What can you learn from a quintet of mentors so dedicated to helping others that some of those they have guided through life nominated them for our inaugural Excellence in Mentorship Awards?
Well, you can learn about helping others, of course. You can probably also learn about yourself. You never know when that nugget of wisdom that pivots the rest of your life will arrive.
We recognized our first class of Excellence in Mentorship Awards last month at The Aquatrols Company booth at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando, capping a memorable afternoon with a spirited roundtable discussion about what mentorship means and how to help others. If you missed it in person, you can watch it now on our website. And if you want more mentorship perspective, read on: Here are some of our favorite gems from conversations with each of the five living honorees — and what the sixth meant to the person who nominated him.
Brian Bossert, Bryn Mawr Country Club
It requires patience.
What it generally requires is a pause and to be intentional, and to pass something along, when there’s something right in front of you that needs to be done. You just have to be intentional about spending time with people and passing along your experience. Things around here can get pretty crazy in the summer, so I have to be intentional — it doesn’t come naturally. What does come naturally is, How much can we get done?”
“People say all the time, ‘Oh, it’s just a job.’ That’s a little flippant, but [the position] doesn’t define you as an individual. I’m more than a green speed or a golf course superintendent. It’s not what, ultimately, I would want to define me. It’s something I’ve had the pleasure of doing for a long time, but your character, your integrity, those kinds of things, are much more important.
Any success here has been a collective effort with a great team. We all have lives outside of here and you have no idea what’s going through somebody’s head when they walk in the door in the morning, so just having some grace with people is important.
Collier Miller, The PGA Tour / TPC
When we’re able to promote some guys in our network, it always feels good. We feel like we’ve done something right, we’ve done something good for somebody.
One of the things we provide that many clubs in our industry don’t is confidence and support from their employer. They’re not walking around on eggshells with their job on the line every time there’s a little mistake. I think giving guys that kind of comfort makes their lives a whole hell of a lot better. And it keeps them motivated and wanting to work with us for a long time.
From a business aspect, it’s a smart thing to do. Because it does help identify people and grow individuals to fill holes and gaps in your organization. It makes for fewer mistakes and gaps.
Mentorship is not just for ourselves. It’s for that individual to grow and build a career. And it’s good for our industry.
Justin Sims, The Alotian Club
I have learned to make
it my primary focus.
I have a very open-door policy, and I pull people in all the time to talk. It’s kind of that Sam Walton mentality. He would go around a Walmart and talk to people that were stocking shelves, or the checkout people, to get their feedback. People stop in a lot, and no matter what I’m doing, unless I’m talking to our owner or in the middle of something like figuring out a proposal, I will stop everything I’m doing and give somebody my undivided attention, because I want what’s best for them — and also because I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I have a difficult job, but it’s a whole heck of a lot easier when you know we can build everybody up and have a really good team.
Courtney Young, Ansley Golf Club
I can remember a time
when my grandmother was in her early 90s, and I was the youngest of all the grandchildren. And I was with the adults at the adult table, her kids. And I could just see her at 90 at this table where her children were bantering back and forth at Thanksgiving. And just watching that joy on her face, seeing that process, and them talking about old times, just enjoying watching that. Those times when I get to get together with the people that have come through the program and you get to sit there and look at their lives and reflect on that — it’s very satisfying. It just makes me think of her and how satisfied she was looking at that table. And that’s kind of how it is for me when I look at the success of the people that have come through the program and how they’ve enjoyed their career and enjoyed their golf courses. Those relationships … that’s my treasure.
John Zimmers, Inverness Club
I am a big believer
[in,] if they have the desire, and they want to continue to learn, I think you can really make sure that they understand every single job duty. Everything from mowing the greens, to raking a bunker, to mowing a fairway and cutting a hole — and then you just watch them develop.
It’s so important that they understand the equipment, what this brand does or that brand doesn’t, the pros and the cons, because they will be in a position if they are growing or aspiring to be a superintendent that they are going to have to make those big decisions.
When you get to the level that you want to manage, it’s about safety, and you know that this should get done in this amount of time, and if not, that’s a challenge.
The No. 1 expense in any grounds operation is normally the payroll. Time and people management is a big, big thing that you have to learn how to do
Tartan Talks 116
Doug Smith’s mornings consist of bouncing between golf course renovations. His afternoons and evenings consist of helping the inaugural Providence College women’s golf team navigate its first season representing the Big East Conference at the NCAA Division I level.
“If you have the energy,” Smith says on the Tartan Talks podcast, “why not do it?”
Smith estimates he’ll drive around 50,000 miles this year. He’ll add thousands of miles more through the air. The dual roles as a college coach and golf course architect offer a unique perspective on how young, talented players view golf course design.
“They really do have an appreciation of golf course architecture,” Smith says. “Some of them are golf course architecture nerds. They are constantly attaching the name of the course architect to the courses they have played or are going to play. That wasn’t the case 25 years ago.”
Coaching a team in Rhode Island, the state with the most golf courses per square mile, means taking his team to numerous Golden Age gems on compact plots. Visit the Superintendent Radio Network page of popular podcast distribution platforms to learn how Smith discusses course architecture with his players and the methodology he uses to squeeze modern practice areas on venerable, landlocked courses.
PEOPLE NEWS
Brandon Hoag joined Foley Company as regional sales and support manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Region. … Landscapes Unlimited promoted eight-year company veteran Ross Adkins to senior program manager of its Project Development Group. … Performance Nutrition added Andrew Yablonski as its new Northeast turf & ornamental sales manager. … Bernhard and Company appointed Rod Mortimer to technical sales manager – northern North America. … Evergreen Partners, which owns and operates private golf and lifestyle clubs, named Tom Hogan as its new president.
COURSE NEWS
Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, reopened following a nine-month, $9 million golf course renovation project. Gordon Lewis, the course’s original architect, led the renovation work. … David McLay Kidd is set to design the first course at River Ranch Golf Resort, a new resort on top the bluffs of the Snake River near Pasco, Washington. … Homestead in Midway, Utah, recently broke ground on a multi-million-dollar golf course renovation led by architect John Fought. The course is scheduled to reopen by summer 2027. … Construction wrapped on Dhoho Golf Club in Indonesia’s East Java province. Curley-Wagner Design’s Brian Curley spearheaded the project. ... Audubon International announced that Twin Dolphin Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, achieved Signature Sanctuary Gold Certification for its comprehensive commitment to sustainable best practices. … Troon is now managing World of Golf in Florence, Kentucky, and Lawrence Yacht and Country Club in Lawrence, New York. … Battleground Country Club in Manalapan, New Jersey, joined the Concert Golf Partners family as its 40th property.
INDUSTRY BUZZ
Syngenta launched the Aero GCX microclimate sensor, part of an above-ground sensor network that enhances how property managers collect and analyze data. … John Deere introduced two new electric utility rakes: the TruFinish 1235 Electric Utility Rake and TruFinish 1210 Utility Rake. ... Toro expanded its Intelli360 digital toolbox with the addition of streamlined parts ordering functionality. … Frost Inc. introduced ASTRO — short for Autonomous Sprayer for Turf Range Operations — an autonomous sprayer for golf course greens. … Textron E-Z-GO LLC launched its new Labor Portal for the Pace Technology platform. … Advanced Turf Solutions launched ATS Shop, a new online ordering platform. ATS also acquired Nassau Suffolk Turf Services, Inc.
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