A patron saint for superintendents

There is no officially recognized patron saint of superintendents. Depending on the time of year and geographical location, many superintendents may find themselves praying for more rain, or less rain, or for the snow to melt, or for the humidity to subside, or for the rootzone to drain, etc.

We need a saint the superintendent can call on for help, support and counsel in challenging times and for gratitude as well in good times.

Who should be the patron saint of superintendents? Here are a few suggestions:

St. Francis of Assisi is a popular choice since he is the patron saint of ecology (i.e., defined as a branch of science concerned with the relationships of organisms and their environment), and he is also associated with nature and the environment. Superintendents spend their whole careers dealing with the interaction of turf with the air, soil, water, and of course, golfers. Indeed, turfgrass science is a sub-discipline of botany and ecology, and superintendents are practitioners of environmental stewardship.

St. Isidore the Farmer is the patron saint of farmers, and superintendents have been respectfully called “low-mowed pasture farmers.” St. Fiacre, St. Adelard and St. Rose of Lima are all patron saints of gardeners. Michael the Archangel banished evil from the garden, and superintendents do their best to banish weeds, diseases and insect pests from the golf course… and probably would like to do the same to over-demanding golfers.

How about these? St. Rita of Cascia and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini are both patron saints of impossible causes. St. Jude is the patron saint of desperate causes. Superintendents know the desperate and impossible task of trying to keep greens alive in adverse weather conditions, or when turf is under attack by disease scourges or insect plagues, or when all this is happening the same week as the member-guest event with a demand for unreasonable green speed.

St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, home of the Old Course at St. Andrews Links and the famous greenkeeper Old Tom Morris. Perhaps St. Thomas Aquinas, patron saint of universities, colleges and schools, would be a good choice in honor of Mr. Morris. Along those lines, St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, would be a good choice in honor of the ‘Dean of Golf Course Superintendents,’ Joe Valentine of the famous Merion Golf Club.

St. Agricola of Avignon is the saint to pray to for good weather, fine harvests and rain during times of drought. Weather monitoring and taking soil temperature and moisture measurements are practically a documented job requirement of today’s superintendent. Of course, there is St. Swithin (or Swithun) and his feast day of July 15th. Tradition states that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin’s Day, it will continue for the next 40 days. How many superintendents often make turf management decisions predicated on the weather, and doesn’t the countdown to Labor Day start the day after Memorial Day?

St. Raymond Nonmatus is the patron saint of the falsely accused, St. Bernadine of Siena is the patron saint of public relations, St. Teresa of Avila is the patron saint of headache sufferers, and pray to St. Timothy for stomach disorders. Superintendents could use intervention from all four of these saints when meeting with the greens committee, or dealing with employees, or consoling angry members complaining about green speed.

St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost articles, may be able to help if a green is “lost.” If that happens, St. Antony the Abbot, patron saint of gravediggers, is the one to call.

St. Luke may be a consideration since he is the patron saint of artists. How many times has a superintendent looked out onto a fairway or green at sunrise, in solitude, and admired the land and the “artwork?”

I know many superintendents and others in the industry who would be considered “living saints.” So many superintendents are very generous with their time and give back to their profession and their community. There is St. Stanislaus, in honor of our late friend Stanley Zontek, USGA Green Section agronomist. A favorite saint of the Polish community, St. Stanislas Kostka may have intervened when Stan Kostka of Aquatrols Corp. drew the idea for the molecule for Revolution soil surfactant on a restaurant napkin. What about Edwin Budding, inventor of the lawn mower in 1830? He is not a saint, but perhaps St. Homobonus (or Omobono) was at work, since he is the patron saint of tailors and cloth-workers and Mr. Budding had extensive textile training.

As you can see, there are many saints who superintendents can call upon when divine intervention is needed. What do you think? Send me a tweet (@MikeFidanza) and use #turfpatronsaint.