“I have never made a consultancy visit where the groundsman has not had pride in their job”
it worth visiting. A couple of weeks after I sent my confirmatory report, I was written to by the club who had received a letter from a member saying I hadn’t commented on the tee in the corner of the course (which was the only area on the course that concerned that particular member!)
• During the visit it will be necessary to carry out a thorough appraisal of site characteristics from both the surface and sub-surface viewpoint. Opinions should be sought and discussions held on all aspects of the facility management and development.
• After collecting
information during the visit, the compilation of the confirmatory report may be straightforward. On the other hand, it may be necessary to sit down and seriously consider some issues before putting pen to paper. If necessary, now is the time to discuss matters with colleagues who you feel may be able to help in your deliberations.
• The report should be produced in a form that the club requires for its purposes.
Pride, Perception, Politics and Passion
Sometimes several of these aspects can be closely intertwined.
I have never made a consultancy visit where the groundsperson or greenkeeper has not had pride in their job. Yes, some people have more pride than others but everyone likes to feel that they are good at their job. Respecting that pride is therefore very important and is key to developing respect between the parties.
Many turfcare
professionals have not experienced a site visit by a Turfgrass Agronomist and there may well be inappropriate perceptions of what the role is all about. On first visits it is not uncommon to find that the groundsperson or greenkeeper is very guarded and is suspicious that the Turfgrass
Agronomist’s visit is all part of a plot to
undermine him ot her or, even worse, is a ploy to get them dismissed. Sometimes they perceive that a consultancy visit is also an occasion where the law will be laid down and they will be instructed on how to do the basics of their job. Neither of these scenarios could be further from the truth. The whole idea of a visit is to help and support (where necessary) and, hopefully, facilitate further development and progress on the facility. Turfgrass Agronomists should avoid club politics but, on the other hand, they should not refrain from expressing an opinion on any matter if it is the right thing to do. Consultancy visits can be interesting experiences. Groundspersons or Greenkeepers can take you aside and berate the attitude and policies of accompanying committee members. It is not uncommon to then find that several minutes later a committee member takes you to one side and criticises and berates the attitude of the groundstaff! Another scenario may be that the Groundsperson or Greenkeeper only tells you what they wants you to know and, indeed, similar circumstances can occur with committee members. Such situations are not uncommon but this is where experience can be important, remembering that the whole idea of the visit is to collect information and then provide information to the benefit of all concerned. One of the important emotions I like to experience during consultancy work is enthusiasm and passion. These are always two key ingredients you encounter if you are dealing with somebody who is good at their job and wants to be the best. We cannot make a disinterested Groundsperson or Greenkeeper or committee member become automatically enthused but, if people are advised in the right way with your own passion and
enthusiasm, then you can often see a spark begin to light.
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