Help wanted… again

Here I go again, writing another job description for an assistant superintendent. It’s a constant event, done multiple times in the last year or two. I guess it should be expected at a private 72-hole country club.

Over three decades I’ve worked primarily at private clubs in Florida and South Carolina. I work with a great group of guys managing four courses, two designed by Palmer, two by Dye and a Fazio layout.

Each of our courses employ a superintendent, assistant, second assistant and supporting staff. The club’s commitment to excellence requires this type of staffing. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our current position was created when a young assistant decided it was time to leave the business. He was a good one with a great future. We turned to the second assistant and he gladly accepted the job. A week later came his resignation letter. He’s off to work at another course for a bit more in salary but a shorter drive. Poached again! This has happened often during my 12 years in this position, mainly because a couple hundred golf courses are nearby.

Before I post a position I check out the various job boards: GCSAA, Turfnet and the Carolinas GCSA. Between these three sites there were 159 open position announcements for assistants, second assistants and assistants-in-training. I’m not sure if this number is higher than normal, but it’s disturbing.

I found only 30 résumés on one of the sites, and many were posted in multiple locations or for all three positions. Where are the assistants? And where will the next group of golf course management leaders come from?

I feel there may be a crisis coming every time I post an open position. It sometimes takes months to fill a spot, and many times we don’t get any replies to open position announcements. (Editor’s note: for more on this, see page 24.)

Not long ago the industry was concerned about too many students in turf programs and not enough jobs. Our concerns were valid then, but have things shifted too far the other way? Obviously the economy caused a significant adjustment. Universities dropped their turf programs or took them online. Many students chose a different path.

Maybe the problem is salary. Many superintendents believe that assistants aren’t paid enough. Let’s face it; anyone with a four-year degree has the debt that goes with it. The highest salary I found on job boards was $47,000 to $53,000. Pretty good, if you have the skill set required.

The lowest was $25,000 to $27,000. Obviously, the location of these jobs has something to do with these salaries. With this said, are these wages enough for the long hours, weekends, holidays and other issues that tend to plague our industry?

Are there other reasons? Perhaps assistants feel disconnected from the profession. Can we do a better job helping them see the bigger picture of this career? Working without continuing education opportunities, networking with peers and a life away from work is a recipe for disaster.

Many industries have had to make big adjustments to remain competitive, and we know our industry can’t rely on the Internet to get our job done. These problems point to a need for some necessary adjustments by clubs and superintendents regarding key staff members. I’ve heard of a few clubs exploring options and creating optimum opportunities for assistants. Superintendents should be on board with ideas and programs that can make a real difference to the next generation of superintendents.

Steven Wright, CGCS, is director of golf course/landscape operations at Boca West CC in Boca Raton, Fla. This is his first column for Golfdom. He can be reached at swright@bocawestcc.org or followed at @wrightsteve19.