees value in continuing to grow and contribute. There is power in positively moving forward.
Taylor Allbut finds overseeding scary. “We just did our two-week seeding and let it grow in,” he says. “Just seed on the ground with nothing going on and just thinking about if we got our pre-emerge windows right. Is the irrigation working? It’s such a fundamental part of our season. If it doesn’t go well, it’s hard to fix. It just has to go well. That’s a terrifying period for me personally. Once the grass is up, we try to control Pythium on it because it can wipe it out overnight. That is also scary.”
Every year they find ways to improve, to make the turf as strong as possible as quickly as possible. That helps him cope with the uncertainty. “I appreciate my job a lot and feel very lucky to have it, so I have a fear of, Did I miss something? Is there something I haven’t got my eye on? There are so many things to be on top of. I couldn’t imagine losing my job. I love it.”
Several tour pros play where Allbut works. Fantastic conditions are expected all the time. He will hear about it if conditions aren’t what people think they should be. “It’s a lot of stress and pressure,” he says. Fear, though, can be mitigated by hearing about things going well.
“We have a member who is very appreciative of what we do,” Allbut says. “He is always saying, ‘I’ve never met a superintendent or anyone who works in this industry who goes out daily without the best intentions. Everything they do is because they want to make it better.” Positivity and good intentions drive out fear.
“Personal fears outweigh professional fears by a wide margin for me,” Ian Danner says. “I have a deep confidence in my abilities to perform in my role. Ultimately, it’s just a job but personal fears tend to follow me wherever I go.”
Professionally, Danner’s fear is very specific. “I fear not having the resources I need to execute my vision for the golf course. This could mean being short-staffed, facing budget cuts or encountering resistance from club management. Without the right tools or support it’s difficult to deliver the quality I strive for.”
With aging parents, and as a new father, Danner takes wellness seriously. “I fear not being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance,” he says. “This is an issue that many face and while it’s beginning to receive more attention, there’s a long way to go.”
Danner does see a way forward. “We address this through open communication with management and ongoing conversations within the industry. Mental and physical health are deeply connected. Exercising before work helps me clear my mind and sets a positive tone for the day, allowing me to manage stress with clarity and composure.”
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