Matt Shaffer on being a risk-taker in the turf industry

A lot of people like to think that they are risk-takers, but the truth of the matter isn’t quite as cut-and-dried as whether you’re a risk-taker or you aren’t. I think if you have been in your profession for 20-plus years then, yes, it can be that cut-and-dried because risk-taking goes hand in hand with confidence or the lack thereof.

Matt Shaffer

There are people that just are risk-takers, and that would be me. It’s why when I was old enough to get in the big Minneapolis-Moline tractor—maybe 12 or 13—I would never use the steps to dismount. Instead, I would jump, tuck and roll. I used to swing from one hay loft to the other on a rope; if I fell, it would have been a 30-foot drop. My dad always said, “Wait until you are old. That crazy stuff you think is funny now won’t be so funny!” As always, he was right and I am now an achey mess, but, oh boy … the adventures I had. I wouldn’t trade these broken bones or torn muscles for anything (well, maybe a few!).

Business is changing rapidly, and golf course operations aren’t any different. Lack of labor, a shortage of assistants, the high cost of goods and/or the inability to attain goods in an optimal timeframe are legitimate challenges. And when other areas of your facility are facing the same issues, that means more competition for the same money. What does this have to do with whether you are or aren’t a risk-taker? In my opinion, it comes down to how you approach and solve all your challenges.

Since I was a risk-taker, I seemed to always see things on the horizon before they became big problems. I got to them when it was earlier and easier, from my perspective. So, how would that translate if I was still a working superintendent and not sitting in my cozy den in the mountains of Pennsylvania?

When it comes to hiring, I would like to think if I couldn’t get a turf student as an assistant, I would write an ad that would attract a person that might be looking for new challenges. Maybe their current career that is unfulfilling, or they’re stuck inside, or paid less regardless of their prior training. A good person can take online classes to get that degree.

If I was having trouble getting new equipment and the price tag was through the roof, I would favor buying versus leasing my equipment. My second highest paid employee would be my equipment manager. I wouldn’t care if he made as much as I did; without a good EM you are literally dead in the water. Equipment that in the past would be traded in after four years might very well be in my fleet for eight years. I would spend a tremendous amount of time training my operators on how to run equipment to help ensure its longevity.

I would always be looking for a better way to manage turf. A lot of the best ideas in turf come from proactive supers that don’t wait to see what happens but make it happen. Take, for example, my old mentor, Paul Latshaw, who utilized fans to move air across greens and added misters behind the fans to cool the air. He first put a tractor blower on a green, then he and his incredibly talented equipment manager built bigger and bigger fans. The difficult greens at Augusta —on holes 5, 10, 12, 13 and 16 — responded immediately and he knew he was onto something.

Can you change and become a risk-taker? Of course you can. All you need to do is change how you think and react. I’ve always said that it’s easy to change grass, but it is hard to change minds. For a risk-taker, pivoting and changing is part of their personality.

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