A Lot More Than Turfgrass

by Dan Dinelli (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
October 2006
 

GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT RESPONSIBILITIES & SKILLS REQUIRED Today's golf course superintendent must possess a certain amount of knowledge and expertise in the following subject areas: Accounting Agronomy Aquatic plant management Arboriculture Basic contract law Budgeting Business management Community relations Computers Drainage Electrical Engineering Entomology Equipment repair Environmental compliance Facility maintenance Financial Genetics Golf course operation Golf course renovation Golf course set-up Golf issues Government relations Hazard communication Horticulture Hydrology Integrated pest management Inventory management Irrigation Irrigation repair Labor relations Landscaping Long-range planning Management Master planning Metereology Microbiology Mower adjustment New equipment evaluation Rules of golf Personnel management Photography Plant nutrition Plant pathology Plant physiology Playability issues Play of the game of golf Public relations Pump station technology Purchasing Soil chemistry Soil physics Soil sample interpretations Surveying Technical information interpretation Tournament preparation Water chemistry Water quality Weed science Wetlands Wildlife management Worker safety (OSHA) List by Tommy Witt, Director of Golf Course Operations, Northmoor Country Club Highland Park, Ill.

Tommy Witt’s covered a lot of ground on his way from south Texas to Northmoor CC (above).

Tommy Witt, CGCS, got started in the golf business at the tender age of 11, when he began working part-time at a 9-hole course in his native south Texas. Some 10 years later, after earning his degree in Turfgrass Science from Texas A&M, he started out on a distinguished career that has led him to management positions at a number of leading private courses in both the southern and northern U.S.; he is currently Director of Golf Course Operations at Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Ill. (suburban Chicago).

Throughout his career, Tommy has been one of the most active and recognizable members of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), including a term as its President in 2001. He is well known among superintendents as a teacher and mentor who is passionate about promoting our profession and always willing to do whatever it takes to help us not only learn to do our jobs better, but also be recognized and rewarded for what we’ve done.

Tommy didn’t hesitate, in fact, to take the time to do this interview with me even though he was in the middle of managing a $6 million course renovation project at Northmoor, not to mention having to prepare his annual capital and operating budget submissions. That tells you all you need to know about how much he cares about our industry and profession—and why the GCSAA honored him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2005.

Here are some of Tommy’s thoughts on why the role of the superintendent is more critical than ever in today’s club and resort business, and on how we superintendents need to continue to improve, personally and professionally, to do the best possible jobs for our facilities.

Q Tommy, in one of your classes, you show a long?list of all the areas where today’s superintendents now need to have knowledge, to be effective in their jobs. What are you trying to get across?

A You’re right—it is a long list, and I keep thinking of new things to add to it all the time. Right now it shows over 60 different areas, and includes a lot of things you might not immediately associate with the job, such as photography and meteorology and basic contract law (Editor’s Note: The complete list is posted at www.clubandresortbusiness.com).

My point in putting it together was to show that while providing acceptable-to-premier golfing conditions will always be at the top of the list for superintendents and golf course managers, that’s simply not enough any more to meet the demands and expectations of today’s club and resort employers. Even if you just narrow it down to what you now see in virtually every advertisement for superintendent positions, things like communication skills, working within a team concept, managing large operating budgets, and having project management abilities are being emphasized as much, or more, than our traditional training.

Today’s job requirements far transcend simply growing grass. Superintendents can only do well for themselves, and their facilities, by being skilled far beyond agronomics. Being multi-dimensional and multi-talented is now expected of us, so having business skills is no longer an option—it’s a requirement. It’s the only way you’re going to be effective in making presentations, writing proposals, understanding and interacting with customers, managing a staff of diversely different cultures and backgrounds, delegating tasks, and being positive representatives of our facilities.

Visibility, accountability, and being able to not only deal with, but embrace, change and extreme expectations, are all factors that now determine our success as much as what we can do with the golf course.

Q Another big part of driving this message home is to show how all of these things come into play in our everyday work. What are some of the “real-life” examples that you point to?

A I try to provide many examples from my own experience. And when I do, I emphasize that I don’t do any more than any other superintendent. For example, I point out how at the Kiawah Island Club, we moved from buying equipment to a leasing program that would save $2.1 million over a 10-year period. Right now at Northmoor, we’re renovating our 27 holes through a $6 million project, during which we have to keep 18 holes open for play while we renovate the other 9.

Witt is currently managing a $6 million course renovation project at Northmoor that keeps 18 holes open while

So the responsibility of people like me with projects like these, which again are happening all over the country, not just at my club, goes far beyond just being a superintendent. We become project managers who have to learn how to balance the construction with our “regular duties” for existing maintenance. We have to be the primary communicators about what’s going on not just to our Boards and members, but also our communities.

For example, prior to the membership vote on our current project at Northmoor, I was involved with the golf course architect, making Power Point presentations at focus groups and town hall meetings. I also hosted course tours, to help the members understand the need for a renovation. I made presentations for permitting with the Design Review Commission, City Council, and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

I can assure you, none of these tasks and responsibilities were part of my Turfgrass Science curriculum at Texas A&M.

Q But even when we’re managing projects of this magnitude on a daily basis, our profession still has to fight for proper recognition of what we contribute to club and resort operations. What’s your advice for how to raise and maintain our profiles not only within our properties, but the business in general?

A You’re right. Unfortunately and mistakenly, superintendents are still rarely recognized as revenue sources. But it’s not hard to show how we play a vital role in the financial success of any facility, and how most would be in grave danger of collapse without our contributions.

To start with, in many cases, the golf course is the facility’s most valuable asset, and the superintendent is clearly the person most directly responsible for managing that asset. Beyond that, while a superintendent may not receive direct credit for the revenues generated by a golf course, we have direct and significant influence and impact on just about every revenue stream—and ultimately on the bottom line and success of the facility.

Here’s another list I like to show, to help superintendents get thinking about all of the ways in which they influence revenues:

But again, to avoid getting overlooked for what we contribute in all of these areas, we have to be visible and effective in communicating about all that we’re doing, and how it affects the facility as a whole. I know there are facilities where communication between owners and employees is limited, or denied by a particular management structure or a single person of position and authority. If the superintendent—or any other department head—is omitted from access to Board meetings or high-level management meetings, who’s going to be able to speak for and represent him or her?

The vast majority of superintendents I know would like to be the direct source of information regarding the golf course. And that’s the way it should be, because there’s rarely any other employee or club member who has more than a minimal idea of the golf course management operation. But that means you need to be assertive in speaking up and representing yourself whenever possible—and when it’s not possible, finding ways to know what is being said and how your department is being represented, and then taking steps, in a professional manner, to set the record straight if needed.

Q That brings up the issue of club governance styles, and which style lends itself to being most effective in allowing a course to be the best it can be. You’ve been exposed to, and worked in, many management styles. What, in your opinion, works best to allow superintendents to not only perform well for their clubs, but also get the most personal and professional satisfaction?

A To me, whether it’s a public, private or resort facility, it all comes down to the quality of the relationships that are built between employers and employees. So I favor a management structure where I am afforded the opportunity for communication, interaction, and solid, two-way relationships. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of various management models; the right people can make any structure work, but at the same time, any structure where access and interaction is limited will make for a frustrating workplace.

While superintendents do not normally clamor for the limelight, that does not diminish their talent, potential or dedication. Even in the case of the most well-intended General Managers or club volunteers, giving superintendents direct access and involvement is more important than ever before.

• Greens fees
• Member initiation fees
• Property sales
• Special golf outings
• Food and beverage sales
• Guest fees
• Cart rental fees
• Annual dues
• Range fees
• Golf shop sales
• Bag room storage fees

The superintendent has significant responsibilities throughout a renovation project. In the planning stages, effective communication skills and trust are required to lead a membership through a major renovation proposal, to help everyone understand the issues and problems that exist with a failing infrastructure. Once the project is underway (as illustrated by thesephotos), a well-organized professional is needed to represent the facility in the handling of these specific duties:

- managing the project;
- ensuring the quality of a multimillion dollar investment;
- interfacing with contractors/architects/members;
- providing financial and progress updates;
- meeting weather-impacted deadlines