Billy Bagwell – Callawassie Island Club; Okatie, South Carolina
“Starting out as the assistant super, I had a really good relationship with the crew. I know them as people moreso than a lot of other supers do, just from spending time with them. If you have a more personal relationship with them, they’re more inclined to work with you, for you, and harder. You tend to get more production in the long run. You’re only as good as your crew. That’s kind of what we’re working on now. We try to do things to give back to them, to show that they’re appreciated.”
Patrick Daly – Framingham Country Club; Framingham, Massachusetts
“I’ve got a really good head mechanic; he’s very good at managing his department. I can kind of let him do his own thing, which has been a huge boost for me. You typically get much better production when you let people make decisions. Once you give someone the ability to manage and he’s really good at it, it just shines right through. We’re working on trying to get everybody to buy into the goals for the course. When you involve your team in decision-making, they’re invested. When they’re invested, they’ll use their skills to the best of their ability.
Mike Esh – Bay Hills Golf Club; Arnold, Maryland
“I’m doing a lot, like addressing problems right away to keep them from getting out of hand, and making expectations really clear. Being able to communicate these ideas to them is really going to be key. We’re planning, really laying out clear, focused goals for the crew and making sure I mention details. I don’t do a lot of babysitting on the course, so I need to get across exactly what I mean. If there’s a problem, I’ll go after it right away before I let it spread. I’m working on motivating some of the newer guys ¬ sometimes working a golf course isn’t the most glamorous job in the world. A simple thing I’ve tried to do more of is singling tasks out, showing them that I appreciate it and how that job will help us out in the long run.”