...or not being a Superintendent Cancel The title field is required!

1. Ashton Alan W

   
   1/7/2014 9:01 AM

   Took a few weeks to collect my thoughts...
   
   My club let me go on December 17th. I had been informed in October that the club would not renew my contract when it expired at the end of the year. They had decided that, purely for budget concerns, they were going to "go in a different direction". That new direction you ask? They decided that they could eliminate the Superintendent position and have my Assistant run it... under the direction of our recently hired GM (didn't have one previously). Can you say "rob Peter to pay Paul"??... I knew you could!!
   
   As this was a Board action, I had the possibility that the election in the first part of December could rectify things... we got the Board we wanted, but when they voted on the issue a week afterwards it went against me 4-3. All about the bottom line I suppose.
   
   Still amazed at the fact that not one member has contacted me in the interim... the course is better than it's ever been... I guess it can suffer a little while they save money and try to stem the tide of losing members.
   
   Eleven years... thought I'd be there until I retired...

   
   
   
   
2. Melvin Waldron

   

   43 posts
   
   1/7/2014 9:01 AM

   Sorry to hear that Alan,
   
   hopefully your talents were showcased in the area and you'll take them to where they may be appriciated. It's too bad they didn't make you GM.
   
   Good luck!
   
   Mel

   
   Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO
   
   
3. Brandon Coulter

   

   0 posts
   
   1/7/2014 9:01 AM

   Really sorry to hear of your situation, it is becoming all too common.
   
   Good luck to you!

   
   
   
   
4. Steve Nelson

   

   0 posts
   
   1/7/2014 9:01 AM

   Sorry to hear that Alan. I think in this profession it is a question of "when" and not "if" for all of us. Good luck to you.

   
   
   
   
5. Jon Kindlesparger

   

   0 posts
   
   1/7/2014 10:01 AM

   Sorry to hear that. I went through the same thing a little over two years ago. Brought the golf course from a goat ranch with 20% grass on the greens when I started to really nice greens, good fairways and tees. Play increased by 30% and more people wanted to hold outings. 10 years later, I was 'budget cut' and let go. Sucks, but is part of the deal. My biggest mistake was hiring an assistant that was too good. They gave him the job for 20K or so a year less. Good luck.

   
   
   
   
6. Clay Putnam

   

   33 posts
   
   1/7/2014 10:01 AM

   Sorry to hear of this, Alan. Losing one's livelihood is a scary thing. Happens to most of us at some point in our careers. If it's any condolence there are greener pastures ahead. It's tough to see those pastures when caught in the whirlwind of dealing with the worries of unemployment but I'm sure you will land on your feet in a full sprint.
   
   Best of success in the NEAR future...

   
   
   
   
7. Wahlin Scott B

   
   1/7/2014 12:01 PM

   I too am sorry to hear this Alan. It happened to me on July 15. I had been with the club for 12 years. I was the "Golf Course Manager" aka GM and could not see how we were going to make it financially. It was a municipality and we were an enterprise fund meaning we had to support ourselves with user fees - no taxes. My previous City Manager told me in no uncertain terms that I would never see a nickel from the General Fund, which mostly came from property taxes. I signed my new contract in June and the new City Manager exercised her option to buy me out 6 weeks later.

   
   
   
   
8. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   1/7/2014 12:01 PM

   Hey, Alan, I thought something was up when I saw your sign off change a while back. Guys are dropping like flies up here as well. One friend was dumped after 18 years and he really didn't get a clear indication as to why. Even though I am still employed, I found the toughest thing for me was figure how and when to reach out to the person. A lot of guys are bitter and just want to vent. Others just want to be left alone. You are lucky to have a forum like this where you can get the moral support you need, on your terms.
   I wish you all the best and hope that something comes up soon
   Red

   
   
   
   
9. Don Davis

   

   0 posts
   
   1/7/2014 3:01 PM

   Alan,
   Sorry to hear. It sucks to hear how short-minded people can be. I hope something works out for you soon.
   
   Don Davis
   Chaparral Pines & The Rim Club

   
   
   
   
10. Grote Richard R

    
    1/7/2014 3:01 PM

    Alan, sorry to hear of you loss I can relate as the same thing happened to me in October after only 2 years. Hug your loved ones and move on to something better. I've read some your post over the years and I can see you are a good individual. God has a better plan for you.
    
    Rick Grote

    
    
    
    
11. Timothy Walker

    

    0 posts
    
    1/7/2014 4:01 PM

    Rick sorry to hear that, really is bad news. I wish you some good fortune in the near future.
    
    Alan, best wishes to you as well.

    
    
    
    
12. Gary Carls

    

    20 posts
    
    1/8/2014 8:01 AM

    Good morning Alan,
    
    Tough way to go but hope you can find something better. Seems like lots of folks higher up think they have a better way to run things and save money. That usually means the maintenance budget gets cut first. In our case we have lost 25% of our staff along with probably about another 10-15% of our actual materials budget in the last two-three years. My position which is mostly administrative is slated to be eliminated as soon as I retire and then the "superintendents" position which has now been left unfilled for almost two years is supposed to move up in responsibility to take over many of my current duties. Despite my protests we stopped staffing on the holidays about a year and a half ago so we don't do set up or mow greens when we still are charging those customers a premium. Higher ups don't see that as an issue. We are scheduled to lose another staff person next week who is being transferred to Parks to help save the golf budget. While the course impacts aren't immediate they are starting to show in places as well as within the morale of the staff that are left. The only reason things have held together this long is that all of my staff have been here at least 12 years and they all have a great work ethic. Sad that we have had to go down this road like so many others.
    
    During all of this the golf shop budget has actually been increased and they had OT added to their budget to cover holidays. None of it makes sense but it's out of my control. Fortunately for me, I'm a short-timer so it does allow me the ability to push back on things more than I might otherwise. Not that it gains anything in the long run but it's nice to be able to have some "attitude" and stand up for what you believe to be right.
    
    Again, good luck in finding a position that gives you the chance to showcase your skills and experience and the value that can bring to a facility.

    
    Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
    
    
13. Sandy Clark

    

    0 posts
    
    1/8/2014 9:01 AM

    Alan, so sorry to hear that. You are a quality guy with a ton of talent and a solid resume. I hope you find something satisfying very quickly. I am just hoping for 4.5 more years so I can go out on my own terms at 72. My assistant will retire during 2014 and his replacement will start at the year 2000 beginning end of the salary range. That may take future pressure off anyone looking at our wages and salaries and thinking they can be greatly reduced. Best of luck. If you want to jump to the landscape side of the business, I can get you in touch with my son. He is the Operations Manager for a solid and growing company in Arizona. Contact me on my work e-mail if you need the lead. sclark@barona.com
    
    Sandy

    
    
    
    
14. Ashton Alan W

    
    1/9/2014 7:01 AM

    Thanks for all the replies guys!
    
    My period of mourning is over and I'm getting after it! Have a few irons in the fire, including one on the dark side.
    
    Sandy: have considered the landscape side previously... think I may just hit you up on that!

    
    
    
    
15. Trevor Monreal

    

    5 posts
    
    1/9/2014 1:01 PM

    Gosh Alan...soooo sorry to hear this.
    Nothing wrong with mourning a loss.
    I wish you well with whatever you find yourself doing.
    Your case, and others, confirms it for me...I wont hire another assistant as long as I'm doing this.
    And, if I'm asked to...I'll know what's up.
    Give me a shout if you'd like...we'll tee it up

    
    
    
    
16. James Schmid

    

    1 posts
    
    1/9/2014 6:01 PM

    Trevor Monreal said:
    Your case, and others, confirms it for me...I wont hire another assistant as long as I'm doing this.
    

    
    
    
    Thats a good idea. You should avoid all mechanics, foremen, irrigators, spray dudes, administrative assistants, equipment operators, and goose dogs too - threats are lurking everywhere. You also should probably get rid of your computer too, as one day computers and robots will take over our jobs.
    
    Then again it is always possible that they will fire you whether or not they believe that they have someone in place to fill your spot

    
    
    
    
17. Wahlin Scott B

    
    1/9/2014 7:01 PM

    James Schmid said:

    Trevor Monreal said:
    Your case, and others, confirms it for me...I wont hire another assistant as long as I'm doing this.
    

    
    
    
    Thats a good idea. You should avoid all mechanics, foremen, irrigators, spray dudes, administrative assistants, equipment operators, and goose dogs too - threats are lurking everywhere. You also should probably get rid of your computer too, as one day computers and robots will take over our jobs.
    
    Then again it is always possible that they will fire you whether or not they believe that they have someone in place to fill your spot

    
    
    I see no reason why a superintendent should not evaluate his operation to determine what exactly the needs are. In many cases the Mechanic can certainly oversee the operation while the Superintendent is on vacation for a couple weeks.

    
    
    
    
18. Stephen Ravenkamp

    

    1 posts
    
    1/10/2014 7:01 PM

    So sorry, Alan. Come up and play golf sometime.
    
    Steve

    
    
    
    
19. Thomas Brown

    

    0 posts
    
    1/13/2014 9:01 AM

    Tough break, Alan. There's a lot us of us that are concerned about our future as superintendents in this economy. I pray your situation turns out for your best interests.
    
    I was wondering if you had been given the option to take a 25% pay cut if you would have been able to keep your job? I just turned 60 yrs. old and took what turned out to be a 25% pay cut via a 13 week seasonal lay off for the past 4 years and collect unemployment benefits. Just curious if anyone else has faced this or was offered the option.
    
    Tom

    
    
    
    
20. Wahlin Scott B

    
    1/13/2014 7:01 PM

    It's not like I had a choice, but I took a 70% pay cut. On the plus side I don't have to wake up at 4:30am ever again!