Open letter to our mentors

My grandfather was an engineer who specialized in steel processing. He told a story about working in India building a process line. At a critical stage of the project, it was discovered there was not enough room to fit a large furnace section into its design location. It was blocked by supports with no access by the overhead crane.

The team of engineers began to argue about the solution. Some looked to place blame. While this took place, a local millwright left and returned with Ivory Soap Flakes. Spreading the flakes uniformly across the support stand, the construction crew positioned the multi-ton furnace section next to the opening with the crane and pushed it into position by hand.

This story and other experiences from my childhood gave me a lifelong respect for people who work hard. I mean really work hard — many times, mastering things never written in a book. People who learned things and accepted the responsibility of that knowledge and carried it forward to the next person, and that person then did the same.

The Merriam-Webster definition of a mentor is “a trusted counselor or guide.” A mentor does not have to fit into a particular box. Nor does being a mentor require some standing in a trade or profession. Superiors, peers and subordinates can wear the mentor hat. Everyone around you has the potential to enrich your knowledge base and your life.

In my view, the golf industry is very much like the skilled trades in that you learn enough to get started and take the next step to be an apprentice. Begin to ply your trade like a plumber or a carpenter, learning under a master tradesperson. The source of much of what we apply in our chosen profession may have been described in a book, but the skills we rely on to implement that knowledge and be successful were likely taught to us by our mentors.

When I reflect on my formal education to the early years of my career, those memories are not of the technical information I learned but of the people who shared with me. Those who had accepted that responsibility as my mentors. Often a life lesson intertwined with a bit of knowledge.

During the time that I was involved in multi-course operations, I was gifted with the opportunity to work with golf course superintendents across the country. A wide array of personalities and backgrounds. While working together to plan and problem solve, these men and women were my mentors. And the mentorship was reciprocal. I came away from these experiences with knowledge and the responsibility to pass it on.

In writing this, I began to think about some of the mentors who were the most important and impactful to me. I realized there is no way that I could acknowledge them all. Instead, I prefer to thank them all. They know who they are even though some may be too humble to admit it. From college professors to superiors, subordinates and peers, all the way to a group of grumpy mechanics. To all those who have accepted the responsibility as a mentor to share, teach and guide: THANK YOU!

To this day, I continue to be both an apprentice and master, always learning and continuing to share what I have learned. A trait no doubt learned … from my mentors.

Tyler Minamyer is golf course superintendent at The Omni Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. This is his first Turfheads Take Over contribution.