Assistant Superintendent

Metedeconk National Golf Club is seeking an Assistant Golf Course Superintendent to join our golf course management team.

This position is an opportunity for a motivated turf professional to gain meaningful experience across all aspects of a complex 27-hole private golf operation. Our goal is not to have assistants specialize in one task indefinitely. Responsibilities are shared and rotated among the management team, providing exposure to agronomy, staff management, irrigation, applications, water management, projects, tournament preparation, and the day-to-day decision-making required to successfully manage a golf course.

We are looking for someone who wants responsibility, wants to continue learning, and ultimately wants to become a better turf manager.

The Opportunity

Metedeconk is a 27-hole facility with extensive practice areas and a large, diverse property. Maintaining the golf course requires coordination of multiple crews, changing daily course rotations, detailed water management, and the ability to adjust agronomic and operational decisions in real time.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Golf Course Superintendent and other assistants while also being given areas of responsibility to manage independently.

A major Rain Bird irrigation installation is currently underway. The project provides direct exposure to a large-scale irrigation installation, contractor coordination, system design and implementation, troubleshooting, staking, construction sequencing, and the operational challenges of completing major infrastructure work while maintaining a functioning 27-hole golf course.

For someone interested in eventually becoming a Golf Course Superintendent, the intent of this position is to provide experience that extends beyond simply performing daily maintenance tasks.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities will evolve based on experience and development, but will include:

- Daily golf course setup and conditioning

- Crew leadership, scheduling, training, and supervision

- Irrigation operation, troubleshooting, repair, and water management

- Pesticide and fertilizer applications

- Moisture management and use of field data to guide agronomic decisions

- Implementation of fertility, plant-health, and growth-management programs

- Cultural practices including aerification, topdressing, seeding, and related programs

- Tournament and special-event preparation

- Coordination and execution of course-improvement projects

- Participation in the upcoming Rain Bird irrigation installation

- Equipment and resource coordination

- Rotating management responsibilities with other assistants

- Increasing independent decision-making as experience and trust develop

This position is best suited for someone who views an assistant role as a stage in their professional development rather than simply another job.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in the management of a 27-hole operation, lead employees, make decisions, work through a major irrigation installation, and gain experience across the areas that ultimately become the responsibility of a Golf Course Superintendent.

We don’t expect someone to arrive knowing everything.

We do expect them to show up, take ownership, ask questions, communicate, and want to get better.

Schedule & Quality of Life Golf course management requires significant seasonal commitment, and candidates should understand the demands of the profession. At the same time, our management structure is designed to distribute responsibility among multiple assistants rather than place the entire workload on one individual. During the primary golf season, assistants work a structured rotation that provides regular scheduled time away while maintaining appropriate management coverage. Major tournaments, aerification, and certain projects require additional coverage from the entire management team. The offseason is substantially different. Winter schedules generally average approximately 40 hours per week with minimal weekend responsibilities, providing a meaningful seasonal reduction in workload. The golf course is closed to regular play for a portion of the winter, allowing the department to focus on projects, maintenance, planning, education, and preparation for the following season.

Experience Requirements

We are more interested in finding the right person than checking every box on a résumé. The ideal candidate is dependable, self-motivated, organized, and interested in understanding why decisions are made—not simply being told what task to perform. Candidates should be comfortable working as part of a team while also developing the ability to lead people and take ownership of their responsibilities. Previous assistant experience is valuable, but an ambitious candidate with a strong foundation and the desire to take the next step in their career will also be considered.

Qualifications • Golf course maintenance experience • Previous supervisory or assistant-level experience preferred • Strong communication and organizational skills • Ability and willingness to lead and develop employees • Familiarity with irrigation systems and pesticide/fertilizer applications • Valid driver’s license • Commitment to continued professional development

Educational Requirements

Turfgrass, agronomy, or related education preferred New Jersey pesticide license or ability to obtain appropriate licensing