The Golfdom Files: A question of management
Do you have aspirations to expand your management responsibilities at your club? In the April 1967 issue of Golfdom, a Long Island superintendent shared steps he took to make that a reality. Read the full story here.
A question of management
Superintendents should not be shy about their ability but show their clubs what they can do.
By Kayem Ovian // The Woodmere (N.Y.) Club
Photo: Golfdom staff
Yes, there are opportunities for young, intelligent and ambitious superintendents to become superintendent-managers and, later, general managers. More and more clubs are favoring superintendents as managers because of the many advantages for this type of move.
Superintendents become qualified more readily because of their knowledge of turf management, and by applying good management practices into the clubhouse area, adjust quickly. They have a better knowledge of the mechanics of a clubhouse, because of their training with course equipment. Most managers lack this type of training.
Therefore, from our experience for approximately seven years, we have a split management system at Woodmere. The maître d’ was promoted to food manager, and the superintendent of the golf course was promoted to superintendent manager of this Long Island club. There were several factors that influenced the Woodmere board of governors’ thinking at the time:
- There had been a large turnover of managers.
- The superintendent was establishing himself with the club by his management of the greens budget, and showing progress with the golf course.
- The superintendent is in a better position to coordinate help from the various departments when needed rather than hire additional help which becomes costly.
- The superintendent is on the job seven days a week and the club supplies a home with the job. Therefore, if the superintendent is qualified and the club has given him a home, hoping that he will stay for many years, why not give him the opportunity to better himself?
My responsibilities at the Woodmere Club are mainly: golf course, maintenance of all buildings and equipment, golf cars, parking, locker rooms, pool, tennis and boat docks. These include hiring of personnel and the purchasing of supplies. I am not involved with the dining room and/or food operation unless it pertains to equipment and maintenance.
I usually begin my day first covering the golf course in a golf car between 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. All during the day I am in contact with my greens foreman and mechanic, for any changes in schedule or problems.
I am in my office at the clubhouse between 9:30 a.m. and noon, clearing my desk of paperwork, payroll, phone calls and meeting with salesmen. During the lunch hour, I am available for more club business and phone calls.
After 1 p.m. and the remainder of the afternoon, I roam around to other areas, such as the pool, parking, tennis, golf course and clubhouse. During the evenings, I am available for any emergency or club meeting, as I am located across the front entrance to the clubhouse. Also, it is very convenient for me to stroll with my dog during late evenings and talk to my night-watering man.
I have always enjoyed golf and try to play on Monday or Tuesday, and again on Thursday or Friday. No matter how much you cover your golf course on wheels, it is not like playing the course and getting the feel of its condition from a player’s viewpoint.
This is my 13th year with the Woodmere Club — I started October of 1954. At that time, I began a major renovation on the golf course and completed it five years later, involving a badly needed drainage system. We are only a couple of feet above sea level and have a heavy clay-based flat golf course.
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