Taking Everything For Granted

Greetings Golfers,

So I was rereading Ben Hogan’s “Five Fundamentals” and read the intro by Herbert Warren Wind. Wind was talking about how much work went into the original articles for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and then even more work to put it into a book-form.

While reading this up in my office, I looked out the window and watched a guy pull-up to the back of the Clubhouse with his truck. It was pretty amazing how well he backed-up the truck and perfectly aligned it when he finished. He then opened the back, set-up a ramp and then went in the truck and went through his inventory to load-up his cart and start bringing in his stuff.

His products don’t just magically appear in our coolers.

Ben Hogan’s instruction didn’t just magically appear on the pages of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED or his book.

I think our society is taking too much for granted. It’s easy to do … but not a good thing. We become demanding instead of respectful.

The other night while picking up hole signs after an event …. I ran into people who’d snuck on the golf course. When I said that they had to leave … they acted like I was being a jerk.

Here’s an analogy: Let’s say that a restaurant is closed and that people just walked in and sat at the tables and started eating their own food. Is that cool? Sure … why not? The restaurant just runs itself … cleans itself by magic … and things never wear-out … the staff doesn’t want to go home. I guess the restaurant people are just being mean not to allow it.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting old and know people who had death scares … and are now really thankful to be alive. But we also have to be thankful of the people who do the work that allows us to do and have so much. We’re incredibly fortunate. Do you grow the food… pave the streets … answer the phones … make the clothes … build the cars … and everything else we take for granted?

Do you let them know? I try to give our delivery guys a coke, etc … it’s not much but at least it’s recognition.

We seem to have framed our society by who’s on the “correct” side. And only those people deserve our respect. Hmmmmmm. Really? Isn’t that easily self-serving and smug? Taking for granted everything people do for us … and then feeling superior or rejecting them because maybe they don’t share your world-view?

Ironically, I find those working people more honorable and respectful than the people who dismiss them.

So … what is our society valuing? Doesn’t seem to be hard work … but rather the fruits of hard work.

That sounds like the attitude of a spoiled brat.

Hogan was definitely not a spoiled brat. His life story is mind-boggling. I’m sure most of you know it … if not, look into it … it will give you hope about humanity.

And if you need some help with your golf swing … take a look at his “Five Fundamentals”. From time-to-time, we all need to go back to the fundamentals. In everything.
 

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com