Frank Talarico
The discussion around work-life balance is never-ending, but necessary. In his latest column, Howie reminds us to be intentional about our efforts to keep this balance. We are fortunate to be working in an industry that continues to post record demand. As the adage tells us, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” These days, truer words have not been uttered.
So, we know we “ought” to have a balance, but how do we achieve the proper balance? During times of high demand, many professionals believe that the best way to run a business is just say yes to every opportunity, and handle everything firsthand. After all, we are taught our entire life about the hustle, work hard, and always expect to put in the hours.
What you find when you try this approach for some time, being “busy” costs a lot. The costs are not just in terms of personal fulfillment and happiness but also in terms of business growth and actual “dollars.”
Here’s why, and how to beat the temptation of being busy on the wrong things.
1. “Busy” procrastination
We’re all familiar with avoidance procrastination: you know you should really work on that next project but decide to scroll social media instead. It’s when you distract yourself from taking action by doing something completely unrelated. But there’s a much sneakier form of procrastination: busyness. It keeps you working day and night, creating the perfect plan, starting new tactics, and overcomplicating things.
This keeps you busy and spread thin, so you never have to face what truly demands your attention. All of us are vulnerable to busy procrastination, committing to a new tactic only to switch to a more promising “shortcut” once things start to become complex or show some sort of results. Procrastination is a shield against fear of failure.
Procrastination may keep you (temporarily) safe from fear of change and fear of failure, but at what cost? Every time you avoid what’s truly important is one more time you subconsciously teach yourself that it’s ok to accept a low standard of behavior and mediocre results. The more you enforce that lesson, the more difficult it will become to change in the future. In the meantime, opportunities pass you by and you always feel as if you are running out of time.
Alternative Approach: Next time you catch yourself procrastinating, picture the cost of ten more years of avoiding acting: how will you feel then? Use that emotion as fuel to act. Start fewer things and become a serial closer.
2. Missed opportunities
Our resources are limited. As a PGA professional, you know that’s particularly true: your time, your operating budget, your trusted collaborators, your focused attention, all have a cap. If you use your resources on one project or one task, you will not be able to use those resources on a different project or task. That’s opportunity cost: choosing one possibility precludes being able to select another one.
When it comes to money, this is easier to understand. But when it comes to time and commitment, we seem to have a natural tendency to say yes to many things that take us nowhere. As a result, we never have time for what’s important. Chronically, we can end up having “the longest day ever,” only to feel cheated at the end: not much has actually happened.
Alternative Approach: A great way to prevent busyness from distracting you from what matters is to use your goals as a filter for all your actions. Whatever you are doing next, look at your goal and ask yourself: is this going to help me achieve x? If the answer is no, the opportunity cost is too great. Move onto a better, more focused action.
3. Not enough hours in the day
When we’re in school, we’re taught to stay sat until the bell rings. In our first jobs, we’re trained to start and stop at very specific times. Ultimately, we are taught to measure how much time we put in, instead of how much value we get out of our day. That’s a trap.
Being busy constantly keeps you focused on your input, the amount of time you “sacrifice”, instead of focusing on your output, the number of results you produce for your business. This keeps you stuck in a constant negative loop, trying to do more without questioning why, and being reactive to external stimuli and expectations. Altogether, this distracts us from being laser-focused on what will bring you the exact results you are looking for.
Alternative Approach: To beat this early programming, be clear on what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself what you aim to finish today, not what you want to start. Ask any high performer what makes them successful, and goalsetting is typically a part of the answer. Clear goals are fundamental to high-performance results in business.
4. Following an old formula
What got you from A to B, won’t get you from B to C. To get to your next level, you need to do things differently. After all, you can’t expect different results from taking the same action. I am also a big believer that you must change who you are and how you think, so you can change how you act. This change comes from experiences, education, and relationships. This change empowers you to alter the outcome and upgrade your success.
Busy keeps you stuck doing more of the same things, thinking that, to double your business for example, you must do the same things, only twice as hard. If that was true, a person working a 9:00–5:00 job and making $50,000 would have to work sixteen hours to double his salary, eighty hours to 10x it. Clearly, that’s not how it works.
Alternative Approach: To go beyond this mindset rut, do a quarterly review, setting aside time to you look at your regular activities and compare them to the results that they are bringing in relation to the time and resources required. This will help you understand what’s working and change your approach.
So, then, what are some steps to work toward greater personal and professional success, while getting closer to an appropriate work-life balance? Try becoming intentional with these four tips:
Some news and reminders…
The PNWPGA is especially aggressive on behalf of its members in delivering golf-related veteran services and proper preparation for the many opportunities to serve our men and women who have so generously served our country. There is a PGA HOPE seminar on August 1, 2022, at Tualatin Country Club. This seminar is an excellent step toward receiving necessary certification for PGA HOPE. For more information, contact Dominic Marconi, PGA.
Now is the time to start nominating your fellow PGA Professionals for awards. The deadline for Merchandiser of the Year award nominations is June 30.
If you have not yet marked your calendars for this year’s PNWPGA Merchandise Show, this is your chance to circle September 25-26, 2022. This year’s show and related section meetings and educational seminars will be hosted at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. For more information, contact Angela in the Section Office.
In collaboration with Washington Golf and Oregon Golf Association, the Pacific Northwest Section PGA has launched a new page on our website dedicated to those new to golf. This new initiative has been receiving praise as a “best practice” on the National level and is another example of the things we do to promote the Member and grow the game of golf: www.pnwpga.com/new-to-golf
As you saw earlier this month, the PNWPGA Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the PNWPGA Player Development Committee, has approved pilot program funding for our section’s newly launched “JAM” program. The deadline for application submissions is June 30. Applications may be submitted online. For more information, kindly visit JAM program: www.pnwpga.com/2022/pnwpga-junior-ambassador-membership-jam-program/
Lastly, our section continues to enjoy significant growth in sponsorship support. We have been fortunate to attract and retain significant partners, all of whom support our membership, your professional development, and your playing opportunities. While my annual, detailed breakdown and discussion of this year’s sponsor sales will be presented at our September meeting, sponsorship continues to add value to your membership in the PNWPGA. I encourage you to take full advantage of continuing education opportunities, growing playing opportunities and associated purses, and innovative player development funding.
Of note and appreciation this month, my personal and sincere thanks to Mr. Craig Pelzer, Pelzer Golf, for his title sponsorship of the 2022 Oregon Open Invitational. Also, my thanks to Ren Weaver and John Bond with Legendary, as well as Mike Worden with Sun Mountain, Skechers and CMC Golf who round out support of this year’s Pelzer Golf Oregon Open Invitational. Lastly, please join me in extending a warm welcome to our newest sponsor, Therabody. Therabody will be supporting the 2022 PNWPGA Merchandise Show, in-person education seminars, and the 2022 Arizona Sun Pro-Am.
As always, if I or any member of our amazing Section staff may assist you with anything, please do not hesitate to call on us.
Frank Talarico, CEO
ftalarico@pgahq.com
Molly Cooper, PGA
The PNW Junior PGA Championship took place at OGA Golf course in Woodburn, OR on June 4-5. The tournament is a 36-hole championship with the top two boys and top two girls in the age 16-18 division advancing to the 46th Junior PGA Championship, hosted at Cog Hill G&CC in Palos Park, Illinois.
In the Boys 16-18 division, Eli Huntington of Camas, WA, shot 69-67—136 highlighted by a bogey-free final round to earn the title. Grady Millar of Vancouver, WA was runner-up.
In the Girls 16-18 division, Asia Young of Bend, OR, played up in age for chance to make Junior PGA Championship. Young, from the 2027 high school class, didn’t just qualify, she won the title with rounds of 66-72—138! Jacinda Lee of Camas, WA was runner-up.
Each of the 41 PGA of America Sections will send four players to Illinois. Eli Huntington, Grady Millar, Asia Young, and Jacinda Lee will have the opportunity to join the nation’s top junior golfers in the PGA of America’s premium junior event at Cog Hill G&CC on August 2-5, 2022.
Winning the Boys 13-15 age division was Jeff Seong of Federal Way, WA. Calvin Cakarnis of Issaquah, WA finished second.
Winning the Girls 13-15 age division was Angela Zhang of Bellevue, WA. Annie Jin of Bellevue, WA finished second.
Sinjin Tran of Sammamish, WA won the Boys 12 & Under age division. Max Milton of Polson, MT finished second.
Ira Upadhyay of Issaquah, WA won the Girls 12 & Under age division. Hannah Wendorf of Lake Oswego, OR finished second.
Cog Hill was designed by famous golf course architect Dick Wilson, who designed many other unique and highly acclaimed courses around the country like The Country Club, Merion, and Shinnecock Hills to name a few. Golf Digest Magazine has ranked Cog Hill as one of the top 100 public courses in the US and the course has hosted many esteemed golfing events throughout the years.
The Junior PGA Championship is where some of the best in the world get their start. Many of today’s Tour professionals made their debut at the Championship. Notable past participants include: Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Grace Park, Michelle Wie, Dottie Pepper, Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Stewart Cink, and Phil Mickelson.
Branden Thompson, PGA - Regional League Manager
As we get into regular season play, here are some items that I hope you find useful. Good luck with your PGA Jr. League season!
The site below has a ton of great information and has been overhauled to be easier to navigate for Coaches and Consumers. There are step-by-step instructions and videos to help you with almost any technology-related task regarding PGA Jr. League. Visit this site and bookmark it for quick reference:
There are two apps to help you run PGA Jr. League, and other PGA programs, more efficiently. Coaches (that would be you) download the PGA Coach app. Use the same login as you use for PGA.org. If you’ve registered for PGA Jr. League, that information will load.
Consumers use the My PGA app. Have all your players’ parents download it. As long as they log in with the same account used to register the player, the team information will automatically be loaded.
Remember:
Find printable scorecards, gameday checklists, and other useful tools to help you out during your season. We will be adding more tools as the season progresses.
Section Qualifiers - 13u and 17u will be at the same sites and dates (*Western Washington Chapter Team sites will be assigned by June 1st)
Section Championship - August 20 at Eagle Crest Golf Resort in Redmond, OR
Regional Championship - September 9-11 at Canyon Springs GC in Twin Falls, ID
National Championship - October 5-9 at Greyhawk GC in Scottsdale, AZ
I’m excited about a new and unique opportunity open to all PGA Coaches: PGA Family Cup
Why should I host PGA Family Cup?
Family time has arguably never been as valuable as it is now. Families are seeking activities they can enjoy together in a responsible way, and they’re discovering that golf is a fun and healthy way to spend quality time outside in fresh air. Read more about PGA Professional John Moscoso’s 2020 experience with PGA Family Cup here.
How would PGA Family Cup look at my facility?
PGA Family Cup is designed to be flexible to fit the needs of your customers and facility. Through our learnings from host professionals, we recommend a series of two or more 9-hole, par 3 events with a team scramble format to maximize fun and inclusivity; however, you can modify your event(s) as you see fit. Download our PGA Family Cup Facility Guide here for a programming overview and best practices.
What is PGA Family Cup?
PGA Family Cup brings family members of all ages together and connects them through golf. Golf is a game for a lifetime, and PGA Family Cup teams are multigenerational. Think grandparents, aunts, uncles, moms, dads, children, cousins and more, all playing on the same team. Watch this short PGA Family Cup video to learn more.
PGA Family Cup is a great opportunity to bring the entire family together (whether they golf or not) and create life-long memories in a fun, new and meaningful way. Level up your engagement with families in 2021!
Learn more and register today at the all-new PGAFamilyCup.com.
We saw record leads generated during the PGA Championship. You don’t want to miss out on the leads that could come your way, so get your profile created soon!
We’ve added some new content focused on creating more value from PGA.Coach and more revenue in your pockets. Log back into PGA.Coach and check out the following courses.
Using On-Course Assessments - Drive deeper engagement with your students and increase your revenue by getting on the course with them. This is a great tool to move your students up from just a couple lessons and into a full coaching program.
Want to discuss PGA Jr. League or just bounce some ideas around? The following link will take you to my Calendly page where you can choose a time that works for you, and eliminate the need to email back and forth.
Regards,
Branden Thompson, PGA
561-293-2585
bthompson@pgahq.com
Hello, my fellow PGA Professional,
These are fantastic times for our game and our industry as we continue to navigate through extremely high play volume and the continued challenges the business levels bring. I encourage everyone to enjoy these challenges as well as lay the groundwork to continue grow our game and extend this high-water mark through engaging programs and personal connections within your players. Additionally, remember to focus on work life balance (if that’s possible!).
As PGA Professionals, we are all leaders in our game, at our facility and in our communities. I am passionate about leadership and the many forms it may take. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to be exposed to many forms of positive (and some not so positive) leadership examples.
I hate to be cliché with my words but regarding leadership some classic concepts ring true in my daily life and, hopefully, in my dealings with staff, members and you, our PGA member. “Servant Leadership” has, in my estimation, the most effective and long-lasting impacts to delivering results. I aspire to serve others throughout my daily life. The qualifies of encouraging diversity of thought, creating a culture of trust, having an unselfish mindset, and fostering leadership in others can take time but it is well worth it! I have found that valuing people, listening, trusting, and caring for those around you creates a positive and healthy atmosphere.
Another cliché I live by is “Leading by Example.” I would never ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do. In fact, when the tough job comes up, I will not hesitate to jump in and get to work. Personally, I will never ask someone to do something I won’t first do myself.
As we head into a national election and prepare for election of our next National Secretary of the PGA of America, I am looking towards that individual to have these qualities and specially to have “vision” and “clarity of purpose” (more clichés). Our Association is moving into a new era with issues that require immediate solutions. These include our workforce challenges, growing the game and especially service the PGA Member.
Thank you for you consideration and I appreciate your vote as Section Secretary. If I can be of any service to you or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
John Grothe, PGA | Head Professional
Oregon PGA Chapter President
Willamette Valley Country Club
900 Country Club Place • Canby, Oregon 97013
Golf Shop: 503-266-2102 • Direct: 503-266-0140
To answer this question, I thought and read about our previous section presidents and spoke with Don Rea about his values as our current National Secretary. I deduced that our National Secretary must have the following characteristics:
Passion - Our National Secretary must have a true passion for serving others and living the mission of the PGA to serve our members and grow the game.
Alignment - They must live the values that we stand for everyday in honesty, integrity, innovation, and leadership.
Governance - They must be proven in their governance successes both within the PGA of America as well as in their communities.
Communication – Relatable, reliable communication that conveys the message of current projects, programming, and planning including action items from leadership and the PGA Membership
Business Acumen - This individual should have a high level understanding of the strategic plan and operational criteria to move that plan forward with success.
Service/Life Balance - Through this all, they must have a happy person, place, and/or thing, by which to release from the pressure of the responsibilities that comes with leading 29,000 PGA Members
I am a servant leader at heart and making everyone around me better is what drives me and excites me the most about my career and governance within the PGA. I am a very positive, energetic person and creating buy-in among my teams is one of my strengths. This buy-in is essential for me to feel comfortable allowing the team to have the autonomy to make decisions and the resourcefulness to produce consistent successful results.
I preach flexibility and strong, efficient communication skills which allow my teams to work well with one another and those we serve. In my career, these traits have yielded increased revenue by incorporating multiple amenities and departments into all-inclusive facility functions. In governance and community service, these traits have served to create consistent policies and procedures, implement or improve programming, increase efficiency and reliability, and improve job performance and workplace culture.
The number one goal of my team is to promise the highest level of effort with every task or project every time. In doing this, we are detailed, engaged, and aligned with my personal philosophy of making the improbable happen daily and making the impossible possible. The Pacific Northwest Section PGA is one of the strongest sections in the country. That doesn't happen overnight; it takes trust and an active membership. As your leader, we will enjoy a culture of trust among Section Staff, our fellow PGA Members and Associates, and our Partners and we will continue the upward trend of our Section’s prominence at the national level.
Chas Holmes, PGA, CMAA
General Manager
Bear Creek Country Club
13737 202nd Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98077
Office – (425) 883-4770| Mobile – (206) 550-5135
holmes.chas@yahoo.com
CWC PGA Vice President
In our industry, we face constant pressures from valuable stakeholders who often want “what we want” but they often lack the context, specific industry experience and “inputs” needed to be strategic leaders and make truly lasting “legacy-level impacts.”
Recently, I was on a flight from the PNW to Dallas-Fort Worth and then to Frisco, TX to see the new PGA Headquarters. (When you have the chance, you should definitely go…very cool facility and member-centric as well.) On that flight, I had downloaded a documentary called, “In Search of Greatness.” It featured sports “greats” (e.g. Gretzky, Rice and others) and talked about why they turned out to be great, versus their peers (who often had superior talent and seemed destined for greatness “on paper”). The show was fascinating to me and I would highly recommend it (I watched it on Amazon Prime).
As we are all in the midst of a very busy golf season (the third one in a row), some inspiration may be valuable. Some of my favorite takeaways from the show that I would like to apply to our current industry include:
Wayne Gretzky’s (the NHL Hall of Famer known as The Great One) comments were amazing. He said: “…I loved the fact that people didn’t think I was fast…getting to the puck takes a whole different kind of speed…” Further, he said, “The game is about having the puck, it’s about scoring the puck…not about how many pushups or how high you can jump on the ice…”
Jerry Rice, (NFL Hall of Famer who scored 127 NFL touchdowns) was equally good. He was quoted saying: “You can be stressed, but there has to have a calmness too…if you’re too relaxed, you don’t have enough intensity” and “I worked on certain disciplines because of what I was lacking…I was fast, but not sprinter fast, so I worked very hard to run very disciplined, precise routes…”
Do you have any stories and learned lessons that have inspired you? Maybe from professional athletes, (e.g. Hall of Famers) or similar that you might share with me? What other ideas or solutions have you seen or would like to see that might apply in the narrative above? I would love to hear from you.
Click here to access the PNW PGA job postings
Monte Koch, PGA Certified Professional, CEIP
Regional Director, Member & Section Operations
West Region | PGA of America
Partnering with PGA Sections | Career & Business Coach for PGA professionals, facilities in the PNWPGA Section
206-335-5260 | mkoch@pgahq.comMy LinkedInMy Professional Blog
July 9, 2022
Anchorage, AK - Moon Run GC - Creek Course
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July 11-12, 2022
Las Vegas, NV - JW Marriott Resort & Spa
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Franz Bakery Pro-Am: July 13-14, 2022
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Maui, HI - Kaanapali Golf Courses
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