Alan FitzGerald on why it’s important to have patience when there’s a disagreement on the course

Patience! That thing that you need when dealing with certain people or to save yourself frustration when things are just not going your way. Learning to adapt to new challenges and how to react in these situations can be the making or breaking.

Rehoboth Beach Country Club is surrounded by houses, unlike the other courses where I’ve worked, which only had a few.

One time at one of my previous courses, I didn’t realize where the tree crew was starting, and, at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, they fired up a chipper behind the one house backing directly up to the property. It turns out people frown upon that, and the irony of the situation was not lost on me when, at home a few Saturdays later at 7 a.m., that person’s landscaping company fired up a chipper outside my neighbor’s house. The difference was that I didn’t find the need to pay the crew a visit and give them a piece of my mind.

We all know people react differently to different things, and when it is something they are particularly passionate about, the situation can escalate quickly. So, how do you deal with it? Earlier in the year, I had a contractor remove all the dead trees around the property. Due to flooding issues, there were many of them, and as we walked the woods checking them out, we also marked any hazardous living trees, such as ones leaning over the neighboring properties.

Since the course was closed for aeration, it was the perfect opportunity for him to safely drop the trees. He called me late in the morning, saying there “is a lot” and asking if he should stop, but I reassured him that I’d rather just get them all down since we were closed. When I finally broke away from aeration and made it over to the area, it turned out there were a lot of trees, and I would probably hear about it.

I got out in front of it by contacting some of the neighbors who I knew would not be happy. They were very appreciative of not only being informed but also that the hazardous trees were being taken care of. I thought I was good, but it wasn’t long before someone complained, which then led to some awkward meetings.

Tree removal is controversial, especially on golf courses. While I might get my superintendent card taken away for saying this, I like trees — provided, of course, they are healthy, in the right spot and not a hazard to people, play or turf quality.

People can lose all common sense and sense of reality when they are extremely passionate about something. Dealing with this properly is the challenge. It’s a tightrope of balancing everyone’s best interests while also not appeasing any one person; otherwise, everyone will want something. Sometimes, doing or saying nothing is best, even if doing nothing is difficult.

I was once told that I’m always right, but my reply was that I don’t argue when I know/realize that I am wrong — although that answer may have proved their point! My point is, be willing to admit when you’re wrong, or just be willing to eat some humble pie to de-escalate the situation while at the same time being fully prepared and having the patience to fight your side when you know that you’re right.

No matter how silly an argument gets, you can’t argue with facts. The tough bit is staying calm and focused while staying the course until the facts are accepted and both sides can reach an understanding. Only when both parties come to an agreement can the communication begin to work on a solution. Patience truly is a virtue!

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