New challenges and new lessons
I was fed up at Buckinghamshire Golf Club. My role as Head Pro was really just a glorified membership manager with a bit of coaching on the side. That was never my intention, and I know plenty of people who have been railroaded from their dreams by the comfort of a reliable job and the fear of the unknown.
That wasn’t going to be me. I didn’t like the direction the business or my career was headed, so when a fellow pro mentioned a new facility being built and that he’d like me to work there, I jumped. It was a risk. I was going from a decent salary for a 27-year-old to one based purely on my ability to convert and retain coaching clients.
I moved to Playgolf, a brand-new facility in Northwick Park. They’d recreated 9 of the most famous golf holes in the world alongside a top-class driving range, short game facility, baseball cages, crazy golf, gym, restaurant, and conference facilities.
The biggest seller for me was the coaching area. We had a multi-camera setup, great quality mats, range balls, and the putting greens and short game areas were like nothing else around at the time.
Having the best facility and equipment to give clients the best outcomes is one of my biggest priorities. It’s something I’ve carried with me since day one. At Buckinghamshire, I did what I could to provide the best coaching. I was an early adopter of video analysis software, stat tracking, biomechanics, and fitness for my clients. This was always paralleled by my desire to get better as a competitor myself. It’s a great bonus that everything I provide for my athletes is something I can also utilize myself.
Working at a much more commercial facility was an incredible learning experience. My day was spent doing three things: coaching, practising or playing, and then standing at reception speaking to everyone who came through the doors.
I’m always genuinely interested in people’s stories, so having these conversations were natural for me, and it’s something I’ve gotten better at every year.
This interest is the reason I was the most successful coach at the facility. Being a modern commercial place, we had sales targets. We had a whiteboard with all the coaches ranked, and I actually enjoyed having that data to drive me. In the same way CrossFit has leaderboards, in my case, they motivated me to do better.
Now, I will say this, I don’t think I was necessarily the best coach. I was a good coach, but I suspect some of the guys definitely had more experience at the time. Many had worked as full-time coaches for years, whereas I was working at a much quieter facility, so my coaching hours were lower in total. The difference was the time I spent just being around people to create business.
However, this work ethic definitely came at a cost. My time working was costing me my marriage, as it had for many other relationships before. You can’t expect to work from 6 or 7 am into the evening for 6 to 7 days a week and maintain any kind of relationship. At this point, 3 long-term relationships had failed, with a lot of the reason being my relentless pursuit of my career goals. It took me probably another decade from this point to realize that I needed to change!
Aside from my personal issues, working at this new facility, although it was fun and had a great bunch of fellow coaches and other colleagues, it wasn’t for me. I missed having the community created by a bunch of members coming regularly and actually being able to be there for those moments when people smash their best score on the course or win Club Championships, etc. At my previous club, I coached people into National squads, club championship wins, huge improvements in handicap, etc. Although I still got people better, I wanted the opportunity to have more time around them to experience these successes more closely.
Therefore, when a further opportunity presented itself, I took it. This time from the former Operations manager of Buckinghamshire golf club.
He was now in charge of a small club in Chesham, Chartridge Park golf club. At the time, it had just been bought by new owners and was in a pretty rough state. A new clubhouse was needed (and being built). The course was in need of a lot of TLC, and the practice facility was a putting green, a practice net, and about 70 yards of land just to the left of the first hole. The initial plan was to do 1 day per week at Chartridge and continue at Northwick Park. About a month in, after we discovered we could use the adjacent field to coach, and I thought I could make it work, I decided to switch to Chartridge full-time. This was another big risk. There was literally no salary; I was going to be fully self-employed with the only income being customers I brought in to coach at the club.
But this was my situation. I was freshly divorced. Literally at the same time of starting, I moved out. I remember my ex-wife bringing some stuff to the car park of that golf club. I was living in a small room I rented in Rickmansworth, and the only possessions I had were my golf clubs and equipment, my clothes, my laptop and video camera, a TV, my Playstation, and my car. It was so bad that when my wife dropped some stuff at my place, she cried in sympathy!
I literally had nothing to lose. So here began the start of my business-building journey, which mainly involved working my arse off to get clients and maxing out as many credit cards as I could get approved for!
Reflecting on my journey, I see several parallels between my experiences and the essence of CrossFit:
- Building Toughness: I’ve consistently taken risks in my career, leaving behind comfortable situations for the chance to build something better. CrossFit requires you to embrace discomfort to create tangible change.
- Community and Connection: The sense of community I missed in the more commercial golf settings mirrors the strong bonds and support system that thrive within CrossFit boxes.
- Data-Driven Progress: My appreciation for the sales leaderboard at Playgolf resonates with CrossFit’s emphasis on measurable results and tracking progress.
- Constant Adaptation: My willingness to evolve my coaching methods and embrace new technologies echoes my philosophy on coaching CrossFit.
- Relentless Pursuit: My unwavering dedication to my career, even at the cost of personal relationships is a lesson in how not to live! I’ve learned that creating time for myself and my family is so important to stay healthy but always to prevent burning out!