Private vs. Public

       As we all know, the competition for a superintendent's position in today's market has gotten pretty crazy. The theory of supply and demand is in full force with lack of positions and candidate pool full of qualified and sometimes over qualified turf managers. Here in the Philadelphia market, there have been recently more positions open on the public golf side. I know that 20 years ago, it was not a big transition to go from an Assistant at a private club to a Superintendent at a Public course and then land a Superintendent job at a good private club. Recently, it seems that to make that move is not as simple.
       If you are currently an Assistant at a Private facility and feel you are ready for a Superintendent position, do you pursue a Superintendent position at a Public facility? While the chance to run your own operation is what you are most looking towards, in the long run, it may have some other factors that make it not for you. While there is an immediate opportunity to make more money now, in the long term, shot at the gold ring of running an operation that has a large budget and the salary that is commiserate with it becomes harder to reach. What has always been the strength of many Public golf course managers, is the ability to do more with less. For some reason, this has not translated recently when opportunities appear.
       Obviously, no one has the crystal ball to see what is the right career move, but judging recent history and looking at the current market, there are some interesting choices to be made.
In the end, it is about what is best for you.....


WJC