Magazine: The Changing Face of Sports Turf Managers
By Keith McAuliffe in Consultancy on 18th Oct 2008 6:30
This article has been supplied by the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute (NZSTI). NZSTI is New Zealand's leading sports turf consultancy group, recognised by SPARC (Sport and Recreation NZ) as the "standard setting body" for turf maintenance and management. They can offer advice for all natural and synthetic turf surfaces.
Green keeping/groundsmanship in NZ has developed into a recognised, specialised occupation. There is solid back up in place with regard to training, research, consultancy and trade supply. Few would dispute that the sporting public of New Zealand has been well served over the years by dedicated and skilled turf practitioners.
Looking ahead, what changes can we expect to see within our industry? There will no doubt be new technologies to make work easier and more efficient, inevitably a greater focus on environmental and health and safety matters, and challenges such as competition from new generation synthetic surfaces. There are also likely to be changes in the skills and training needs of Turf Managers, which is the main focus of this editorial.
If we look to the United States golf turf business, which is arguably the ‘top of the tree’, it is noted that top level Course Superintendents are required to do much more than just tend to the agronomic needs of the course. They are required to be professional managers of people, plant and finances, and are expected to be well educated in these disciplines. Having a University degree is virtually a pre-requisite at the bigger US courses.
Here in NZ, there are clear signs that our top level golf clubs, stadium trusts and other major sports facilities are wanting more from their Turf Manager/Superintendent. The Turf Manager is not only expected to have the technical sports turf expertise, but also a broad range of management skills. Being a business manager is not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’. A high proportion of employees in our industry are happy to remain on the practical side of turf management.
It would also seem that a significant number of our Turf Managers/Superintendents are struggling to satisfy club member or Board expectations. Members from well-to-do clubs see high standards at other clubs visited, especially abroad, and expect the same to be provided at their club year-round. Issues such as differences in budget and climate are generally overlooked. This attitude shown by club officials is perhaps not surprising, given that many who get to senior board or committee level are well versed in corporate management, and would expect those they work with or employ to be of a similar mind set.
So how can we ensure that our Turf Managers/Superintendents are better equipped to handle these managerial expectations? Should we be looking at our training systems and adjust the focus from technical skills to general management skills?
A survey conducted by NZ Golf in 2004 on wages and salaries of club employees illustrated that our golf turf industry employs mainly technically trained personnel, with only 2% of our Course Superintendents having a university degree and only a handful holding the National Diploma. The main qualification held is the National Certificate in Sports Turf Management, which provides an excellent technical background, but only limited management training.
The challenge and opportunity is there for those aspiring to make it to the top of the NZ sports turf industry, or indeed to diversify into the sports industry itself. Being proactive at developing and demonstrating management skills will undoubtedly pay dividends in the future. Acquiring the skills to plan, report (both written and verbal), manage staff, plan and manage finances and keep records will place an individual in good stead for employment. The establishment of the Golf Course Management Development Programme (MDP) by our ITO is a good example of how appropriate management skills can be packaged up in a sports turf context.
For those wishing to gain higher level sports turf technical skills, the National Diploma in Sports Turf Management will soon offer the flexibility to include MDP units as part of the overall qualification. Both these options illustrate that higher level training in management skills is affordable, available in context and achievable. Good luck to those willing to accept the challenge.
Keith McAuliffe
CEO
New Zealand Sports Turf Institute
The NZ Turf Management Journal is printed quarterly (Feb, May, Aug,
Nov) and is specifically tai lored to the turf industry with a range of topical, technical and research articles, book reviews and trade information
www.nzsti.org.nz
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