Words of wisdom

Inspirational words create pictures in our minds that leave a lasting impression in our memories. These words of wisdom might come from a book, teacher, parent or someone we admire. You can think of a proverb for any area of life or any situation. I have picked up a few golf course related words of wisdom that form a big part of my philosophy about golf course maintenance. I hope you find them useful.

Happy owners
Golf maintenance is all about making owners, members, golfers and visitors happy, and therefore, making your boss happy. No programs, plans and maintenance goals must lose sight of the fact that the main objective is to keep the owner happy. The golf course business is part of the service and recreation industry. We are here to please people. Success is easier to achieve if you like being around people, making people happy and being a friendly person. I have met few golf course superintendents that have a genuine dislike for people, especially golfers.

However, making the owner happy does not mean you must do everything he says. There are times to obey and times to educate. Choosing the correct course of action will elevate you to higher levels of success in your career. Sometimes, the owner might request something that you believe will be bad for turfgrass health or the game of golf. In addition to making the owner happy, you have another responsibility – protect the owner from himself.

For example, perhaps the owner wants green speed of 15 feet during hot and humid weather. You know from experience that trying to accomplish this requires maintenance practices that will harm, or even kill, the turfgrass. You must now convince him this is a bad idea and it can cause serious damage to the golf course. However, if the owner demands it, even after you have warned him not to do it (preferably in writing), then you have to either do it, or risk being fired. In this situation, it would be a good idea to start looking for another job if you believe the owner’s request would eventually kill the grass.

On the other hand, if the owner wants the ball washers painted pink, then you should paint the ball washers pink. The color of the ball washers does not hurt the turfgrass, your career or the game of golf. Things that seem unimportant to you might be important to the owner. Always carry a note pad, or tape recorder, when meeting with the owner. It shows respect, and you appear to be interested, even if you are not. Doing a few small jobs for the owner will result in large rewards for you later.

Best for the game
Life is full of difficult decisions. During my rookie year as a USGA agronomist, I feared that words would fail me during a high-pressure visit at a prestigious blue blood New England country club. These clubs usually consisted of a membership comprised of Wall Street millionaires, descendents of the Mayflower and powerful politicians whose last name might be Kennedy.

I was young, easily intimidated and needed some advice. I will never forget the guiding words of wisdom given to me by Bill Bengeyfield, the Green Section national director. He told me, “When you are not sure what advice to give, remember to say what is best for the game of golf.” You may not win friends, but if you plan to stay in this business, you cannot live by a better credo.

Bill had other nuggets to impart, such as “We will go down flaming brilliantly.” No doubt recalled from his WWII days as a bombardier.

He would also tell us, “Remember, whenever you are visiting a golf course, you are their guest. Don’t forget it!” That advice reminded me not to strut around like a primadonna with a USGA badge on my blazer. I think it was Lee Trevino who is credited with saying, “When I retire, I’m going to get a pair of gray slacks, a white shirt, a striped tie, a blue blazer, a case of dandruff and go stand on the first tee so I can be a USGA official.”

Nothing happens overnight
We all know horror stories involving overapplications of fertilizer, growth hormones and chemicals in an attempt to make grass grow faster. One of the most difficult ideas to put across to golfers is the fact that it takes weeks and months for grass to mature from a seed or recover from damage and injury.

We live in an age of acceleration. If something took five minutes to do yesterday, we expect to be able to achieve the same today in four minutes. We want it now. Unfortunately, for golf course superintendents, grass develops at about the same speed as it did a thousand years ago. We have gotten better repairing damage, growing new grass and getting things done faster, but we still need time to do it right. Time is limited in this busy world, and that is why every golf course should have the largest sod nursery possible. Sod gives you the ability to create an instant lawn and to present the golfers with a miraculous recovery.

We need to remember the words that have helped us, encouraged us and led us through the tough times. They are powerful tools and can be passed along to others who work with us. GCN

Jim Connolly is a golf course consultant. He can be reached at jim@jccturf.com.