Summer reading guide

Pulling words, not weeds

Illinois superintendent Stephen Hope produces a potent memoir about his turbulent childhood.

By Judd Spicer

Stephen Hope’s life is an open book.

Quite literally.

Hope, the head superintendent of grounds and greens at The Club at Wynstone in North Barrington, Illinois, released his memoir, “I Am Hope,” earlier this year. As the title suggests, the book details the travails of an upbringing with a drug-addicted mother who was eventually arrested for cooking and dealing methamphetamine out of the author’s childhood home.

“The book is about hope, and the reason I wrote it was to help people understand what it’s like to grow up with an addict,” Hope says, “and to be able to sympathize with people who might be in that same moment in their own lives, to show them it’s not a losing battle, no matter how much it feels like it.”

Hope’s own battles and life journey are further detailed through the memoir’s taut 150 pages, ranging from significant bodily injuries to his career climb up the superintendent’s rung.

Inspired by reading about the broken father-son dynamic in David Goggins’ 2018 bestseller “Can’t Hurt Me,” Hope, a nascent author, began performing research and due diligence on “I Am Hope” as far back as 2019.

“I thought I had the material to write a book, but it then became about the ‘Why,’” Hope recalls. “And I really did and do believe that it can help people who are in the same situation that I was. I also think it can help people who are around the situation, to help them understand it more. And then, for an addict or an alcoholic, if I can get this book in their hands, maybe they can understand the damage they did or are doing to the ones they love the most.”

Hope began a regimented writing process in autumn 2020, and finished his first draft in the spring of 2021, amid his golf off-season. Two years of editing ensued, as did another year of dealing with publishing toils.

“There were a lot of different points in the process where it was, ‘Why am I doing this? Will anybody want to read this?’ And there were a lot of times I wanted to quit,” Hope says. “When we got into the deep dive of editing and moving things around, it was so overwhelming. There were all these points of, Should I just call it? Or should I keep going? I mean, I’ve got money into this project and I’m married with two kids now. But being resilient with this, working hard, seeing it through and not quitting — I don’t know, maybe I was just too stupid to quit.”

Such candor emanates from Hope’s writing style of succinct sentencing and chapters, leaving the reader with a clear sense that Hope didn’t require any ego hurdle to undress his life on the page.

“No, I didn’t,” he says. “I’m a hillbilly from Kentucky. My mom was a meth addict and I was a trailer trash kid. How can somebody strip me down more than what I am? People can call me whatever they want, but it’s probably not worse than what I am.”

The motivation of empathy for others in rough upbringings and those surrounded by substance abuse fueled the author’s process to the final page.

“Sometimes it’s more about surviving than thriving, but there are steps you can take to get through it,” Hope says. “And it is going to be a lifelong battle because, guess what, the foundation that your very being was built on is cracked. That’s just the way you were raised, and you’re gonna have to deal with that, to grow from it and to understand it.”

As for leaving any overtly sensitive out of the memoir?

“No. This is what happened,” Hope adds. “You can’t change the past.”

In the short time since the book’s spring release, the superintendent has had ample readership and reaction from friends, colleagues, employers and grounds staff.

“One of my guys, he just told me that his dad was an alcoholic and used to beat the crap out of him, so there was a real empathy there,” Hope says. “And I’m not a big person for small talk, but I love real conversations, so to get into that with an employee was great.”

Such conversations are what Hope ultimately eyes as his own greatest aim for the memoir. While he doesn’t think that, say, a sizable GCSAA seminar setting is a fit for him or his message, the author believes that intimate, one-on-one or small group connections with people in situations similar to his own can extend the written word to interpersonal bonds — and, ultimately, make a real difference in people’s lives.

Such connections have already commenced.

“I just got my first (reader) email, from a semi-retired superintendent in Florida,” Hope said in early April. “He heard me on the Beyond the Page podcast. He’s had his own life issues and he ordered the book and he wanted to schedule a call and talk to me. So far, that’s the best thing that’s happened with the book. These are the types of conversations that I’m looking forward to because my goal with this is really to help people, to show there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope I get more messages like that one.”

Judd Spicer is a Palm Desert, California-based writer and senior Golf Course Industry contributor.

Truth in the title

We asked some golf maintenance-focused questions to the author of a book about managing and leading hourly workers

By Guy Cipriano

Soaring above clouds sparked the creative inspiration Scott Greenberg needed to finalize a central element of a major project.

On a flight from Los Angeles, where he lives, to Nashville, which he frequently visits, Greenberg developed a catchy title for a book designed to help business owners, operators and managers leading teams comprised of hourly workers. “I started describing what these work environments are actually like, and shitshow came up pretty quick in my brainstorming,” he says. After softening the language, “Stop the Shift Show” emerged as the final title.

Hourly workers are essential parts of the golf industry — imagine your course without a reliable nucleus — and connecting with them sometimes requires outside help. Enter “Stop the Shift Show.” A former Edible Arrangements franchisee-turned-business coach, Greenberg blends macro-level insights and research with micro-level case studies to generate practical ideas for businesses seeking to construct and retain effective teams.

We read the book (Golf Course Industry recommendation: it deserves a spot next to your turf textbooks) and followed up with Greenberg on his ideas for golf maintenance-related labor challenges.

What do you think when you hear a manager in 2024 say things such as “nobody wants to work anymore” or “I can’t find people?”

People have a lot more options now because there’s remote work and gig work. There’s the same amount of fish in the pond, but there are a lot more anglers. There’s a lot more people who are fishing, so employees, especially good ones, have a lot more choice. My son worked through the pandemic. His first job was at In-N-Out Burger, and he loved it. But when it was over, he was 18 and he realized he could make more money delivering fast food through DoorDash than by cooking the food. The issue wasn’t that he didn’t want to work. He had options and he wanted to exercise them. The businesses that are going to be able to find and retain people are going to be the ones that work to become an employer of choice.

What are the competitive disadvantages for industries like golf where you can’t do remote or gig work and what can be done to overcome those competitive disadvantages?

There are a few hourly jobs that are remote, but for the most part workers in the hourly sector are still going somewhere to work. What gives people an advantage is creating a better employee experience. What most employers have done and continue to do to find workers is pay them more with higher starting salaries and signing bonuses. That was the big thing at the tail end of the pandemic when everybody was desperate. What good is getting them if you can’t keep them? I distinguish between what I call hard needs and soft needs. Most employers try to appeal to workers with hard needs. The primary one is more money. They also have soft needs like psychological and emotional needs. It’s not necessarily about what they get, it’s about how they feel. Just like customers want a customer experience that feels good, employees want a work experience that feels good, especially younger generations.

A golf course superintendent leads hourly workers who must wake up early, work weekends and be willing to handle all weather conditions. What would you do to attract, retain and engage an hourly workforce in that situation?

You have a smaller pool of people to choose from. In order to compete for that smaller population, you need to offer something that the competition is not. It’s not going to be money. Anybody can pay them an extra dollar per hour. Fewer people are going to pay closer attention to culture and the specific values of the workers they want and then work to meet those values and honor those values. That’s how you can have a competitive advantage. It’s no different than what you do for customers in any industry. You can’t judge them for what they want, you figure out what matters most and then you try to meet those needs.

One thing golf maintenance can offer that other industries can’t is free golf and golf privileges. How does that perk help recruit hourly workers?

I don’t think that’s what gives you an advantage. That probably allows you to keep up with the competition. That’s an example of hard needs. That’s not how you earn loyalty and that’s not how you build culture. It’s a lot more about how people are treated and how the experience feels.

Many golf course superintendents must cope with substandard indoor facilities for their employees. How important are modern and spacious workspaces to hourly employees?

The advantages are that they communicate something. Spend the money to put a better microwave in there, and, yes, it’s a place to heat a sandwich or a bowl of soup, but it’s saying you matter and your experience matters. But you could also have beautiful facilities and treat people terribly. I don’t care how good the microwave is, I don’t care how great the golf course is, if you treat people terribly, they aren’t going to stay. They are more likely to stay in a place that has bad facilities, but a great work environment and great work culture. How you make them feel matters the most.

What’s the difference between a coach and manager? And should somebody who leads a team in a field like golf course maintenance be thinking more like a coach when it comes to their hourly workforce?

Sometimes it’s semantics. I think great managers act like great coaches. And great coaches manage their teams very well. I think the perception is that a coach is somebody on my side who’s not only invested in my success but shares in it and we’re both after the same thing. But a manager might be somebody who I perceive is just the authority, the boss who is telling me what to do, who’s trying to get me to meet their goals and their needs but isn’t necessarily invested in my needs. With a coach, there’s more of a perception of a shared purpose and they are more invested in my success, whereas with the manager the perception is the only success that matters is what the manager wants and they are trying to use me to help them achieve their goals.

How will technology such as AI help managers lead hourly employees?

In good and bad ways. There are efficiencies that AI will help with, such as scheduling and organizing training. I think organizations that rely on AI or any technology to manage the human element of the business are going to be in trouble, because ultimately the data shows that what drives human happiness more than anything is a connection to other people. Even shy people and introverts have a need for connection. The more we robotize the workplace, the more we rely on technology, if we replace human connection in the process, people are going to disengage.

How important is schedule flexibility to workers in 2024?

Essential. These days there’s such a huge priority placed on life balance and quality of life. The employee is not going to skip their sister’s wedding because you want to have a shift covered. There’s more demand for their time from other sources. Hourly workers are statistically more likely to be going to another job, going to classes and going to activities, and their schedules are constantly changing. They are constantly having to juggle. The more flexibility you can provide them allows them to fulfill the other needs in their lives. The more you enable them to have that life-balance, the more they are going to appreciate you. The idea of full-time, part-time, the eight-hour shift, are all constructs, some of them created by Henry Ford. They aren’t written in stone. The idea that I’m only going to hire employees who want to work 40 hours a week is something we need to let go of and schedule for 2024. We have to build in schedule flexibility so employees can have that life balance whether we like it or not.

For Masters enthusiasts

The early 1980s changed the agronomics and local spirit of the Masters.

Tom Watson won the first Masters contested on bentgrass greens in 1981. Seve Ballesteros won the first Masters with players having the option of using their own caddies in 1983.

Neither Bermudagrass putting surfaces nor widespread usage of local caddies have returned to the event.

While stories of Augusta National Golf Club agronomics remain mostly secretive, the tales of the club’s caddies are preserved in Ward Clayton’s “The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National.” The second edition of the book was released in April and learning about local icons with nicknames such as Stovepipe, Pappy, Cemetery, Fireball, Iron Man and Burnt Biscuits will captivate Masters and golf enthusiasts seeking insight into the personality of the tournament and game.

Clayton is the ideal person to tell the caddies’ stories. A golf lifer, Clayton worked as the Augusta Chronicle sports editor from 1991 to 2000 and produced the 2019 documentary “The Caddie’s Long Walk.” His understanding of the people and dynamics of Augusta and the city’s Sand Hills neighborhood, the home of numerous Augusta National caddies, adds context to what the Masters spotlight meant to the all-Black caddie corps. The hilly neighborhoods surrounding Augusta National and Augusta Country Club, where many caddies started their careers, go mostly unnoticed by Masters Week patrons and viewers.

Unfortunately, nobody will experience a Masters with all-local caddies again. The tournament, like every other significant sporting event, outgrew its origins as financial coffers and television audiences expanded. Clayton explores the magnitude of then-Augusta National chairman Hord Hardin’s decision to allow players to bring their own caddies from the perspective of the local loopers and their families, the community, the club, and professional golf. His reporting and writing provide a rare dose of objectivity in a media era filled with subjectivity. The Augusta National caddie dynamic further changed in 1996 when the club started outsourcing its program.

Carl Jackson, the looper for Ben Crenshaw’s emotional 1995 triumph, was the last local caddie to carry a winning bag. Clayton devotes more space to Jackson, who worked 53 Masters, winning two with Crenshaw, than any other caddie profiled in the book.

Crenshaw lauded Jackson for helping him navigate a course defined by subtleties that hosts a tournament filled with emotion. But Clayton also reveals anecdotes of caddies whose off-the-course struggles and lack of preparation hindered their players.

Balanced reporting yields an understanding of complex subjects and stories. Balanced reporting means not all stories boast clean endings.

The Masters moved on from local caddies. Fortunately, Clayton hasn’t moved on from deftly sharing their fascinating stories with new audiences.

— Guy Cipriano

Guided by humility

Jimmie James played every course on a top-100 list in the same year, yet the life lessons are more impactful than the golf anecdotes in his new book.

By Guy Cipriano

Relying on supportive people allowed Jimmie James to experience all of Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses in the same year. His vast support network included a golf course maintenance employee he encountered multiple times during a round at Oak Tree National in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Playing as a single on the private course, James struggled finding the second hole until spotting the employee. “He pointed me in the right direction,” James says.

Later in the round, James hit a well-struck shot and noticed the same employee. “And,” James says, “he knew exactly where my ball went.”

Finally, as James stood in the parking lot following the round, the employee appeared again as a solar eclipse emerged. “I said, ‘I wish I could look at that thing,” James remembers. “And he said, ‘I have a pair of glasses for looking at it.’ He pulled out some of his viewing glasses and let me use his viewing glasses to see the eclipse. In addition to making the courses amazing for us to experience, that day one of the grounds crews guys was my guardian angel.”

James encountered hundreds of helpful people while cramming multiple lifetimes of bucket-list golf into one year. He shares his journey in “Playing from the Rough,” a book that brilliantly blends his personal history with glimpses inside elite golf venues.

The golf portion of James’s top-100 journey commenced at Augusta National Golf Club. But his personal journey started in 1959 as the son of Thelma James, a single mother of eight children living in Jim Crow-era Texas. The birth certificate for James in the Walker County Courthouse listed him as “colored” and “illegitimate.” He never knew his father and Thelma raised her children in a shack lacking plumbing and electricity. James became the first person in his family to graduate high school. He then earned an engineering degree from Prairie View A&M University and ascended to an executive position with ExxonMobil.

James started playing golf in his mid-40s and developed an immense passion for the game, which intensified upon his retirement following a three-decade career with ExxonMobil. Through family support — James and his wife, Erika, have two young adult children, Jordan and Alexandra — networking, meticulous planning and flexibility, James went from Augusta National to Wade Hampton Golf Club, with many dreamy in-between stops, in the same year.

“There are two journeys combined: my life’s journey and that golf journey,” James says. “And the challenge was striking the right balance between the two. What I had in mind is that some people will come for the golf and stay for the stories. Others will come for the stories and hopefully be captivated by the game of golf.”

James’s humility surfaces early in the book as he describes his interaction with Hispanic workers tending to the azaleas on Augusta National’s 12th hole. Instead of being immersed in playing one of the game’s most famous holes, James stopped and thanked the workers for their efforts.

“The azaleas are part of the experience of being at Augusta,” he says. “There are people who make those flowers pop. They are so integral to the experiences we have at these courses. I would talk to locker-room attendants, I would talk to the staff in dining rooms, and show them my appreciation and let them know the whole experience is made possible by the work that they do.”

A few of James’s interactions with club and industry workers were arranged. At Canyata Golf Club, a secluded rural Illinois facility, James was paired with superintendent Michael Boudreau. Turf duty condensed Boudreau’s round. “As things happened, a pump failed and he needed to address that,” James says. The pair played the back nine together. Boudreau went on a birdie binge and James posted a run of pars extended by his partner’s local knowledge. “I had a putt that was a 12- or 15-foot putt to keep my string of pars going and he said, ‘Do you want me to help you with the read?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ He gave me the perfect read and the ball rolled into the cup.”

At The Golf Club at Black Rock, in northwest Idaho, James played consecutive par 3s, Nos. 13 and 14, with course designer Jim Engh. “He told me exactly where to hit the ball,” James says, “and I came so close both times to making aces.”

James has now embarked on playing every course on a world top-100 list. He’s less than 20 courses from accomplishing that global goal. The release of “Playing from the Rough” and continued golf travels are expanding opportunities to share his inspiring story.

“It’s becoming a platform to talk about overcoming adversity and challenges in life,” he says. “Some people get upset that golf is hard, but golf is intended to be hard. It’s a mistake to think it’s not supposed to be hard. It’s the same with life. Life is hard. But you can overcome the challenges you face, just like you can overcome the challenges on a golf course.”