Fitting In

December 18, 2011

Fitting In

I am known as a professional golfer. It has been my persona for quite a while now; as long as I have been an adult. So many folks are amazed that I have not been actively pursuing the Champions Tour with greater zeal. To be honest I did have moderate success in 2008 but after giving it a shot I looked up and quite simply don’t want to end up “bitter old golfer”. I say that because many of the guys who chase the Champions Tour and do not get over year after year sit around and talk about how the system screwed them. I found myself going down that road and taking a good long look at myself in the mirror I just decided, “NO!”

In 13 days I turn 54 which is not really a monumental landmark in anyway, but just a fact. It is really time for me to do other things which is why I am embarking on a job search to find out where a retired Tour Player fits into the golf world after he decides to stop. What are the options? Design is one option but according to Golf.com only 15 18-hole golf courses came on line in 2011. With one of my heroes, Ben Crenshaw right up the street doing some design and doing it well with Bill Coore, who needs a one-time Tour winner and Texas Aggie to boot to design? The fact that I have one on the ground and doing well, High Meadow Ranch in Magnolia, Texas puts me ahead of the curve.

Teaching is obviously another aspect of golf that I could do. I know what I am doing and know what I believe. I am also pretty good at conveying the message to folks. Most of that training comes from all the pro-am events I played in where one big draw is helping a new friend get better. I prefer group setting over individual settings only because I find golf social. However to be a good teacher the individual lesson is so necessary and I need to get better at that. There are difficulties to the vocation of teaching pro. One I see is the individual pro has to be a great self-promoter, relentlessly pushing and marketing himself. Part of that is many teachers I have chatted with feel compelled to disrespect another teacher. That is a turn off to me, and I have not gone back to a few intelligent teachers because of that. The other difficulty I see is an expectation that technology is a cure for the golf swing and the ability to play golf. Technology is expensive and a launch monitor and swing analysis software are also costly. I envy the pros who have the equipment; it gives them a leg up.

Let me digress a second here on technology. The most fabulous and wonderful computer ever assembled to help you with golf is: your brain. The human brain still outstrips any collection of chips and crystals in computing and executing a golf shot. The mind can also ENJOY the GAME of golf. This is why I find the most compelling and successful golf teachers to be more like coaches rather than a mechanic. Teachers such as Chuck Hogan, Lynn Marriott, and Pia Nilsson who coach players how to run their brain to run their game get so much done with so few bells and whistles. The best strategy I can ever share with a golfer is learn how to run your brain to make golf as fun and exciting of an event as you can make it. A local youth camp here in New Braunfels has a slogan, “Don’t waste fun!” I agree!

Administration is another place in golf where I might fit. I know this because the last year I had ten months of general manager experience and have found I am better at it than I thought I would be. The problem here is three fold. First it is not as if there are a lot of jobs out there, available, worth having. The second is my accreditation is unconventional especially as it pertains to the PGA. I am PGA Tour by brand not PGA. It is kind of technical but there exists a soft barrier to entry for me because I am not a PGA Class A pro. The third is related to the second in that the experience I do have, which in my opinion is every bit as functional as if I had spent eight or ten years as an assistant pro, scares employers. Employers have this stigma about Tour Players in part because they wonder if the putts start falling the Tour Pro will scamper. I can actually see the validity in all these and the fallacy. Good is good. Smart is smart. Golf is golf. If the right job was there, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

As I go into Christmas 2011 I am looking for a gift; the gift of where I fit. I am sure there is not much money in being a blogger. It will come. I have my resume out and my intentions known that I am into my post Tout career. It will be a blast to see where I end up. Hopefully I can be consistent with my posts too. That way if you follow me I can share what I know about golf and the world in which we live and make your day a little brighter. Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. Until next time have fun playing the great game of golf.