Super’s keeping on course

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 8, 2001

By Rich Myhre

Herald Writer

There are a few prerequisites for becoming a golf course superintendent, and here’s the first one — you’d better be a morning person.

Randy White, who lives on Whidbey Island, rises at about 4 o’clock each day to catch the 4:40 a.m. ferry to the mainland and his job at Everett Golf and Country Club. On many days, it’s a commute he makes in utter darkness, which allows him to see the world in a way many of us never do.

"The sunrises over Mount Pilchuck are idyllic," said White, who has been the superintendent at EG&CC for 14 years.

Scenic mornings are just one of the reasons superintendents — the fellows who care for golf courses — love their work. There are other benefits, too. They work outdoors in lovely surroundings. And they spend their time in the company of golf, a great game, and golfers, mostly great people.

"I would not be doing this if I didn’t love it," said Randy VanderVaate, superintendent at Stanwood’s Kayak Point Golf Course. "I get to work in an environment where I can see animals and work in the sunshine, and even in the rain sometimes. And there’s a lot of freedom and flexibility to do what I want to do within my job. I enjoy it. It can be a lot of fun. It can also be a lot of work."

There is, VanderVaate added, "no such thing" as a typical work week for a superintendent. The tasks and concerns are as many and as varied as budgeting, hiring and scheduling staff (which usually numbers around a dozen during the peak golf months), mowing, landscaping, irrigation, environmental compliance, equipment maintenance, fertilizer application and government regulations.

Which also means there is no such thing as an eight-hour work day. Shifts of 10-12 hours are the norm, though they often last longer. If a job needs doing, the superintendent must make sure it gets done.

"The grass is always growing," VanderVaate said. "So when you have a main (water) line blow up on you, you have to stay and make sure that it gets fixed because the grass doesn’t care (about the inconvenience). And when machines break down, you do what you can to get them going again. You have to get pretty creative sometimes."

"It’s a variety of work every day and there are always new challenges," said White, who describes himself as "an endorphin-rush guy."

Generally, superintendents have four-year college degrees in either agronomy (grasses) or horticulture (plants), and a background in business is helpful, too. White, who has worked around golf courses for over 30 years, says some superintendents even have graduate degrees.

Another obvious advantage is to be a golfer yourself, or at least have an understanding and appreciation of the game. White calls this "imperative, because otherwise it’s kind of like being a chef without taste buds. You have to see (the job) from the golfer’s perspective."

For all of this, superintendents are generally well rewarded. White, who has served on boards that monitor and promote the work of superintendents, says the salary scale is generally between $40,000 and $125,000, with posh private clubs usually paying more than municipal courses.

How important is a good superintendent?

"They are everything," said Rob Lindsey, general manager at Marysville’s Cedarcrest Golf Course. "If you don’t have a good superintendent, you’re not going to have good operation and a good golf course, plain and simple. If people are playing a golf course with a bad product, they’re not coming back."

In that respect, Lindsey said, "no one is more important than the superintendent."

And, yes, superintendents like the feedback they get from golfers. Compliments are always welcome, but so are well-intended criticisms.

" (Golfers) are the reason we’re here," VanderVaate said. "The guests’ opinions are always valued, whether they’re good or bad. If it’s good, it lets us know we’re doing things right. And if there’s a complaint, it lets us know there are things we need to work on."

"Our mission statement," White said, "is to be ready for tournament golf on a daily basis and within budget."

Yes, it’s a demanding job, but one with obvious perks. "I enjoy working outside and I enjoy being involved in the game of golf," White said. "But No. 1 is probably my staff. It’s like a great family working together on challenges every day. And then there are the members here at the club. What a great group. Those are the two most gratifying things, the people who work for me and the people I work for."

"I am," he added, "very lucky to be doing this."

And, of course, there are the sunrises.