Good news for American greenkeepers, or superintendents as they are want to call them, with the news that their average annual salary has climbed to more than US$89,000 in 2017.
A quick Google tells me that at the current exchange rate that equates to around £69,170.
This average salary information has come from the latest biennial Compensation and Benefits Report from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) - the U.S equivalent of BIGGA.
The 2017 report showed that the US$89,189 average salary was an increase of 4.7 per cent over the 2015 report, continuing the trend of increases in every two-year period since the GCSAA began tracking the data in 1993. Superintendents’ salaries have more than doubled in the last quarter century since that first report, when the average salary was US$44,500 (around £34,585).
Certified golf course superintendents, those who have achieved the highest level of recognition through education, experience and service, saw an increase of more than five per cent for the second consecutive survey. Their average salary rose to US$109,620 (£85,196), an increase of US$5,627(£4,373) over 2015.
Assistant superintendents and golf course equipment managers also saw increases in their incomes. Assistant salaries rose 4.2 per cent and equipment managers saw a 5.1 per cent increase from the average salary two years ago.
“Golf course owners realise that the number one asset of the golf facility is the course, so they have continued to invest in golf course superintendents and their staffs,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “The continued rise in compensation recognises superintendents for the highly-educated professionals they are.”
Employers of golf course superintendents in America continue to reinforce the value they place in golf course facility leaders as the average annual salary for the profession climbed to more than US$89,000 in 2017.
In the UK The Committee for Golf Club Salaries (CGCS) publishes its recommendations for greenkeepers' wages. The most recent report was updated in April 2017 – which can be downloaded in full from the BIGGA website.
The CGCS recommends that annual increases in salary in the UK should be based on the increase in average earnings as shown in the Office for National Statistics, Retail Prices Index for August each year. Although in the most recent published report The CGCS have recommended a 2% increase from the 2016 rates, which although that is not in line with the committee guideline of using the RPIJ (which in August 2016 was 0.6%), takes into account the Office of National Statistics Wage Inflation (NSWI) rate of 2.4%.
An impressively detailed document, it breaks down recommended pay levels, based on age, experience, training levels and qualifications.
It also offers a helpful Careers Pattern flow diagram which clearly lays out the journey an entrant into the profession should expect to follow in terms of training and qualifications leading them up the greenkeeping ladder.
It is well worth having a read through for anyone employed in the sector, to see how their own situation is matching up to these recommended levels.
UK greenkeepers may not find themselves on the same levels as their American counterparts, but arming oneself with the knowledge of what they should be expecting to earn, dependant of what level they find themselves at, should be most helpful in any future negotiations with employers.
