A week or so ago I opened SiteOne’s very cool virtual golf forum with a talk that makes it clear why I’m bullish on the future of both golf and golf course superintendents. Here’s what I had to say.
First, let me restate for the record that I despise the word “boom” when it’s attached to the word “golf.” Those of us who lived through the OG golf boom back in the day now regret much of what happened (e.g., overbuilding, becoming a subset of real-estate, and ego courses that demanded a silly amount of labor). We boomed, we busted and we’ve been slowing deflating and trying to find a new way to grow for two decades.
So, I won’t say boom but I do believe this pandemic bubble is real. The lack of alternatives and a yearning to get outside without getting infected re-ignited interest in golf. Rounds are up EVERYWHERE. The biggest reason for this has been the new work-from-home culture that suddenly makes it easier for people to plan their schedules around a quick round.
So – and it shocks me to write this sentence – cash flow at America’s pro shops is probably at an all-time high because of a global pandemic. Go figure.
The dead skunk in the room spoiling the “COVID saves golf” fairy tale is big old empty clubhouses. Facilities that rely on weddings and other non-golf events to pay the bills and cover debt will struggle with how to operate without some of those revenues for the foreseeable future.
That said, the pandemic has been a redonkulous short-term jolt for golf. Every operator I talk with just frickin giddy. The fundamental question is: can we make it last?
Here’s why I’m bullish that we can:
1. Work from home is here to stay. Companies quickly figured out that remote workers with flexible schedules do just fine. That’s lousy for the commercial real estate business but really good for golf.
2. Social distancing is becoming embedded in our culture the same way handshaking is going away. Media coverage helped establish our happy little pastime as the distancing champ. Score another point for golf!
3. Golf as exercise is finally getting the attention it deserves. The Great Pull Cart Shortage of 2020 is the best story ever because it’s evidence that people – including a growing number of women – want to get their 10,000 steps in outdoors and have fun at the same time.
4. America’s moms were already steering children away from contact team sports like soccer and football because of concerns about concussions. Those kids hit the course this year in huge numbers. I’m optimistic that youth golf can become a thing and create a bigger “next generation” of customers.
So, all of this points to a healthy future for golf…if we don’t screw it up. Just how would golf most likely shoot itself in the foot and waste this opportunity?
First by not really welcoming kids on the course. Way too many places give lip service to being kid-friendly but aren’t real crazy about having actual kids on the course. Why? Cuz of the usual gang of noisy geezers who bitch about how kids (and women) slow them down. Here’s how you avoid that: listen politely to the geezers then ignore them and go do the right thing for the future of your business.
And second we could fail to convert this bubble into something sustainable because too many facilities still suck at hospitality. Breaking News: People want to feel welcomed and appreciated!
I’ve always been baffled by the fact that the service at the average Starbucks is better than what a first-time visitor experiences at most golf facilities. Hell, I’m a 50-something white guy wearing a Seminole shirt and I still get ignored in pro shops. Facilities that embrace good customer service will outperform those who don’t in the post-COVID marketplace.
So that’s why I’m pretty bullish on golf. Now let’s talk about why I’m very bullish about the future for superintendents.
You provide leadership and ACTION.
Y’all once again proved you are indispensable during the pandemic. Had it not been for superintendents – often working with just a handful of staff – golf would have simply shut down. Instead, you worked your asses off and provided a place to play and decompress when we needed it most.
The smart people in golf from Mike Davis of USGA to Ben Crenshaw to big-time management company CEOs all agree: superintendents are the critical lynchpin in our business. Or, as Tom Watson told me 30 years ago, “Without a golf course superintendent, you have a cow pasture.”
This message…this understanding…has been slowly dawning on the golf community for decades but it’s becoming indisputable. The person who leads golf course maintenance runs the biggest, most valuable, most visible and most important aspect of a club. And you do it reliably, pretty much spot on budget, year after year. And you do it no matter what kind of chaos – storms, floods, wildfires, pandemics, plagues of locusts – get thrown at you.
That’s irreplaceable and the people who lead America’s golf facilities are finally waking up to it.
Carl Spackler No More
I know it may not always feel like it, but the image of the superintendent is light years better than it used to be. I thought it was fascinating to see the response superintendents had to the videos and coverage done by Barstool Sports during the U.S. Open. Riggs and his ForePlay team did a kind of “day in the life” thing with Steve Rabideau of Winged Foot and it just lit up Twitter and Instagram.
The videos were fun because Rabi is awesome puffing away on his cigar and viewers – particularly golf aficionados – dug the behind the scenes stuff. For once, it wasn’t just turfheads responding to a superintendent story at a major.
Think about that for a minute. There have been lots of these kind of “peek behind the curtain” stories in the past done by Matt Ginella or Geoff Shackelford or even schmucks like me. Most of it was great content and we cheered it but it didn’t engage avid golfers like this Riggs thing. It tells me that more and more golfers really are starting to get it, particularly the younger “buddy-trip-to-Bandon” dudes who know enough about Doak and Hanse and Fast and Firm to be dangerous.
The bottom line is that media wins like these, along with four decades of steady public relations by GCSAA, have paid off. But most importantly you told your own stories! The combined communications efforts of thousands of supers on social media have turned the tide. The general public still has little clue about what you do but the majority of regular golfers totally get it and maybe, kind of, sort of appreciate you.
Engaged Advocacy
Superintendents have made themselves essential to golf’s relationship with government. No other group has done as much to build relationships and tell golf’s business and environmental story. Hundreds and hundreds of individual supers are leaders in advocacy. Our profile and image on Capitol Hill and in every state is better and more positive because you guys engaged. You were smart enough to understand that it was not only important to defend what we do, it was personally and professionally rewarding. I have no doubt that, if not for the efforts made by supers over the years, the pandemic shutdown would have been vastly worse.
BTW, I genuinely believe that the First Green program is one of the best things superintendents can do. It’s a cool way to introduce kids to a golf course (and perhaps plant seeds for a future player or even a superintendent) and by all accounts rewarding as hell to host.
Business Excellence
When it comes to caring for golf courses, frugality is the mother of all virtues.
Golf is only sustainable if it’s financially sustainable and turfheads consistently over-deliver on whatever the budget happens to be. And, because there seems to be a gene for frugality amongst most turfheads, you’re fabulous at keeping on budget. And, because the pandemic didn’t change our labor issues one bit, that’s going to be even more important in future. In short, you aren’t just essential to course care, you’re essential to business success in general.
Passion
I’ve said it a gajillion times: you’re probably not going to get rich or famous doing this, but if you’re passionate about it you’ll never work a day.
How can you not be bullish about that?
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And a quick update…
I’m happy to report that Flagstick LLC – my happy little business – is doing well.
As you may have noticed, most of my work is with Aquatrols and BASF. I’ve loved both these companies unabashedly for years. Wonderful cultures, committed people and a clearheaded approach to the business. I’m grateful that their vision includes me.
I do projects with a few other folks – notably Brian Laurent and his nifty Ohio Superintendents Network – and I continue to teach and speak (virtually and small groups). I’m also proud to help out as needed for the Golf Course Builders Association of America (which is actually the hippest of all the allied associations).
Mostly I do what I’ve always done: tell stories, document the state of the industry, and try to advocate for golf course superintendents. I just don’t have a fancy title or a boss anymore. The latter suits me.
I know it sounds scandalous but me and Mrs. Jones have a thing going on at Flagstick. In addition to being talented, hilarious and hot, she’s run her own small business for years so she has Flagstick buttoned down and doing things right. We are cautiously optimistic it is a sustainable enterprise.
I confess that we have thrived during the pandemic. Both of us like the way it reshaped the way we work and we get to spend more time together. And we are best friends so we got that going for us.
I’m shocked to admit I don’t miss jetting around the country for meetings and speeches. I’ve driven to a couple of business things but this is the first time I’ve gone six months without flying since Reagan was president.
I really do miss engaging with all of y’all in person. There are some things Zoom can’t replace. I choose to believe that will be “normal” again someday.
One final thing: thank you so much for completing my surveys or answering my crazy emails about stories. I literally couldn’t do this without you. Keep in touch!