Thank you Tiger. Thank you Torrey. Thank you Rock. Thank you USGA. You have given me a new spirit and given me a renewed sense of how lucky I am to do what I do day in and day out.
It has become so easy for me over the past few years to curse out my alarm clock that goes off a little before 4:00 a.m. on work days. It has been the norm to despise the 35-40 minute drive I take each day as I commute to work at my little muni course in central Florida. It has been common place for me to come home after a long day and complain to my wife about this problem or that one at work.
It has not been so easy for me to consider myself lucky to do what I do. I’m a club professional at a wonderful and unique municipal golf course. I’m making a decent living where a game is the bases of what I do. At 15 years old, my first job was in a Proshop at the Canasawacta Country Club in Norwich, NY. Here I am 18 years later, at 33 years old and I’m still at a Proshop earning a dollar. All I ever wanted to do, from as far back as I can remember was to be a golf professional and that’s indeed what I am. Yet it has become so easy for me to lose sight of how lucky I am. That all changed just a bit this past weekend.
I woke up Monday morning, June 16, 2008 and felt like a kid on Christmas. After watching every minute of the 108th edition of the U.S. Open over the weekend, I got to watch 18 more holes. Playing those 18 holes was the best player of all time, Tiger Woods and one of the games most charismatic personalities on tour, Rocco Mediate and they were playing at a muni course, which is something I can personally relate to. As I grabbed my morning cup of coffee and went out on my back patio I glanced out at my synthetic putting green in my backyard and began to think of how lucky I have it. After a few minutes of sipping coffee, I grabbed a spare putter and went out to my green and began to recreate Tiger’s putt on 18 on Sunday. Like a 13 year old kid would, I whispered, “This putt is to force a Monday playoff with Tiger Wood’s” three mulligan attempts later, I made the putt to force that playoff. I went back to my coffee and thought, “I’ve got it good.” I have always considered myself lucky to have a wonderful wife, daughter, and family but for the first time in ages, I considered myself lucky to be working in a business where the greatest game of all time was at its core. I talk golf all day long, I help people enjoy golf, and I make a pay check for doing that. That’s a good thing. I’m sure a lot of club professionals around the country have been there, feeling burned out. It may not be an easy business but it is a great one. After this weekend, I’m beginning to realize that again.
Thank you Tiger. Thank you Torrey. Thank you Rock. Thank you USGA. You have given me a new spirit and given me a renewed sense of how lucky I am to do what I do day in and day out. I’m a golf professional and that’s a good thing.
BRENDON R. ELLIOTT
HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL
Winter Park Country Club
OWNER/INSTRUCTOR
BrendonElliottGolf.com
