Golf course careers are becoming more lucrative in the US, especially for golf course superintendents, but how does it compare to New Zealand.
According to new data out of the States, golf course superintendents average annual salaries have climbed to US$121,238 annually. To put into perspective, that’s $203,682 in New Zealand dollars.
According to the Golf Managers Association of New Zealand’s Wage and Salary Survey 2024, the average annual salary for a superintendent in New Zealand ranged from NZ$104,000 to NZ$113,000 – considerably less than in the US. However, NZ did see a slight increase from 2023, when the average was between NZ$96,000 and NZ$109,000.
The average salary and additional data comes from the latest biennial Compensation and Benefits Report from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). The latest findings are a 10.6% increase over the average salary of $109,621 in the 2023 report, continuing the trend of increases in every two-year period since GCSAA began tracking the data in 1993. Superintendents’ salaries have nearly tripled in the three decades since that first report, when the average salary was $44,500.
Certified golf course superintendents, those who have achieved the highest level of recognition through education, experience and service, saw an increase of 7.4% over 2023. Their average salary rose to $138,303.
Assistant superintendents and golf course equipment managers also saw increases in their incomes. Assistant salaries rose 10.5% to $62,184, and equipment managers saw a 12.5% increase from the average salary two years ago to climb to $68,154.
Below shows the latest average salaries for golf course workers in New Zealand in 2024.
The rise in salaries in the U.S. in golf course management professions is outpacing the national average, which, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, rose by 8.1% over the last two years (4.3% increase in 2023 and 3.8% increase in 2024).
“Golf course superintendents and their teams are highly skilled professionals,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “They play an essential role in the success of golf facilities, and golf course owners increasingly understand that and are investing in them accordingly.”
The report also gives a good picture of the profile of GCSAA superintendents and their operations. The average age of a superintendent is 47.1 years, and the average number of years they have spent in the profession is 15.9 years. The average number of years a superintendent has spent in his or her current position is 9.5 years.
Maybe time to look at a Green Card?
