American head greenkeepers now earn, on average, more than £53,000 per year, according to new data, far higher than their British counterparts according to Golf Club Management magazine.
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Compensation and Benefits Report has found that head superintendents, the equivalent of head greenkeepers in the UK, have seen their salaries rise on average by 1.9 percent, or nearly £1,000, from 2011 to 2013, to £53,324 per year. This is despite American golf venues suffering from the similar economic pressures that British facilities have faced over the last six years.
The GCSAA started compiling the data in 1993, when the average salary was £28,737 per year – meaning wages have risen by 86 percent in the last 20 years.
In Britain, the Committee for Golf Club Salaries (CGCS) recommends that the top wage a head greenkeeper or course manager should earn is £50,611 per year – and that is depending on experience, duties and the size of the golf course. The minimum salary recommended by the CGCS for such a role is £33,757 per year.
In the USA, certified golf course superintendents, the equivalent of master greenkeepers in the UK, who have achieved the highest level of recognition through education, service and experience, earn on average £63,407 per year – a 3.1 percent increase in the last two years.
Additional data from the report finds that the average head greenkeeper in the USA is 46 years old, has 15.4 years’ experience, has been a head greenkeeper for 9.7 years and is responsible for 21 employees.
“We all know economic challenges have forced facilities to make cuts in virtually every operational area in recent years,” said GCSAA president Pat Finlen. “So I think this reinforces the value employers place in the golf course as a revenue generator and the GCSAA superintendent as a key member of the leadership team.”
