Meet Luke Helm, Course Superintendent at Meadowbrook Golf Club for the past 1 ½ years.
What do you love about the course? I enjoy the layout and design of the holes, its different to any other course I’ve been on which is enjoyable. The owners are fantastic people to work for and really want to improve the golf course.
What do you love about being a Superintendent? I enjoy the day-to-day challenges and working through those with my team to present a great product each week. I find it very rewarding when you can overcome those curve balls we all get thrown in this job and still achieve a great result.
What challenges do you face being a Superintendent? One challenge I’ve found is mentally processing everything. No matter how many negatives you get thrown, to stay on your toes and be prepared for whatever the course, club or weather throws at you is often a challenge.
Describe your team. While for 27-holes our team is quite small, I’ve never worked with such passionate and enthusiastic guys. They understand how time efficiency is so important with so much land to cover and never once argue if there is overtime required or if an irrigation break occurs on a weekend. As a team, each week we present a very good product because of their hard work and dedication.
In addition to being paid money, how else has your career created value in your life? For me I love my job and I have so much passion for turf and golf courses, it’s not hard each day going to work and doing something that you love to do which makes life a lot more enjoyable.
Is your job what you thought it would be when you started? It’s certainly a big step from being an Assistant, but, being able to watch other Superintendent through my career I had a fair idea of the workload the job entailed and where I had to be in my career to do it successfully.
Are there any projects that you have worked on that have been particularly interesting? In my Sydney days, installing a new complete irrigation system I found interesting and particularly rewarding once we were completed and could see the amazing results. Also, construction of new greens is always interesting and enjoyable
How do you prepare yourself for emerging trends and changes in the industry? I find regularly reading up on new material and attending industry days is good to stay in touch with any changes. I also enjoy talking to local Superintendents who have years of experience in the industry.
