x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
8 thankless golf-course superintendent duties that you should thank them for
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Lifestyle

8 thankless golf-course superintendent duties that you should thank them for

By: Josh Sens
  • Follow on Twitter
September 11, 2024
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Ground under repair on a golf course.

A superintendent's job includes countless duties that golfers often take for granted.

Getty Images

It’s a worthy exercise to wake up in the morning and reflect on things we take for granted. Friends. Family. The smell of fresh-cut grass.

Speaking of which: When was the last time you expressed gratitude to your local greenskeeper?

This week would be a good time. Tuesday was Thank a Superintendent Day.

To mark the occasion, we asked David Jones, superintendent at Indian Springs Country Club, in Broken Arrow, Okla., and a longtime member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, to tick off the many hidden tasks he and his cohort handle beyond dispatching gophers and mowing turf.

1. Critters

Armadillos, beavers, skunks, gophers, moles, you name it. Animals of all kinds take up residence on courses, biting through wires, digging up greens in their search for grubs, and wreaking all kinds of headache-inducing havoc. The Carl Spackler approach is out of the question, but you’ve got to do something. “Depending on where you are, you might be allowed to hunt them,” Jones says. “If not, you’ve got to trap them. They’re pretty much a constant no matter what you do.”

    2. Fungus among us

    Fairy ring may sound romantic. It’s anything but. It’s one of myriad diseases supers deal with, from snow mold mold and brown patch to necrotic ring spot. And then there’s pythium, the Voldemort of fungal invaders that, Jones says, is most likely to affect bentgrass. “It’s the nightmare of nightmares,” he says. “Once it gets in there, it pretty much wipes out a green. And there are three or four types of it, so you’ve also got to figure out which one you’re dealing with.”

    3. Equipment repair

    A well-maintained course requires well-maintained equipment, which in turn means sharpening blades, replacing rotors and repairing hydraulics leaks, among many other workshop duties. At clubs without the budget for any equipment manager (which is most), all of these duties fall on you know who.

    4. Vandalism

    Stolen flagsticks. Broken rakes. Delinquents on motorcycles doing donuts on greens. The depth of disrespect and stupidity can be astounding, and the worse part is, the scofflaws rarely get caught red-handed. But when they are, it’s often thanks to a superintendent and their staff. “We once followed cart tracks to a garage in the neighborhood, and sure enough, there was bentgrass in the tires, so the kid couldn’t even deny it,” Jones says. The boy was put to work on the maintain crew until he’d made up for the damage he’d done.

    5. Algae

    Not just in ponds. It also gets on greens, creating overly soft conditions. No matter where it shows up, getting rid of it is crucial. “But you’ve got to be very careful with what products you use and how you use them,” Jones says. “You don’t want to kill fish or cause any other harm to the environment.”

    Lifestyle
    A golfer repairing a ball mark with a divot tool
    7 great course-maintenance hacks, according to superintendents
    By: Josh Sens

    6. Irrigation upkeep

    Broken pipes. Jammed sprinkler heads. It’s never-ending. “There’s always something that needs fixing,” Jones says. “We call it ‘irritation,’ not irrigation.”

    7. Ball washers, trash bins, signage, etc.

    At any given time, somewhere on the course, something needs cleaning, emptying, straightening or repairing. Those duties comes under the super’s purview, too.

    8. Golfers

    That’s right. Not gophers. Golfers. A peculiar species inclined to believe that when the greens are sanded, it means that the super is out to get them. Their gift for grousing and blamed-casting is unparalleled, and it underscores a point: a head greenskeeper’s job requires the patience of Job.

    Latest In Lifestyle

    24 hours ago

    2025 Zurich Classic betting guide: 5 picks our expert loves

    1 day ago

    This protein bar helped fuel Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters win

    3 days ago

    How to smoke brisket at home, courtesy of a Texas golf resort pitmaster

    5 days ago

    He beat Vegas in blackjack. Now, he's helping golf (and golfers) cash in

    Josh Sens

    Golf.com Editor

    A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.

    • Author Twitter Account

    Related Articles

    Lifestyle
    A weed-filled lawn

    Spring lawn-care guide: 5 secrets to control weeds, according to a USGA agronomist

    By: Josh Sens
    News
    rodney lingle and mach 1 grass at streamsong

    He invented a groundbreaking grass. But his golf impact didn't end there

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    An elaborate backyard putting green.

    Want to build a backyard putting green? Here are 4 key considerations

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    furnace creek golf course

    How this course survives in one of the hottest spots on earth

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    Jack Russell Terrier pissing in the park on the grass.

    Dog pee damaging your lawn? Here's what to do when your pooch takes relief

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    A frustrated man mowing a lawn

    A homeowner wonders why his grass won't grow. A superintendent has ideas

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    A homeowner mowing an overgrown lawn.

    4 crucial lawn-care tips, according to turf experts at the USGA

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    Greens and fairways at Newport Country Club, host of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open.

    No water, no problem: Why U.S. Senior Open site is agronomic anomaly

    By: Josh Sens
    Lifestyle
    Grass seedlings sprouting in a new lawn.

    Your grass won't grow? Heed this golf-course superintendent's advice

    By: Josh Sens
    Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
    Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
    Sign Up
    Categories
    • News
    • Instruction
    • Gear
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    Services
    • Masthead
    • GOLF Media Kit
    • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
    • TERMS OF SERVICE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
    • Your Privacy Choices
    Social
    • facebook
    • x
    • instagram
    • youtube
    Membership
    InsideGOLF Logo
    More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

    INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

    LEARN MORE

    © 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

    Go to mobile version