"What was the biggest environmental challenge your course faced, and how were you addressing it?"
I can’t say that there was ONE BIG environmental challenge because as everyone who works outdoors knows, the environment is constantly changing, and you will be challenged every day!
These outdoor roles do not put you in an office environment where you can control the light, humidity, temperature, sound, or who or what steps in through your door. This creates a tremendous challenge for your mind and body. As I always write and try to explain to folks, these are incredibly stressful jobs where multiple environmental challenges hit you every day and you are the sole factor to regulate or make it work each day / night for everyone, i.e. employers, employees, and nature.
What we forget sometimes is that we are required to control the environment to the best of our ability 24/7 and keep our minds and bodies in good shape! It ALL rests on you and how the stress involved can be overwhelming. People outside of our shoes don’t understand. I have always told people that to understand what I do, (when I was a Golf Course Superintendent), you would need to walk in my work boots for one full year!
Honestly, I faltered a few times during my career, and I am lucky to be here today. Always remember, for your family, take care of yourself first and then you will be around to take care of the environment around you. This means a few things that I have learned after battling melanoma at age 32 and a massive heart attack at age 42. Take heed from a 67-year-old man that is still here and loving life!
Mark S. Merrick, CGCS Retired
Introducing ‘Merrick Mondays’, a segment where we hear from Mark Merrick, our resident brand Ambassador, Chief ‘Cool” Officer, and general source of wisdom and secrets of the universe, to spotlight a dose of interview-style content, weekly.