An Illinois super discusses the hardships of filling a technician role and where he found success in finding the right fit.
The post Can golf courses successfully transition auto mechanics to turf technicians? first appeared on Golfdom.
Ask any superintendent which position on his staff is the most crucial to the daily operation of the golf course and the answer is the equipment technician. From preventative maintenance of equipment, reel adjustment and shop organization, our techs fill an extremely valuable role. Just like every position on our staff, equipment techs are hard to come by in this competitive job market.
I personally have had good success in filling my technician role by looking outside of our industry. Five out of my past six mechanics have come from the automotive industry. Two have come from dealerships, one from the trucking industry and one from a national garage chain. All have had a lot of experience in troubleshooting and had a particularly good skill set in fundamental mechanics. I do not feel there is much difference in auto versus turf machinery. All my techs have picked up the role well.
For this article, I reached out to a few of them and asked them for their insights on working at a golf course compared to working in an auto mechanic’s shop. They all made similar points with their experience in the transition. Here’s what they said:
All my techs found working on ‘their own equipment’ appealing, versus having to diagnose a noise or rattle in a ‘random’ car off the street. They get to know each piece of equipment and gain context for any problems or issues that can arise. It is easier for them to plan a schedule and anticipate the needs of the shop.
I can imagine some of you are wondering, “What about reels?” Yes, this is the biggest hurdle to bringing in a mechanic that is unfamiliar with the process. Honestly, it takes a little time, but most of my techs take right to adjusting. They have some anxiety in the beginning, as do I, but with a few hours of training they get comfortable with adjusting reels. You must expect that it will take them extra time for the first couple of weeks to complete reel set up.
For what it is worth, this has been my observation of techs making the move from the automotive field to the green industry. I asked the question about the drawbacks with the move to the golf course, but nobody had negative comments about making the switch.
I hope these points are of use to someone who is trying to lure a tech into our side of the business.
The post Can golf courses successfully transition auto mechanics to turf technicians? first appeared on Golfdom.