Smooth beginnings

Changing jobs can be daunting in any field. For a golf course superintendent, assuming a new position brings on challenges unique to the turf industry.

A new superintendent must build relationships with their new crew and the club’s management team. They may have to deal with unfamiliar agronomic circumstances. Perhaps most important, they must earn the respect of an oftentimes-demanding membership.

So, what steps can an incoming superintendent take to ease their transition? Are there things they should not do?

When Hunter Salts arrived at Vestavia (Alabama) Country Club late in 2021, he hit the ground running.

A University of Tennessee graduate, Salts spent four and a half years at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta before coming to Vestavia, a private club eight miles south of Birmingham.

The club completed a renovation in 2017, but there were some natural areas that had been overrun by weeds and needed prompt attention. There were also drainage issues to contend with.

“Coming in, I definitely needed to have a good plan of action,” Salts says. “How to tackle all those natural areas and finally get those established. I tried to come in hot, with a lot of fresh ideas, and a plan of action.”

With the support of Vestavia’s members and board of directors, Salts put his plan in motion.

“My first year here, we had a $100,000 drainage project and we turned their three wettest fairways into their best fairways,” he says. “Next, we started killing out all the natural areas that were never established. Then we started coming back in with different blends of fescue.”

Salts cited the club’s membership and board of directors for their support.

“They kind of saw the vision starting to take place,” he says. “One thing after another they saw results. They were just very confident in the direction.

“I went in front of the board and gave them a presentation on kind of the vision I have for the course and where we wanted to take it. They all bought in, and I think seeing results made them want to do everything.”

Salts made a point to learn from his crew, which includes nearly 30 employees.

“I kind of made the decision when I came in to kind of sit back and see how they ran things and develop a really strong relationship with the (three) assistants,” he says. “From there, I was able to squeak in and make some minor adjustments and also see their side of things. We kind of had a really easy transition with the assistants. Just being friendly with them, being on their level, getting ideas from them.

“The crew took very well to it as well. They started seeing the results of all the projects we were doing. They take so much pride in the place and I think everybody was really excited about the direction we were taking it and kind of hopped on board pretty easily.”

Salts says that William Shirley, his boss at Peachtree, served as his example for how to relate to people.

“I think the biggest thing I learned in my time at Peachtree was just how to treat people.” Salts says. “(Shirley) just treats everybody with such respect. I kind of brought that same philosophy here — treat everybody with respect. I really value the crew. I’m very appreciative of them. I try to get on a personal level with all the crew guys, develop relationships with them. I think if you’re treating people the way they need to be treated, it’s very easy for everyone to follow your lead from there.”

Salts, who was named the Alabama GCSA Superintendent of the Year last year, strengthens his ties with members by joining them on the course.

“I love golf,” he says. “I play with groups of members out here at least once a week, which is a great opportunity to meet people, be with the members. I’ve been spending a lot of time with them and asking them what direction they wanted the course to go, what they thought needed to be done. I think them seeing me as a golfer and a good player, it was easy for them to follow. I think they really appreciated someone coming in there that was assertive and actually told them the things they needed to do because they’re very passionate about the golf course.

“They love it, and they just want to see it in great condition. So, they took very well to me being assertive and kind of laying out a plan for their golf course.”

Stephen Stewart is in his second season as superintendent at Yahnundasis Golf Club in New Hartford, New York. The private club traces its history back to 1897. The golf course, a Walter Travis design, opened for play in 1924.

Before arriving at Yahnundasis, Stewart was an assistant at Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, New Jersey. His first priority was getting to know his crew, which numbered 12. The transition didn’t go smoothly at first.

“The crew was actually very experienced, very tight-knit, a very close group,” he says. “It was a tough transition from that point, where they know everybody. They’ve been set in their ways for many, many years.

“And being a young super coming from a club like (Somerset Hills), I had the idea of coming in and I really wanted to change things quickly and get my program installed, and I learned very fast, ‘Don’t do that.”

The experience taught Stewart the value of patience.

“You go in wanting to change things, but I started to learn very quickly: One day at a time. Don’t come in and change a program. Don’t change everything up overnight.

“You’ve got to adjust the crew. Just take one small success at a time and just really learn their respect. That was the biggest thing.”

Stewart stresses the need to inform the crew why changes are being made.

“When I wanted to change something, I needed to be able to tell them why we’re changing it and the reasons behind it,” he says. “There’s always a reason behind wanting to change certain aspects of it.”

Stewart’s connection to his crew strengthened over time.

“It was a transition that took longer than expected,” he says. “Small wins at a time and earning their respect. Being diligent and telling them why I wanted to change certain things. And after they kind of saw the vision and saw why we were doing things and saw how the course actually played and the overall health of the turf — once they saw the results over time — it was more of a buy-in for them. It took a while, but we finally got there.”

It’s not uncommon for a superintendent changing jobs to find themselves dealing with agronomic circumstances they had not previously experienced.

When Renee Geyer took over as the superintendent at Canterwood Golf & Country Club in Gig Harbor, Washington, where she’s now in her third season, she found herself in what was for her an unfamiliar agronomic environment. The Ohio native had spent the previous 13 years as an assistant at Firestone Country Club.

“(Canterwood) is all Poa,” Geyer says. “Where I came from, my greens were all seeded bent, my fairways, my tees, everything was bent. There were weather differences and the grass differences, and I’m realizing, ‘Hey, we’re maintaining greens all throughout the winter. We’re spraying greens all throughout the winter.’”

Geyer says learning and understanding about the area’s climate took time and required a concerted effort.

“You go through it and you learn,” she says. “You grow, and you research, and you talk to people who you trust, and you can get yourself together to try and deal with those agronomic challenges.”

Geyer says the club staff and particularly her crew made her transition easier.

“My crew really has a lot of tenure,” she says. “My foreman has been here since the grow in. The irrigation tech has been here for almost as long. My head equipment manager has at least 20 years under his belt on this property. So, there’s a lot of local knowledge.”

When Brandon Razo assumed the superintendent’s post at Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Illinois, last year, he was succeeding the man who is now his boss.

“The previous superintendent, Perry Greene, was pulling double duty as both the GM and the superintendent,” Razo says. “He now is just the GM, and our relationship has been great.”

One of the first items on Razo’s to-do list was getting to know the members at Panther Creek, a private club that opened for play in 1992 and features a Hale Irwin-designed course.

“Right after I started, we had our annual meeting, so that was my first time being in front of membership,” Razo says. “I was able to do the normal meet and greet with members. The club also does a couple new member parties that I attend to meet new members. Most of the time, though, I have taken it upon myself to be visible and available on the course to membership. Either by hanging around the pro shop or range, or by just cruising the course and asking golfers how their day is going.”

Razo also made it a point to get to know his crew as people.

“After the initial introduction, I usually get to know my crew by talking to them on the course,” he says. “I enjoy getting to know about their life outside of the course and hearing about their families. The first thing I instill in my crew is that family comes first, and I will always be flexible to help them out in situations.”

Razo proceeded methodically when he arrived at Panther Creek, taking time to observe and learn about how the turf department operated. He resisted the urge to make drastic changes.

“Whenever a superintendent starts at a new course, right away they are thinking of ways to improve the course or ways to change things quickly,” he says. “I took the opposite approach. I tried to keep everything the same right when I started. As I built more of a rapport with my crew and members, then I started to alter certain cultural practices and change up fertilization and pesticide programs.”

Razo, who came to Panther Creek from Cross Creek Golf Club, a 27-hole daily fee facility in his hometown of Decatur, Indiana, stresses the importance of the superintendent being visible.

“In our industry, it is more important now than before to be visible among the membership,” he says. “They need to see you being involved with the crew, and they need to see you engaging with members. You are the face of the golf course.

“If the membership is seeing you and talking with you, then it becomes a lot easier for the superintendent to communicate the decisions being made on the course. This allows the membership to gain trust and helps make life easier for the superintendent.”

Just as every golf course features its own unique characteristics, every superintendent’s circumstances are unique. When changing jobs, there will be adjustments. But making those adjustments one at a time will likely make the transition to a new position less daunting.

Rick Woelfel is a Philadelphia-based writer and senior Golf Course Industry contributor.