From failure to cultivating the next generation of equipment technicians, presenters during the 2019 Golf Industry Show educational sessions dispersed wisdom by the hour. Here’s some advice and inspiration offered by those who stood before their peers.
It’s about the people
White Oak Properties (Fla.) director of course operations Tim Hiers used the Turfgrass Talk Show forum to describe storm preparation and recovery tactics. A people-first approach has helped Hiers usher several clubs through devastating storms. “It’s not about the hurricane,” Hiers says. “It’s about your employees. Take care of your employees, and they will take care of you.”
Don’t fail to ask others
Jason Haines, Kevin Hicks, Jessica Lenihan, Chris Rapp and Chris Tritabaugh showed humility by discussing their failures inside a packed room. The quintet stressed the importance of relying on others to help you through perilous situations. “If you find yourself in an epic situation, ask for help from your team,” says Rapp, the equipment manager at Bellerive (Mo.) Country Club.
Get your team involved
Sparrows Point (Md.) Country Club superintendent Tyler Bloom introduces the value of relationship building to his crew. Tactics include having industry figures such as architects and irrigation gurus meet with employees. “Get your staff involved with your network and your vendors,” Bloom says.
Energized about equipment
Westmoreland (Ill.) Country Club equipment manager Chuck Totten has worked with dozens of young technicians throughout his career. Three recruiting grounds for technicians, according to Totten, are high schools, county fairs and community colleges. “One of the biggest questions I get is: How much money can I make in your industry?” Totten says. “I respond with a question: How much are you paying to go to school?”
Remember the revenue
What’s the best way for a superintendent to sell a bunker renovation? Kevin Norby, ASGCA, recommends thinking about dollars instead of conditions. “You have to remember as a superintendent what your ownership or board is thinking about is revenue,” he says. “It resonates with them if the sand is inconsistent, but it really resonates when it’s about revenue.”
Guy Cipriano is GCI’s senior editor.
