How to deal with stress as a golf club manager

Named manager of the ‘Welsh Golf Club of the Decade’ last year, Andrew Minty offers advice on how golf club managers can deal with stress at what has been a challenging time for everyone in the industry.

Difficult people can ruin your day. Some are completely unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them in a messenger group (or in the clubhouse), and others seem to generate satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons. Either way, they create unnecessary complexity and worst of all unwanted stress for any golf club manager.

Studies have shown that stress can have a lasting, negative impact on you. It’s a feeling that all golf club managers have felt and can feel on a daily basis. The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. Some managers can find a coping strategy that they employ to keep difficult people at bay.

The important thing to remember is that you are in control far more than you realise.

Set limits

The Covid restrictions have caused a lot of discontent with golfers. Doing the right thing sometimes isn’t doing the right thing to the club member or visiting golfer, which can cause an unbelievable amount of frustration by all club managers and officials.

You can avoid this only by setting limits and distancing yourself when necessary. A great way to set limits is to ask complainers how they would propose to fix the problem. They will either be quiet or redirect the conversation in a more productive direction.

Andrew Minty

Rise above it

Difficult people can really get you down because their behaviour is so irrational, sometimes their behaviour goes against reason. So why do you allow yourself to respond to them emotionally and get pulled into the discussion? Distance yourself from them emotionally, you don’t need to respond to the emotional chaos, only respond to the facts.

You can’t stop someone from pushing your buttons if you don’t recognise when it’s happening. If you let things happen naturally, you are bound to find yourself constantly embroiled in difficult conversations. If you set boundaries and decide when and where you will engage a difficult person, you can control things much better.

Don’t focus on problems, just solutions

Where you focus your attention determines your emotional state. When you fixate on the problems you are facing, you create stress. Sometimes you can’t help but absorb the negativity of other people.

It’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt to tackle everything by yourself. To deal with irate or unreasonable people, you need to recognise the weaknesses in your approach to them. This means tapping into your support network to gain perspective on a challenging person. Everyone has someone at work and / or outside work who is on their team, rooting for them and ready to help them get the best from a difficult situation. Identify these individuals and make an effort to seek their insight and assistance when you need it. Something as simple as explaining the situation can lead to a new perspective. Most of the time, other people can see a solution that you can’t because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation as you are.

PGA Fellow Professional Andrew Minty achieved the director of golf qualification in 2008 aged just 28. He joined Langland Bay Golf Club in Wales in 2010 and was named the GCMA’s ‘Manager of the Year’ in 2015. www.langlandbaygolfclub.com