***Warning! ***
I think I have become toxic. Read at your own peril.
***Warning***
After thirteen seasons as a Golf Course Superintendent, I think it is time to hang up my stimpmeter. I have spent the last six months seeking new employment as a GCS. 100+ resumes later, I am exactly where I started. Over a dozen phone interviews, never made it to a face to face. I won’t boor anyone with the details of my employment history; this is not a sob story. My awareness guru thinks it is cathartic for me to write about what I am dealing with.
I have had a good run, the jobs I have had were all rewarding in their own ways. I was able to remove over 400 Douglas Firs, Alders, and Western Red Cedars at one course. I had the unique experience of managing 2 courses 40 miles apart from each other; it’s amazing what you can accomplish with a hands free device in the car! And after I quit my last gig, I scored a 10 week consulting job at a neat little place outside of a prison town in Montana!
My plight is not unique (remember this is not a sob story). I know there are 100’s of other guys with skill sets just as impressive as mine, at least there better be! The reality is that I just can’t die that little death that happens while waiting for the next deadline to pass. I guess may be weak, plenty of people my age (42) have been through this, but it is my first time…
Back to my roots…
My first job in the golf business was caddying. I worked for a great pro, Rick Acton, at Sahalee CC. I learned to love the game, appreciating all that makes golf such a wonderful life. I parlayed those early experiences into a passion that took me around the globe seeking out unique golf experiences. I remember stumbling onto a mint copy of “The Confidential Guide” at used book store in Seattle in 1998. My first trip to Scotland occurred less than a year later. I “discovered” Bandon Dunes in October of 1999, fresh off that Scotland trip. WOW! I like to think of myself as one of the original “Bandonistas” (Thanks George Pepper!) Now I have played 120+ rounds at that great outpost of links golf.
My next adventure…
I am lucky, I have relatively few responsibilities. I have kept life simple throughout the years. My passion has been my work. I have decided that I am going to dive in and really learn what Bandon Dunes is all about, I am going to caddy there. I can’t wait to walk that land daily for the next several months. I can’t wait to pass on the passion I have for the place to other golfers. I don’t claim to be the second coming of Joe (@pacduneslooper), I am just a guy that is going to immerse himself in the art of observation for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for allowing me this forum to release my daemons. I feel good.
See you on the links,
Michael Hayes
@myklgolf (Twitter)