Musings from the Ledge: Same face, new place

You may have noticed that my email address has changed to Rehoboth Beach Country Club. While Musings from the Beach has a good ring to it — and gives connotations of a relaxing life — Musings From The Ledge has become synonymous with me.

Alan Fitzgerald, CGCS, MG

The decision to leave was not easy. I spent almost half my life at LedgeRock and had everything running smoothly. Believe it or not, that was part of the problem. The turf was living happily, and I had reached all my goals for the club. I had become somewhat bored.

Not to the point where I was complacent. But the break from routine during a fairway bunker renovation highlighted the need for something more. So, I thought, what could I do next? How could I reinvent Alan without upsetting the apple cart?

When approached about the position at Rehoboth Beach CC, I figured, what do I have to lose by taking a look?

I immediately fell in love with the people, the club, the course and the plans for the future. I was sold, and then I just had to land the job. If I got it, I would face the not-so-small task of tearing my life in Pennsylvania apart.

My wife and I always loved the Delmarva beaches, so that bit was easy. What was harder was leaving our forever house — which I had just finished renovating.

Assistant Superintendents Kevin Titus (left) and Tony Rubbico (right) were a major help in my transition to Rehoboth Beach CC. (Photo: Caleb Cauthren, Rehoboth Beach CC)

Saying goodbye

After I landed the job, I had to let LedgeRock know. I’ve mentioned in a previous column (see the May 2021 issue of Golfdom) that the assistant superintendent is your copilot, and they should be ready to take over when needed.

At the Rock, Cody Frederick was ready and made the transition seamless.

I’m lucky to inherit a great team here, with assistants who did a great job in the interim and helped me get settled. However, it was unsettling on my first morning when, for the first time, I had no clue what I was doing!

While updating my LinkedIn profile, a friend posted an article headlined, “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” Considering the huge change I was currently going through, it caught my attention.

Is it less traveled because it is impossible? Or is it so challenging that most don’t want to step out of their comfort zone and face it?

Take a hike

Think of your career as taking a hike up a mountain. You’re committed to finding a trail to get to the top but don’t know exactly how it will get you there. Others might take a different path to get there, but that doesn’t matter.

What happens when you get to the top? Do you head back down to climb again, or do your eyes wander over to the next mountain? I’ve always set challenges for myself and often took the path less traveled. I like to think it made me who I am, and what LedgeRock is, and Rehoboth will become.

No matter how many milestones I’ve reached, I’ve always found a reason to climb back down and give it another go. Now, having made the move to the next mountain, I’m invigorated.

Not that I wasn’t before. But now, seeing it from a different perspective, even the simplest things excite me again! Facing and overcoming challenges makes you better. I was told in high school English that I would never be a good writer and now I write for Golfdom! What do you have to lose by taking a look?

And yes, living by the beach is awesome!