Lasting impressions

Matt Neff

Let me set the scene for you. It was late fall of 2005. I was nearing completion of my turf degree and was feverishly looking for a job. Keep in mind that this was the mid-2000s, when there weren’t even remotely the number of available assistant, AIT and tech positions that have become the norm over the last five years or so. You might remember those halcyon days of yore when the turf schools were still cranking out 10 to 20 graduates per year, interns grew on trees and budgets still increased (or at least weren’t getting cut) every year.

Because of the surplus labor supply, I sent dozens of résumés out to superintendents in the region in which I wanted to work, hoping to find at least a full-time crew position. The vast majority of these inquiries never received a response. This was understandable because they were unsolicited and not sent in response to a job posting.

However, I never will forget two responses I received. Both were from respected superintendents at well-known Ohio clubs. At the time, both of these men had been at the helm of their respective operations for 20-plus years. One has since retired and the other is still going strong after more than 50 years at the same club. That’s not a typo – more than 50 years at the same club.

What struck me about their responses was that both took the time to call me and have a substantial conversation with me even though neither one had an available position. They seemed genuinely interested in my career plans and offered their advice and encouragement on my job search and my career going forward. These gentlemen had absolutely no reason to take time out of their schedules to talk to me, yet they still did.

In fact, both men thanked me for thinking highly enough of their clubs to contact them. That’s class. Both guys were legendary superintendents at highly regarded clubs, and they were thanking me for sending them a résumé — that was pretty thin at the time — they hadn’t even asked for. The fact that I’m writing about it 12 years later probably indicates how much of an impression it made on me.

As I thought about those conversations in the following days, I realized that one of the main reasons these men are so respected in this business is because they take the time to do things like that. If they were willing to reach out to some kid they didn’t even need and who basically was carpet-bombing Ohio with résumés, you can imagine how they interact with their staffs, co-workers and members. More to the point, it demonstrated how they approach their jobs in general. They routinely go the proverbial extra mile. The key to their incredible longevity and success in this business became crystal clear.

Even though I have never worked a day for either of these superintendents, they both played a role in shaping how I have approached my career ever since. I’m quite certain I have yet to have a similar impact on anyone I’ve interacted with who’s just entering the business. After all, I’m still an assistant and no one is likely going to be terribly impressed with what I have to say.

On the other hand, I would bet that neither of these two men thought they were doing anything outstanding by contacting me. They were just handling their business the way they always did and, in so doing, set a great example for some random kid that he will remember and emulate for his entire career.