Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2025 print edition of Golf Course Industry under the headline “questions for the new year.”
OK, altogether now: Big exhale!
2025 is (almost) over, so breathe a sigh of relief that you made it through one of the toughest years any of us can remember. Before you pat yourself on the back, it’s time to look ahead. Whether or not this is your offseason, it’s the “on-season” for evaluating what you learned about your course, your staff, your members/customers, your family and, most of all, yourself. Tough times demand tough individuals, and with golf participation expected to stay high for the time being, expect the pressure on superintendents to stay strong.
Self-examination isn’t easy, so I’m going to help you get started with questions to ask yourself. They might not all apply, but I suggest you give each one at least a minute or two of honest reflection. The point is to be better prepared for the new year — and to get you feeling better about yourself. You’ve earned it.
OK. Another big exhale. Read on.
The Course
Key question: Where did the course suffer this year?
Putting greens and bunkers are the most important course features. What did you learn about yourself this year? What can you do to improve them next year regarding disease, insects, traffic and everyday wear and tear? Were you able to make your golfers treat them better? If not, are there new ideas to help protect them?
Teeing grounds are never big enough. Do you have the ability and resources to enlarge some select tees in the offseason?
Maintenance equipment is costly and not always easily procured. Do you have the funds in your budget to expand your inventory? Should you be sitting down with your GM or board to supplement your budget?
How are your relationships with vendors and suppliers? Are you getting the best available prices for chemicals and fertilizer? Do you have a backup plan if those costs suddenly rise?
What’s the condition of your maintenance facility? The state of your operations hub says a great deal about you and sets the tone for your team every day. Are there some quick and easy upgrades that would improve everyone’s morale and feelings about coming to work? Or is a bigger offseason rehab necessary?
Personnel
Key question: Are you staffed for success?
Do you see your team as a group or as individuals? You need to understand and address their needs based on age, ability, knowledge and goals.
Are you doing enough to aid the professional development of your staff? Not just your top few people, but all the way down the line?
Have you considered bringing in outside professionals to train your people? What about sending select team members to regional or national conferences that will help expand their minds and networks?
How is your networking? Are you staying connected with friends and contacts in the business?
Same with your education. What about pursuing an advanced degree, say business management or finance? What are you doing to make yourself a better candidate for the next job?
Communications
Key question: Are you visible enough?
What sort of job did you do this year, communicating with your members/customers, as well as management? What’s your social media presence? Is the occasional newsletter article enough?
Have you planned out a regular series of communications to your various constituencies? Are you attending every board/management meeting you can?
What do you think next year’s issues and complaints will be? What can you do to address them now?
Do you have a group of close members/customers to confide in, who tell you what’s going on and who is complaining?
Family
Key question: Is your course getting more love than the people at home?
What are you doing to get back into the family swing of things? Is it time for a couple’s getaway or a family vacation? How many of your kids’ sporting events did you miss? How are your parents and grandparents?
Will you be around for the holidays?
You
Key question: How’s your health — both mental and physical?
How did you handle the pressure this year?
When was the last time you had a physical? Are you doing what the doctor prescribed?
How are you eating, sleeping, hydrating and exercising?
What was the last book — non-turf-related — you read?
What can you do in the off-season to take better care of yourself?
The golf course will still be there next year. Will you?
Explore the November 2025 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
