1/30/2019 8:01 PM
GREETINGS;
To understand a bonus is probably different with hundreds of superintendents. My best educated guess is what each of us have grown up with. I have been retired now for almost fourteen years (14 ) and I have seen my club dish out some pretty hefty bonuses since retirement. No, I am not jealous as the club took care of me as best they could.
I was superintendent here at Needham Golf Club for a few years before my first bonus. I am talking Christmas bonuses. In 1964 I received a billfold of fine calf skin made in Italy. In that billfold was two hundred & fifty dollars ($250). My club is a private 9 hole club. I don't know what the pro got. At that time we only had a few employees. I still have the billfold. A few years passed and I never hit $250 again. A main reason is what has followed in that time period.
The club sent a letter out to the membership to donate money and hand it over in the pro shop so the employees will get a nice bonus. Many members gave out cash to the young kids working in the pro shop and of course, the kids thought it was for them. And, you can't blame them for keeping the money. No one ever informed them of any thing different. However, when they received a check they handed it over to the pro.
Time went on and after 25 yrs. with the club, the President, Green Chairman and Treasurer presented me with a set of Irons, a nice clock and a check for $2500.00. I was told that money would be automatic every year I was the superintendent.
Well, later on we got a new treasurer and he thought the club would be better off keeping the money rather than give it to me. He worked at a big bank and he was relentless in trying to keep that money away from me. He was a nice guy but he got under my skin.
A while later one of the kids that worked for me came home to visit (his folks lived in the area). This kid happened to be a Federal Bank Examiner and I explained my problem I had with the treasurer. This young man said ask your treasurer if he knows Mr. so and so. I did and he said he did not know Mr. so and so personally but he knew of him. He asked me how I knew him and I said he was a friend of the family. this Mr. so and so was some type of politician that was in charge of big banks in the northeast and also the bank the treasurer worked at. He never bothered me again.
Now, after 30 years, the club decided to give me a party and I invited superintendents and sales reps to play golf and have dinner and it was open bar for my guests. Members also played golf with us. I had no idea what was going on, but we had some politicians, selectmen and selectwomen from our town. I was presented with a pineapple which meant an all expense trip to Honolulu and Maui plus cash. I worked another 15 years and then retired after 45 years at Needham Golf Club. That also was a great party. I will add that I was also the GM for 33 years inside that 45 years.
To all you younger superintendents out there try and get 2K from your club or more per year, even if you have a pension with your club and put it into an IRA.
Remember, bonuses come in all different sizes and shapes.
Capt. Kirk
Retired Alien
Needham Golf Club
Needham, MA