One of the key insights we’ve gained from over 300 search projects is the growing gap in the skills and experience of the next generation of golf course superintendents largely attributed to the lack of workforce.
As new technologies emerge to help offset labor shortages and increase efficiency, agronomic consultants, project management experts, and management companies have become key players in bridging this gap. These are not just solutions to a talent shortage—they’re attempts to fill a deeper talent gap in the industry.
This gap is not due to a lack of effort, and often can be overcome with ambition, strong mentorship and the right environment. There is certainly strong talent within industry, so don’t misrepresent.
However, societal pressures have placed a premium on soft skills like emotional intelligence and communication, while the immediate need for leadership has pushed assistants into supervisory roles before they’ve fully developed the necessary technical expertise.
Today’s assistant superintendents are navigating increasingly complex environments: managing staffing shortages, meeting heightened expectations due to growing participation and capital investments, and balancing day-to-day responsibilities with broader career ambitions. These pressures are compounded by the growing demand for a broader skill set that includes leadership, financial management, and strategic decision-making.
The demand for more well-rounded leaders is valid, but it often comes at the expense of the technical mastery required to perform the job effectively.
When we asked assistant superintendents in our 2025 Golf Course Superintendent Employment Trends Study to prioritize skill development, they ranked soft skills (53%) higher than technical expertise (20%) as the most important skill to their career success. Key areas within soft skills include:
- Leadership and team management
- Interpersonal and organizational communication
- Financial planning and budgeting
While these skills are crucial for career advancement, a word of caution: today’s assistants cannot neglect the very technical knowledge that is the foundation of successful superintendent leadership.
Observations from the field
Given our extensive interview experience, research and benchmarking of assistant superintendents capabilities, around the four-to-six-year mark in their careers, assistant superintendents often hit an inflection point.
Adept at using data for decision-making, and comfortable in operational roles like scheduling, task-oriented planning and quality control. But when it comes to deep technical expertise—whether in equipment operation, irrigation programming, drainage planning, or turfgrass management—they may have not developed entirely with confidence.
Think of it like this: an assistant at this stage is like a co-pilot who’s spent years flying short trips—they know the controls and can handle routine tasks, but when turbulence strikes, they lack the deep technical training that veteran pilots rely on to navigate emergencies. They can keep the plane in the air, but they don’t yet have the muscle memory to land it in a crisis.
According to our study, assistant superintendents today are looking to lead, not just manage tasks. Even when exploring continued education and on-the-job training, soft skills training ranked as the top choice over technical turf skills, monthly coaching from an experienced supervisor or industry expert, and industry conferences.
I’ve yet to conduct a golf course superintendent search where course concerns or failures weren’t, in some way, linked to deficiencies in these core technical areas. Whether it’s poor course conditions, turf health issues, lack of proper construction methods, improper chemical programming, water management auditing, or failure to adapt to environmental challenges, technical expertise is essential for maintaining the product that drives a club’s reputation.
While clubs are supporting growth in leadership and communication, there’s far less patience for repeated failures in course conditioning. At the end of the day, the golf course is the product—and if it suffers, so does the superintendent’s standing.
Create balance with on-the-job training
To bridge this development gap, it’s crucial to balance the growth of soft skills with a continued focus on hands-on technical training. Assistants should be more deeply involved in spray programs, irrigation audits, equipment maintenance, and project planning. They need to be rotated through “deep dive” technical experiences with seasoned technicians and architects, and given ownership of projects that link technical execution to strategic outcomes.
Simultaneously, exposure to member communications, time management, budgeting, and GM shadowing should be prioritized. Regular conversations about goal setting, delegation, leadership development, and networking will ensure a holistic approach to their growth.
The next generation of superintendents must not be led to believe that soft skills can outweigh a strong foundation in agronomy. Neglecting technical expertise will not only limit their development but also create long-term challenges for both the individuals and the clubs they serve.
If you’re in need of further insight and best practices to help your assistant superintendents or on-the-job training programs, set up a FREE Talent Strategy Call with our team.
About The Author
Tyler Bloom is the founder of Bloom Golf Partners. A former golf course superintendent and turf professional, Tyler’s love of all things golf began at the age of six when he stepped onto the course for the first time.
Tyler has an Executive Certifacte in Talent Acquisition fro Cornell University and a degree in Turfgrass Science from Penn State University. With 20 years of experience in the golf and turfgrass industry, Tyler has worked directly with reputable club leaders at some of the most prestigious clubs to place over 300 professionals in executive and management level positions throughout the United States.
Are you ready to build a top-performing team that drives results? Our proven framework, methodologies, and implementation is based on our personal track record of developing world-class teams. In addition to talent acquisition, we provide leadership development and ongoing consultative services for the golf course and club industry. Our team has personally coached and mentored dozens of future golf course superintendents across the United States.