Another calm clear morning on the golf course.
To start my new sales career, I took a Pharmaceutical Sales position with Abbott. This was the first big mistake I made in my development. Not only did I not like 15 second commercials, I became one.
One day as I waited to call on a doctor, I read an article about a woman who was sitting in her office at Hallmark Cards feeling much the same way as I was when she decided to become a Golf Course Superintendent. That day I decided to do the same in 15 years once my daughters were raised and through college.
When the time came to execute my plan, I spent a year talking to those in the industry. I realized that the golf bubble had popped with the housing bubble. It would take me too long to make the Superintendent level but could take a year sabbatical to experience my dream. My lifetime passion in turf-grass met the opportunity, and in June of 2014, I went to work on a golf course.
It was a goal oriented working sabbatical. While I enjoy golf, my real passion is the turf and working on my yard. The goals I set were to work on a premier golf course while it was hosting a major golf tournament and where the Superintendent is highly regarded in the industry. My desire was to become proficient at every job and piece of equipment. To increase my knowledge, I would study turf-grass management. All of these goals were accomplished by working at the Atlanta Athletic Club during the USGA 2014 US Amateur under Ken Mangum and obtaining a certification in turf-grass management.
Practical learning on the golf course. How to catch a mole by hand. Mike Kephart
While I had years of practical experience working in my yard, I increase my knowledge by getting a Principles of Turf-grass Management Certification through UGA's Center for Continuing Education. I also spent many hours pulling studies from the Internet to expand on what I learned through the UGA program or the work I was doing on the golf course. Then there was the extended practical learning like how to capture a mole by hand to calibrating a chemical sprayer.
About half way through my sabbatical, a friend asked me if I still work as hard in the yard as I once did? My response was that I now work harder in my yard. The way I see it is this confirms turf-grass is one of my passions, and with all I have learned, I'm more confident in what needs to be done.
Beyond the mental and physical improvements, I became very focused and sure of my higher purpose. My higher purpose is to use my strong leadership and managerial skills to develop, and therefore, improve the performance of a sales team by developing those young professionals.