Tales of darkness, tales of light
It’s a dramatic cover this issue, but I wonder how many stressed-out superintendents can relate.
OK, maybe you’ve never imagined a shadowy villain lurking over your shoulder. But have you thought about leaving behind the stresses of maintaining 18, 36 or more golf holes for a job in sales? Or, as it’s widely known in our business, “going to the Dark Side?”
My publisher recently received a phone call from one of our loyal advertisers. They were looking to hire a new sales rep in a certain region and wanted to know if he had any contacts in the area who would be good candidates or who could make a few recommendations.
My publisher made a call to a friend, a successful superintendent at a big-time golf club who’s great at his job. He asked the superintendent, “Got any recommendations?”
His response? “Yeah… me.”
That phone call, as well as knowing many former supes who have permanently hung up their cup-cutters, led to this cover story. It’s not meant to be a negative story, or a story that encourages superintendents to consider leaving their jobs — heck no.
It’s meant to be a conversation among friends who know about turf, about being a superintendent, about having those stressed-out days, and what led them to eventually leave their jobs. And then they offer some sage advice, some insight.
I think the story is a good read for everyone in the business, from turf students to grizzled old veterans, from superintendents to sales people. Because it’s a look inside the minds of five guys who have earned my respect, and they all have interesting insights into this industry, on both sides of the desk.
If that story is about the dark side, then there’s also a tale in this issue from the bright side — a superintendent who endured sleepless nights while his greens died a mysterious death. And he not only kept his job, but he successfully grew the greens back from seed in the middle of the summer in the mid-Atlantic.
Jesse Hartman’s story, “How I survived when my greens didn’t,” begins on page 45. He wrote the story himself. He showed the story to his wife, and she was moved to tears. I think I understand why.
It’s the middle of the summer. I don’t consider myself a worrier, but I do worry about my readers this time of the year — heat, drought, flooding, humidity, disease pressure. I never ask a reader how they enjoyed their 4th of July. I realize that while I was grilling, many of my readers were grinding, doing their best to keep a golf course alive and a membership happy. While I would enjoy making the small talk, I know from experience that not many superintendents have anything lighthearted to say about the weekend.
While the cover image may seem ominous, these two stories offer good advice. And they both offer hope.
The one thing that kept coming up in each story wasn’t stress, the greens committee, the long hours or salaries. The one common thread was family. Even our “19th Hole” interview, mentions family, and how the birth of a granddaughter may just have extended a superintendent’s life.
The shadowy figure on the cover is meant to catch your eye, to get you to open the magazine. But he’s not the (death) star of this issue. The star of this issue is you and your family, and staying positive when things get tough out on the golf course.
Another new columnist this issue. This time we have our young associate editor, Grant “Buddy” Gannon, have his say. After the week the kid had — his first U.S. Open and his first time seeing a Cleveland team hoist a trophy — he deserves it. His column, “Who’s Your Buddy” is here.