Embrace the Late Season Grind
Your staff has been busting their butts, your customers have been happy, and hopefully, the money is pouring in.
There is something about the late-season grind that, in my mind, can make or break how the entire season is remembered.
When the course opens for the year or in some cases, just begins to get busy again, there is a refreshing feeling that floats through the air. Everyone is happy to be back playing golf. It seems as though nothing can bring them down, and your staff feeds off those happy customers, especially the ones who are getting tipped.
As long as you did your homework during the offseason, this is the easy part. The course just runs itself.
But as the days tick by and the weather stays nice day after day after day, it's great for the course, but it begins to take its toll on everyone.
Your staff starts getting tired. Customers begin to get a little more ornery, and you feel it more and more every day.
You may have staffing issues, including employees heading off to college and leaving you short handed. Leagues are beginning to wind down and somehow that brings even more work. The days become repetitive, and you feel like you're stuck on the world's slowest cruise control.
And why are there so many weekday outings when you have no staff?!
I have been doing this for over 25 years, and two things remain constant:
1. This feeling happens every year.
2. The time always passes, and you get through it.
So, you have a choice:
Treat every day as a grind—or embrace the late-season grind.
How I Get Through It
I have found a few things that help me get through this time of year.
1. Start With Your Attitude
First, realize that you caused this!
You wouldn't be in this situation if you ran your course poorly and nobody wanted to play there. This is happening because you are doing a great job.
Every day when you show up and park your car, tell yourself you're going to have a great day. Carry that attitude with you into the clubhouse and make sure everyone knows you're doing great, even if you hate saying it.
Let your staff feed off your positivity and drive.
If your staff gets any sense that you don't want to be there, that you're frustrated, or that you're burned out, they will begin to mirror those same feelings.
2. Set a Personal Goal
You can motivate your staff every day. That's easy.
But finding a way to motivate yourself is what will carry you through this time.
Set a financial goal for the course that you want to reach. Challenge yourself to give 10 golf lessons. Try to play three rounds with members in September.
Or make it something simple, like making sure you leave the office every day with all of your voicemail calls returned.
Find something that keeps you motivated and gives you a reason to stay excited and keep pushing forward.
3. Start the Countdown
The last thing I like to do is start a countdown with my managers.
Every few days, I'll throw out how many days are left until the end of leagues or until we get past a big holiday hurdle. It may sound simple, but just seeing those grinding days slowly ticking down can make a difference.
It's also a fun little thing that gives us something to talk about and helps keep everyone engaged.
Most importantly, it reminds us that we're all in this together.
Then comes October.
Things begin to lighten up. The days get shorter, the weather gets cooler and everything gets just a little bit easier.
So don't fight the late season grind.
Embrace it.
The Fairway GM
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