Jason Miller is the host of the Growing Golf Podcast. Listen in as we talk about the game of golf and how it has changed our life’s.
Transcript
Trent Manning:
welcome to the reel turf techs podcast for the technician that wants to get reel follow along. As we talk to industry professionals and address hot topics that we all face along the way we’ll learn tips and tricks. I’m your host, Trent. Manning let’s have some Welcome to the bonus episode of the real turf text podcast. Today. I sat down with Jason Miller. He’s a superintendent that just started a podcast of his own. And he’s really trying to grow the game of golf. So I hope you enjoy our. Conversation. And we’ll talk to you soon. Hi, Jason, how are you doing today?
Jason Miller:
Great. How are
Trent Manning:
I’m doing good, man. That’s a, this is going to be fun. It’ll be interesting. See what we can do here? Tell us how you got into the turf industry.
Jason Miller:
Initially I started playing when I was a kid. My uncles took me out when I was about probably 11, 12 years old and started playing in my teens. Most of the back end I played for the most part in my adulthood, took my kids out and played with them on the course and whatnot. I ended up getting into the turf industry, working back in 2019, actually on a whim. I had a buddy that said he really enjoyed it. I ended up picking up a job about 40 minutes from here, working in a municipal set of courses, run by Davey tree service up in Toledo, Ohio. I was there for that summer and INSEAD part of the next summer before I eventually got a job here at Sycamore Springs and just outside of Findlay, Ohio, which is about 15 minutes from my house. So it worked out pretty well. I was over there, got into an assistance role. A lot of the guys that have been there they’ve been there for 25 years. There was some talk maybe after the superintendent retired about trying to get myself into a position to take over a superintendent there. I got my assistant certificate from the GCF. Did that over the winter and between 19 and 20 by last year in 2021, I’d been at Sycamore for about a year and a local owner named Andy Klaus who owns four courses in our local area. I was planning on buying the fourth one, which is Burj Berlin, which is the person he actually hired me to be the superintendent. So I’ve been there for about six, seven months now. It’s a hell of a ride and God’s really blessed me with the opportunity to do it this soon.
Trent Manning:
yeah, that is really quick to work your way up through the ranks from working on the crew to an assistant superintendent there’s a lot of guys that work their whole career to get to be a superintendent. So that’s pretty much. place right time.
Jason Miller:
Oh it was most definitely. I know Andy, it was with our area too. There isn’t a whole we have quite a few golf courses in Ohio, obviously, but as a whole, there really isn’t a whole lot of pool in the area. As far as, I guess Andy had really been looking for a few months to try and find somebody to fit. And it just so happened. He called my name because of my friend that worked at one, his course is called Hillcrest and had brought up the fact that I was looking to become a superintendent that was my dream and something that I wanted to do. So that was pretty instrumental in getting my name to him. And then it’s been really nice because one of the other courses in areas it’s names loud Meadows Keith skates has actually been the superintendent there since 19 86, 3 owners changed superintendent. How rare is that to for that to happen? So it was really neat to have him and he’s been my mentor and this really helped to make sure I had the the schedule and things down and had a pretty good idea from Steve Reinhardt at Sycamore about how to pray and how your engagement system and everything works. But he’s really been instrumental in taking it to the next level and kind of helping to spoonfeed me a little bit in the beginning of this. And so it’s been a hell of a trip for sure.
Trent Manning:
So what inspired you all the sudden? Because I don’t want to give your age away, but you’re not 20 years old. So what you’re in your forties or something,
Jason Miller:
Yeah, 42.
Trent Manning:
All right, so you’re 42. So three years ago, what made you say I want to be a golf course? Superintendent. Okay.
Jason Miller:
What was actually circumstance dropped into my lap. Cause after I worked at first summer it was obviously mostly part-time and kind of weekend morning mowings and things like that for the greens or whatever. And then when I came to Sycamore, the thought process really popped in because as COVID played out, obviously in the beginning of 2020, my my wife and my son have a medical condition that. I was working at the time. I had done some construction and stuff for years, and I had gotten out of construction to, to take care of them for a summer. And when I tried to go back, my job wasn’t there anymore. So I ended up had a friend that was a district manager for Domino’s in Northwest Ohio. And ended up giving me a job. It was real great position. I was able to work during the day and he paid me pretty well to be an openness store slash manager, whatever. Then obviously once COVID came in, I was like I can’t risk bringing something home or being around all kinds of people all the time, because nobody knew exactly how it was by out. So that was when I really I talked to Steve it Sycamore and said, Hey I’ve been trying. And also at the same time, I’m blessed at 42. I do own my home, but through most of the jobs that I’ve had, I’d never had a 401k. I know I never had a real great plan for retirement. So it dropped in my lap too, in the sense. I need to figure out something I can do for the rest of my life, and if I’m going to have to work till I die, I might as well do what I love in golf. Kind of it filled that niche for me, where I was really able once, once I started taking the assistant certificate and seeing everything that it entailed that obviously it was more than just riding around on a mower, knowing how to spray. There’s so many things that are involved in it that it really inspired me to hit it hard. And then just the people that I’ve worked with in the industry and everybody that everybody from our local DCA chapter and used to be red Hawk was closed a couple of years ago. That was a, another thing that I tried to help them save red Hawk. And it went under, it was an Arthur Hills designed that was a community project or whatever. And it just they had to have 20,000 rounds a year just to break even. And they averaged 16 over 25 years that kind of threw a monkey wrench in everything for them.
Trent Manning:
that’s awesome though. Kudos to you for putting your head down and busting it and getting to be where you’re at now.
Jason Miller:
honestly, I think for me, it was a, I was really inspired just from everybody that I worked with. And I had the opportunity to Sycamore where they said we may, Steve may be retiring soon. There may be a position for you here. So it was like, at the time I thought that’s fine intervention. I landed in a spot where the superintendent was on his way out. And actually they recently filled his position and hired somebody in that would be really great for that course area too. So I’ve been really blessed with the opportunities I’ve been given.
Trent Manning:
That’s awesome. What inspired you to start a podcast?
Jason Miller:
I think for me, it came down to that. Zach is that people have been so amazing in this industry. And when I initially was doing the certificate series, I was one of the ancillary activities was to write an article for a magazine or something like that. So I started doing research about all the flows, the Ohio golf courses. We had three local rural nine hole courses that closed right around the Finley area. Red Hawk, which was a championship course w one of the nicest courses in Northwest Ohio and all these courses closed. And I didn’t understand why. They always said that they were supposed to be a correction from the recession and we built too many so on and so forth. But the problem I had with it was. The courses that always seem to be closed and where the mom and pops those beginner courses where everybody’s supposed to learn, or I’m supposed to be able to take my eight year old son out and play and not have to worry about getting hit in the head from a 300 yard bomb behind us from the tips you know, so it became something for me, looking in looking back in hindsight and bring it to the point now is I really wanted to do something to help grow the game, get ideas out there too in, and get different perspectives because the way that golf has exploded this because of COVID the last couple of years, I really think that we need to do everything we can to not let it go the other way again and I, as conversation that we had in episode two he was really adamant and what he sees from a a magazine standpoint and talking to everybody in the industry that it’s going to become something. That’s going to stick around for a while, but we have to be inventive. We have to create new things that are going to keep the millennials and the generation Zs and the younger folks in our the top golfs and things like that are different that we wouldn’t have necessarily had growing up that it’s just going to change the face of the game. So for me, this podcast really truly is the same thing from my end. Everybody, of course, in the real turf tech community knows your story has been listening to this podcast. And for me as a superintendent, I absolutely, I love listening to your guys’s episodes every week because you get so many different perspectives and things. And as a superintendent that takes care. I have a mechanic that works 20, 30 hours a week. He’s one of my buddies, he’s in his fifties. And he’s in a position where he is semi my retired and is able to come in and help. And he’s been instrumental because the last owners that are course left a lot of stuff in terrible shape, and we’ve pretty much had to go over. Every single thing, we just go, of course, obviously God done grind and reels and getting everything around. We had to do a hundred, almost 170 golf carts between two courses and then a couple of overflows to get all that ready for next year, too. So doing the podcast is really just my way of trying to give back and to keep golf growing in the right direction.
Trent Manning:
I was going to say you definitely got a bigger purpose there because you’re really trying to grow the game.
Jason Miller:
I think that’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted to get you on twos because for me and my listeners on my end, my perspective in the fact that okay, you’re somebody that you don’t play a whole lot of golf, correct?
Trent Manning:
I play zero golf.
Jason Miller:
I have never played any.
Trent Manning:
I have tried. So back when I first started, I’ll give you a little background on me. I started when I was 16, working on the crew 1995 and never hit a golf ball before didn’t even know how to play the game, because I grew up in a rural part of north Georgia and we went hunting and fishing for. We didn’t play golf and that’s just the way I grew up. And so I get to the golf course. I’m like, yeah, I’ll try this. It’s fun hitting the ball around for a minute, but my personality is I’m way too competitive and I can’t turn it off. And I said, okay, I’m going to learn this game. And I spent about a month play in as much as I could and I got worse and I said, this is not fun to me. I didn’t enjoy the game for what it can be for a lot of people. And it was not for me. I much rather be on the lake casting a rod hitting in the spot. I want to land, reeling it back whatever. I tend to bass fish mainly which is really active. Most people when they think of fishing, they think you’re sitting in a boat or sitting on the bank and you’re just sitting there waiting for a fish to bite. But I couldn’t handle that either. I gotta be moving. You’re on the trolling motor, running down the bank casting a hundred times an hour or whatever that’s me. But over the years being but been around golf since 95 and understand the game or I understand why people enjoy it. And I think it’s a great sport and a great activity.
Jason Miller:
I think that was leading into my first question that I had for you coming back, is that considering you don’t play the game of golf very often, or you don’t find it to be your cup of tea, per se, how important is golf growth to you as an equipment manager and as a person that obviously you need golf to be there, or you don’t have a job.
Trent Manning:
Yeah, for sure. So yeah, if nobody wants to play, what equipment am I going to work on? Yeah, I’m a mechanic. I can find a job anywhere, honestly, but I really enjoy being on the golf course. I enjoy being outside. Yeah. I’m in the shop most of the time, but I can still go out and ride around. I get to see the sun go up. My, one of my favorite times of being on the course is first thing in the morning or when the sunset it’s just so peaceful out there, all the nature you see it’s it’s a great experience. And I think we have a challenge to prove to a lot of people that golf is good for the environment. It’s not just, we don’t display all the pesticides we want to spread. And we’re not PR pollutant streams. Like people think we are, people just have a real bad misconception about what a golf course is. And it’s really a nature preserve.
Jason Miller:
I know that Shane Conroy, who’s our local representative from the GCSA has been doing a lot of work here. Recently. We had our our local GCSA get together Christmas potluck back in December, of course. And he came and did they’re doing BNP better management practices to have basically a program that I have in my computer that when someone comes and goes with a Saturday, other thing, I can show them where, okay, this is what I’m doing to prevent pollution. This is what I’m doing to prevent runoff of my chemicals and making sure I’m spraying at appropriate times and so on and so forth and doing it at the appropriate measures to, so I think that does. Across in a lot of ways to help show those types of things that I think need to be projected more a little bit, just because like you said, in a lot of ways, people have that bad perception of how things are, and it’s really not that way at all. We are actually probably some of the most conscious people on the planet when it comes to nature.
Trent Manning:
Yeah, true. And it’s the same thing. So I had a good friend that you said something about Davey tree, but I had a friend that was an arborist certified arborist, and he owned a tree company and I don’t for 10 years or whatever, y’all on this tree count. And it was funny how customers would think you hate trees. That’s why you cut them down. But he loved trees and yeah, sometimes the tree has to be removed. Does like on a golf course. Sometimes we have to cut a tree down because this is the danger, but we plant other trees, we plant other vegetation and I think you’re exactly right. There’s no more a superintendent or golf staff, whoever cares more about the golf course and the environment than most people think.
Jason Miller:
And I think. a lot too, with where I’m actually where I’m at Birch run. We have two creeks that merge at the end of the corner of our property. So one Creek actually comes across the front nine and the other Creek comes across the back nine and they merge and where, as soon as it leaves my property within 200 feet is the water station for town. That they pull that water out of those creeks and use that a lot for filling the reservoir there and to have water. And it is having to be very conscious about everything that we’re doing. Not just with chemicals and stuff, but construction and debris flow coming like I did a lot of clearing out. Our course, the superintendent before me had done an amazing job with the with what the old owners had given him. Cause he didn’t really have any support at the end. And he the course was in great shape, but a lot of the odds and ends things, the bridges the trees, there was so much overgrowth and things just because he didn’t he didn’t have the labor, he didn’t have the opportunity because the owners didn’t give it to him.
Trent Manning:
Yeah. And that’s it’s all resources. And luckily I work at a private club and our resources are abundant. Do we want for anything yet? We still have a lot of waltz, but having those resources available and the money to do your job properly, it has to be frustrating for superintendents or mechanics or whoever working at lower budget operations. When they want to make the place better. But if ownership can’t give you the resources to make it better, that’s gotta be a hard road to travel.
Jason Miller:
And so my listeners know in this too, you work at Ansley golf club, correct?
Trent Manning:
Yes. Ansley golf club. So a little history on Ansley golf club, Angela was founded in 19. And it’s a nine hole course and Midtown Atlanta, which back then that was the country, if you will, in 1912. But and then Ansley golf course merged with setting down Creek golf club and 98 or 99. I don’t remember the exact year. And sundown is a championship 18 hole course. We’ve hosted the Georgia USA amateur. We hosted the LPGA championship in 2005. And we’ve had some decent tournaments come through there and it’s one of the well, we’re ranked 11th in the state of Georgia this year. And we’re always, ever since I’ve been there, we’ve been rather around the top 10 and Georgia, which is pretty good when you have Peachtree and east lake. And I guess the national. And now we got a hoopy that come out of nowhere.
Jason Miller:
You do a lot of teaching and stuff with the GCSA and has been a part of the equipment management certificate series the progression and coming up with that, would you talk a little bit about that and everything that it entailed to get into that?
Trent Manning:
I think to get into it, it just boiled down to right place at right time. Luckily I gave you the backstory. So the first show I attended, I think it was 2016 and it was in San Diego. And I told my director of agronomy that I was going and his initial reaction was not good. He’s that’s the most expensive show you can go to. And I said, this is my. I’m paying for this because I’d found out if you get a membership with GCSF, you get a one-time free pass into the show with your membership. So I told him, I said, I’m going to take advantage of that. I found a decent hotel to stay in out there. They wouldn’t astronomical. And I found a good flight. So I went out there and while I was at show, we had a equivalent manager’s reception, which they have every year, that show for all, any equipment manager, that’s listening, make sure you find out what time, because it’s a lot of fun. You get to network with your peers and all that stuff. So anyway, we’re at this equivalent man, you’re managed where the equipment managers reception and I heard about the task group. So GCSA has a task group for equipment managers and they were responsible for. In the exams or helping write the exams. So I asked one of the staff for a GCSA. I said, how do you get on that? And they said, oh, you need to talk to this lady. So Sherry color. So I’ll go introduce myself to Sherry color. I told her who I am, what I’m about. At that time I’d already been doing education with my Georgia chapter. So I talked to her, tell her what’s going on, tell her I’m interested. And she said, you just go online to our website and you can submit an application to be on the task group. So that’s what I did. And. I’m still on it to this day. This’ll probably be my last year. I’m guessing this is time for some fresh blood in there, but we started the equipment manager level one, and then we done level two. And now we’re working on certified turf equipment manager, which is going to roll out this spring. So I fulfilled my goal. When I started, we had this big mission and this is the final step, but they still need volunteers for the task group. So anybody that’s interested is listening and wants to volunteer, just go to the website and sign up and as an awesome experience, the people you meet, the networking that happens in the task group, all the stuff you can learn from different people in the task. And just for instance Jr. Wilson, he’s the equivalent manager at NOI yak on long island. And he’s been in the task group last couple of years and I got a CNC machine. He helps out with the robotic program at his son’s school. So we just kinda hit it off and start talking. We’ve become really good friends. And I’m actually going on a couple of weeks up to his shop. I’m going to drive up there from Georgia and we’re going to have a class with some education at his shop. So there’s this little things like that. Anybody that’s listening, if you can network as much as you can is not comfortable for a lot of us, but we need to be doing it.
Jason Miller:
I definitely do it. that 100%. Cause like I said, the networking that I’ve done so far in the industry, whether it’s just talking to local supers or other workers or going to events with the GCSA local chapter or whatever it may be is exponential in my growth. Night and day. And like I said to also things with the GCSA like the assistance within the get program and the ESM programs that allow youth to have it at a work at your own pace. Cause I’ve actually considered doing the erm, program and getting those certifications just to have an under my belt for later on. Cause if I go in and say I got these ones with it, I got this one with it. I have this many years of it. It never hurts bad paperwork. The only other thought that I was thinking with you is I remember to to, I lost my train of thought with it was we’re going to have to come back. If you have anything that you want to ask me.
Trent Manning:
Oh, no, that’s
Jason Miller:
of thought on that one.
Trent Manning:
We’ll get back to some real turf tech questions. What’s your favorite tool?
Jason Miller:
My favorite to actually in my stop would actually probably be my computer. All the things that just being able to get on a cop on a YouTube video and search at the same time, I’ll try and figure it out and then understand exactly why the hell John Deere charges $350 for steering knuckle or whatever it may be. That type of stuff just absolutely blows my mind.
Trent Manning:
Yeah. Yeah. No, it’s it’s it’s highway robbery.
Jason Miller:
Oh, yeah. And it’s just funny too, because with all the things that happened in the shop, I know my mechanic, probably his favorite thing is welding. He tries to well about every damn thing you can figure out. He welded a a wood rack that for our Stackler would, and next we have a wood burner in the shop for when we’re working inside on stuff and that type of stuff too, he uses my computer a lot as well, just to do the same thing, to do some research and to do those types of things. So I really would have to say it’s probably my computer because the mechanical part of things, unfortunately I’ve gotten to the point now where I can trust myself a little bit and doing those things. And as far as like the basics, the oil changes, the fixing tires things like that. I actually do a lot of the real work because my mechanic has absolutely zero turf experience except for the last six months working in my garage all the basic even the hydraulic system, electrical system, he’s great at all that, but he’s right now, he’s still a little bit uncomfortable. He just went over cause between the four courses, we actually do all of our grinding over and our other two courses in Fostoria. So we have to load all of our stuff up, drive it over there, put it on trailers, run over there. And then we go over and we worked over there for about two, two and a half weeks straight, just that helping to finish that Brent’s reels and help him to finish up. He didn’t get ours all finished up so we can get them back and get them up on our machines.
Trent Manning:
That’s gotta be a struggle to transport and reels and cutting units and mowers and all that stuff back and forth.
Jason Miller:
I know that the the triplex one stuff isn’t too bad, but my Toro 55, 10, those reels are probably 140 pounds or something like that. So those things are ridiculous. Thank God. Keith and bran are smart enough. They’re in their sixties. They’ve been doing it long enough. They have a shameful and they do it. This brands is actually powered. So it’s really nice to just right up on the table. Like we ain’t got that. We don’t even have a lift at my shop right now. So it’s we’re still in the process. And he’s really, he’s in the process of doing a lot of the capital gains, stuff like that. Anyway. But our main garage that we use at Birch is actually no bigger than your everyday house garage. It only has eight foot ceiling. So if we try and do something in there, we’re going to have either get something low or something that, you know, something that’s movable too. Cause we don’t have a whole lot of space necessarily set something in there. We have a front barn, which is right now, which is our main storage area. But both of those areas are really prone to flood as well. They had an event in July, right before we moved in, where everything in the garage was, and there was battery powered tools on the lower shelves. I got ruined all that type of stuff. It was just a mess. So we also, our cart Barnes behind my garage. So there’s 44 carts in there that are exposed to the Creek. So we, every time we have any type of thawing or flooding event, we have to keep really tight. And I spent the night there twice now because of a the first one was a snow storm and it melded and the Crick came up pretty fast. And then I kinda got snowed in and instead of worrying about it and risking it, I just stayed there and I got a wood burner and I caught, so it was like, it wasn’t that big a deal.
Trent Manning:
that’s dedication right there, sleeping at the shop, but more than likely we have all done it at some time or another.
Jason Miller:
Right?
Trent Manning:
I know I have anyway, and especially so back to my fishing thing. So I fish every Monday night through the summer and we fish from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. And where are, my course is closed or sitting down is closed on Tuesday. And we always do our aerification on Tuesday morning and we’ll start at five. So a lot of times I’ll just go straight back to the shop, sleep there, get up the next morning and go at it. So I think we’ve all done that once or twice.
Jason Miller:
Yeah, most definitely. You got to have that dedicated that’s the one thing that I’ve tried to explain on this to people a lot of people don’t even know who their golf course superintendents or workers or anybody is. A lot of our guys are usually gone before anybody that the older gentlemen and the people that play in the morning obviously see us every day and we get to know them pretty well. But most people, it seems like they don’t even really know who we are. I think that dedication, what I realized the most getting into this industry is exactly that is how much people that, that do work in this industry have they love the game. They love their jobs. Usually there’s a, too many people that work at a golf course and go that really sucks working at golf course unless they’re been there for 45 years and are sick of particular members crap or something like that. We don’t know how that goes, but overall I think that’s a big part of it.
Trent Manning:
oh, yeah, for sure. Because we have employees and they hang around a good while before they move on and a lot of our employees are we started high school and then they graduate high school and they’ll stay on for 2, 3, 4 years. And then they eventually grow up and go find something else bigger and better or whatever. But that’s pretty much our whole staff is. High school or college kids my area. I know a lot of people have a lot of retirees and I think that’s a great asset to want to know more about operation Doug dub, operation, double Eagle, that’s going on out in Augusta, getting veterans into the workforce for golf courses. We were signed up and we were supposed to get some veterans and then COVID happened and that fell through the cracks. So we gotta get back on that because those men and women. They have good skill sets already though they developed and the services and I was lucky enough in 2012, I hired a guy. He was retired from the army and I’ve told this story several times on my podcast, but great person and great work ethic. And he didn’t know he’d never worked on a golf course. Didn’t even care anything about golf, but he had enough knowledge to pick it up and run with it.
Jason Miller:
I think that’s an important thing too, in this class, this podcast and giving back is to make sure that like something I want to do in my course here next year is I’m going to do the first screen program. The stem field trips for kids to come out because I want the kids to know that the golf course is there and they can play and they can work there and implement. There’s been a lot of places where. You Accessibility and stuff is a big thing and grow and the growing golf podcasts. And I tried to post a lot of stuff on my Twitter pages and stuff about getting the women in golf to the Jennifer Torres and the ladies that put so much time. And that was one thing. And that’s when I was talking like, guys is that most of the women that I know that have passion for something we’ll work circles around most of the men, I know when they, we have blading our beds at Birch, she’s a retired school teacher. She’s in her early sixties. And I can’t, nobody’s going to get those flower beds looking any better than she is just because Jack, she has so much love and faith and pride in what she’s doing. That it’s just, it’s a no brainer. Somebody was afraid. She was like, she wasn’t gonna get enough money. I’m like she deserves whatever she wants because she cares. And there’s not too many people that show up every day.
Trent Manning:
Yeah, that’s true. We hired a female on our crew. I want to say it was last spring and she has worked out great. She’s a lot more cautious attention to detail. All the traits that you want to employ to have she has. And I would love to have 10 more of her on our crew because honestly being the equipment manager, she hadn’t brought a piece of equipment in that she broke. That was her fault. And where the guys they’re constantly bringing stuff and, oh, I’ve run into a tree with this all that, the dumb stuff that you run into.
Jason Miller:
Yeah. I had a guy this past year. We were only in there for probably two months and he only came over and was helping mow greens when I needed him to I won’t mention any names, cause you’ll probably hear this podcast with one of the stories, one of the higher ups in the company and he comes in and he’s it’s just, it’s something’s wrong. It’s not Mo and right. Something it’s scalping on the edges. And I’m like how many, you know what happened? He’s some something and I hit the bridge. I’m like, what do you mean? You hit the bridge? And he’s the bridge was narrow enough that when he caught it, he hit both buckets on both sides and he hit it so hard. He bent the arm. On the 2,500 up. So then when, what to set it back down, everything was cockeyed. So the outside edge was dropping or was he inside that just, I think we’re dropping first and it was catching because it was dropping it fricking 45 degree angle. Cause he been everything. So maybe I will, I won’t mention his name. And like I said, cause we’ll probably end up hearing this in the long run those types of things too. I think a lot of that comes down to from my end as a superintendent, I know next year I have two guys that are going to be there that have been at that course forever. Those were my main rough and fairway guys, but a good portion of the people that are coming in are going to be new. And I’m actually happy about that because it will give me an opportunity to get everybody trained my way start over, like the end of last year we were, it didn’t have a superintendent most of the year, the course on really far concern as far mark had brought it up to a great place. And then it was just like, it was never watered properly. It was half-assed mode most of the year. So it was like last year, by the time I got the irrigation system working, my membership was attic with me because the way the sprinklers were running they were just beside themselves as about that. So I really, this year is going to be really stepping up to that next level. We’re putting in cart pass. We’re putting in new tee boxes. We’re doing a lot of other main needs some capital improvements with bridge, fixed, pay, stuff like that. So I think we’ll have a really good opportunity this year to grow.
Trent Manning:
Oh, that sounds awesome. And it’s good to see the owner putting resources towards making the course better, for sure. And I think you hit on something with a lot of people working in this industry, whether it gets monotonous or whatever, the people on the crew and they get in bad habits and then those habits are never corrected and they just prolong themselves. So I liked the idea of having a little reset. Let’s go back to the drawing board and improve on some of the things that we do. What do you know now? You wish you’d known on day one.
Jason Miller:
Oh, wow. I could probably rattle off 50 different things, but I think mostly it’s just to have they have the ability to have the crew that I think I’m going to have this year income, like I said last year at the end of the year. And it was really about three, eight main people at the course, me and my mechanic, and then my two mowers. So those really just us there at the end of the year. And we had some people, so it’s I think what I wish I knew more of what’s probably irrigation. I had to learn so much on the fly this year, too with irrigation. My. Man, my pumps and I had so many so many leaks that we had to shut the system down every night. And of course you turn the system back on and it’s then everything’s hitting the blocks and everything easily created. It’s just been a never ending battle. So I think I had a guy that’s going to jump on this year as my irrigation guy. And he’s really gone. We’re going to hit it hard before we get the pumps on this year. I know all the heads that are leaking or weren’t working properly. I know where most of my main leaks are. So I think I’m going to hit that really hard beginning of the year to try and get all that buttoned up as much as possible. So that way I can leave my pumps on.
Trent Manning:
I think that’s one of the most underlooked jobs out of golf course is irrigation tech. And if you’re lucky enough to have an irrigation tech, that is awesome, but all the supers and assistance, and even mechanics that get out there working on irrigation, it can be a nightmare. And. The thing. So the military guy had working for me, Charlie. He said, what’s so bad about irrigation. Cause we go through irrigation tax pretty regular. And I said, just imagine this Charlie, every time you wanted to fix something, you needed to dig a hole first. He’s okay, that kinda makes sense. Yeah, that would suck. And it does,
Jason Miller:
Oh, yeah. Most definitely irrigations is by far my most irritating thing. There was a point last summer where I had to, I was waking up and going in at 3:00 AM because I would literally have to mow. I’d go and turn my pumps on, go mow one, come back, mow five, turn the heads on those two greens out of the box. That’s next to the pump. Then I would go over and mow two and four. Then these greens would be finished in water. And when I finished smelling these two greens, then I’d jump in those, turn those sprinklers on. Then I go mode three there, I got into this process where I had to learn and people are like, you’re crazy. You’re working like 15 hour days. And it’s believe it or not, it’s actually easier for me to show up at 3:00 AM before everybody’s here and get it knocked out so I can concentrate on something else during the day. Cause there were points when I first started getting on. So I got to get system it’d take me I had to turn on a lot of heads manually. And so I fixed certain things. I had to do a lot. A whole bunch of jumping around to get it to work. And by the time I finally got the, I got it down to where I could mow the greens and water, the greens, all in one shot, spend the next hour out doing ease and fairways. And then I started being able to get some programs into stuff too. And so it really, it became a lot better there towards the end of course. So we’ll see how it all plays out. Once the system gets kicked back on and March or April or whatever, whenever the weather breaks.
Trent Manning:
Yeah. Yeah. And there’s a lot to be said for getting there early, before everybody else, too, whether you’re working on the course or in the shop. I know I love being in the shot when nobody else is there, because you can get so much done because you don’t have any interruptions. You can just focus on whatever you’re doing and get it knocked out. What do you do to relax or find your balance?
Jason Miller:
Oh Right, now, My wife and I separated last year. So a lot of my time at home is spent with my boys. Just taking care of stuff around the house or whatever, but I’m really blessed. My mom usually takes the boys every weekend. And so a lot of the times on the weekends, I’ll get to just go and spend do the same thing. Like you said, I’ll go home, I’ll go out of town and go do a little bit of camping with some friends or try and go stay someplace go up to Toledo, hit the casino or something like that, just to blow off a little bit of steam believe it or not even with working all the hours I do in the summertime, I still do spend quite a bit of time playing. It’s nice because my eight year old does like to play. So I’ll be able to, I can come home and get dinner around real quick. When I get off the bus at three 30 or whatever, and then me and him will run back up and play. He always, but it is nice because my membership includes three other courses as well in the area. So I don’t always have to go up and play my course. I can jump over to Loudon or Fostoria country club or Hillcrest and get a quick nine in before the sun goes down or sometimes 18, but our courses, and he’s done such an amazing job with our courses to get business. And a lot of times during the week there’s leaves and stuff anyway. So you got to find a pick and choose your way to squeeze in any way. Other than that really that’s about it. Cause my life keeps me busy enough with people. Once they’re a little older and out the door, then we’ll see how it plays out after that.
Trent Manning:
Yup. I understand that for sure. And kids it’s so valuable that you’re spending time with them now when they’re young and when you can. And I know a lot of people in this industry missed out on a lot of those years because of their work ethic and being out of the course all the time. And they probably have some regrets. I know I have regrets for not spending more time with my kids. It’s this tough.
Jason Miller:
I think we all know that’s the thing about hindsight is 2020, and when you’re in, when you’re in the middle of doing something and it seems so important to you in life, then for me, it was get into the industry. It was like I focused so hard this first year and obviously it paid off I got myself into a position where I was able to become a superintendent pretty quick in my career. And, but I had a reality check here in probably December. My GM came up to me and he was like, he’s like, how many hours did you average this summer? And I said, 65. Why he’s how many are you supposed to work? I said 50, 55 is what my salary is based on pretty much is what we talked about. He’s you know what you need to do. He’s you need to go home. So it was a Saturday morning. I ran in to do something or whatever, and he came over and caught me over there at the end. It was a nice season. He came over to play or something and it, and he’s you need to go home and spend time with them boys. And it gets some relaxation. And because I ain’t gonna hear you bitch. And in July when your burnout, because you spent all winter busting ass and you didn’t take any time for yourself. So I think that was it’s really nice being in a company that they recognize your worth as a human more than just someone that’s taking care of their course is making it profitable. And that you’re not just a dollar sign stem. So that’s really nice working for the Klaus house group and being able to do that.
Trent Manning:
Yeah, that can’t be stated enough, working for somebody that cares about you and personally, and cares about your wellbeing. And you’re not just a warm body on a mower or whatever. Some of these people look at it. I had a truck driver tell me one time that they only hire them from the neck down. But honestly, I thought and a lot of owners and people like that can look at employees that way. And that’s not a place you want to work, obviously.
Jason Miller:
Right.
Trent Manning:
Do you have any more questions for me?
Jason Miller:
I think on the overall, from your end and being someone that doesn’t necessarily play the game a lot, or doesn’t enjoy it. Obviously you love the atmosphere, you love the course and you love what you do as a job. So from your end, is there anything that you can think of for the growing golf listeners to that, to what we could do from your thoughts to grow the game?
Trent Manning:
Good question. I don’t, that’s a tough one because I don’t play, but I know I wouldn’t want to devote four hours to playing golf. So I think having, whether it be short courses or more nine hole courses and stuff like that other activities on the court. Honestly, I would love it if our course had a shooting range, that would be up my alley. But and I don’t know, is that going to affect somebody if a gun’s going off during the back swing maybe, but I don’t something like that w that would be interesting. And you’re talking about with
Jason Miller:
Yeah.
Trent Manning:
the younger generations, they have a hard time sitting still for a long period of time. So anything that can keep their mind going, because you think about video games and all that, and how fast everything’s happening. I think that does train their brain, that they want that much action in whatever they’re doing. Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know how twist the game a little bit to, to make it more. Attractive to younger people.
Jason Miller:
I think that’s a very valid point around, cause I’ve heard quite a few people. use that and I think it comes down to the analogy of time is precious. And like you said, for someone
Trent Manning:
Okay.
Jason Miller:
someone, for you to be able to go and go to the shooting range or to go and do something that you know is an hour activity or a an X amount of time to do it. But at the same time, you also, I don’t know, because I think mentioning that you love to fish and to hunt. I tried to take my boys hunting and sitting still in the tree. Like we have a stand my dad back when he was younger, I can sit too. So we’ll go on there and we’ll go squirrel slash deer hunt slash whatever. And that lasts about 20 minutes. And if they don’t have a squirrel come up to him like, Hey, I’m right here. You know what I mean? It’s I’m bored or they want to get on their phone or playing like, no we’re out here. We can talk, we can be quiet. We can enjoy Nasia. But like you said, I think the mentality of everything go I gotta get to the next thing. Let’s get this done and over with kind of thought process. So I think golf is something that if like my eight year old, he enjoys it, he can go out, I’ll take his clubs, three holes in, on plans with the rest of the nine or 18 by myself. And he’s sitting in the back of the card and playing guns and shooting in the woods cause he’s eight years old he has his hands about that big. But I do think that’s a very valid point is if we can figure out ways to, and I think we should also do things along the lines of like multi-use from the sense of the last tee time goes out at four o’clock most of the time and the course in the sun doesn’t go down until nine or 10 o’clock and our area in the middle of summer, so that’s X amount of hours. Obviously at a private club or a higher end facility damage could potentially be done to fairways and key boxes that people are using it as correct creation of space. But the reality of it is it’s grass. It’s going to grow back. They can’t do. We’re out here taking six pivots out and all this type of stuff to play the game and then no one thinks twice about that or whatever. So I think that that’s an option somewhere down the road, too, that we’re able to use the property for more than just, like you said, a five, four or five hour round of golf.
Trent Manning:
When, yeah, like the top golf experience, I know a lot of younger people are into that. Can you have something like that at your club on your driving range or wherever, even if it’s a dedicated space, just like that. I know at our club. Dumped in a bunch of capital money to improve our driving range. We built a short course. That’s got four holes and no tee boxes. So you can play at any direction. You want to play it. It was really cool because we duplicated greens that were on the course. So we have number four, green number seven, two, and three green is, the exact replica of that grain in our short course. So the members can practice play in that hole. And we built a teaching center. It’s got two bays, it’s got track, man. All the fancy stuff in there where they give lessons and that kind of stuff. And I know the teaching center has been very popular. It’s studies booked all the time with membership.
Jason Miller:
I think that’s another thing that’s great along with I think one of the things here in Findlay that jumped pretty quick when they put it in was a, they call it links, indoor golf simulators they have a, for the regular bays and then two bays with the high definition curved screens, or now, because they are the only ones within about 45 minutes of Findlay, they are able to pretty much charge whatever they want and they get that. Like there, I think that’s another thing too, that I don’t think people do enough to try and fill in the dead time at golf courses where people will back off like the golf now’s we’ll have hot deals per se, things like that same kind of mentality where those afternoons rounds discount them or do things to try and encourage more people. I do. You got to find a balance too on what’s it worth to keep people coming out there and keep it on there if you’re not actually making any money doing so then you’re just tearing up the perfect per se, without really getting any investment back from it. But like I said, my mentality just comes back to trying to make sure we’re doing things to continue to keep the growth of the game going in the right direction
Trent Manning:
No for sure. And I love what you’re doing and I want the game to grow because if not, I don’t have a job at a golf course.
Jason Miller:
now. You have two girls, correct?
Trent Manning:
Yeah. I do too. Two daughters, a 14 and 17. And
Jason Miller:
That’s fun right there,
Trent Manning:
Yeah. It’s not as much fun anymore as it used to be, but there the 17 year old, she’s a good kid to go to a job at Chick-fil-A and she’s making me really proud working. She’s got a good work ethic and she’s got a car driving, no major accidents yet knock on wood. So I’m sure it’s going to come, but she’s the rule follower. So the 14 year old she’s a free spirit. So I’m really worried about when she starts driving and gets a little bit older, but
Jason Miller:
Some of that freedom of one, her own
Trent Manning:
Yeah. Yep. Yep. She’s something else, but I’m girl that all the way and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know. I had girls and they were young and they’re all the dudes. I bet you wish you had a boy, but now I don’t, I love my girls because if I had a boy, I’d have to be a Dick to him just like my dad was to me. And and rightfully so it worked out okay. I had a good upbringing, but there, there’s not a whole lot of joking around in my house growing up and with the girls we just had fun and cut up and I get to love on them.
Jason Miller:
That’s the greatest thing in the world right there, period.
Trent Manning:
Now that they’ll let me anymore. But
Jason Miller:
Now for a few
Trent Manning:
yeah, no, not for a few more years. Yes. Now the 14 year old she’ll still give me a hug. The 17 year old. She’s a touch me, not us. She’s no, that’s okay. Well, I love you, honey. Yeah. I love you to that.
Jason Miller:
Yeah. you can go away
Trent Manning:
Yeah. That’s all right. Yeah. Go play on the traffic somewhere. Get out of my face, but nah, it’s fun. So you said you had two boys
Jason Miller:
I’ve actually have four all together. I have. My oldest is my daughter is my oldest. She’s almost 23. My oldest son’s 22 and then 13 and eight are my younger boys that are home with me still.
Trent Manning:
okay. Awesome.
Jason Miller:
Yeah. They’ve been a fun. It’s funny. You mentioned that work ethic and stuff. Cause my twin, my daughter is probably the hardest worker out of all of them. I keep telling my 22 year old son, I’m going to send you. She lives down in Nashville. She moved down there last summer. On a whim trying to live the dream be a kid and get out and experience life. I’m really private. She got a job at a little place down as a famous Hattie. B’s I believe is the name of the it’s hot topic in downtown. And she’s just had a hard time. She tried to get in there when they first moved down and her roommate’s boyfriend actually got in there as a cook, and then eventually a spot came open and he got her in and she’s killing it. Now she’s already to a point where they’re making her a waitress instead of in-between or whatever go get her. So she’s actually making tips and stuff now. So she’s making really Nashville’s amazing area anyway.
Trent Manning:
Yeah, you can make some Jack working at some of those places
Jason Miller:
She’s already given me the M two. I can’t remember his name sticks. Lead senior had come in at the last place he worked, she worked at the California pizza kitchen was the place you worked at before, but she’s already had two or three people that she’s had. You would never believe who came in today. She’s you wouldn’t believe how many people from Ohio come to Nashville.
Trent Manning:
a bit.
Jason Miller:
it’s really neat. I’ve been really proud of her. She’s doing great for herself.
Trent Manning:
My sister lived in Nashville for a few years while her husband was finishing up school and she was in a CVS getting ready to check out. And Steven Tyler walks up behind her.
Jason Miller:
Wow.
Trent Manning:
He didn’t know what to do.
Jason Miller:
Could you imagine that?
Trent Manning:
Yeah. Yes. She’s I don’t know if I, should I say Hey or, you know what’s this crazy.
Jason Miller:
Yeah, it was funny when I moved her down there, they asked me to drive the U-Haul because I had my CDL and they, of course, I had to get the 26 foot massive and pull car behind it, the whole nine. And I’m like if I’m doing it, I’m leaving at midnight and driving overnight because I’m not trying to drive that big ass thing and heavy traffic or whatever. So now, and we tried to find a rental cars is actually a pretty funny story. I tried to find a rental car for, from one beforehand. We couldn’t even get one. And finally, Paige looked up, my daughter looked up. On the internet and to see what it’d be to fly well from Nashville to Detroit was like $104 one way. And I was like sold that’s, it’s a no brainer. So her boyfriend followed me up the night before and I parked my car at Detroit airport. And then we came back and I jumped up immediately in the U-Haul and drove straight down or had this thought in my head that, okay, I’m going to go down and play golf all day long, wide there driving down the next morning. But then I’m like, I can’t take my golf clubs because if I take the golf clubs, then I got to pay to have those either ship back, or I got to get them on the plane and deal with all that bullshit. So I’m like, how can I play? I don’t want to rent clubs down there cause I want to play at several different golf courses. Cause I have all damn day to wait for him. So I finally decided every once in a while I play with the seven iron at the course, when I, whenever I’m hitting the ball, like shit, I’ll just go out and play all day with my seven. I’ll hit it off the key I’ll tip with it. I’ll put with it everything. So I’m like, you know what, I’m going to take my old junk seven iron and I’ll just take it down there and. Pulling that morning, I take her roommate’s car off the things she said, I could use it all day. And I drove down to the course. I was like five miles down the road. And I went and played their little nine holder that was packed to the gills. Just people everywhere. I loved it. Ended up getting paired up with the guy he thought I was crazy to be playing with only a seven iron. I had a great conversation with Tim. I ended up eating and went to the next course. They couldn’t get me on for a couple hours because the tee times were booked up. So I’m out. And I didn’t feel like driving them any more or whatever at that moment. So I just went out and started chipping and buttoned around the green. Had a 70 year old gentleman walks by and he turns to me, he’s are you putting with the seven iron? I said, yes, sir. He said why? And I saw I explained the story to him and why he’s. So you’re actually going to go and play the course with the seven iron. I said, yeah, but they can’t get me on till 11 o’clock. He’s oh, to hell with that, you’re coming to play with us. I got to see this shit like, okay. So I ended up getting on the tee and I ended up just playing the senior tees with them. Cause they were retired insurance guys and sold them. And the very first hole, I parred the hole with my seven iron and they both had bogeys and they just thought that was granny. I ended up shooting a hundred or something or whatever. Cause it only goes so far playing with seven iron that was a big pig because they just thought I was crazy and I enjoy it because I actually, when I do go out and play the whole course with my seminar and it makes it different, it actually improves my game. Every time I do in any way.
Trent Manning:
oh yeah, no, that’s cool. Yeah, that was a good story. I was welding. What else you got?
Jason Miller:
I think at this point, I’m kinda, I kinda tapped out as far as the content from my end and where to go. We have a lot of great guests moving forward and I just ended up doing just throwing information out there about the past is I did the recording with Dave Smith. He used to be the former mayor of Lancaster him and 27 people actually bought and saved the Lancaster country club. And they’re turning it from a private country club into a public course daily fee. And it was amazing that somebody in the area of Lancaster had actually purchased a, one of the smaller properties up there and it was turning it into a housing development and the same person ended up talking the original owners of Lancaster country club into selling for property there. And Dave didn’t quite established exactly how it played out, but for some reason or another, that sale went south and didn’t come all the way out. And so those guys were able to step in and purchase it and get it at a decent price. And they actually were able to have enough that they have about they had about 800,000 working capital to get their superintendent established and get a pro on board. They have a swimming pool in a restaurant or that they’re going to sublet out and rent those areas. But it’s somebody that already has an established restaurant in downtown Lancaster’s. So this space at the country club actually can see and about three, 400 people if needed. So they’re actually one of the only venues in the area that can actually hold over a hundred peoples. They should get quite a few receptions and things like that outside still.
Trent Manning:
That’s cool.
Jason Miller:
So did you have any questions, anything I was trying to remember if there was a final question or if we hit everything up or ready?
Trent Manning:
No we pretty much hit, I didn’t ask you all the equipment questions the, I would normally asked, but what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen at work.
Jason Miller:
I was getting ready. I was moving teas and this was when I was working at Sycamore. And I I came around the corner of where the one green as you the one part of the course just block off until you kind of summer and where the cart path went around the green on the, in between. It was the cart path was between the green and a Crick. So it wrapped around the back of it and went around to the next seat. I looked over that way and I kinda, I thought it looked like there was a cart kind of dangling off the. That was going on. I started making my way over there. And then pretty soon here comes this guy up out of the Creek. What had happened was is he had a medical emergency. He was playing by himself and I don’t know if his sugar went low or something, but he kinda just lost where he sat for a while and ended up over the edge and ended up hitting. Thank God he hit a stump because the cell actually kept him from putting the entire cart into the Creek. But the problem was is when he hit it, it flipped him out of the car and on. And there was some big rocks and stuff. And so it’s by the time I got over there and I realized what was going on, then we had to get one of the utility carts in kind of hat. And then the ambulance came and there was a table feel. And by the time it was all said and done, he didn’t even remember anything happened. I
Trent Manning:
That’s crazy. Yeah, yeah,
Jason Miller:
didn’t even realize that anything was going on because by the time the paramedics and everybody, we figured out what was going on because when I got there initially, he was he was climbing about crikey and he got a little bit of blood on him and he just out in left field. And it’s just I didn’t know if you’d hit his head. I didn’t know what was going on. So that one kind of caught me off guard for
Trent Manning:
oh yeah. For sure. We see some crazy things out there for sure.
Jason Miller:
Where exactly did you come up with the thought process of the real turf text podcast?
Trent Manning:
it really started, and 2018 uh, won the NBT award from DCM golf course magazine and Foley was the sponsors of that. And it’s technician of the year, most valuable technician and vet. And they had GCM had me on their podcast and I enjoyed the experience of being on the podcast. And I thought, this is really cool. And I said we need something like this. For equivalent managers. I started listening and nobody was really doing one for just equipment managers or technicians, mechanics, whatever you want to call us and just don’t call us late for dinner. But so that kind of got my wheels turning and I started listening to a lot of the other industry podcast and the whole time thinking we really need something for mechanics. And that’s where the idea came from I guess, and nobody was doing one. So I decided to do it and I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
Jason Miller:
Yeah. I think that’s a big thing when I got into it too, is that my thought process was just to give back obviously also in, so. for me. I think the biggest thing so far is trying to make sure I’m spacing my stuff out. It’s like patient to, to publish the next episode. Then I got done just because I put time and effort and now I want to put it out there, but then I’m like I’m going to put one out once a week and six weeks from now, I’m not going to have any interviews or I’m going to be behind the eight ball and not be able to drop on. So I’m trying to do every other week now, but now. I’m starting to dislike with you and a few of the other guys that are on pride, like I’m going to do one with Matt and Dan. They do from the gene weeds of podcast. That’s a super couple supers out in Phoenix. There’s this really fun and lighthearted they do a beer review and they have a lot of fun Matt’s from Boston. So he has that crazy accent. You can’t say ours or whatever, so that there’ll be a lot of fun to have those guys on it BS with them. They followed me a little bit from go. I did I wrote in talk to them a little bit on g-mail in a couple of different ways and they been following my story and I got a hold of Matt a couple of weeks ago and asked if he wanted to get in. And he said, yes, we might do a kind of one of these with the, from the gene weeds and see if we can do a Coke podcast. Like we did.
Trent Manning:
Yeah. Yeah. That’s cool. That’s awesome. Yeah, those guys they’re hilarious. I’ve listened to them several times and they cracked me up for sure. And they lay it all out there too. There’s no holding back.
Jason Miller:
Oh, yeah, that’s for sure. Matt and Dan holds nothing back and it’s great too, because I think now that they started to do things with the beer reviews and they’re going to the breweries and doing podcasts from the breweries and things like that too. So they’re going to say, hell, I think that I just listened to yesterday was that episode 88. So they’re well into their podcasts and career. I know you get like I said, I really look forward to listening to yours every week. Some of the episodes with the Alaska is a a couple of the other guys, I love the raw stuff that you did about things about how. People that can be I’ve been pretty introverted most of my life and in a lot of way I’ve come out of my shell in my adulthood, but when I was a teenager and in my early twenties, this would’ve never been a thought process getting on and doing a podcast or having a, but then I DJ’ed for years and got out of that, being scared, talking in front of people thought, so this has really come, I think for me full circle and trying to give back. and to have someone like you on the podcast has great podcast clout. And a lot of the great people in the industry. That’s where I’m really hoping that to get the equipment managers listened to, to get my people, to see all the things that EMS and mechanics and everybody on that side of the industry, all that you guys do, because if it wasn’t for you guys, we wouldn’t be anything. Cause let’s say that. My mechanic is invaluable to me. And so I really appreciate what you do. And especially beyond that and doing something with real turf texts.
Trent Manning:
I really appreciate that. And I do want to say the real turf techs. I want to portray this role in a professional manner. So that’s why we don’t cuss a lot. And that’s why we try to keep stuff PG. And I thought plenty of times I would really like to just have a shop talk. We could cut loose and talk about whatever we want to do, but. That’s not what I think the industry needs. I want to promote this career path and elevate the turf equivalent manager or the technician or mechanic. And I thought that would be the best way to do it is to keep it somewhat clean, ask good questions. And people love hearing from different people. And I like having guests from all over it’s not like everybody I interview is at a private club. I’ll lock that. And I don’t want to only interview people. That’s been in the industry for 30 years. I had white hair, so on and he was like eight months into the job, but his dad was a superintendent. So he had a good background and he was spray tech before he made his way into the shop. But he’d only been in the shop eight months and he’s killing it down there in Florida doing what he’s. And somebody is going to be lucky to
Jason Miller:
Well, good. I’m glad. Yeah, most definitely. I think that’s where I’m at with it too, is that I’ve really appreciated your podcast and the people that you’ve had on, because it’s made me look at it from the EMI as to being in control the AI, that to do certain things on my own and that take care of my rules and stuff like that. But to be able to look at it from a mechanic size or your guys’ perspective allows me to be a better superintendent and a better boss to my am and everybody in the company that’s filling in those roles as well.
Trent Manning:
I think a lot of us EDM struggle with managers, especially that just want to tell you what to do. And nobody wants to be told what to do asked us to do something and we’ll be happy to help you or be happy to do it. But the managers that just want to be bossy and yell at you and tell you what you need to be doing. I don’t go over well with anybody, but especially a mechanics. The, that are a lot like me. We don’t deal well with that, but a lot of guys have to put up with stuff like that. And that’s the other great thing about the podcast and feedback I’ve got on it from people is they felt alone in their shop. It’s kinda, you can definitely set up that scenario where as you against the. And the crew’s always breaking stuff and you’re always having to fix it. And it’s easy to get in that mindset, but they said listening to the podcast, let them know that they’re not alone. They’re not the only one dealing with that. And I’ve done several on mental health. And I think that is really important and is a struggle that a lot of us deal with and it’s okay not to be okay. And to tell somebody when you’re not okay and go to the doctor, get treatment.
Jason Miller:
I definitely really appreciated those episodes too, just from that stance. And being able to look at things through the other person’s eyes. And a lot of times we don’t want to have those conversations or people are afraid to bring those feelings up cause they may be judged or feel like, cause they’ve been judged in the past. And so I think that the leaders in this industry and the people that are bosses and are in positions of power, need to make sure that we can put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes and we can understand. You know that not everybody sees things the way you do. Some people have anxiety issues and they can’t help it and going, oh I’ll just get over it. Or why you crying? Those things don’t help. And having these conversations and being able to be open. And like you said, just for somebody to be hearing go, wow, somebody does understand, or somebody does get it that really can be, make a world of difference. Somebody’s
Trent Manning:
When you hit something that I really want to bring up. I had an operator he’s from Barbados and when he was new there. Every, and he’s one of those guys. He has bad luck getting equipment stuck or running into stuff, whatever. But anytime I would go out on the course to retrieve a mower that he had stuck or whatever, he would be laughing. And I didn’t take kindly to that because it wasn’t funny to me, but I’ve, and and it took me a few years to figure this out, but I think he was nervous and that was his reaction was to laugh because he was nervous about messing up. But I didn’t pick up on that right away. Looking at stuff through other people’s eyes can be really eye opening.
Jason Miller:
Oh, I definitely agree. 100%. And I think that’s something that we need to continue to talk about and I was really happy to see that you got those episodes in and it really does help the all to really do the best we can to understand what other people are going through and to react appropriately to those people. And I think a lot of that’s just learning to read your crew and know who you’re working with and as a superintendent hiring in and making sure they know your personality, I’m the type of person where I’m straightforward and blunt. Like I not necessarily crude or anything along those lines or even rude about stuff, but I’ll tell you exactly how it is. If I make a mistake, if I have a thought processes in my mind, out my mouth so I think that’s something if we continue to do that, we’ll be in good shape.
Trent Manning:
Yeah. And that’s the way I am. And honestly, I can be rude at times because I am so blunt and outspoken. There’s I would encourage you or any of the listeners, there’s a workbook and it’s called, I said this, you heard that. And you can get it on Amazon. It’s not much whatever, 12, 15 bucks or something, but it really helps you see different personality traits. And it breaks it down basically into three groups. And I don’t it’s helped me a lot. And now, instead of just going on, like I used to go, I can step back and think about it and say is this part of your personality? Is this part of their personality? What’s the best way to approach this situation, which before reading this book, I had no idea.
Jason Miller:
Yeah. And I think a lot of times it really just does come down to that and taking the time to learn and keep moving forward in that type of stuff too, because you never know what somebody else is going through at home. Or if they may have someone at home that’s hurting or going through something and that’s, what’s on their mind all the time. And you just think, oh, that person has a bad attitude. You don’t realize what that person might be going through.
Trent Manning:
oh, yeah, for sure. You never know until you walk a day in their shoes, what they’re going through
Jason Miller:
I think we can probably wrap up with this. We’ve tapped out about all the information I think our brains can handle for the night is so Trent Manning, the real turf texts podcast here based in Miller from a growing golf podcast. We really appreciate you coming on and doing this collaboration. And I’m looking forward to talking to you some more in the future brother.
Trent Manning:
oh yeah, definitely. And you know my number, man, you call me anytime I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Jason Miller:
I appreciate it. Looking forward to hearing your podcasts every week, bro.
Trent Manning:
Thank you. Keep up the good work man.
Jason Miller:
Appreciate it.
Trent Manning:
thank you so much for listening to the real turf techs podcast. I hope you learned something today. Don’t forget to subscribe. If you have any topics you’d like to discuss, or you’d like to be a guest, find us on Twitter at real turf techs.