Letter to the Editor

Golf course superintendent not overpaid

Thursday, March 15, 2012

To the editor:

In 2011, the average base salary for golf course superintendents rose to $81,044, a 2.7 percent increase over the base salary reported in 2009. This increase represents a 64.5 percent gain since 1995, or an increase of $31,775 in 16 years. In 2011, half of all superintendents earned $71,275 or more annually, 25 percent of all superintendents earned more than $95,000, and the top 10 percent earned $128,000 or more annually.

In 2011, the average base salary for certified golf course superintendents rose to $95,264, a 1.98 percent increase over the base salary reported in 2009. This increase represents a 23.5 percent gain since 2003, or an increase of $18,141 in eight years.

The 2011 Compensation and Benefits Report states that member superintendents, on average:

-- Are 45 years old

-- Have spent 14.7 years as a superintendent

-- Have held their current position for an average of 9.5 years

-- Manage a crew of 21

-- Feel secure in their positions -- 60 percent rated their job security as high, indicating they think they will be in their current position as long as they perform well and choose to remain in it

-- Plan to retire by age 64.4

-- Seasonally, work an average of 55 hours in the spring, 60 hours in the summer, 51 hours in the fall, and 41 hours in the winter

The 2011 Compensation and Benefits Report states that certified golf course superintendents, on average:

-- Are 49 years old

-- Have spent 20.2 years as a superintendent

-- Have held their current position for an average of 12.1 years

-- Manage a crew of 27

-- Feel secure in their positions -- 60 percent rated their job security as high, indicating they think they will be in their current position as long as they perform well and choose to remain in it

-- Plan to retire by age 65

Seasonally, work an average of 47 hours in the spring, 51 hours in the summer, 45 hours in the fall, and 38 hours in the winter.

(The above information is available at gcsaa.com)

What everyone needs to try to understand is Jeff Haskins was NOT overpaid. He is a certified superintendent, worked a crew of less than 12 where most courses have 21-27 crew members (meaning he worked a heck of a lot more than the "average" hours because he had to do more with less people), and holds a four-year college degree in turf management. Being a golf course superintendent involves much more than it does to take care of your lawn. Most golf courses have 115-165 acres of turf, while most lawns have less than 1 acre. The greens are mowed 6-7 days a week, the fairways 2-3 times a week and the rough areas are mowed at least once a week. So as you can see, mowing only the greens requires mowing 20-24 acres a week depending on their size.

Your lawn is mowed at 2 1/2 inches (2,500 thousands of an inch) to 3 inches (3,000 thousands of an inch). A golf green is mowed at 1/10 of an inch (100 thousands of an inch) to .140 of an inch (140 thousands of an inch). To give a better perspective of this height -- 2 dimes stacked on top of each other equals .114 (114 thousands of an inch) -- 2 quarters equals .1345 (134.5 thousands of an inch). Your lawn mowed at 2 1/2 inches equals 38 quarters and one dime stacked on top of each other. Fairways on a golf course are mowed at 1/2 inch (500 thousands of an inch -- 6 quarters and 2 dimes stacked). Golfers expect greens to roll at 9 to 12 feet on a stimpmeter. A pool table rolls at 15 feet on a stimpmeter.

Being a successful golf course superintendent involves science, knowledge, thick skin, good employees, money, a desire to achieve perfection and a lot of sleepless nights just to name a few. Most people do not have a clue what is involved in taking care of a golf course, much less golf greens. Your golf greens will consume 20-25 percent of your annual budget to upkeep, while consuming 3 acres out of 115-140 acres of the entire golf course. I'm absolutely sure a lawn care company couldn't or wouldn't take care of Thunder Bayou for a "small fee."

Did Jeff Haskins make more than the mayor? Yes. Was he overpaid? No. Was the mayor underpaid? No. Each of these people agreed to perform a job for the salary they were offered.

A mayor's salary ranges between $37,860 and $90,217, according to PayScale November 2010 data. Bonuses can account for up to 10 percent of total pay, between $3,931 and $10,128. Almost three-quarters of all mayors enjoy health benefits -- the most popular being medical, followed by dental and vision.

Most people who run for mayor want to be a servant of their community.

Ted Bullard
Blytheville