The golf season in my part of the world is quickly coming to an end. As of November 1st we have 166 days until the next one starts, not that I am counting!
This year for me has been rewarding in a number of areas. My off season training program did pay dividends in an number of areas. My stamina increased, club speed increased, ball striking improved, and my mental game took another small step. This off season the focus will be on strength and rotation. At the present time just putting the finishing touches on the workout program. Pretty excited for what lies ahead!
Where I failed was letting the “noise” at my Club influence my performance on the course. The ” cool kids” are taking the Club down a very dangerous road and because of that we are failing at what made us great in the first place. I am a great believer in culture. I do not romanticize culture because if you do, it becomes something you are not. That is what my club has become. I believe in building culture. Not belittle it. Understand where you came from and do the things to make it stronger, more resilient and sustainable. We are missing all of these. I have come to the conclusion that the ” cool kids ” now run the show and they do not give a rat’s ass about the past, they only care about looking ” cool and being cool”. They have the coolest cars, coolest clothes, and the coolest equipment. These are all materialistic items. They do not realize that what you leave behind is important, and you do not have to be “cool” to do it. All it takes is the understanding of culture.
At the Club a picture hangs on the wall . It is a picture of first winning team in Division “A” of a highly competitive Inter-club event in my city. We have resided in Division “A” for the last 36 years. In the last 34 years we have a winning percentage of 41%. A winning culture developed because we understood who we were, not what we weren’t. The sad part is a very small percentage of club members and present day team members can name three of the ” Ten” on the team that got it started. For years we hung our hat on this to attract and retain members. Regretfully, present day team members are just enjoying the benefits of their work. For one day they talk like a team, say they play for the Club and each other, giving the illusion of culture, when in reality it is just another round of golf with their buddies only with a little higher stakes. If the truth be known, we are the cusp of relegation and it will be a sad day for the team members who dedicated themselves to winning. For the ” cool” kids it will sting for 24 hours but they will move on to the next materialistic thing that makes them fell good. Harsh I know !
I compare ” The Ten” to the 1972 Miami Dolphins . The Dolphins went undefeated that season and every year when that possibility no longer exists they pop the champagne and toast the team.
In our case ” The Ten” would have cracked open a cold one(s) because they were not champagne guys, they were beer guys. They were burger guys. That was their culture.
So to the ” The Ten” cheers!
Until next time!
Writers Note: As of October 9th the picture has been taken down and replaced with two plaques of what the Club views as more important. So much for respecting the past !
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Between The Ears 