MAINTAINING a golf course is the most critical element of any golf club.
But like so many other industries, finding skilled staff has become an immense challenge and turf managers around the world are struggling to find the people they need to help maintain golf courses and stadiums to a premium level.
This human resource challenge has been compounded in the golf sector as players flock to the sport in unprecedented numbers meaning managers have never been busier, which has led to the expansion of their role.
Course manager at Moonah Links, one of Australia’s most unique leisure resorts located at Victoria’s picturesque Mornington Peninsula, Kyle Wilson said he had experienced this firsthand.
“It was not long ago my primary role was course conditioning and maintaining facilities,” he said. “However, my responsibilities have drastically evolved over the past 10 years.
“Now the role of course manager also includes human resources, workplace health and safety and, in recent times, managing Covid-19 requirements.”
Wilson said one way he was combatting the labour issue was by ensuring Moonah Link’s PGA-grade two 18-hole championship golf courses were serviced by the right equipment, which eases the burden of limited staff and reduces input costs.
“For example, wide-area mowers that save time and labour have never been more required,” he said. “With increasing fuel costs, the improvement in hybrid and electric equipment is another development that has improved and may assist with the increasing costs of maintaining our courses.
“That also brings us into the discussion of GPS equipment and as managers we are talking to committees, boards or owners about adopting this approach.”
Despite the unprecedented times the industry has faced, Wilson remains upbeat about the future and feels superintendents are rising to the challenge.
“All course managers should be congratulated by all within the industry for how they have responded to this difficult time,” he said.
Australian Sports Turf Managers’ Association (ASTMA) chief executive officer Mark Unwin agreed turf managers across Australia were proving to be rapidly adaptive to overcoming industry hurdles.
“Modern turf managers are known for their work ethic and their ability to wear multiple hats on any given day, be that an agronomist, mechanic, biologist, plumber, coach and mentor, leader, arborist, meteorologist and many others,” he said.
“While wearing these many hats, they also face an added pressure to deliver, or exceed expectations, on courses up the road, or in the next suburb or another state that someone recently played. Feedback of both a positive and negative nature from committees, members and guests is constant.”
With this in mind, Unwin said there had never been a more important time to bring a renewed focus to those who work around the clock to ensure greens are maintained.
“The industry as a whole needs to do more to attract course management staff,” he added.
“Access to labour is a challenge for the sector at the moment, however we are not alone in that situation. Regional facilities, especially, are regularly looking to find staff who are willing or able to re-locate, as often these courses have a smaller population to draw from compared to metropolitan facilities.”
Unwin agreed securing the correct turf technology was an effective stopgap solution.
“Advancements in machinery can assist course management staff greatly in the ability to perform their roles,” he said.
“Take spray units as one example. The ability for a turf manager to know within centimetres which areas have been sprayed and which haven’t is a great way to ensure consistency in application, and at the same time delivering both time and cost savings to the course.”
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