Although I can't say for everyone that this year flew by, I feel like I don't recollect anything from this summer. Maybe it was due to the feeling of never being done with anything; maybe it was due to the fact that we were still moving snow off Wildflower's greens May 1st. Looking back on the year, I am so glad I keep a daily log book of what went on every day.
One of the biggest advantages that I personally think every superintendent should do is keep a very detailed daily journal of happenings on the course and weather. Now, I'm sure the majority of superintendents do this is some form, but I also think it's a great learning device for assistant superintendents out of college. I was introduced to this by my former superintendent Rex Saddoris at Lake Powell National. My first day, Rex handed me a 5-subject notebook and told me I had to keep track of everything that we do during the day. When he told me this I really wanted to say no, and that it would take up way too much of my time trying to remember and write out everything that we did. Looking back on it, it was maybe the most beneficial task I was assigned my entire career. Being able to look back and see what was happening on the course from year to year is invaluable and provides the superintendent with historical data (albeit not quantitative) but nonetheless extremely important. Learning from your mistakes is a whole lot easier when you have them written down and you can flip back to the exact date when you made the mistake and think it through given the outcome. I can't stress enough how valuable being able to look back in time and see what worked and what didn't. History doesn't repeat itself, and every situation is different, but being able to relate past experiences to the task at hand will make the outcome lean more in your favor.
