By Daryl Davidson
The past few years have been an absolute living nightmare for everyone.
However, it has been particularly tough for the turf industry.
We are one of the lowest paid industries but we have been so important for everyone’s health and well-being with the huge increase in participation in sport.
It has been heart-breaking for the turf industry with workers leaving the industry completely, among other issues.
With the pressure of Covid, floods, record rain falls, inflation and lack of staff, the turf Industry is really struggling – from the turf farms to the playing fields – we are all feeling the pain.
No one in our industry has been through this ever before but unfortunately if there’s the opportunity people will take advantage of situations like this, when everyone is bleeding, they come in trying to sell a silver bullet.
People being made redundant from the turf industry during a time when no one can find staff is absolutely crazy, but it is happening because some people are taking advantage of these crazy times.
The problem is when a staff member gets burnt by an employer or a company, they usually think it’s the industry that has burned them to the point they move onto something else that pays more money with less responsibilities and stress.
We constantly hear how a young person has had one bad experience so they decide their entire career on that experience, making it harder to recruit new talent as they tell their friends and family about their bad experience.
After three years of hell, the people left in the industry around the world deserve a medal and it’s up to the industry to try and recruit new people to join.
International Greenkeepers are doing everything they can to promote the industry through social media, expos and high school careers markets but we desperately need the clubs, employers, committees, members and residents to understand these times are not for ever.
If the local park or golf course looks unmaintained from a distance, there is probably a very good reason. Maybe it’s the record rainfalls with fields that have no drainage or covid affecting the amount of staff that turn up to work each day.
I guarantee you no one in our industry wants to have their surfaces flooded or turned to mud so next time you see or play on a mess make sure you think twice before writing a complaint or posting something on social media that will cause the poor people trying to maintain that area even more heartbreak.
If you are a frustrated employer and are looking to find new staff or new ways to move forward, International Greenkeepers can put you in touch with one of our volunteers at no cost to give you a second opinion before making big decisions that can seriously affect peoples lives.
You can email us on internationalgreenkeepersfh@gmail.com
Or check out our website internationalgreenkeepers.com
