It’s OK to make time for you

As superintendents, we often find ourselves making difficult decisions with the best interests of the golf course in mind. This can sometimes upset club members who don’t understand the reasoning behind the decisions we are forced to make.

I was recently faced with a situation like this at our club and fell into a position where I felt like I was in a no-win situation. The outcome of this decision was bound to upset some of our members, but I felt it was in the best interest of the golf course. As it turns out, the person who ended up being most affected by my decision was me.

Afterward, I spent many hours second-guessing myself and the decision I made when, deep down, I felt that I had made the right call. I also reacted emotionally during a phone call after a long afternoon of back-and-forth with the decision makers of the club. This situation became one that I took home with me and struggled with, long after the workday had ended.

As managers, we must make decisions with conviction and stand behind that decision once it is made. But it can be difficult to leave these things behind when we leave work, and we can’t always make the right decision every time. These types of situations can have a lasting impact on our mental health and can affect us in many ways. In addition, we face a multitude of issues and problems daily at our jobs. These can range from turf stress issues, an irrigation break or a disgruntled member of the staff.

On the other hand, we also face difficult decisions that affect our memberships, like when a 2-inch rainfall forces us to ground carts and a member has a tee time booked with three guests from out of town. All these situations require us to make quick, on-the-fly decisions that can influence us and our own well-being more than anyone else. And it is critical — and often difficult — to decide whether to pick up the sword and shield and head to the battlefield, or to park the cart and head home for the day, knowing that the course will still be there tomorrow. 

Mental health in the golf industry has become a hot topic. At the 2023 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, I was fortunate to attend a great session about mental health, “Emotional Wellness in the Turf Industry.” Judging by the fact that the session was standing room only, it quickly became clear that this is important to many of us. The ability to strike a balance between what is best for the golf course and what will make the membership happy can be a difficult and trying accomplishment. But it’s also critically important that we find the balance between our professional lives and our personal lives, and good mental health should be at the forefront of every superintendent’s list of goals.

Many of us are perfectionists, and we strive for perfect conditions every day because that is the standard we hope to achieve, even though it is impossible. We also face the difficult task of finding a good work-life balance, which can be nearly impossible at certain times of the year. Finding that balance, in my opinion, is the key to strong mental health. It’s also something I’ve tried to focus on the past few years, and I am still trying to perfect how best to achieve it and what it means for me.

Whether you spend your time outside work at the gym, with your family, or speaking to a therapist is a choice you must make on your own. But whatever it is that brings you to the place where your life feels balanced, that should be as high up on the priority list as having the golf course in tournament condition.

Work-life balance is not always perfect. It takes dedication and the ability to be flexible — in both work and life. Sometimes you will need to dedicate those extra hours during a week that has a busy golf schedule, or during a construction project with a deadline. But, when possible, you should also try and dedicate extra time to being away from work and getting that painting project done at home, or making sure you can get to your child’s soccer game or spend an extra hour hiking in the woods. The main goal of a healthy work-life balance should be to be successful as a superintendent, and to have a personal life that is both enjoyable and fulfilling.

One of the greatest things about life is that we can continue to learn about ourselves and grow over time. Finding a good work-life balance is an ongoing and dynamic process that may never be perfected, much like the game of golf.

Our job demands are difficult and stressful. Being a key decision maker is taxing, both mentally and physically. Figuring out what good mental health and work-life balance means is personal and may look very different to different people. The key is to set goals that work for you and to strive toward reaching them, no matter what.

Mike Tollner is the superintendent at Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse, New York. This is his second Golf Course Industry contribution.

Tartan Talks No. 90

Michigan-based architect Ray Hearn never envisioned receiving another golf design project in the Detroit area as big as the one he executed at Saint John’s Resort.

Patiently being nurtured by superintendent Kevin Peck and team in anticipation of its spring 2024 public unveiling, “The Cardinal” at Saint John’s Resort involved building a new 18-hole regulation course, a seven-hole par-3 course and a two-acre putting course on a site that once supported a 27-hole layout.

Big seems to be an operative word for Hearn and his peers as the golf surge extends into 2024. Hearn joined the Tartan Talks podcast to discuss the efforts at Saint John’s Resort and the methodology of going big in today’s golf construction market.

“What is ‘big?’” Hearn asks. “I usually use that 9-hole threshold and it includes all the bunkers, tee work, green work, cart paths, drainage, potentially new irrigation. Those big opportunities have been just dropping out of the sky at a crazy number the last three years. It’s absolutely remarkable.”

Big brings conundrums, though, and Hearn also explains in his podcast appearance how he balances dreamy with practical opportunities.

“What you want to avoid as a golf course architect — and I see this in the industry, and it happens in every industry, and it happens with golf course contractors — you get too greedy and you’re taking too much on,” he says. “And then your quality control just becomes like the robot in that old sitcom Lost in Space. It gets out of control.”

For more insight from Hearn, download the episode on the Superintendent Radio Network page of popular distribution platforms.

COURSE NEWS

The double-loop T36 at Baytown opened last month in Baytown, Texas, near Houston. Ric Buckton designed the course, which sits on less than 65 acres of land and features double tee boxes and double green complexes played from a common fairway. The design utilizes about 40 percent less water than a typical 18-hole course. … Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Florida, reopened its Pine Course following an Andrew Green renovation. The project focused on bunker placements, and green surrounds and expansion, among other areas. … Bobby Jones Golf Club and Nature Park in Sarasota, Florida, reopened last month after a major renovation guided by Richard Mandell. Previously home to 45 holes, the club now features an 18-hole Donald Ross design, an adjustable 9-hole course and a 25-acre practice facility. … The Seagate Golf Club in Delray Beach, Florida, is open again after Drew Rogers guided a seven-month renovation of the Joe Lee design. … 2010 Open winner Louis Oosthuizen and Peter Matkovich designed La Réserve Golf Links in Bel Ombre, Mauritius, which opened in December. … Construction has started at Soleta Golf Club, a Nick Price design in Myakka City, Florida. The course is set to open this year. … Davis Love III, Mark Love and Scot Sherman of Love Golf Design are working with The St. Joe Company on The Third, a new course at Watersound Club in Panama City Beach, Florida, that should open in 2025. … Greg Norman is designing a new 10-hole, par-3 short course at Mandarina resort along Mexico’s Pacific Coast. … Lee Singletary will design the course at the new 1876 Country Club in Celina, Texas. The course is scheduled to open in November. … Scott Hoffman and Landscapes Unlimited are working on Mapleton Golf Club just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The course is expected to open in summer 2025. … Todd Quitno and Nathan Crace are working on a master plan and renovation options for Merit Club, which was originally designed by Bob Lohmann and is located just north of Chicago.

PEOPLE NEWS

Bill Dunn retired at the end of last year after decades with the company now known as DLF. He stayed on an extra year to help lead the company’s bentgrass production in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. … Rusty Mercer is the first director of agronomy at Kinsale Golf Club, a new Gil Hanse- and Jim Wagner-designed course in southwest Florida set to open this fall. Mercer most recently held the same position at Streamsong Resort. … Matt Martin is the first director of research and product development at AQUA-AID Solutions after more than 30 years at NC State University. … Retired New Jersey superintendent Bill Murray will receive the Col. John Morley Award, La Cumbre Country Club superintendent Wayne Mills will receive the President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship, and longtime LPGA Tour pro and TV broadcaster Dottie Pepper will receive the Old Tom Morris Award at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix. … Lydell Mack of Big Canoe Golf Club in Jasper, Georgia, is the Georgia GCSA’s Superintendent of the Year. He previously won the state’s Assistant Superintendent of the Year award in 2012. … Golf course architects Jeff Danner and Stuart Rennie launched Pangaea Golf Architecture, a new course design firm. … Greg Nathan is the new CEO of the National Golf Foundation, rising from a short stint as COO and replacing Joe Beditz, who held the position since 1989 and is the foundation’s new executive chairman. … Former St Andrews Links Trust director of greenkeeping Gordon Moir received the University Medal at the University of St Andrews final Winter Graduation ceremony, an honor he called “completely unexpected.”

INDUSTRY BUZZ

The Carolinas GCSA grossed more than $830,000 in November 2023 for its annual conference and trade show — a 15-plus percent increase over the old record set in 2022. Total attendance of 1,995 was just 11 shy of the record set in 2013. … Already the owner of Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville, Indiana, Jim Alvarez recently established DryJect franchise territories for Chicagoland, Indiana and Wisconsin. … Buffalo Turbine introduced its quick release Clamp Band System, designed for transporting the company’s products.