In any business, you will become friends with many people. Over time, the business friends that get closer and closer to your inner circle, become relatives, like brothers and sisters. Your families become intertwined, and you do many things together like vacations, golf trips, dinners, babysitting, etc. When I lost my three closest turf friends / family members, I also lost close confidants and best friend golf partners. It was the end of my foursome. It all happened WAY TOO SOON!
We not only talked turf, but kids, grandkids, and what we were going to do after we retired. If they didn’t call once a week to talk, it was five times a week. Especially when the weather was hot and humid!
Rick would call and say things like “Chomp, chomp, Chomp” and hang the phone up. John would call and say, “Check my calculations on this mix and rates” and Mike would say “Player, why did we decide to grow grass in this SH##?” You know the close friends in this business I am talking about. It’s not just Golf Superintendents but salespeople, construction folks, lawn care people, researchers, sports turfers, horticulturalists, etc. We all have them.
Why do I bring this all up and share? We all have cameras with us that take pictures and videos. I wish that I would have used that camera more because they all decided to go play golf in heaven and left me here without my favorite foursome. All three right before retirement. If you still have your foursome together, hug them every time you see them and say, “I love you man!”
Get as many pictures and videos as you can of your time together. Then you can show them to your grandkids and great grandkids. Smile and talk all about the times you had together and remember how it was being in THAT foursome!!
-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.