EP 007: Don't Make These Time Management Mistakes

We’ve been hearing so much about jobs, hiring, and the issues in the workforce today.  But the focus in this episode is on the candidates.  What can you do to try to stand out?  How about some tips on what the best resumes look like?  And what I believe is an underutilized resource, LinkedIn.  How can you optimize your profile and use the platform to help you land your next great job.  Believe me, LinkedIn can help.  

We discuss all this with Jeremy Nichols.  Jeremy is a recruiter for Gecko Hospitality focusing in Florida and specifically the Tampa area.  With Jeremy we get a little different perspective than the golf industry focused conversations we typically have.  Jeremy understands the hospitality industry and has been recruiting for a wide variety of positions for over 20 years.  He talks to tons of employers and candidates every day, and he knows what works and what doesn’t.  Speaking of LinkedIn, follow Jeremy for daily tips and insights into the hiring world and subscribe to his YouTube channel where he’s creating regular videos that can help you with anything from interviewing, negotiating, getting hired and more.  

Spend more than a few minutes in a room with a group of Golf Professionals these days and you're bound to start hearing about some level of "burnout".  The affect of the pandemic on golf and the labor shortage have come together to put even more pressure than normal on today's Professionals.  

In this episode, we cover the 5 reasons we can feel burned out and go over practical solutions to address this issue.

In this episode, we flip the script as Dean takes questions about his career, the development of Golf Professional Growth, how he actually left the golf industry while in college, and much more! 

Thanks to Ricky Potts, host of the Wednesday Match Play Podcast for the opportunity to share my story.  Be sure to check out Ricky's show and subscribe HERE

You likely know him now as the Secretary of the PGA of America, in line to be the President of the Association in just a few years.  Don Rea's background and his experience as an owner/operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club have provided him with a unique perspective that we don’t often see in PGA leadership.  He’s a creative programmer, he knows how to build relationships, and he understands the importance of creating a winning culture on his team at Augusta Ranch.  Following from afar, I have been optimistic about what Don can bring to the PGA of America, and this conversation only reinforced that belief.  

What does Don think about one of the biggest challenges we face today as an Association, recruiting and retention?  Let’s find out.  

With the record numbers we're seeing at courses throughout the country, Golf Professional's are now faced with the challenge of often having to say no to their members and customers.  No there aren't any tee times, no there isn't any space in that event, no we can't host your outing...and so on.  This is new for many of us since we've been trained to say "Yes" and to constantly seek out ways to grow rounds and revenues.  

As I found out in a conversation a few years ago, knowing how to say no and tell someone something they don’t want to hear, is literally a science.  Experts in behavioral psychology have studied the tactics that are most effective at delivering your message in a way that diffuses angry situations and will limit the push-back you get from our now disgruntled members and customers.  

Our expert that we’re learning from is Richard S. Gallagher, author of “The Customer Service Survival Kit”.  Some of the critical lessons we’ll hear from him are: being nice and polite is great, but it doesn’t help an upset person feel better, leaning into criticism is much more effective than explaining “why” or playing defense, and the key to diffusing a difficult situation begins with acknowledgement.

Keith Stewart has spent over 25 years as a Golf Professional, working his way from an Assistant at clubs like Isleworth, home to countless tour pros and most famously at one point, Tiger Woods, to landing a Head Professional position at a unique club in Princeton, NJ, called Springdale Golf Club.  Along the way he’s been recognized 5 times as a New Jersey Section award winner, including the 2019 New Jersey PGA Golf Professional of the Year.

It was while at Springdale that Keith began to make a name for himself for the innovative ways he communicated with his membership.  We’ve all tried different avenues to get our message out to our members, but have you ever considered creating a radio show?  I bet not. But that’s what Keith did.  Every week he hit the airwaves at the local Fox Sports affiliate as the host of Springdale Golf Live. It was his chance to talk about the club and begin to develop his own voice which led him to where he is today.  

He’s now a full-time host and writer, where he’s using his abilities to tell stories about the game everywhere from the local level to the biggest happenings in golf.  

But in this conversation, we focus on how you can build your communication skills and how you can focus on the development of the people around you. 

www.golfprofessionalgrowth.com

Are you using Golf Genius Software in you Golf Shop and in your events?  www.golfgenius.com

It’s late August, 1996.  I had just arrived at college for my freshman year.  Like most college kids back then with this new-found independence, I was taking the opportunity to sit in my dorm room and stare at the TV, free from anyone telling me where to be and what to do.  Without Netflix, or YouTube, or Prime, we watched what was on TV.  And on this particular Sunday, the eyes of the golf world were fixated on the final of the United States Amateur Championship.  

Over the last few years, Tiger Woods had burst on the scene and captivated golfers with his unmatched talent, prodigious length, and record setting play.  It’s safe to say that no amateur golfer had garnered this much attention since Bobby Jones, some 70 years prior.  Tiger was no longer just known in golf circles, he was a celebrity. 

As I sat on my bed in that tiny room in State College, PA, it was time to watch Tiger take his victory lap through that final match and achieve what no other golfer had ever accomplished...winning three U.S. Amateur Championships in a row.  

But something happened on that path to victory.  A young, fellow college player from the University of Florida, named Steve Scott, was 5 up after 18 holes.  This wasn’t supposed to be the story line.  How could Tiger’s monster drives and the backing of an entire gallery, not take down this opponent?  Was Steve Scott going to be what stood in between Tiger Woods and golf history?  

As many of you know, the legend of Tiger Woods took a huge leap forward that day.  His comeback from that 5 down deficit was everything you came to expect from the most dominant player in our game.  Tiger would go on to turn professional shortly after, would soon win his first PGA Tour event, and eventually The Masters, just 7 months later.  You know the rest.

But as we learn in the episode, all was not lost for Steve Scott that day.  He played as well as he could, taking Tiger Woods to the brink of defeat and during his college days, reached #1 in the amateur golf rankings.  But it’s an episode on the 34th hole of the match that stands out to many.  We discuss what happened and how Steve’s reaction, his sportsmanship and his decision to do the right thing, even in defeat, has benefited him time and time again.  

In fact, it’s the title of his upcoming book, “Hey Tiger- You Need to Move Your Mark Back”, the story of the ‘96 U.S. Amateur and the moment that has defined Steve Scott’s career as a player and now as a PGA Professional.    You can get the book HERE.

www.golfprofessionalgrowth.com
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What do you get when you combine a desire for constant improvement, with a passion for the game of golf, the golf industry, and world-class hospitality?  For Jason Ballard, it’s all added up to an already successful career at some of the most renowned facilities in the world.  But the 2020 PGA National Merchandiser of the Year and Head Professional at the esteemed Oak Hill Country Club, isn’t ready to rest on his laurels.

As Jason tells us, he was mentored on his way up in this business to always seek ways to get better and to consistently scrutinize your operation and your own performance to look for new opportunities.  He was fortunate to gain experience as an Assistant Professional at clubs such as Congressional and East Lake and most notably, the Augusta National Golf Club.  

All of that experience led him to his position at Oak Hill, where he’s already been able to host one championship and is looking forward to his next one when the club hosts its fourth PGA Championship in 2023. 

Check out Golf Professional Growth: www.golfprofessionalgrowth.com

Are you using Golf Genius software in your golf operation? Go to www.golfgenius.com

For my money, building a successful career on the PGA Tour where you earn enough money that you’re not worried about your next check, where you’re not consistently losing your card,and you’re able to control your schedule, is as tough as making it any sport out there.  There are no guaranteed contracts.  There are no drafts, trades, or free agencies.  There’s you and your game vs. the best players in the world.  And if you don’t play well enough, your career is over. 

So if you manage to put together 10+ years on the PGA Tour that include 3 wins, you have a career that a lot of tour players would love to have.  And if you know where Jim Herman came from and his path to the tour, his career is even more impressive.  Jim always aspired to be on the PGA Tour, so he left college and hit the mini-tours.  Each fall he’d go to PGA Tour Qualifying School, and for six years in a row, he failed to make it to the final stage and get out at least to the Nationwide Tour, now the Korn Ferry Tour.  In between trips to Q school, he worked as a Golf Professional doing all of the duties that so many of us do each and every day, running clinics, placing orders, teaching lessons, and everything else.  And that’s where I met Jim. 

In 2006 and 2007, we were Assistant Professionals together in New Jersey and at that time, while Jim still felt strongly about chasing his dream of making it to the tour, reality was getting close to setting in.  Was life going to be playing and competing as a Club Professional and always wishing his dream came true?  Or could he actually make it out there?

In 2007, he finally made it through.  He had status on the Nationwide Tour.  A couple years later, he notched a win on that tour and made it to the big leagues.  There were plenty of bumps in the road that ensued, lots of ups and downs, lessons learned, and as Jim says...definitely some luck too.  

But as we enter the 2021 PGA Tour season, he’s still out there.  He’s exempt for two more seasons after his third career win last summer and at this point, life is good.  

He’s as humble as they come and that’s why he’s easy to root for.  I hope after this conversation you become a fan as well.  We get into some great insight into how he’s handled these pressure situations that feel like life or death at the time.  He’s a throwback to a former era before players relied on data, stats, and a coach standing behind them 24/7.  He’s proof that there are a lot of different ways to get it done out there, and more proof that through hard work, belief, and persistence, dreams can come true.

www.golfprofessionalgrowth.com

Are you using Golf Genius Software for your event management?  www.golfgenius.com

Golf Professional Growth is excited to announce the launch of "GPG Academy"!  The first course "Work Smarter" starts February 4th!

Go HERE for more info and to register!

In this episode:

While there are a lot of differences between the jobs and responsibilities of a Golf Professional and a Golf Course Superintendent, in the end we’re both at the facility to meet the expectations of our customers, drive value to the bottom line, and to recruit and retain great people to our teams.  When you look at the career paths of Golf Professionals and Superintendents, there are many similarities in the challenges that we face as we climb the ladder in our careers.  And in the end, we’re both trying to gain the right experience and grow an influential network that will help us land that leadership position in our side of the golf industry.  So when you really get down to it, while our jobs are different, our challenges, our struggles and our successes share many similarities.

In this episode, we talk about all of this and more with Tyler Bloom, of Tyler Bloom Consulting.  You’ll hear about Tyler’s career as a Golf Course Superintendent which included stops at some of the most renowned facilities in the country and why he pivoted his career to combine his passion for the industry with his true calling in leadership, management and career development.  As he discusses his career trajectory, you may find similarities with your own story.  Maybe it’s time for you to ask some tough questions or make some difficult decisions about your career.  Is there something pulling you in a different direction or does your true passion lie somewhere else than where you’re currently sitting?  These are critical questions to ask and it’s why I think Tyler’s story is important. 

And finally, we get into discussing the current state of labor in the golf industry.  It’s no secret that it’s as difficult as ever to fill positions in our industry.  This isn’t unique to the golf department at your club.  It stretches into every area at every facility.  As a Golf Course Superintendent Tyler tackled this problem head on and found an innovative way to find ready, willing and able team members to the point where he eliminated the need to even advertise open positions.  Could this program work at your club and solve the seemingly never-ending labor dilemma?  Let’s find out.

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