I was fortunate enough to be asked this spring to write an article for the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association. I finally found some time recently to do so and my article was just published In the most recent GreenMaster publication. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
It Grows in the Family
Superintendent Jason Hooper's family tree has deep roots in the industry
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| JASON HOOPER AND HIS FATHER, BOTH SUPERINTENDENTS, STAND BY THE HISTORIC WELL AT BALDOON GOLF CLUB, THE COURSE WHERE HOOPER'S GRANDFATHER STARTED HIS CAREER, ALSO AS A SUPERINTENDENT |
One of the most common questions I
receive after I tell someone what I do for a living is, “How the heck did you
decide to become a golf course superintendent?”
My response is simple, “I didn’t have a choice, it’s in my blood.”
Okay, the reality is, I did
indeed have a choice, but I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing for a living. My dad and grandpa were both superintendents,
so I grew up on a golf course, so to speak. I remember as a kid, practically begging my
dad to take me to work with him on the weekend so I could ride around the
course with him on his golf cart. Being from
a family of eight kids, we all had to take turns going to work with dad, so I
had to make the most of my opportunities.
I remember setting out my work
clothes the night before and getting everything ready to go so I wouldn’t wake
the rest of the family as I quietly maneuvered around the pitch-dark house in
the wee hours of the morning. For me, it
was very similar to the excitement you feel as a kid on Christmas Eve. I hardly slept those nights as I couldn’t
wait for “me and dad” time.
The fun
began right away on the drive to the golf course. My dad and I always played a game I like to
call, “Who’s This?” I’d be quizzed along
the entire drive, asked to try and name the band that performed the song
playing on the radio. It’s clear my passion
for classic rock came from being a regular contestant of this game. Side note: If I was unable to name the band,
my dad would help me out and 90 per cent of the time his answer was, “C’mon
Jason, you know this is ahh… umm… what’s his name.” I was convinced that “What’s His Name” was
one of the greatest rock bands of all time and that they must have had an
entire catalogue of greatest hits albums.
I always wondered what it was
that my dad really did, as we drove around the property where he worked. He’d stop and chat with golfers and introduce
them to me. I remember him saying to them, “Got my number one helper with me
today,” or they’d beat him to it and say, “I see you’ve got your assistant with
you today.” Now that I think about it, I
wonder if these subliminal messages also contributed to my chosen career!
We’d continue on our drive and
often, without warning, he’d stop the cart, get off and just stare at a spot on
the ground. Sometimes he’d even kneel
down and pick up some grass or dirt (which is what I called it back then,
before I learned to call it soil) and would smell it! I never knew why he would smell it, but he looked
like he really knew what he was doing, so I didn’t ask. We’d carry on with our drive until we came
upon someone mowing grass. Again, he
would stop, sip his coffee and simply stare at the mower for a while and then
we would continue on our way again. I was beyond puzzled at this point. It was
all a mystery to me, which is why I was so fascinated by it.
There’s a lot of pressure that
comes along with being a third-generation superintendent. Both my dad and grandpa were very successful,
so I have big shoes to fill. When I came
to the full realization that this was what I wanted to do for a living, I knew
I had two great mentors to learn from.
I
began working for my dad when I was in high school and, before long, my grandpa
joined the crew as a retired superintendent/rough mowing specialist. I knew how
lucky I was to have them both at my fingertips to mentor me. I began going to
work even earlier for “coffee time” and staying extra late to ask as many
questions as I could. It was great to
hear my grandpa tell his “back in my day” stories about turf maintenance and
compare them to how we were currently doing things. There were so many similarities, yet so many
differences. What always stood out to me
was, although the equipment and techniques had changed so much over the years,
the overall goal and intent of what had to be accomplished had not. What had changed, and is still undoubtedly
changing, are both golfer’s expectations and demands, but that’s a whole other
ball of wax that many have already written about.
I never felt pressure from either
my dad or grandpa to follow in their footsteps and become a superintendent. In fact, when I told them I was going to
enroll in a turf education program to ultimately become a superintendent, they
both looked at me like I was nuts! I
could see right through it though; I knew that they knew I was about to embark
on one of the best career paths imaginable.
I am lucky enough to have the
opportunity to bring my kids, Bella and Lincoln (aka Link, pun intended) to the
golf course to ride on the golf cart, see some wildlife up close and to get a better sense of “what
daddy does all day.” They even get to
help out sometimes by filling divots, repairing ball marks or, even better,
feeding our resident swan. Just like my
grandpa and dad never pressured me into become a superintendent, I won’t ever pressure
them to do so either, but I won’t talk them out of it. However, Link may feel compelled to do so
with his golf related name.
HOOPER'S CHILDREN, BELLA AND LINCOLN, ON A RIDE-ALONG AT QUILCHENA GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
The most important things my dad
and grandpa have taught me are that hard work and patience, along with the
ability to adapt and the willingness to continue to learn, is what makes a good
superintendent. I was very fortunate to
learn these important traits of becoming a successful turf manager during the early
stages of my career. More importantly, I
was able to learn these lessons from two of the best in the industry.
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