The Love of Money
Greetings Golfers,
So is everything about money? The total motivation? The goal? The thing that fixes everything?
If so … is the only reason everyone isn’t a criminal because they are afraid they’ll get caught?
So … “selling out” is just being practical?
And every mistake needs to be financially compensated?
The other day while in the car, I was listening to a goofy lawyer advice radio show. One call was from a serious demanding woman who was upset that the phone company had made a mistake on her bill. She then admitted that the problem was resolved … but … she had suffered emotionally because of the mistake and felt entitled to sue the phone company for emotional damages.
Huh????
People make mistakes all the time - we’re not perfect. Because mistakes are made - even minor mistakes that are quickly resolved - should they be liable to a lawsuit for emotional damage?
Where does this madness end? Your invitation got lost in the mail? Somebody cut you off in traffic? Are these lawsuits? What if you hit a good shot and it takes a bad bounce? Lawsuit? I’m sure that bounce was upsetting … and of course you’re not responsible for dealing with your emotions.
Now that we’re finally talking golf … what’s the PGA Tour up to? Next year sounds like their model is the LIV Tour.
Huh? Are you kidding? Isn’t this the time for the PGA Tour to really separate itself and do it right?
So … their goal is to just appease the star players? And … just sell-out to the big sponsors? Isn’t that the LIV model that people are so mad about.
I like Rory … but here’s how he explained the new PGA Tour model “It keeps the stars there for four days. You ask Mastercard or whoever it is to pay $20M for a golf event, they want to see the stars at the weekend”. So the sponsors are calling the shots? Then why not have the players do a “sponsor dance” on the last green. They’re already doing a lap-dance.
Shouldn’t the Tour put out a great product and look for sponsors who are proud to be a part of something good?
That’s not being arrogant - that’s being confident. That confidence comes from building something really well. We all know the difference.
Our clubhouse is a 100 year-old brick farmhouse. It was built to last. I bring new staff down into the basement and show them the beams. They’re not 2-by-4s … you can hardly put your arms around them. They didn’t cut corners. I tell these kids that that’s how we want to do things here. No shortcuts, no cutting corners … just do things right. I want this golf course to be here a hundred years from now. This isn’t a real estate play … or a scam to drive-up numbers and then sell. This is a labor of love. Money is a tool to make it better.
Isn’t a sane culture built on solid ground? If the goal is to just build and flip or just build and bleed it … what’s the next step or the final goal? Just keep on moving and leave a path of destruction? And what then … move to an island and hide from reality? Or is life about just going on a non-stop bender? Those are the dreams of kids - not grown-ups.
Alister MacKenzie - the great golf course architect (Augusta National, Cypress, etc) was originally a medical doctor. But he gave-up medicine for golf design … not for money … but to help people. This is what he said “One of the reasons why I, a ‘medical man’ decided to give up medicine was of a firm conviction of the extraordinary influence of pleasurable excitement, especially combined with fresh air and exercise. How frequently have I, with great difficulty, persuaded patients who were never off my doorsteps to take up golf, and how rarely, if ever, I have seen them in my consulting room again.”
MacKenzie’s courses were built to last. And are still the best in the world. The PGA Tour should learn from his example.
Cheers!
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com