Words of advice: Remember to recharge

It’s that time of year again. It’s August, and it’s blazing hot in most parts of the country. For those of you in the cooler regions, 80 degrees is like 100 to you. We are almost there. Whether it’s on to cooler temperatures, the final or first golf event, the end of capital improvements or the start of a golf season, we are almost there.

No matter where you are, what you grow or sell, we are all tired. A salesman visited the other day and he said I look like someone from “The Walking Dead.” He wasn’t too far himself from being an extra in the next Rob Zombie film. Whether you are a salesman or growing grass, it seems we are tired all across the country. Possibly on the verge of burnout.

We are no different at The Peninsula Club. We have been upgrading irrigation, building a boulder seawall, renovating our practice facility and beginning a bunker master plan. It’s been many long and stressful days for me and my staff. I know we are tired.

But as the projects have begun to wind down, and one by one the contractors have departed, it hit me. It never ends. This business is a living, breathing entity. The job never stops. I may break down and compartmentalize each part of the year, but it never stops. For me, the projects end but the golfing calendar begins. Winter bellows in with a chill and the projects begin again. Spring flourishes and golf takes off. Summer heat bakes and the cultural practices take flight. The work is never complete. It merely changes with the seasons.

A mentor of mine and I were talking about a recent vacation he took. Two weeks out of the country. I don’t know the last time I took two weeks off from work. Not sure I ever have. He went on to tell me how his perspective was better and he felt re-energized. Seems logical, profound and groundbreaking, right?

Personal confession: I have not been as good at taking time away from work as many seasoned, successful turf professionals have been. Highly effective people attribute success to working hard and finding a good work-life balance. Blame it on youth. Blame it on stubbornness. Blame it on IQ. I am not good at it. Not proud of it, just haven’t overcome it yet.

I don’t think I am out on a plank here. I am not the only one. This industry is full of hardworking, do-what-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done people. That’s what makes this industry the best. When the going gets tough, the turfies get going. However, the long stretches of work that can burn us out need to be followed by good, quality time away from work.

Too many people do the hard work and forget to take the time off. Many of those same people find their way out of the industry and into the 9 to 5. Patrick Murphy 
(@riverclubsuper) said it best on Twitter. “Rest allows us to recalibrate our priorities and replenish our cistern of creativity.” We are better at what we do when we are at our best when doing it. I can tell you that my staff and I will be taking some much needed time away to recharge after the final project is completed.

So as summer is quickly coming to an end, remember to take time and rejuvenate. Spend time with the family, start that hobby you always wanted to or just take a break. We all may look like zombies now, but it’s nothing a few days away can’t fix.

As you are reading this I’m chasing two young ones all over the beach. I hope one or two of you are here with me.

Photo credit: blavandmaster via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA