A couple of weeks ago I paused to take a well-deserved supervisor break as the crew and I were finishing off a spring sodding project. As I stood basking in the spring sun, feeling the subtle twinges of long dormant sodding muscles and wondering if we remembered to put down granular compost under the sod, I began to reflect on the idea of the elements. How they impact the daily lives of Superintendents and Course Managers and also how they influence our connection to the wider world.
The basic elements — the ones you may recall from your youthful studies of the periodic table, might be the first ones that come to mind. They are the building blocks of life itself and turfgrass requires many of them to survive. Now there’s no denying that some are more important than others (nitrogen vs boron for instance), but in the grand scheme of things, they are all vital for turf health. More recently we have rediscovered that grass can do with far less inputs than conventional wisdom may imply, but turf still must access these elemental building blocks from somewhere.
When we take this idea of elements a step further, we come across the idea of the “classic elements.” This idea was fundamental to many ancient cultures, and the different aspects were thought to govern the ways in which the world interacts with itself. They helped explain and make sense of the world and became the foundation of many of the world’s most influential cultures and societies.
The classic elements are earth, wind, fire and water. Ancient texts held that when these four elements are in balance with each other, the world itself is working in harmony. Some even go as far as to say that when this balance is achieved humanity is closer to the divine nature of the universe. While it may sound lofty to connect this idea to the world of turfgrass management, if you take a wider perspective, you can begin to see how these classical elements play a huge role in how our systems operate.
Think of how pleasing it is to see a bunker whose placement just feels natural versus some monstrosity that looks, well, unelemental. Think also of how when we manage our courses in a way that honours the life-giving aspects of the earth, we also get the life enhancing benefits of increased biodiversity and more naturalized green spaces for our communities.
The first and most obvious one is the earth element. It is said to represent firmness and solidity. The courses we all manage are literally built on the earth and made up of its fundamental components. When these components are placed in the correct proportions, our turfgrass systems tend to operate with more of a sense of ease. When courses are built working in concert with nature, they tend to enjoy a sense of place that can be hard to define. They just look better to the human eye and can have a subtle impact on our overall enjoyment of the property.
Think of how pleasing it is to see a bunker whose placement just feels natural versus some monstrosity that looks, well, unelemental. Think also of how when we manage our courses in a way that honours the life-giving aspects of the earth, we also get the life enhancing benefits of increased biodiversity and more naturalized green spaces for our communities.
The second classical element which plays an indispensable role within our turfgrass systems is water. Simply stated, water is life. We cannot grow quality turf that can hold up to the expectations of a modern golf course without water. How we manage and work with water on our properties literally defines our very turfgrass management philosophy.
Just like nutrient usage, there is debate about how much water is enough water. We can employ all sorts of different approaches to manage its use, but we cannot deny its vital importance. Water usage has become the most pressing issue in the world of turf maintenance, as it is also a precious commodity for all other living beings. In fact, access to clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, and water is an absolute necessity for life both on the course and off. We would do well to remember that while our livelihoods depend on golf; our very lives depend on water. Golf is just a game after all, and the availability of water is a high stakes commodity now.
But as with most paradoxes in this world, water can also be destructive and devastating to both our courses and communities. Flooding, coastal erosion, warming oceans and more intense storm events are causing superintendents (and humanity in general) a great deal of suffering. The impact of a changing climate is being felt by all of us, and its ramifications will only become more challenging to deal with as we move forward.
Similar to water, the fire element can also cause many issues for our industry. Forest wildfires, sun exposure issues, and extreme heat and humidity all cause course managers and their teams many difficulties. The warmth of the sun can be a welcome visitor after a long winter, but it can also be very problematic when it’s 110 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 percent humidity. The heat of the summer also exacerbates turfgrass stress in the form of drought, disease issues and insect pressures.
Wind is as fundamental to the creation of the game of golf as the very turf we manage. With the beginnings of the game on the coast of Scotland, wind was an ever-present part of the experience. It shaped the very land on which the early game was played on, even creating the scrapes that would morph into the first incarnations of bunkers. The presence (or absence) of wind is still felt within the game today as much as it was way back when, and its impact on turf maintenance is hard to overlook.
Much like the elements of fire and water, wind can also have a negative impact on the courses which we tend. Hurricanes, tornadoes, typhoons and other types of intense storm activity can cause no end of headaches and difficulties for superintendents. As one who has both lived through and managed a golf course in the midst of a hurricane a few years ago, I can attest to the suffering caused both on course and in our larger communities.
When we consider the elements with regard to the human experience, their impact on our lives is no less tangible. The same basic elements that make up the tissues and structures within turfgrass plants also make up our human bodies. We also need many of these elements to survive and lead healthy lives. Again, there may be debate as to how much or where the best sources of these elements might be, but rest assured we can’t live without them. We can also look at the classical elements within human psychology.
The classic elements are earth, wind, fire and water. Ancient texts held that when these four elements are in balance with each other, the world itself is working in harmony. . . . While it may sound lofty to connect this idea to the world of turfgrass management, if you take a wider perspective, you can begin to see how these classical elements play a huge role in how our systems operate.
Many religions and psychological frameworks use the idea of these elements to explain the nature of human behavior.
- The earth represents the idea of groundedness and solidity. The theory is that when we are more connected to the energy of the earth itself, we are in closer contact with ourselves.
- The fire element can serve to represent the more powerful emotions like anger and aggression. If we allow these emotions to dominate our experience, we will generate a great deal more suffering for both ourselves and others.
- The water element represents the idea of flexibility and fluidity. It shows us that all things are possible if we are patient and intentional with our outlook on life. Our bodies are also made up of 90 percent water, so it is a vital element for life itself.
- Finally, there is the wind element. Within the realm of human experience, the wind is connected to the breath itself. Similar to the vital importance water, we simply cannot exist without the breath. The quality of our breathing governs the quality of our lives, and many health problems we experience can be traced back to how well we attend to our breathing. Practicing breathwork can increase our well being and is a vital aspect of many modalities of healing.
So, as you move through the day today, take a moment to reflect on how all these elements inform your experience. Whether it is planning for the heat and humidity of the 100 days of hell, dealing with stormwater issues, or even wishing that your life had a bit more flexibility and fluidity, it’s all pretty elemental stuff. Take care and thanks for reading.
