by Greg Wojick

Looking through the assistant superintendent job listings on the TurfNet Job board the other day reinforced in my mind that the superintendent's approach to their assistants' positions may need some rethinking. 

For years and decades, superintendents handled their assistants by hiring young, letting them learn by doing and observing, and then, after a year or two on the job, sending them on their way to their first superintendent's job. 'Two years and out' was the typical mantra.

Times have changed. With the glut of qualified assistants vying for a handful of superintendent opportunities each year, the wait has become three to five years and out -- if they're lucky. But for many assistants, those years come and go and they're still where they started. If they've managed to maintain their enthusiasm through those 100-hour workweeks, the superintendent keeps them on, expecting that they'll continue their job hunt.

An Alternative Approach

Think about this: Most supers hire and train an equipment manager or a horticulturist and almost never assume that these hires will move on in a couple of years. They'd much rather retain these employees if they can continue to handle the challenges of the job. This type of hire makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Many superintendents state that assistants enter the business intending to be a superintendent one day and the typical approach employed in the industry is due to this reason. This is acknowledged, however the competition to gain a superintendent position has started to make a change here -- assistants are leaving the industry in large numbers due to lack of superintendent positions and no room for promotion or compensation at their existing club. Add to that 60-plus hour work weeks in season where they could make about as much working at a local Home Depot, as someone stated in The Forum recently. It makes a strong case that it may be time for a new path.

So I'd like to suggest an alternative approach and a healthy change to the super's mantra. Instead of two years and out, why not make your mantra, Hire, train, and retain? 

Hire Right the First Time

To make this new mantra possible, it will mean starting with a new mindset. Many superintendents will, in a pinch, hire assistants thinking that even if they're not the perfect fit, they'll do the job for a time and then leave. With this no longer being the case, it's essential that you spend extra time and effort on the front end making sure that you hire the best fit from the start.

The 'hire, train, retain' approach requires a serious search effort. Calling your buddy down the street and asking if he knows anyone who's available, is not the type of effort I'm talking about.  As most veteran supers know, sometimes that method works, but often it doesn't. To conduct a comprehensive search, it pays to use not only listings like TurfNet, but also firms and consultants who can also help with the time-consuming duty of identifying the right fit for your particular operation and course. Another tack to consider is to beat the bushes locally to see if you can identify a person who may not have a turf degree, but who is a quick study, eager to work hard, loves the game of golf, and will likely be satisfied staying on as a career assistant. 

True, this approach can seem daunting, particularly if you've lost an assistant at the start or middle of the season, but if you've ever endured a bad hire -- and I know most veteran supers have -- then you know this hiring approach can pay lasting dividends.

Try a Progressive Training Approach

Many superintendents will craft a yearly spray strategy for their pesticide and fertilizer applications. How many lay out a training strategy that allows for the success of their assistants? I have heard so many superintendents say that they expect their assistants to work 100 hours a week. Aside from being a little daunting for even the most ambitious young assistants, is that training? Is that giving them something specific to strive toward or achieve? Is working 100 hours a week going to instill pride in their work, or just wear them so thin that they end up hating the job and, ultimately, the profession?

Aside from providing assistants with specific performance goals and standards, why not consider a work schedule that more closely mimics other hard-driving careers where people do have quality time away from the job? Working hard and long is not always horrible -- as long as it's not constant.

If you're finding it difficult to hire just-the-right assistant, let go of the idea that overworking assistants is their right of passage into the golf business.

What's more, there is a law of diminishing returns. More hours do not mean greater productivity. Fatigue can slow the mind and body to a point where productivity will actually diminish, and worse, more accidents are prone to happen.

The best thing you can train your employees to do is to work smart, not long. Offer them an opportunity for growth in skills and responsibility. Good training makes for greater job satisfaction and the likelihood that assistants will stay the course.

Retain Good Help

Consider this job listing:  Work in the golf industry. Expect 44-48 hours per week during the season. Golf privileges with time to actually play. Excellent opportunity for career growth.  Sounds reasonable, right? Maybe even desirable?

Let's face it, you're more apt to attract and then retain people if they feel they will be treated reasonably -- not simply as a workhorse -- recognized as a valued member of the operation, and rewarded for exemplary performance, even if it's with time to play golf.

If you're finding it difficult to hire just-the-right assistant, let go of the idea that overworking assistants is their right of passage into the golf business. Convincing yourself, and your club of the merit of a 'hire, train, retain' approach may be your ticket to that gem in the rough -- an assistant who will work smarter, not longer, and be inspired to exceed your expectations for years to come.

After nearly 30 years as a golf course superintendent and consultant, Greg Wojick co-founded Playbooks for Golf in 2008.