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About this blog

Paul MacCormack, Fox Meadow Golf Club, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Entries in this blog

Wellness

Sleep Easy...

We all do it. We can’t live without it. We’ve been doing it since the day we were born and will continue to do so until our final breath. What I am talking about here is sleep. When you think about it, we spend slightly less than half of our lives practicing this craft. We each have our own idiosyncrasies and habits when it comes to what works best for us to hopefully achieve the proper amount of rest each day. It’s a part of our lives that is so completely undervalued and misunderstood, an
Introspection

Mornings...

If you ask anyone who works within the turf industry to give you a reason why they love working on a golf course, the answers may vary. Teamwork, dedication to the craft, the sense of pride in what a crew accomplishes, and attention to detail are common responses. But if you look across the spectrum of turf professionals, from Superintendents and Course Managers, to Assistant Superintendents and foremen/women, to Irrigation Technicians and yes, even Equipment technicians, one answer comes throug
Introspection

Non -Judgment Day

We live in a world that thrives on judgment and opinion. These often harmful habits were amplified during the pandemic and have only grown stronger since then. Many people have retreated to their corners and are refusing to come out, stuck fast in the belief that their take is the right one.  World leaders serve us daily rhetoric that only serves to fuel a deepening a sense of division and further their own agendas. Then there is social media. Via our devices, the algorithms drip feed a constant
Introspection

Musings on Momentum...

Lately in my quiet moments, I find myself circling back to the idea of momentum. It would appear to be both elusive and very common, with most of us not even pausing to appreciate it until it vanishes. Our culture doesn’t often reflect on the necessary elements that go into creating momentum, instead spending much of our time chasing quick fixes and expecting instant results.  My personal life has recently been an interesting paradox in momentum. On one hand something that I have worked inc
Introspection

The Season...

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu There is a natural flow to seasons. No matter where one is situated, the shifts and changes in the natural environment follow their own patterns. Sometimes these patterns will alter and slowly evolve into something slightly different, but overall the seasonality of the natural world doesn’t change. When viewed through our human lenses, a season can appear to exist in singularity. We say things like “the start of another s
Introspection

Our Roots are Showing...

It has been difficult lately not to become a bit disenchanted with the modern game of golf and, in particular, those tasked with determining its future direction. From behind the ropes we watch as millionaires and billionaires squabble over who actually has dominion over the game, arguing about everything except the things that matter. Those in charge of tending the future of the game have become infected with greed and the notion that they know what is best for everyone else. The descent of the
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Introspection

The Blind Shot...

Within the game of golf there are few things more thrilling than the blind shot.  A close approach shot or a tee ball into a short par three can leave us clambering up and over a hillock or dune to see where we ended up. There is usually a good deal of luck or chance involved, along with a good dose of both joy and despair, but the anticipation that shots like these provide make for a lot of fun during a round. But like anything in this life, too much of a good thing can be problematic. In
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Introspection

The Craft

So much of what happens in our daily lives is taken for granted. When you walk into a grocery store and you want a certain item, do you ever pause to think about how it got there? How often do you reflect on all the steps along the way that brought that certain piece of fruit or vegetable or loaf of bread to the shelf in front of you? Our lives are often times so busy and distracted that the idea of pausing and reflecting on how something comes into being seems like a foreign concept.  Most
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Wellness

The Benefit of Doubt...

As Superintendents & Course Managers we manage a great deal on a daily basis. Conditioning of all sorts, staff issues, weather, member and customer expectations, budgets and financial drama… by times the list can appear endless. But there is one thing above all that, and based on how we manage it, can have a deep impact on not only our operations, but on our overall well being.  It’s the very thing that has the biggest influence on just about every decision and prediction we attempt eve
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Wellness

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Introspection

Who are you?

The identity of the Greenkeeper has always been one of adaptation and evolution. From Old Tom Morris, to Bill Murray’s lovable Caddyshack character, Carl Spackler, to our present day incarnation, Superintendents and Course Managers have moved out of the back shed into the boardroom. Our roles within the structure of our clubs and courses have grown over the years and in many cases seen us become key players in the overall vision within our properties. Within the framework of this evolution,
Introspection

Necessities...

In my last post, Just Enough, I explored the idea that the ethos of authentic links greenkeeping practices might be a path worth studying as we move forward in the age of climate change. As we examine our industry post pandemic, can we simplify and return to the roots of our craft? Can we honestly look at our industry as a whole and begin to ask the difficult questions that are in such dire need of answering?  As I was writing that last piece, I stumbled across a quote from a teacher of min
Essentialism

Just Enough...

On my way to BTME in England this past January, I was lucky to have a layover day in Dublin, Ireland. I was even more fortunate to have a good friend, TurfNet’s own, Jon Kiger, as a tour guide and facilitator of good times. We experienced a wee bit of history and culture (and yes a pint or two of Guinness) but the tour that has stayed with me most from that day was our stop at Portmarnock Golf Club. Founded in 1894 and located on a peninsula just outside Dublin, it was everything a proper l
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Essentialism

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Wellness

The Show Must Go On…

For the first time in nearly three years we are almost finished a full, in-person conference season. From the GCSAA Show, the BTME, the Carolinas and all shows in between, we have made the transition back to meeting face to face and by all accounts it’s been well received. After two plus seasons of virtual and hybrid education, everyone appears to be genuinely happy to be back at our respective events, shaking actual hands. For me personally, it’s been a quiet return to travel and speaking.
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Wellness

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Introspection

A Ten Year Old Mindful Superintendent...

It’s hard to believe, but The Mindful Superintendent blog turned 10 years old this past week. Way back on Dec. 30th, 2012, with the support of TurfNet and my wife and editor, Jill, the Mindful Super began this journey (New Beginnings). It’s definitely been a heck of a ride thus far. As I look back on what the last decade of personal reflection and writing has brought into my life, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m so thankful for all the ups and downs, ins and outs, the good and the bad.
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Introspection

Fiona’s Wake

It’s been a spell since we last connected via this blog; August 19th to be exact. We were exploring the idea of Mindful Resilience and what it takes to build this capacity within ourselves. It is an interesting topic to dive into at the best of times, and even more so in the worst.  Little did I know then how many of these concepts would take center stage in my life of late. On September 24th Hurricane Fiona arrived on the shores of Prince Edward Island. As an island on the eastern coast of
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Wellness

Mindful Resilience: Letting Go...

If you live in the northeastern part of the US or in eastern Canada as I do, you are very likely smack dab in the midst of what can be termed the burn out season. You spent the spring preparing your facility for the onslaught of golfers and now with the excitement of opening day a distant memory, both you and your team are most likely suffering from the cumulative effects of the grind.  The feeling of fatigue which supers and their employees experience at this stage of the season can be ove
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Wellness

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Wellness

A Pound of Cure...

Pause a moment and think about a time when your playing surfaces suffered. Disease, traffic issues, weather events… any or all can force you to take measures to mitigate the damage. Perhaps you add medicine, raise the HOC, or divert activity away from the area all together in order to alleviate the pressures and allow space for recovery. Basically you were forced to confront vulnerability and then impart measures of care and nurturing in order to fix the problem. How many times in your care
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Wellness

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Essentialism

Mindful Resilience: Intention

Imagine for a moment your life as a Superintendent without the idea of intention. Think of all the cultural practices, data collection and measurements. Think of crew management and leadership development. Think of all the things that we accomplish during the course of the season that require vision, discipline and intention. If our daily processes are not rooted in our core values; and they are not the soil from which everything else grows, the season can be long indeed. Goals and discipli
Wellness

Mindful Resilience for turf and self...

Mindful Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. The ability of an object to spring back into shape; elasticity.  (Oxford Dictionary) So much of our job as Superintendents depends on our ability to build resilience into our systems. We focus a great deal of time and energy on building the ability for our turf to recover quickly from inevitable hardship. The full range of our cultural practices, from nutrition, to hydration, air movement and proper light levels are all
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Wellness

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Leadership

Great Expectations… Intentions

Every now and then we stumble across an idea or quote that gives us reason for pause. It could be we stop because someone else has suddenly crystallized perfectly a fragmented notion we have been working through in our own psyche. On the other hand, the idea could be one of those lightning bolt moments that catch us completely off guard and forces a hasty retreat into our opinion bunker to reevaluate things.  Recently I came across a quote that seemed to fall somewhere in the middle. I had
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Leadership

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Introspection

Easing In...

If you were to poll most superintendents and ask how they’ve fared over the last couple of years in this profession, no doubt the responses would be as varied as the different grasses we all manage. It’s been a mixed bag of never ending issues and demands, many of which are brand new to us. It would be safe to say that most have dealt with one or more (or all) of the following:  Furloughs and temporary closures  Deep labor issues (related to and independent of the first point)
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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health

Nature vs Nurture...

From time to time our turf systems meet with varying degrees of stress. These events can generally range from a mild annoyance to full blown catastrophe. The road to recovery can vary depending on the situation and the approach to healing depends on many factors. How we as superintendents respond to these stressors and subsequently guide recovery usually says a great deal about how successful we will be during our careers. Often times the stressor is fairly repetitive and benign (think traf
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in health

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Introspection

Who’s on First?

At some point in your career you have probably had this question arise. It starts off in the shadows of your awareness and can sometimes grow into a full-blown sense of terror. It usually shows up when things are shifting, something new and challenging is on the horizon, or even when the grind of the season catches up with you. It may be a simple phrase or question… but no matter the form, it can contain a multitude of fear and judgement. And ironically, because this conversation usually occurs
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Introspection

The “F Word”...

As I was scrolling through Twitter the other day I stumbled across this quote. I read it through and thought, hmmm, that makes sense. Then I foolishly realized that I had said it during an interview with my esteemed colleague and friend Frank Rossi earlier in the week. I don’t relay this to sound uppity or anything, just to make the point that even when one knows something to be so, they don’t always recognize it, even when it comes from their own mouth.  Frank and I were discussing a few d
Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack in Introspection

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Essentialism

Easy Street...

“Superintendents are their own worst enemies.” — Anonymous Greenkeeper Many of us know this to be true and can think of a time in our careers when we made things more difficult than they needed to be. Perhaps we suffered through expectations that simply weren’t realistic, constantly aimed for perfection, or tried to do it all on our own. Our jobs are demanding enough to begin with, but by times we layer more on and suffer because of it.  I revisited this notion recently as I made my wa
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