Renee Schmaltz

Renee Schmaltz has never been one to shy away from a challenge. Schmaltz is the second assistant superintendent at Highlands Golf Club in Edmonton, Alberta. She assumed her position in October.

An Alberta native, Schmaltz grew up playing ice hockey. She had a long career as a goaltender and was good enough to play at the NCAA Division III level in the United States. For those unfamiliar with the sport, hockey goaltenders are a different breed.

Schmaltz’s hockey background gave her a strong sense of the team concept, which she brought with her to Highlands. Appearing on the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast with host Rick Woelfel, Schmaltz talked about finding her way in a new agronomic and work environment. Despite being a native of the province and having spent most of her career there, she had to rethink how she did some things after assuming her new post.

“I would say for me, I kind of take time not only to learn the layout of the golf course,” she says. “Sometimes that can be a little bit tricky and you kind of get a little bit lost, and you move on.

“Another thing I find really tough sometimes is you don’t know how you fit in with the rest of the team. You’re just trying to kind of slowly find your way in and find how you work with everybody else. Nobody likes it when you kind of come in guns a-blazing. It can rub people the wrong way. So sometimes that can be kind of tough, to find where you fit in and how you work best with others.”

Schmaltz came to Highlands with a degree in environmental sciences, natural resources and conservation from Morrisville State College in Morrisville, New York. She also has a turfgrass management diploma from the prestigious Olds College in Alberta. And she worked an internship at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota.

What insights has Schmaltz absorbed from the head superintendents she’s worked under?

“I see how important it is to have good communication, not just with your board and general manager, but with your entire turf team,” she says. “If you’re able to stay organized, it’s easy to also effectively communicate with your team. We’re all trying to accomplish a common goal at the end of the day, so it usually works well if you work together.”

Schmaltz has also learned how to adjust to changing circumstances.

Your plan “has to be a little adaptable where you don’t just have one plan, one way to do something,” she says. “Things will change, people might change you, situations might change on you, so it’s important to be able to kind of adapt situationally to accomplish your goal. And it’s important to understand the agronomical side of turfgrass management.”

Schmaltz aspires to be a head superintendent. She has ideas for how she would construct a team from the ground up.

“I’m thinking about what I’m looking for, for my No. 1 senior assistant/assistant superintendent,” she says. “What kind of values or what kind of personality traits I’m looking for that will either work together with me or contrast me, so I have a nice balance.

“From there, I think what I need from my team is probably a good mechanic, maybe another assistant depending on the type of golf course you’re working at and your expectations,” she adds. “From there, you probably want an intern or a foreman or someone in that role just to have a succession plan as people move on and up.”

Schmaltz stresses the importance of superintendents involving their crews in the planning process.

“It helps your team understand the ultimate goal of what we’re trying to produce,” she says. “It also helps drive some passion into your team, whether that’s individuals that are already passionate and it helps them stay passionate about their jobs, or just helping new individuals find their passion.

“Most of our teams don’t stay within the turfgrass industry. Our seasonal employees are going to move on to other jobs or accomplish their dreams that they have in life. It’s also important to involve them in part of your process so that they’re developing team skills as they move on in their lives.”