5 business tips I wish I’d learned as an Assistant Superintendent Successful superintendents must possess business management smarts on par with their agronomic know-how. A veteran super shares insight on developing this skill set. Chris Carson Chris Carson is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.J. He is a 33-year member of GCSAA.
As I look back on my early years as an assistant superintendent, I am often struck by how little I understood about the business of managing a golf course. I was pleased with my developing skills in agronomy and crew management, but I spent little time thinking about what mattered most to the membership I served. I didn’t fully appreciate that, at its core, golf is a business, and that it would be my job to lead that business as I advanced. I’ve always tried to share those lessons with the young turf managers who have worked for me over the years, to help them learn how important balancing agronomy and business management is to the career of a superintendent. Here are five key tips I pass along. 1. Find out how the finances at your facility work Early in my career as a superintendent, I was surprised to find out how the money flowed at my club. I had no appreciation for the impact of dues, initiation fees, bonds and assessments, and I never thought to ask.
When a green chairman took the time to explain the intricacies of establishing and maintaining a depreciation fund — money taken out of dues to replace depreciating assets such as turf equipment — I felt like I had been given a peek behind the curtain, a look at something new and exciting. I understood that I needed to be more than an agronomist and a manager; I needed to be a businessman as well. Just about every course will handle its finances differently, but understanding that process at your facility is crucial.