Just for a brief moment, imagine the following scenario. You are on your way to the clubhouse for an important management meeting with your GM. Before the meeting you rush to the first tee to check up on your project crew, who is handling the ongoing irrigation project on #1 tee (it has not been going well, and you know if you don't check in, things will only get worse). You arrive to find them standing around scratching their collective heads. You guide them through the next steps and tell them you will return in about an hour.  As you leave, you frantically check emails on your phone and have about ten notes that require your immediate attention. You are now late for the original meeting and arrive with your mind anywhere but where it needs to be. The meeting does not go well, and you leave wondering why your relationship with your GM has gotten so adversarial.  It's only 9 am.

Now let's take the same situation, and look at it from a completely different vantage point. You are on your way to the clubhouse for an important meeting with your GM. It is an important chat, so you want to have time to clear your head before you arrive. You come upon your project crew who is handling an important irrigation project on the first tee. The project is going well, and the team leader updates you on their progress. You pass along a few words of encouragement and carry on. As you continue en route to your meeting you notice how firm a couple of greens are; might be time to send out the moisture meters and plan for a watering cycle. You arrive at your meeting with your GM with a clear mind and an open perspective. During the session you discuss many important issues and you both leave the meeting with positive outlook.

So what do you think is the main difference between these two scenarios? Surely the second scenario sounds preferable. The superintendent in the first instance is stuck on overdrive, and most likely will not be enjoying the rest of the day. But truth be told, the main difference is that the greenkeeper in the second situation simply chose to walk instead of drive to start his/her day.

Like many great ideas, the notion of a superintendent choosing to walk the golf course instead of drive is met with more than one or two raised eyebrows. When Chris Tritabaugh (Hazeltine National in Minnesota) first learned of the practice from Thomas Bastis (California Golf Club of San Francisco) he had the same skeptical view. "Of course I asked the questions everyone asks: How do you carry a hose? What if you have to get somewhere quickly? Thomas decided this was a good thing to do and he makes it work." It took him a bit of time and thought to wrap his head around it, but Chris has embraced the practice fully.

To date, Chris has only been on a cart once this season (aeration time, last week). Before you say, yeah but he has lots of staff to get everything done, just remember that Hazeltine is hosting the 2016 Ryder Cup this fall, so Chris is a wee bit busier than most of us. "Time is the biggest perceived obstacle to superintendents walking the course. We need to stop using 'being busy' as an excuse for why we don't do things the right way. Eating, working out, etc, are all things that suffer because we are too busy.  It's a matter of priorities and walking the golf course is a priority for me; it comes first and everything else falls in from there."

Walking the course full time has made Chris a better manager. "You cannot micromanage from your feet. One of the lessons I have learned over the years is that I cannot be the sole 'trigger man' of our operation. As a superintendent, if you make yourself the lone trigger man you will find yourself running (driving, actually) from point to point all day long. You will feel the need to work endless hours because your staff will be waiting for you to make a decision. You get to the point that you never take a day off, because you will know that nothing gets done without your presence."

Along with becoming better at delegation and crew empowerment, Chris has learned to get in touch with the Hazeltine property on a more visceral level. "I am in-tune with everything happening out there. I know what the surfaces look like and feel like. Sure, I may not see every green every day, but I see enough to know what's taking place and if I want to see every green, it's a simple adjustment."

Finally Chris expounds on the purely personal benefits that come from constant movement. "I believe the best thing about walking is the opportunity it gives me to mix my work with my own personal fitness.  I feel no shame in saying I take advantage of my workplace to make myself healthier."

By being present on the ground level, we see the golf courses we manage from places of presence. We are lucky enough to work at some of the most beautiful places in the world and when we are not speeding along at mach one and spending our day on constant overdrive, we might just slow down long enough to catch a glimpse of something special.  Walking our properties gives us the vital space we need to move through our days with intention and purpose. The health benefits of constantly walking are simply an added bonus.

Maybe walking your course full time is a bit much all at once. But I guarantee that you can find the time to walk your property a few times per week. If you can approach this time mindfully, you cannot only tune into your property on a deeper level, but you can also reach a place within yourself that you might be ignoring. Decisions come easier with reflection and your staff and coworkers will appreciate your more balanced approach.  Taking the time for a mindful stroll can create an immense change in your outlook as both a greenkeeper and as a person.

(My sincere thanks goes out to Chris for sharing his thoughts, and for Thomas Bastis for showing him the way)