Are You a Golf Superintendent and a Businessperson or a Businessperson that’s a Golf Superintendent?

 

You have expended a lot of time and money to earn your degree and labored extensively as an assistant superintendent. Now you are representing a well-respected club that has not only weathered the economic firestorm of the past several years but has managed to add membership and increase club usage. Your golf course is impeccably cared for and of course, you are putting in long hours and hopefully earning a good salary in return.

However, to be successful in golf business today, you must have more than a great education and a pedigreed employment history. If you desire to move up the ladder of success in the golf management field, that means being thoughtful and engaging with those around you. In fact, the attention you pay to detail is the main ingredient that differentiates you from evolving from a golf businessperson to a golf business professional.

Where are you in your evolution from business person to business professional? Picture yourself in the following 16 situations to find out:

1. You’ve been invited to a prearranged luncheon to give a presentation on golf course conditions by the Tuesday morning ladies golf group, only to find that you are allergic to the main course being served.
   
   A Golf Business Person asks the server if the meal can be replaced.

A Golf Business Professional plans ahead by making mention of foods that he can eat due to his allergic reaction when accepting the invitation.

2. You sent an e-mail message to a club board member only to realize that you have transposed two letters in a word.
   
   A Golf Business Person hopes the board member realizes that keyboarding is not their best strength.

A Golf Business Professional sends a revised message correcting the error.

3. You are invited to the annual club Christmas Party with your spouse who feels uncomfortable since she will not know anyone there.
   
   A Golf Business Person approaches the members making sure that his spouse is next to him/her.

A Golf Business Professional briefs his spouse about members that may have interests similar to her and then makes a point of introducing.

4. You are meeting with a long range planning committee member with whom you spoke by phone one week ago.
   
   A Golf Business Person goes to the meeting at the appointed time.

A Golf Business Professional confirms the meeting details 24 hours in advance.

5. You have a 3:00 p.m. conference call scheduled with a golf course architect and a golf course builder for an important sand bunker project.
   
   A Golf Business Person dials into the conference call at 3:00 p.m.

A Golf Business Professional dials into the call a few minutes prior to the designated time.

6. Saturday morning on the first tee, while performing your usual PR, you meet a new member whose name is difficult to pronounce.
   
   A Golf Business Person avoids using the name in conversation.

A Golf Business Professional asks for assistance to correctly pronounce the name.

7. You receive a telephone call from the general manager who asks you to join him and the Board of Directors for lunch to discuss important changes that may impact the golf course. You are wearing khakis and a golf shirt. You know the rest of the meeting participants will be wearing coats and perhaps even neck ties.
   
   A Golf Business Person declines the invitation due to lack of required attire and asks the GM to just send the info discussed.

A Golf Business Professional keeps a back-up set of appropriate clothes for just this occasion.

8. You are attending a meal event welcoming new members from India and have been seated at the new members table. You would like to order beef as your entrée.
   
   A Golf Business Person orders the beef dish.

A Golf Business Professional honors the culture of his new member by also choosing a vegetarian meal.

9. You are invited to your manager’s home for a casual gathering.
   
   A Golf Business Person verbally thanks his manager for being included in the get-together at the end of the evening.

A Golf Business Professional recognizes that a verbal thank you does not take the place of a written note.

10. You believe it’s important that you to send holiday cards to your board members, committee members, employees and other business contacts that help you during the busy season.
    
    A Golf Business Person signs his name on each card.

A Golf Business Professional adds a short personal note with each card.

11. Your assistant is on vacation and you are going to be on the course all day.
    
    A Golf Business Person checks voice-mail at the end of the day to prioritize which calls need to be returned.

          A Golf Business Professional updates his voice-mail message to reflect his schedule.

12. You are invited to an early Monday morning meeting at the club.
    
    A Golf Business Person picks up a Starbucks’ cup of coffee and takes it into the meeting.

A Golf Business Professional drinks the coffee before leaving Starbucks rather than walking into meeting with the cup in hand.

13. You are at a member reception and are handed a bottle of beer from the bartender.
    
    A Golf Business Person thanks the bartender and moves on.

A Golf Business Professional requests a glass for the beer.

14. You drop by club’s accountants’ office that makes time to talk with you.
    
    A Golf Business Person gets the colleagues’ feedback and then continues to make idle conversation.

A Golf Business Professional gets the answer to the questions and then leaves unless he/she is encouraged to engage in further conversation.

15. You have been asked to participate in a 10:00 a.m. Webinar.
    
    A Golf Business Person downloads the webinar as he/she dials into the call.

A Golf Business Professional does a test download the day before to avoid any unexpected delays at the time of the meeting.

16. You have promised a return telephone call to a Green Committee Member by noon and are waiting for a document from a company that supplies bunker sand who cannot be reached.
    
    A Golf Business Person returns the call to the committee member as soon as he has all of the information and explains the delay.

A Golf Business Professional keeps his word by getting back to the committee member a few minutes before noon and updates the member with the information he does have.

Mostly, the above Golf Business Professional behaviors have to do with going the extra mile and showing your business colleagues and patrons that you’re the consummate professional.

Society has discarded many of the traditions and business etiquette of years past, aforementioned forward thinking behaviors separated the truly class leaders in business from the “ME FIRST” business leaders.

Dale Carnegie said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”