Getaway days

We tend to write these articles a month or so in advance. It’s currently the end of July, so hopefully you’re reading this in September, and the weather pattern has changed.

This season has been BRUTAL. No region of the country has gone unscathed by the wrath of Mother Nature. The lady remains undefeated! We have seen a lot of people who have the thousand-mile stare — and there’s still all of fall to go before most of you reach the season’s finish line.

This article comes at everyone from a slightly different slant. We don’t want to write about agronomics, weather, equipment or anything turfgrass-related. We would like to offer a reminder to take care of yourself, your relationships and your family, and find opportunities as the season ramps down to take some time away from the golf course.

We know you are probably muttering something like, “Easy for Jeff and Dave to say, they aren’t superintendents anymore.” You’re right, it is easy for us to say that. But it wasn’t that long ago that we were in your position.

We were both workaholics — and we did it wrong.

The golf course was the priority, and everything else came second. Health, family and relationships were all second-place finishers. It’s awful to say, but it’s true. We both know that as you’re reading this, you know it’s true for yourself.

If we had to do it all over again, we would try to find slightly more balance and navigate getting away from the golf course a little more intelligently. We’re not telling anyone to take a four-day weekend or get away for a week if it’s not in your wheelhouse. It’s certainly outside of ours. But you can’t tell us that you’re not able to leave Shawshank Country Club at 2 or 3 in the afternoon to spend some time with the people who are significant to you, or just go home and take a nap.

If your assistant can’t handle the golf course for the last two to three hours of the day from time to time, or on a Saturday afternoon, or even for a weekend, what the hell are they doing there? That’s a sign you should find a new one.

We didn’t do it — or rather, we certainly didn’t do it enough. We prided ourselves on being there whenever our staff were on the golf course and not leaving until the last worker headed out for the day. We still feel that way, but we both know that we could have been better about making time to get away from the golf course. We have talked about it and discussed it and, reflecting on it, we were actually better at our job when we made the time to get away for a while, even if it was for an afternoon. It’s amazing to observe how the power of getting away for a while to decompress makes you sharper.

Just so you all can digest this, the signs of a workaholic include chronic stress, reduced cognitive ability and burnout. Any of that sound familiar? No? Then how about some of following: decreased productivity, micromanagement tendencies (you know you do!) and poor health choices, including poor diet and neglecting exercise (yeah, that’s you, Phil). A couple of those must hit some chord. If not, then we guess you’re Superman or Superwoman.

We know that some of these resonate with us, so we’re sure they must hit with a couple of you out there.

The point is, get away from the golf course. It doesn’t mean taking a lot of time off; it means getting away for a few hours. Or if you see a good opportunity with the weather or golf calendar, get the hell out of there and leave it in someone else’s hands for a little bit.

Do you know what your golf course is going to be long after you are dead and gone? A golf course. It can handle you getting away long enough to spend time with family and friends, or just doing something that has nothing to do with work. We promise everything will still be there when you return.

It’s been a long summer, boys and girls. Do better than we did and take care of yourself.