Career reflections

My first golf course job was string trimming creek banks and under and around trees at Lake Bonaventure Country Club in Castlewood, Virginia, for $3.35 per hour in 1988. Considering it is now 2023, here are some random reflections and anecdotes generated from 35 years of golf course maintenance experience.

Value of reading

I enjoy reading and I think people should read about what interests them, or if there is an area where they wish to improve, seek those books that will assist them. In my spare time, I mostly read about golf history and golf course architecture. But a few non-golf books recommended to me in recent years by friends and colleagues include: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson, “The Path of No Resistance” by Garret Kramer and “Grit” by Angela Duckworth.

Made-for-TV relationships

I think the best thing about my job is the relationships you forge with members of the team. I’ve always thought you could make a sitcom about life on the golf course and around the agronomy centers, and it would be hilarious. Those little daily moments make us all laugh.

Word choice

There isn’t a specific quote that motivates me, but I like to use the slogan “like it never even happened” with our team, especially in the context of my expectations when an irrigation repair is necessary.

It starts at home

My biggest inspiration is my wife. She recognized early on my passion for the outdoors and helped guide me on this path at a time in my life when I thought I might want to be a club professional. I am where I am because of her. Plus, she just beat cancer, so talk about an up-close lesson in guts, determination and perseverance.

Mentors matter

The career path to my current position involved toiling as a greenkeeper for five years before attending university to prepare for a career as a golf course superintendent. After graduation, I worked as an assistant for a great superintendent and mentor, Rick J. Owens, CGCS. He prepared me for my first superintendent position. That position prepared me for my long-tenured success at Carolina Golf Club, and that has prepared me for my new role now at Idle Hour Country Club.

Forced change can be good

Believe it or not, I was fired from the first golf course where I ever worked. I was devastated at that moment, but it was the event where my life pivoted, and I enrolled in graduate school to pursue the degree that helped pave the way to where I am today.

Get more education

I have an undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering. After realizing that was not what I wanted to pursue full-time, I attended graduate school and obtained my master’s degree in crop and soil environmental sciences. My thesis was “Overseeded Bermudagrass Fairway Performance and Post Dormancy Transition as Influenced by Winter Overseeding Practices and Trinexapac-ethyl.” That’s a mouthful!

No regrets

I think we all have those moments of regret and wish we could do things differently with 20/20 hindsight. But I believe things happen for a reason and we are shaped by all our life experiences. If I changed one thing, I might not have made it to where I am today.

Morning solitude

As for personal daily habits, I like to arrive about an hour before anyone else arrives. I find that quiet time to be the most productive for thinking, planning and logistics. I’m also striving to walk more each day.

Looking ahead

I’m concerned about this post-COVID society with labor shortages, supply-chain issues and rising inflation. If inflation is not brought under control, I worry folks will no longer be able to afford golf as a recreational pursuit — and then what happens to those new folks the pandemic brought to the game? I love golf and I want golf to still be around long after I have left this earth. It truly is the greatest of all games.

It happens

I have made more than my share of mistakes. Like any good superintendent worth their weight, I have killed more grass than I care to remember. My friend tells me, “The master has failed more times than the beginner has tried.”