Kristen Liebsch

Kristen Liebsch has a unique perspective on the turf industry. She has served as the executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Golf Course Superintendents since January 2001.

And she is married to a superintendent. Her husband, Joe, tends to the turf at Northampton Valley Country Club in suburban Philadelphia. The couple has been married for 27 years.

Appearing on the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast with Rick Woelfel, Liebsch reflected on how her role evolved as the profession of golf course superintendent did the same. At first, her position was essentially secretarial in nature.

“It was sending out mailings and tracking the database and sending out notices through the newsletter,” she says. “As time went on and superintendents became busier, families became more demanding … dual incomes … and it became the standard for the (PAGCS) board members and the superintendents and members of the association as a whole to do the tasks that were required. It became more of an executive director’s position.”

Liebsch notes that superintendents are spending increasing amounts of time on administrative responsibilities. Some have administrative assistants but many handle those tasks themselves. “I see my husband doing some of that work at home and some of that work during what should be off time,” she says. “And I’m sure that’s true of most superintendents.”

One of Liebsch’s passions is the First Green program, which made its debut in the Philadelphia area midway through the last decade. PAGCS members hosted two First Green programs last fall. Liebsch is quick to note that the support of First Tee, the Philadelphia Section PGA and the Golf Association of Philadelphia have been instrumental to the success of the program, which she and others believe is instrumental to the success of the not just the turf industry but the golf industry as a whole.“It’s going to take all of us being collaborative to make sure this industry has the labor that it needs, not just on golf courses and in the maintenance department,” she says.

Liebsch is particularly impressed by how parents and educators react to the First Green efforts to educate their children and students about the career options available in turf.

“It’s the parents and the chaperones and the teachers who have no clue that (turf) is even an option, and they’re as blown away as the kids are,” she says. “We need to build these relationships. I think we’re going to get a lot further along in the future of the sources of labor.”

Liebsch adds it’s important to compensate assistants properly if the industry is to maintain an adequately sized labor pool. “You cannot bring in a quality assistant superintendent on some of these salaries that are being floated out there,” she says. “That’s an advocacy (issue) we all need to work on. If your biggest asset is your golf course, you’ve got to put the money into it.”

As someone married to a superintendent, Liebsch is keenly aware of the demands that come with the job. She says it’s essential for a superintendent to have a quality team around them so they can prosper professionally and personally.

“The head superintendent or head of grounds is also a mentor and puts a lot of faith, trust and effort into training their staff,” she says. “And that has great rewards for many facilities and builds the future of the industry. If you don’t enable your staff, you’re stuck.”

That quality team often includes a spouse who understands the demands of the profession but is willing to let their partner know when they are pushing themselves beyond what is reasonable.

“Most spouses hopefully know what they’re getting into from the get-go and realize the demands, but also have the strength to put their foot down and say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Liebsch says. “If you don’t have a quality network around you, I think that hurts.”