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About this blog

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

Entries in this blog

You are what you eat…

Fundamental # 2: Eating Well   Reflect for a moment on how much time we spend fine tuning our nutritional programs for our turf. We research the latest technologies, soil test, tissue test, and use complicated cocktails in an effort to dial in the exact needs of the plant. We spend a great deal of time, effort and money to build a nutritional foundation that will allow our turf to stand up the stress and rigors of the long golf season.   Now, shift gears and think about how much effort you p

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Winter (Spring) of Our Discontent...

Inspiration is a fickle beast. When you are firmly in its clutches you are like a demon possessed. When you are hunting for it though, you can be truly lost in the wilderness. My friends, I have been lost deep in the forest on a long and tiresome hunt as of late.   My lack of success on this particular pursuit has not been entirely without merit. You see, the last few months here in the Canadian Maritimes have not exactly been a down home kitchen party. We went from record snow falls, ice stor

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

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

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,

What's the story?

Our lives are governed by stories. We have our personal ones, our family lore, the stories of our nations, and the stories of the world as a whole. These tales can tell us much about who we are as individuals, and if we can listen carefully we can use the narrative to create change for the better.   Unfortunately the people of the United States and the world are confronted with yet another tragic story, one which is all too familiar and laced with unimaginable pain and suffering. These events

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Welcome to 2017...

As you might know from previous posts round about this time of year (un learning, merry christmas to me), I am a big fan of the Christmas season. But, as you also may have guessed, I am not a big fan of the New Year's resolution thing. I am all for challenging the status quo and improving one's life, but feel that it should be an ongoing, lifelong pursuit, not just a once a year sound bite.   So to start this year off, we are going to touch on an issue that has been prominent in my consciousne

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

We Can Be Superheroes

A couple of years back I saw an animated short on Youtube (below) narrated by author, ABC news personality, and podcast host Dan Harris. In the video Harris likened the practice of mindfulness to being an actual superpower. Our ability to choose to respond wisely rather than be carried off by our habitual reactions is on par with x-ray vision or shooting webs from your wrists.  The interesting thing about most super heroes is that they aren’t just one-trick ponies. Even though the

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Water, water, everywhere...

"The highest good is like water. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao."  Lao Tzu   As greenkeepers we have a very interesting relationship with water. In one breath we curse it, and with the next we welcome it home like the prodigal son. We watch it destroy what we work so hard to create, while at the same time watch with awe as it gives life to the very creation we tend. We respect the science behind it, while all along trying to perfect the art of managing it. Long story shor

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Walkin' a mile...

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." George Washington Carver   So much of the information we ingest on a daily basis is based on judgment. Take to Facebook, Twitter, or even your daily newspaper, and you will find no shortage of opinions on any range of topics. In our race to share, like, or tweet, someth

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

To share, or not to share...

A couple of weeks ago another great post came through the TurfNet Turf Blog Aggregator. Andrew Hardy, the superintendent at the Pheasant Run Golf Course (just outside Toronto, Canada), was writing about the difficulties he had been facing with regards to his blog (The Argument for being Social).   Mr. Hardy has been blogging for quite some time now and has garnered quite a following. He is a very thoughtful writer and is not shy about sharing information about the golf course along with a few

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Thumb and hammer...

We have all been there; upside down in a hole, trying to convince two pieces of pipe that they really were once connected. Or maybe you are in the garage trying to put together your latest purchase with instructions in some obscure Scandinavian language.  The harder you try, the worse things become, until your frustration boils over. By this point the screw head is stripped or the valve is stuck harder than when you started, and you are using expletives unfit for boot camp.   Strangely enough,

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

This Note's For You...

Musical instruments have always fascinated me. From the trombone to the French horn, or from harmonica  to the acoustic guitar, there is virtually no end to the combinations of sound or the possibility for creation.   One of the most perplexing things about instruments is their relationship to the people around them. To those who do not play at all, musical instruments are a complete mystery; they might enjoy music, but they have no idea how musicians coax the music out of them. Then there are

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Things I'm pretty sure to be so...

In everyone's life they have a few core things they know in their heart of hearts to be so. I hesitate to use the word truth, because it can so often get twisted and deformed. One person's version of "truth" can be vastly different from someone else's, so for the purpose of this piece, we will leave that word alone.   In our industry there are also things that appear to be so. These things are not dogma, nor are they written in stone anywhere. They are simply things that I have noticed over th

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Thin moments...

I was lucky enough this past week to sit in on a wonderful discussion with a good friend and former professor of mine. Based on the title of this post you might think that we were discussing weight loss, but you could not be further from the truth. The talk itself revolved around those unexplainable moments in our lives, often referred to as 'thin moments', when the barrier between our everyday reality and a larger, more universal reality is shattered. Something cracks through the haze of our ev

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Therapeutic weed(ing)

Here at Fox Meadow we have what I am sure is not a unique problem. Back when the course was built the original owner had a vision for a grand clubhouse and grounds. No expense was spared including a large number of elaborate gardens, a beautiful fountain feature, and a fantastic view of the Charlottetown harbor.  Undoubtedly it makes a great first impression of the property, but not much forethought was given to the cost of long term maintenance.   Fast forward 15 years.  Our program to mainta

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Year That Was...

“Don’t turn away. Keep your eyes on the bandaged place. That’s where the light enters you.” — Rumi As this year that has felt like a decade draws to a close, it’s been interesting to watch and listen to how people are relating to it. The chorus of “good riddance”, “so done with 2020”, “2020 dumpster fire”, and “can’t wait for 2021” appear to be ringing out in unison. It seems like most people simply can’t wait to discard the year that was so we can “get back to normal.” It is incredib

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Weight

Last week marked the 40th Anniversary of "The Last Waltz", the legendary final concert by the equally legendary musical ensemble, The Band.  While reflecting on the band and the film, I couldn't help but circle back to their most famous tune, The Weight... a song that speaks to the journey that is life, and the extra baggage we may carry along the way.     Our ability to endure pressing weight in our lives is a fascinating part of the human experience. Whether it's a physical, emotional, or

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The View...

We are well into the New Year and hopefully most of the resolution hoopla has passed us over until next year. It seems that the resolution craze has simply become yet another fabricated holiday that marketers and advertisers use to sell us things that we just don't need. They know that if every news outlet runs a story about how we all need to be better at being us, then they most assuredly have the product or service that that will help us achieve our goals. That's not to say that there ar

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Ties That Bind

I got a message from an old friend this week. I have not seen him much in the past twenty years even though we were best friends back in the day. He lives on the other side of the country now, but tells me he is coming home for a visit next weekend. I was thrilled with the news and it got me thinking about the power of friendships and the many great bonds that I have forged since becoming a greenkeeper.   Our industry is relatively unique in this regard. I have yet to work another job which ha

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Story From Here… or There

We all love a good story. From our favorite bedtime yarn to our best movie, stories capture us in a unique way and share what it means to be human. Stories and those who tell them bind us together as a culture and allow us to access a deep sense of shared community.   But what happens when our stories become, well, not our stories? What happens when stories are used against us for nefarious reasons? In this day and age this appears to be an increasing problem. The wild west that is the interne

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Sound of Silence

Most of you know that I am a fan of meditation. We have discussed it here on more than a few occasions (the art of the pause, silence is golden). Recently I passed a personal milestone with my practice: 100 consecutive days. I have been practicing for a lot longer than that but decided to make a conscious effort this year to make daily meditation a habit.  Like any behavioral change a little positive reinforcement can go a long way. There are lots of different mediums and types of meditatio

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

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

The Shame...

All superintendents have to-do lists. It doesn’t matter how one manages them — smartphone, tablet, app or even manually on a piece of paper — they guide our days and can shape us as much as they shape our courses. Many of us live and die by these lists. The blueprint they provide us is essential to what we accomplish on any given day, week, month, or over the course of the season. But what is your relationship to that list? Is it a positive source of clarity and organization? Do you pause a

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

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

The Real Deal...

The Ryder Cup was many things to many people, but for me it was the opportunity to see something up close that I have thought about a great deal. This blog has touched on many things and has hopefully created a balanced framework for many of us to look toward. But it wasn't until I got to spend a week at Hazeltine with Chris Tritabaugh and his crew, that I finally found what I have been searching for: a truly Mindful Superintendent. Chris embodies all of the traits that one would aim for if

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack


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