Tomorrow Carolina Golf Club is closed. The gate at the street will not be open and the clubhouse will be locked (we will at least make sure the restrooms adjacent to the snack bar are open). All club employees are off in order to spend time enjoying Thanksgiving with their families. I do not know if you fully understand the significance of this gesture, but let me assure you my staff truly appreciates the opportunity to catch up on a little sleep and spend quality time with their loved ones. When you work in the golf industry you spend your holidays at the golf course [it's what you do ;) ] because that is when the folks we work so hard to please all year are off work and desire to play this game we all love and enjoy. But on this day folks wishing to get in a quick round before the turkey, or maybe a quick nine afterwards are welcome to do so, but it is golf in its purest form, people walking and enjoying the grandest of games simply for the love of it, and maybe to get out of the way in the kitchen at home.
My Thanksgiving day starts with a cup of coffee (okay, two) and a drive through the clubhouse gate. I patrol the entire course making sure everything is in order and nothing is out of place. If there is no concern for frost I will exit through the back gate by the Turf Care Center and return home to my family. After all, grass doesn't know what day it is. If there is a likelihood for frost I will hang around behind the clubhouse and converse with whoever arrives to ensure no one inadvertently damages the turf before the frost lifts. The forecast for tomorrow morning calls for a temperature in the lower 40's meaning no frost expected tomorrow, so come early if you wish and if I don't see you, Happy Thanksgiving!
When I was in high school there was a popular movie on HBO called Eddie and the Cruisers. The 1983 cult film was centered around a popular 60's rock band and the mysterious "death" of its leader, Eddie Wilson. The band was trying to create a follow up album to their smash debut, but it seems problems swirled around the band and the studio sessions for the never released Season In Hell.
As I reflect on the events that will forever mark 2015, there have been times when I thought this was a "Season in Hell". My team and I managed the golf course through multiple weather extremes such as winter kill, heat and drought, and flooding rains. We've dealt with internal personnel issues and said goodbye to former coworkers. And my family and I have endured the death of my grandfather, my mother-in-law fell and broke her hip, and recently my aunt underwent surgery to remove kidney cancer. I do not share these things with you to invoke pity or sympathy, but merely to say this year was definitely more difficult than others. You see, it's easy to be thankful in a year of prosperity like last year (CLICK HERE), but it's the truly difficult and challenging years that strengthen you and make everything more worthwhile. Despite the challenges and setbacks of 2015 the golf course has come shining through, and my team's hard work continues to produce the best product in the city for your enjoyment!
This year I am thankful for:
10. The Carolina Panthers! Hey, the Panthers are 10-0 and on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Having grown up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I never had a hometown team before. When my wife and I moved to Charlotte ten years ago I was not a Panthers fan, but over the years my love for my "hometown" team has grown and evolved. Besides, everyone in the Queen City is so much friendlier when the Panthers win. #KeepPounding
9. Frank Beamer! In February of 1997 I walked into Frank Beamer's office to introduce myself. I was the new graduate assistant sports turf manager and I noticed his door was open. Coach Beamer had just won the Sugar Bowl over Texas in '95 and was a few weeks removed from going toe-to-toe with Tom Osborne's Nebraska Cornhuskers in the '96 Orange Bowl. Coach Beamer took the time to make me feel welcome and explain my role would be important in our program's future success. I have never forgotten that moment and I am thankful for everything he did the past 29 years for our beloved alma mater, Virginia Tech! Ut Prosim! #ThanksFrank
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| Virginia Tech Fighting Gobblers! |
8. The USGA! A few weeks ago the USGA announced the 2018 Mid-Amateur Championship is coming to Charlotte Country Club, but we will play a significant role as we serve as the companion course during the stroke play portion of the tournament. After successfully hosting the 2014 NC Amateur I didn't think it possible for Carolina Golf Club to be part of something on a larger scale, but a USGA national championship is about as big as it gets! Let the countdown to the 2018 #USMidAm begin!
7. Recognition! Earlier this year I mentioned how Carolina Golf Club received some recognition in Tom Doak's new book, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, Volume 2. What we have at 2415 Old Steele Creek Road is special, and now folks outside are starting to take notice. Kind of gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling folks sometime mention.
Nice to see @CGC1929 getting some love! Looks like our efforts haven't gone unnoticed @kspdesign! #BestRestorations pic.twitter.com/mMNuRkURG1
— Matthew Wharton (@CGCGreenkeeper) October 14, 2015
6. Jordan Spieth! The 2015 PGA Tour Season was one for the ages with Jordan winning 5 times including the Masters and U.S. Open, then falling one stroke shy of a playoff for the Open Championship at St. Andrews. With the likes of Mr. Spieth, Rory McIllroy, Jason Day, and a host of others I think the future of the game of golf is in good hands. You can catch Jordan in prime time and late night this week as he defends his Australian Open Championship down under!
5. My Staff! I alluded earlier not everything was a bed of roses this year in golf course maintenance land, but through it all there still exists a dedicated and loyal staff working their tails off making me look good! We endured a lot this year and I genuinely appreciate each and every one of them. When you see them on the course please let them know you appreciate their efforts too!
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| Golf Maintenance 2015 |
3. Golf! I list it every year because quite simply without this grand game invented centuries ago none of this is even possible. I thank God every day for the game of golf, it is not just a game you and I play, but it is the life I live!
2. Faith! I mentioned the Man upstairs just moments ago and I am not worthy of the blessings He's bestowed upon me since I arrived on this piece of property over ten years ago. A young Natalie Wood once told Maureen O'Hara, "Faith is believing in something even when common sense tells us not to." Years like this one can test a man's faith... and I'm thankful mine is stronger than ever!
1. Family! This is the part when my vision gets blurry because I can't express eloquently enough the true love and appreciation I have for Mrs. Greenkeeper! She has been a rock this year supporting me through a challenging year fighting the elements, supporting me in the loss of my hero, and supporting her mother in a difficult time of need. I am so thankful for her and everything she does for our family! Later tonight our children and grandchildren will arrive to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I can't wait to join hands around the table tomorrow and tell each of them how much I love them, how thankful I am for them, and tell them how much I love their mother!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Matthew Wharton, CGCS
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