Between tough places

There’s an old saying, “caught between a rock and a hard place” that I have heard my entire career in reference to two things that are both difficult to compare and are tough experiences. In my nearly 40 years in the industry, I have seen many peaks, valleys, opportunities and tragedies, but today we are going to dig a little deeper to look at the question: What’s been a more challenging period to be a golf course superintendent: 2008 to 2013? Or 2020 to the present?

We should start by giving a little context. I was a director-level golf course superintendent from 2008 to 2013 at a multi-course facility in Georgia and I have been a director-level golf course superintendent from 2020 to the present at a multi-course facility in Texas, both with warm- and cool-season grasses and a diverse staff supporting a membership component and resort play. I kept pretty good notes during these periods of uncertainty and lived to tell this tale. So, let’s examine the pressures of managing golf properties through economic and pandemic stresses.

The Great Recession of 2008 and beyond

To understand the pressures of being a golf course superintendent from 2008 to 2013, you need a little historic perspective about what is commonly referred to as the Great Recession.

The Great Recession started in late 2007 but was in full impact by 2008. It was serious and far reaching. The causes of the Great Recession included a combination of things that developed in the financial system, along with a series of triggering events that began with the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble.

When housing prices fell and homeowners began to abandon their mortgages, the value of mortgage-backed securities held by investment banks declined in 2007-08, causing several to collapse or be bailed out by the government in September 2008. This phase was called the subprime mortgage crisis. The combination of banks unable to provide funds to businesses, and homeowners paying down debt rather than borrowing and spending, resulted in — you guessed it! — the Great Recession.

Historically, as with most other recessions, there seems no known formal model or prognosticator that was able to accurately predict the advance of this recession. There were some minor signals and a few warnings but for the average person in America it seemed as if business and the economy stalled rather suddenly, and times got tough. Golf was no exception. The number of golfers dropped from a high point in 2003 of 30.6 million to only 25.7 million in 2011. In the first three years of the Great Recession, 510 U.S. golf courses closed.

Managing golf courses: 2008-13

Golf course superintendents were under extreme pressure to find ways to survive and keep the businesses open. Terms like “achieve more with less” were beginning to be fashionable. Online tee time services added convenience but caused some other newer pressures. I remember standing at the bag drop many times during those days and watching guys drive up and wait for the club to drop the daily rate and then set the tee time or set one at another course that had adjusted their rates lower and simply drive away. Competition for rounds was fierce and it was difficult to choose between more rounds at a lower rate or fewer rounds at higher rates.

Our maintenance budgets, especially at public courses, were tied directly to revenues as a percentage so if revenues went down, so did our budgets. Every dollar was stretched and we fought weather, Pythium volutum, and almost no capital expenses were available for equipment or renovation as extended ROIs were considered too risky. It seemed that we were trying to outlast two storms: the declining interest in golf and the overall slowdown in the economy.

The clubs that did the best had the best human capital. Staff that could get another year or two out of equipment and stretch every application to maximum length were essential. There were some legendary golf course superintendents who shined in those years, but there were literally entire crews that were put out of work as the loan for overbuilding in the 1990s came due.

Personally, this period of golf history provided some of my highest achievements demonstrating that even in difficult times there can be opportunity. My notes from those years show that we had more and higher quality labor available … if you recruited well. People were looking for full- and part-time work but our budgets were tight, often being adjusted weekly. If you had a rainout on a weekend day, it affected the entire month.

We had advances in chemistry, irrigation and communications, and things like moisture meters and sensors gave us better data for water decisions. In Georgia, we had a 100-year flood event in September 2008, which broke a Level 4 drought and pushed our water BMPs into the spotlight. I served as president of the Georgia GCSA in 2010 and 2011, and we focused on getting our members the skills to improve their professional and personal work/life balance. It was the synergy of people working together and sharing solutions that made the biggest difference between success and failure.

The unimaginable 2020 pandemic

I could not possibly find the words to accurately describe the events within the 2020 pandemic and the years immediately following. I will say for the purpose of context, COVID-19 changed everything.

Businesses were closed starting in March 2020 and we understood the word “quarantine” like never before. No March Madness, no concerts, and shortages of things like toilet paper and paper towels. Supply chain issues and the Great Resignation and, of course, the loss of life. When the first of our co-workers and/or family died from COVID-19 complications after weeks on a ventilator, it was beyond real — and still is. Memories from masks to vaccinations to virtual GIS are still vivid. I could have never imagined this brave new world in 2008, yet golf found a revival when it was most needed.

Managing golf courses: 2020-present

I was in Mexico evaluating a golf course with my boss when we got the word that the border was about to shut down due to COVID-19 and that we should return immediately.

Our operation in Dallas is big: 400-plus hotel rooms, 36 holes of golf, 12 tennis courts and state-of-the-art fitness facilities. We closed upon executive order and started to plan the unplannable on March 16, 2020. We kept essential workers (that was a new term), but our golf/grounds team was cut 70 percent in the beginning. We were given special letters to display on our dashboards to travel from home to work. It looked like a zombie movie, but it was real.

We adjusted and came together, although 6 feet apart. We followed protocols, took temperatures, washed our hands and cleaned everything that could be cleaned. We removed bunker rakes and water coolers, and placed star-shaped (How ’bout them Cowboys!) pool noodles in the cups for a minimum-contact golf experience. Single-rider carts and record rounds greeted us when we reopened. An already shallow labor pool dried up.

The bright side is that golf proved its value in the brave new world as you could be outside in nature and safely get exercise and socialize. It was a welcome change.

It also brought challenges. A smaller labor pool dried up even more. Courses absorbed more traffic as record rounds were being played and single-rider carts made some fairways look like racetracks.

Money was flowing and we were able to renovate and still move forward with BMPs. We started to focus more on managing personal stress and mental health. Ironically, I found myself in Texas as the president of the North Texas GCSA in 2021 and serving with some amazing golf course superintendents as we managed our chapter through the pandemic and ensuing recession related to the pandemic.

My two GCSAA chapter presidencies were 10 years and 1,000 miles apart. They spanned two recessions. One of many odd events that happened was that our property hosted the Major League Baseball bubble for the 2020 playoffs and World Series, won by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who stayed with us for a month. We split the property into two halves. A fence defined the bubble on one side for MLB players and families. The other side was for members/golfers. I had not seen security at that level since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Managing a golf course these days is still tough because we will always have limited resources and seemingly unlimited expectations. But one thing remains the same. The synergy of people working together and sharing solutions makes the biggest difference between success and failure.

Conclusions

That was a lot to take in and I’m sure that you noticed I really did not answer the question posed at the beginning of the story. Here goes:

Each period was difficult and surprisingly rewarding in its own way. However, given the state of global unrest, loss of life and the complexities of the Great Resignation coupled with supply chain issues, I think it’s more challenging to manage a golf course now than during the Great Recession. I also think it will get worse before it gets better. Take heart, though, because there’s always a way to succeed and golf course superintendents and their amazing teams have historically been the trailblazers who help golf not just survive but thrive.

Anthony L. Williams, CGCS, CGM, MG, is the director of golf course maintenance and landscaping at the Four Seasons Resort Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and a frequent Golf Course Industry contributor.