Golf course superintendents have one main job: supervise the groundskeepers and other maintenance workers to make sure the grounds are in perfect condition.
"Golfers are a pretty demanding bunch, which causes a lot of the stress," said Scott Hollister, a spokesman for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
When you have 500 members of a club, you may have 500 opinions on how the course should look and how it should play, he said. Some think the rough is too long, others not long enough.
Keeping the grass healthy is the job's biggest challenge, according to Bob McClean, superintendent at the Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green, Ky. Sub-zero winter temperatures kill the Bermuda grass on the fairways and summer heat takes a toll on the greens.
"There's pressure to keep the course in pristine condition," he said.
McClean said he's well compensated for working a 40-hour week -- but most of the time he puts in 100 hours-plus. And while supervisors at top courses get paid well, supers at small municipal courses make a lot less, with an overall median of about $54,000.
