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CASE HISTORIES . . .
Case Histories Offer Perspective, Education, Information We believe an important aspect of TOCA is to learn from the award-winning writers and editors who serve the industry. This column will profile a winner's entry from the annual TOCA Writing Contest. Writers who have won first place awards will discuss their articles, anecdotes from the research, interview and writing process, plus other tidbits of useful information to assist other TOCA members about the business of writing. Please e-mail us at Tocaassociation@aol.com for more information. Have a great day! Below is the first place article in the 2004 TOCA Writing Contest, "Writing for Commercial Publication: Editorial/Opinion Piece/Column" category. It originally appeared in Golfdom, February 2004. Following the article is a commentary by author Pat Jones reflecting on how the article came to be. These Aren't the Good Old Days Pat Jones One of the consequences of being old as dirt (as my 8-year-old likes to remind me) is that I increasingly long for the "good old days." For me, the good old days were before he discovered both the Nintendo Gameboy and Dad's inability to keep up with him in a foot race. From the industry perspective, I'm beginning to think of the good old days as the era when there weren't 450 resumes submitted for every superintendent's job that opens up. I hear way too many horror stories about facilities that hold employment "beauty contests" seemingly designed to entice as many applicants as possible. These also seem to be the same facilities that never even bother to so much as acknowledge receipt of the application or send "regrets" letters to unsuccessful candidates. Frankly, that's just plain rude behavior from those supposedly gentlemanly club presidents and owners who engage in such practices. But that's the reality of the job market these days for the vast majority of superintendents who are forced to seek work. It ain't pretty out there. For those who leave jobs involuntarily, the old rule of "one month of unemployment for each $10,000 you need in salary" seems to more than hold true right now. I know too many good folks who've faced this nasty situation. It's a desperate and depressing position to be in. There are several causes for the current imbalance in the job market. First, there's the downturn in new construction. Instead of 400 desirable new jobs at new facilities each year, there are only about 150. Second, thanks to the sour economy and general skittishness, superintendents seem to be staying put longer. In our 2001 Golfdom Report study, the average tenure in our respondents' current position was 7.1 years. By 2003, the average jumped to 8.7 years. Job hopping is clearly on the decline. But the biggest cause of the current dilemma is, ironically, the industry's success at promoting and marketing the profession. We've actually helped to create this monster through decades of public relations, outreach to schools and broader awareness among young golfers about the role of the superintendent. Over the past two decades, young people who would have otherwise ended up in agriculture, horticulture or another discipline have flowed into golf/turf programs. Universities, community colleges and vocational schools aren't dumb. They're in the business of generating tuition revenue and, noticing this upswing of interest, started or expanded turf-degree programs. No one seems to really track this, but I'm guessing that the number of institutions offering two- or four-year degrees has at least doubled in the past 15 years. There are now nearly 100 programs listed on the GCSAA Web site - and you know there are many more out there. And the number of students enrolled in those programs has increased as well. Every professor I've talked with says his or her turf program has grown steadily. Bigger schools are graduating 20 to 30 kids per year, and smaller ones are cranking out at least five or six. So let's conservatively assume that each of those 100 schools is graduating 10 students per year. That projects to at least 1,000 new entrants into the market annually with high hopes for big jobs and six-figure salaries within a few quick years. Yikes! The cup has runneth over. It's time we start managing expectations and stemming the flow. Word needs to go out to students - particularly those at some of the smaller programs where some of the inflated ideas about salaries and jobs seem to start - that the good old days in the golf course job market are over, and it might be time to rethink their career plans. Better they hear it now then face the bleak prospects of an oversupplied market four years down the road. Author's Comments: The opportunity to write regular opinion columns can be a dream come true for a journalist. It also can be your worst nightmare because: a. You have incessant, looming deadlines enforced by evil ogres (editors) b. You constantly have to dream up new topics even if the Muse isn't lounging at your shoulder that day c. You must grab readers right away and try to hold them tighter than a miser grasps a penny d. You are trying to persuade and perhaps inspire action from busy people who probably don't give a damn. This particular column, written for Golfdom in February 2004, is a decent example of all of the above. As always, I was on (or past) deadline and the editor was standing in my doorway tapping his foot impatiently. Inspiration came in the form of yet another e-mail from a yet another reader who had lost a job. The reason? He was replaced by someone younger and cheaper. Bingo! His misery became my topic. I often use a reference to my home life as a "grabber" in the lead. It tends to personalize the relationship with the reader and it fits my informal style. It may or may not work for other writers, but I've always enjoyed columnists who do it (Mike Royko, Dave Barry, Rick Reilly, etc.). Also, I fall into the same demographic as most of my audience (forty-something males) and the mention of being a dad and my boy playing Nintendo might help them relate. Upon re-reading it, I think the strength of the column is that it's a fairly persuasive mix of no-brainer industry observation (too many people, not enough jobs), factual support (the study statistics) and a call to action (tell the colleges to stop selling degrees). The final paragraph is pretty firm and is a nice "return" that may re-engage the many readers to tend to read the lead, scan the body and then check the end of a piece to see if it was worth reading. I learned that from an old editing professor who gave me a great piece of advice: "Don't get lazy at the finish line. Put as much work into your close as your lead." Happy scribbling! Pat Jones
Below is the first place article in the 2004 TOCA Writing Contest, "Writing for Commercial Publication: Environmental Stewardship Article" category. It originally appeared in Golfdom, October 2004. Following the article is a commentary by author Larry Aylward reflecting on how the article came to be. Doing the Right Thing (PDF) Author's Comments: I knew I found a good story when I learned about the problems Paul Emling endured at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club. The challenge for me - as it always is when I find a good story - was to get that story on paper. I always feel pressure when I find a story of sorts. I feel pressure to capture the drama and emotions of the story precisely. I want to do it justice. It's kind of like landing a 10-pound bass on your line. You've hooked the big fish, but now you have to reel the critter in. And you have to do so carefully or you'll lose that fish. Because of the setting of the story the beautiful Lake Michigan coastline there was additional pressure to paint a picture of that setting in words. This is fun, but it can be difficult. You don't want to paint too much and over-dramatize the setting. Speaking of difficult, I find writing to be difficult. But that is good for that is how I learn. I've been intimidated many times with the abundance of information I've gathered for stories. I wonder how I will ever create a worthwhile story from so much information. But I stick with it, and I don't give in. I'm also not afraid to ask others for their opinions about what I've written. What I love most about writing is that there are always new techniques to learn and implement. Always. Larry Aylward Below is the first place article in the 2004 TOCA Writing Contest, "Writing for Commercial Publication: Business Management" category. It originally appeared in Lawn & Landscape, May 2004. Following the article is a commentary by author Nicole Wisniewski on how the article came to be. H-2B (PDF) Author's Comments: When the USCIS closed the H-2B program after reaching the 66,000 cap, many landscape contractors found themselves without workers for the spring the busiest time of the year. This breaking news was a surprise to readers since many relied on the H-2B program to supplement their labor forces. Many landscape contractors called Lawn & Landscape asking what was going on, if they were going to receive their workers and what they should do about business in 2004. Because the magazine is dedicated to providing its readers with solutions to business problems, this was a topic we could not ignore. I immediately starting calling sources to find answers and each one led to a new source and a new resulting challenge that readers needed advice on how to face as a result of this H-2B crisis. The story and its corresponding sidebars fell into place as a result of this consistent reporting. The end result was a replacement of the traditional May 2004 cover story with a breaking news report on the H-2B crisis, a timeline of the events that led up to this program's downfall, the temporary solutions that were being drafted by U.S. senators and representatives, and tips on how contractors can resolve the problem now and in 2005. Nicole Wisniewski
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