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Back to school
Experiences on the golf course are leading
superintendents to the classroom as educators.
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Becoming an instructor at a university or local trade school does not require multiple graduate degrees. For many superintendents, a strong knowledge of the turfgrass field, a base of strong network contacts and a reputation as a leader in your field can make you a valuable resource in the classroom.
Those are the ways many current and former superintendents have found work as educators or in university settings. The personal rewards can be extensive, both as a side or second career. Those superintendents who remain active in education credit the ability to share their knowledge with aspiring turfgrass students as the main reason for their enthusiasm.
A superintendent or assistant superintendent often has natural talent as a teacher. Throughout the majority of a busy golf season, leaders will be continuously teaching their crew members, and a high level of communication is necessary to do this effectively.
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Volunteering as a lecturer at GCSAA’s Education Conference or for your local chapter is a way to become comfortable with leading a university class. GCM file photo |
The ‘godfather of turf’
George Thompson, an instructor at Sand Hills Community College in Pinehurst, N.C., and a former superintendent for more than four decades, has used teaching as a second career after his retirement as a full-time superintendent. The 44-year member of GCSAA spent his last 19 years as superintendent at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, where he was recruited to be an instructor by Sand Hills turfgrass management program coordinator Mike Ventola.
Today, Thompson’s students refer to him as the “godfather of turf,” Ventola says. No matter how active his schedule is, Thompson attends as many national conferences and seminars on the topic of turfgrass or golf course management as possible, which is a key factor in maintaining his knowledge base.
“George understands the science and really has always been a scientist, but he speaks to the real world,” Ventola says. “As an educator, you have to be willing to educate yourself to be relevant to your students.”
As Thompson approached retirement, he was determined to remain active in the golf industry. Over the years, Thompson had taught numerous courses at the University of Maryland while he was superintendent at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., and frequently served as a mentor to aspiring superintendents.
“I tried to volunteer as often as I could while speaking before associations or as part of a lecture,” Thompson says.
Ventola first lured Thompson to Sand Hills as a substitute teacher, and upon Thompson’s retirement, encouraged him to increase his involvement. He wasn’t concerned that Thompson had only an associate’s degree because his knowledge was immense and he showed patience and a willingness to spend time with students on a part-time basis.
After filling in as a lecturer for other instructors’ classes at Sand Hills, Thompson was given a lab class where he spent time teaching practical topics in the field such as EPA issues, wildlife safety and more. He became more comfortable with the process and within the last two years has been the instructor for the advanced turf class at Sand Hills, the last course turfgrass management students take as seniors.
“(Ventola) basically told me that he was giving me the final say in this class, so I wrote my own syllabus that is based on practical knowledge,” Thompson says. “I try to teach topics that our students will use in their professions on a regular basis.”
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Subjects superintendents may be qualified to teach turf students include computer and business management skills. |
Making adjustments
There have been some adjustments for Thompson along the way. He has discovered that he needs to review his last handful of lectures in advance of a quiz or test so his students will get a better understanding of what will be covered on such an examination. “I give them so much information that I occasionally confuse them,” Thompson says with a laugh.
One of the ways Thompson has built a loyal group of turfgrass alums from the Sand Hills program is that he doesn’t lecture in a classroom. Each week and virtually each class, he takes his students to one of the 52 golf courses located within a short drive of the community college to engage in on-course instruction and training.
That emphasis on real-life scenarios and problem solving helps Thompson relate to his students more effectively, but Ventola says that alone doesn’t make a current or former superintendent a great teacher.
“You have to be patient and be willing to discuss the basics on an ongoing basis,” Ventola says.
What Thompson readily admits he is largely unwilling to do is handle the bureaucracy and paperwork that come with submitting a departmental budget that is affected by the state government, a challenge most superintendents struggle with when they become a college instructor, Ventola says.
“George is so good that I handle the paperwork and lighten that burden from his shoulders,” Ventola says. “But it is a much different process than answering to a membership committee or golf course owners.”
Thompson doesn’t miss the numerous meetings he was responsible for attending while working as a superintendent and enjoys the flexibility of managing his own schedule. His experience overseeing hundreds of employees as a golf course superintendent has helped him to better communicate with college students of different cultural, educational and socio-economic backgrounds.
Teaching college courses is not a recipe for becoming a millionaire, Thompson says, and most superintendents only supplement their existing income from a golf course with their college teaching or teach actively upon retirement. He also admits that his educational background likely limits the institutions where he can teach.
“I am very fortunate because my credentials for teaching are based solely on my experience and some connections I have made,” Thompson says. “Many superintendents likely would need a bachelor’s (and/or) master’s degree, but whether you teach at a four-year school or a technical school, it’s a very rewarding role.”
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Listening to talented speakers is a developmental tool for would-be teachers. |
Dual roles
Sharing that practical knowledge is also a strategy used by Bob Erickson, CGCS, who manages maintenance of the golf practice facility and the Lake Wheeler Turf Field Lab at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Erickson, a nine-year GCSAA member, spent six years as superintendent of Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, N.C., and then was recruited by NC State to oversee its golf practice facility.
His role has expanded to working with professors at the university’s turfgrass management and professional golf management programs, leading lab classes and lecturing on specific topics when needed. However, Erickson retains a superintendent role while overseeing the university’s golf practice facility and thus interacts regularly with the golf teams and coaches.
“In many ways my role is similar to what it was at Prestonwood because I am responsible for managing USGA greens and the fairways at the practice facility,” Erickson says.
His work with the Lake Wheeler Turf Field Lab also is similar to the day-to-day duties faced by superintendents at golf facilities across the country. He is responsible for simulating golf course conditions and managing the lab’s “turf trials,” including more than 100,000 square feet of bentgrass. This research-and-development work helps the university generate studies on all types of turfgrass, from athletic fields and golf courses to household lawns.
“What I really enjoy and value is the variety of work that I do here at the university,” Erickson says. “I have been involved in a (college) course that teaches the pro golf management students the basics of turfgrass management.”
Erickson’s roles at NC State require him to interact with a number of people on a daily basis, which can be a change from the typical superintendent role. He regularly communicates with the school’s golf teams and coaches, students, professors, members at the university’s course, and industry partners and vendors who interact with him as part of his role with the turf lab.
“I am by no means a regular member of the university’s faculty, but there is a lot of teaching that goes on, from labs to giving visitors tours of the turf lab or practice facility,” Erickson says. “To work in a university setting you have to feel comfortable communicating with many colleagues and a wider group than when you work primarily at a single course.”
Breaking new ground
His background as a graduate student and graduate assistant made Mike Morris, CGCS at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Mich., a natural to become an instructor in both university and professional settings. Morris has been a regular guest lecturer at Michigan State University in East Lansing and for various professional associations, including the Wisconsin GCSA.
Morris has been able to juggle these roles while continuing to work full time at Crystal Downs. While the 22-year GCSAA member admits it is a significant time commitment, his teaching duties are a benefit to him and the executive committee at Crystal Downs. In fact, these engagements and teaching opportunities have allowed him to generate increased exposure for the northern Michigan course.
“There’s a high level of prestige that comes with being sought out for instructor roles,” Morris says.
He has spoken to Michigan State students for nearly a decade, but since 2001 has specialized in teaching students and peers a method of determining ideal greens speed, a process he developed with Michigan State colleague Thomas Nikolai, Ph.D. This proprietary process takes into account mowing heights, rolling tendencies and other factors to determine the proper greens speed for a specific course.
This “formula” includes data on measurables ranging from agronomics to player satisfaction and typical weather patterns, Morris says. He has taught the specifics of this process to large and small groups, and says some colleagues have modified the formula to fit their specific needs. He has taught classes or hosted seminars at the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show and has worked with Nikolai to develop an international curriculum.
“We’ve taught courses or held seminars in person and via webcasts,” Morris says. “It isn’t easy, but it’s not a topic that is separate from what I do every day on the golf course, so it’s not that difficult to translate (the process) into an educational piece.”
In fact, he has been encouraged by his bosses and members at Crystal Downs, where he’s worked for the past 21 years. However, there is a difference between instructing existing students and professional colleagues, Morris says. Typical undergraduate or graduate students are more interested in learning the skills that will land them a job upon graduation, while colleagues engage in more detailed conversations and are more willing to share and discuss ideas while asking for feedback.
Other topics that Morris has taught in collegiate settings include environmental considerations for golf course maintenance facilities, bunker restoration and managing golf course budgets. He is actively using greens covers in the winter and has made presentations on that subject as well.
The best way for superintendents to become involved in teaching is to become active in local or regional professional associations, either those specific to golf course management or business-related ones on behalf of their golf course, Morris says. Getting experience first as a seminar or conference moderator and then building up to a university-level instructor is a good path, although some universities will require a graduate degree.
“Listen to speakers who you admire, and just like anything it’s about practice, practice, practice,” Morris says. “Once you feel comfortable in a public speaking role and assuming you have a strong grasp of the subject matter, the rest comes easy, including developing presentation and handout materials to emphasize your points in a classroom setting.”
Making the grade
Full-time, tenured college professors in turfgrass management or other fields generally must hold doctoral degrees. In these roles, they supervise graduate students, conduct research, write textbooks, give lectures and teach anywhere from three to 20 hours per week.
Competition is increasingly fierce today for dwindling numbers of those positions. Yet, part-time instructors in turfgrass management are increasingly being used in two- and four-year institutions.
Opportunities for postsecondary teaching jobs are expected to be good, but many new openings will be for part-time or non-tenure-track positions.
Prospects for teaching jobs will be better and earnings higher in academic fields in which many qualified teachers opt for nonacademic careers, such as health specialties, business and computer science, for example.
Educational qualifications for postsecondary teaching jobs range from expertise in a particular field to a Ph.D., depending on the subject being taught and the type of educational institution.
— Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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