Careers in golf course management and lawn care are stressful at times and require long hours. Reid Neumann, who works in both industries, believes it’s all worth it when he can help others.
Reid Neumann works as an Assistant Golf Course Superintendent at Springbrook Golf Course in Naperville, Illinois, and as an LCO of his own lawn care company, Neumann Outdoor Services. Becoming an Assistant Golf Course Superintendent made perfect sense to him, as he has always loved the game of golf and enjoyed the transformation golf courses made under his hands. However, taking on an additional career in lawn care did not make as much sense until Neumann saw a way to help his fellow Chicagoans.
Before starting his lawn care business, friends and family would ask Neumann advice about their yards, knowing what he did for a living.
“They may have felt their current lawn care company wasn’t fixing their yard or they may have felt they were getting charged too much for the work,” Neumann said. “But hearing their concerns helped me decide to start my own lawn care business. I wanted to help out the families in my area by offering superior lawn care services at affordable prices. Chicago is an expensive place to live in.”
How is Neumann able to offer superior lawn care services at affordable prices? He uses what he has learned as an Assistant Superintendent.
Neumann uses acelepryn on his golf course to treat grubs, and he has transferred this knowledge to lawn care. With acelepryn in his arsenal, Neumann can give his clients superior results and save them money through less guessing and visits.
“Some of my customers in the past have had grub problems, and they’ve used other companies, which did not give them the results they wanted,” he said. “By using what we use on the golf course, accelepryn, I’ve been able to give them those results. Acelepryn allows me to get better grub coverage and control on lawns, which has been a game changer for my clients.”
Rhizomatous Tall Fescue, or RTF, is another bit of Assistant Superintendent knowledge Neumann uses in his lawn care business to offer superior, affordable services to his customers. RTF is sometimes used on his golf course in the high-traffic areas due to its wear tolerance. He applied this information to lawn care to create lawns that can handle a lot of kid wear. The high wear tolerance helps save his customers money in the long run.
“If they [my customers] have a lot of kids who play sports, I would go with RTF turf for its great wear tolerance and its ability to handle a large amount of foot traffic,” he said. “On the golf course, we sometimes use it on high traffic areas. It’s a great option.”
His Assistant Superintendent knowledge must be working because his business has grown 40 percent just this year. Besides his Assistant knowledge, Neumann attributes his success to efficient communication, Chicagoland Facebook groups, and his customers spreading the word of his quality work.
For anyone who wants to work both in the golf course management and lawn care industries, there are a few differences you should be aware of according to Neumann. The most significant difference is the lack of control.
“I have control on my golf course with how I want things to look and how to make them look that way,” he said. “I do not have that same control with lawn care. I put down the product for them [the customer], and it’s up to them as to how manicured it is. They need to water and mow. I do try to help out by going out when it’s going to rain, so they don’t have to water.”
Neumann says the other significant difference between the two is that each lawn is different, with different problems. In golf, he says, you have one course to manage.
The most rewarding part of his lawn care business, Neumann says, is helping his fellow Chicagoans feel satisfied with their lawn.
“It makes me happy to see them happy,” he said. “In the past, they have been frustrated with results from other people, or they were trying to do things on their own and needed help. It’s refreshing to see them satisfied and proud of their yard.”
He also says it’s the same for the golf course.
“It’s always fun and rewarding when we make the course look great for tournaments, and different players and members comment on how good the course looks,” he said, “especially since I have such a great crew.”
