It can be funny how an idea gets stuck in your mind. This post has been bouncing around in my noodle for quite some time, and until now I wasn’t quite sure how to present it. That’s not uncommon for me, a post can take up to a month or so to calibrate in my consciousness. It moves to the forefront, recedes a bit and then finally when I feel that I have enough fuel, I sit down and out it pours. 

For a while now I have been coming back to the number 10,000. This number first stumbled into my consciousness back a number of years ago when I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. Gladwell looked at the studies of various researchers who basically concluded that in order to become an expert at something, one needed to spend approximately 10,000 hours practicing. Now in the years following the books’ release some folks have questioned Gladwell's theory, but he has stuck to the premise that dedicated practice for roughly 10,000 hours definitely helped one achieve mastery over their craft. It wasn’t that you didn’t need to be innately talented or catch a few breaks along the way; it’s just that talent alone wasn’t the most important variable.

The second time I stumbled the number came from my study of Taoism and basic mindfulness practice. There is a quote within Taoist text that basically states:

"When you open your heart, you get life’s ten thousand joys and ten thousand sorrows” ~ Chuang Tzu

The idea behind this quote is that it is only when we open to the fullness of life, in its totality, that we truly experience everything life has to offer. Nothing is held back or denied and we move to a place where we begin to develop a new relationship with all aspects of this life. 

As these ideas bounced around my head this past summer, I began to think about our jobs as golf course superintendents. One could definitely make the argument that it would take at least 10,000 hours of high quality practice to become a master greenkeeper. Surrounded by quality mentors, absorbing copious amounts of knowledge and practicing the craft with intention can bring us to a level of mastery that would rival an Olympic athlete. 

One could also postulate that we definitely have our fair share of joys and sorrows within the sphere of greenkeeping. Working with a living, breathing entity brings with it so many moments of joy and awe. On the flip side, working with an organic entity can also bring with it a fair share of difficult moments. Finding a level of balance and acceptance goes a long way to becoming a master of the craft. 

The list is endless and exhaustive. And it’s one that we probably don’t reflect on nearly enough.

As I reflected on these ideas, I realised that there was also another idea at play here. It’s the 10,000 details. The sheer volume of things that occur behind the scenes every day that create the playing surfaces that so many of our clients enjoy. These things can range from interactions with our turf teams to how many minutes of water to set for the night. It can be evaluating the health of a tree to making sure that we are up to date on our cultural practices. It could be the countless early mornings getting the course ready for play or the hours of research you did to ensure the next project is a success. 

The list is endless and exhaustive. And it’s one that we probably don’t reflect on nearly enough. It can be so easy to just move from one day to the next and never pick our heads up. To simply be bogged down by the sheer volume of the never ending list. It’s only when we step back and view the 10,000 details from a wider perspective, it shows you just how much knowledge and wisdom you possess. 

So as this year slowly draws to a close, maybe it’s time for us all to pause and reflect on the 10,000 details. Reflect on all we do and all we accomplish in the run of a season. Pause and thank your team for all they have done to create the conditions for the experiences all our golfers enjoy. 

And offer yourself a small spoonful of gratitude. We are never ones to beat our own drum too loudly or trumpet our successes to the world, but it never hurts to step back and see all that you do sometimes. 

Take care and thanks for reading.