A new/old venture
A few weeks ago, I was browsing through the blog I maintained when I was at Northland Country Club. I got lost in the page and spent an hour or so looking through old postings. Some of the posts I remembered vividly, right down to where I was sitting while I was writing it. Others, I didn’t recall at all, almost as if they’d been written by someone else. While doing so I had a few thoughts:
- I couldn’t believe how much I wrote! It was a different time in the lives of my wife and I. At that time, we either didn’t have kids, or we had babies who didn’t require the energy and attention our kids do these days. I had the opportunity to write at home in the evening, or sitting at my desk during the winter. I was also new to being a superintendent. After years of being an “underling”, my mind was suddenly free to explore the endless possibilities that came with being the person in charge. Over time, the newness has worn off, and while the passion still exists, I’m smarter about regulating the amount of time spent thinking about work things. A sort of learned self-preservation instinct. These days work is more of a work thing and home is more of a home thing.
- I loved all of that writing! I had time, and as a new superintendent I was full of thoughts and ideas. Writing them down allowed me to explore those thoughts and ideas on a different level. It helped me grow as a writer, which I firmly believe is one of the finest skills any person can possess. It also helped me to grow as a person, and build a brand. When I applied and eventually interviewed for the Hazeltine job, the blogging I had done served as a working portfolio-if you will-of what had been accomplished during my time at Northland. It wasn’t the only factor, but there’s no doubt it helped me to be noticed.
- I miss all that writing! I’m in a different place in life and in work. I don’t have, nor do I allow the time I once dedicated to all that writing. Nonetheless, I miss the outlet and multiple times per week a thought pops into my head, and I think to myself, “that’s something I should write about.”
When I came to Hazeltine, I needed to change the way I wrote, and correct some of the things I felt were wrong about how I had written the blog at Northland. With the opportunity to “start over”, I was able to better clarify the audience. The blog at Northland was initially intended to keep the members up-to-date, but it quickly became a creative outlet in which I explained philosophies along side, maybe even more so than providing updates. This manner of blogging proved to be self-fulfilling, but probably did not have the intended impact on the membership. Additionally, with the move to Hazeltine, Twitter proved itself to be a better outlet for keeping our members up-to-date on the golf course. I’m fortunate to have a very active base of Hazeltine members who follow me on Twitter, and the quick hitting manner of Twitter proved successful. Blogging suddenly became less frequent, and probably a bit less important.
I miss the medium of writing, the creative outlet, the bench-marking of thoughts, and the philosophical exploration. I’m ready to begin again.
It won’t be exactly the same as it was at Northland, but it’ll have the same spirit.
It probably won’t be as prolific.
It probably will be outspoken and philosophical.
I hope you will enjoy it.
