Page 9 - GM Spring 2023

Right Now
One Concern
Getting an early morning start preparing the greens.
There’s something about the job of
a superintendent that ignites the senses. Eyes adjust, in the pre-dawn light, to the mist that kisses the multi- acre canvas. Birds chirp and mowers start – unmistakable sounds, both. The heat of the morning’s first coffee doesn’t burn as much as it used to, but lips feel the chill of a reusable tumbler, perhaps left too close to the air conditioner overnight. And the smell, of course, might be the most distinguishable – of gas and grass, of mulch and mowers.
Rhod Trainor, AGS, former Superintendent of Hamilton Golf & Country Club with his turf team during the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.
INDUSTRY WIDE CHALLENGE
The job of a superintendent, underappreciated certainly, does not cease when the lunch bell rings and the tee-sheet is humming. There are budgets to manage and orders to check and maybe, just maybe, a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Labour, and labourers, however, have become a key sticking point for plenty in the industry across Canada. No matter what job friends or family may be in, it is likely they are talking about workers and who needs what and how tough it is out there. There is no denying it – things are expensive, things are different, and people are all being asked to do more with less.
But, the good news is that opportunities exist to solve problems and weather storms. That’s what a superintendent does best, right? While labour challenges for superintendents remain significant in this country, there’s been plenty of discussion on how to make appropriate changes – and keep courses in top shape for years to come.
GreenMaster • CGSA • 9