Greetings Golfers,

It’s November and we’re closed. Last weekend was pretty nice and we were pretty busy… that feels like a month ago. We’ve put the course to bed and are cleaning the Clubhouse. There’s a lot to do in the off-season and it goes by all too quickly.

That’s enough about the off-season of the golf business – these emails aren’t supposed to be boring.

The NFL’s not boring – not lately. How about the Miami Dolphins’ locker-room/hazing story? How about the Vikings beating Washington last night? I won’t go into the Washington team’s nickname issue.

But most of these NFL stories aren’t so much about football as about issues in society. That mess in Miami hasn’t blown up yet. The team is trying to keep it together … but how? by defending a racist bully? where does that lead? and the coaches – what was their role?

Seems to be a lot of confusion about roles – teammates, friends, being a man.

The bottom line is that we have to get along with each other – that’s the only way a team or a society works. Treating each other with respect is the answer. I don’t get how treating people poorly is supposed to make things better – unless you believe in keeping people down.

Maybe chivalry will make a comeback. I wish the NFL would lead the way. How cool would it be if the culture of the NFL was more like King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable – than like Piggy and the Lord of the Flies?

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com