Golfdom, April 2015

Part time Part timer Assistant Living How does some random assistant superintendent end up with a column in a major trade magazine that boasts a columnist roster of industry heavyweights like Mark Woodward Clark Throssell Ph D and Karl Danneberger Ph D MAtt Neff assistant superintendent Wedgewood G CC Powell Ohio How I became a columnist A s a result of writing this column over the last two plus years Ive been extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many people in this business with whom I otherwise likely wouldve never crossed paths Its also given me the chance to talk with friends and colleagues I dont see on a regular basis The most common question Im asked in many of these conversations or email exchanges is how I got this job Its an understandable question How does some random assistant superintendent end up with a column in a major trade magazine that boasts a columnist roster of industry heavyweights like Mark Woodward Clark Throssell Ph D and Karl Danneberger Ph D I choose to believe that they are asking out of genuine curiosity Thats really interesting Matt So tell me how you ended up with such a cool side gig instead of disbelief Youre an idiot How did you end up writing a column in an otherwise respected trade if it was even reasonable to think that an assistant golf course superintendent with no professional writing experience would be able to do so Although he likely now regrets it on a monthly basis Golfdom Editor in Chief Seth Jones responded to my inquiry He answered my questions regarding freelancing but as luck would have it he also mentioned that he had been considering a column dedicated to assistant superintendents and told me to submit a sample column to him If he liked it I could have the job Fortunately he did and I became a columnist With the way the job market in this business has been over the last several years its not unusual for assistants to be older than in the past and likely have a house and a family For those who havent gone down this road yet believe me when I say that houses and kids cost a ton of money So if youre looking for a way to pick up a little extra income while being able to work around the demanding schedule that is the norm in golf course maintenance its worth it to think a little outside of your comfort zone If its something that you dont know a lot about contacting people who do might just give you the break you need to get started Luckily it worked for me because I think I wouldve been the worst Avon lady ever Matt Neff mneff4@ yahoo com is assistant superintendent at Wedgewood G CC in Powell Ohio magazine Admittedly the disbelief angle isnt entirely without merit The short version of the story is that I got lucky Basically I talked to the right person at the right time and ended up with a column The longer version has to do with the outrageous cost of child care in this country Having two kids enrolled in pre school daycare is basically like having a second mortgage payment every month In an attempt to offset some of the cost I decided to find an additional source of income As youre all aware the work schedule in this business isnt really conducive to having a second job with a set schedule especially when you have a family I knew I needed to do something that would offer flexibility while also providing a reliable source of additional income I had a few ideas but freelance writing seemed like an interesting option because it would best satisfy the main requirements of flexibility and dependable income However I had no clue how to go about becoming a freelancer Since I know more about turf and golf course maintenance than pretty much anything else it made sense to explore opportunities in this industry I contacted the editors of a few industry trade magazines asking for their advice on what was involved with getting into freelancing and 14 Golfdom April 2015 Golfdom com