Behind the Bluff
Uncover best practices to participate in life on your terms. Every week, hosts Jeff Ford and Kendra Till guide listeners with short conversations on trending wellness topics and share interviews with passionate wellness professionals, our private club leaders, and additional subject matter experts offering valuable tips. Each episode conclusion includes Healthy Momentum, five minutes of inspiration to help you reflect and live differently. Subscribe now and discover the keys to living your greatest active lifestyle.
Behind the Bluff
Patience on the Fairway, Passion in Life | Steven Potter
Steven Potter, head PGA golf professional at Palmetto Bluff's Crossroads course, shares insights from his 13-year journey at the property and his lifelong relationship with golf. His passion for the game began in high school, evolved through competitive junior tours in West Virginia, and led to collegiate play before bringing him to the unique community of Palmetto Bluff.
• Initially a baseball player who discovered golf in high school through a friend
• Competed on West Virginia's junior golf tour, meeting Sam Snead at the Greenbrier as a young player
• Witnessed Palmetto Bluff's evolution from 160 golf members to over 650, with a third course opening soon
• Explains what makes Palmetto Bluff special: "We're not a country club, we're a place with some of the best amenities and team members anywhere"
• Describes a perfect day on the course as dependent on who you're playing with, not necessarily the score
• Believes patience is the most important lesson golf teaches, both as a player and professional
• Values the connection between wellness and golf longevity
• Recommends proper grip technique as the most important fundamental many amateurs miss
Join our community where we believe every moment is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms, and discover why Palmetto Bluff offers a golf experience unlike anywhere else.
Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. I'm your host, Jeff Ford, and today our guest is Stephen Potter, the head PGA golf professional of our Crossroads course here at Palmetto Bluff. Stephen's journey with the game started early in his life, leading him to compete at the collegiate level at West Liberty University, where he was also the assistant women's golf coach during his final semester. In this episode, Stephen shares insights from over a decade of shaping golf culture in the low country, specifically what makes Palmetto Bluff unlike any other place to play and live. Whether you're a passionate golfer or simply someone who values purpose-driven work, this conversation will leave you inspired. Let's tee it up, Stephen. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you very much, Jeff. It is super great to be here. A lot of my colleagues have had the honor of sitting across from you, and so I'm just thrilled to be here Glad we could make it happen.
Speaker 1:We have interviewed multiple behind-the-scenes golf course professionals here at Palmetto Bluff, and so I'm stoked to finally have a conversation with a golf professional someone, what I would say is in the front of the scene, so let's go ahead, dive right in. Could you please tell us a bit about your background, and when did you first fall in love with the game?
Speaker 2:of golf. So baseball was life. When, when my brother and I were growing up, you know we had, you know we had the boy Scouts, we had um, we had the outdoors my father really exposed us to fishing and hunting and that was a big part. Every fall that was Super Bowl for us. But baseball, little League, all the way up through high school, my brother and I, that's all we cared about.
Speaker 1:What position did you play?
Speaker 2:I played. So both my brother and I are left-handed, neither parent is and so we both played first base. Of course, we both pitched. My brother played in the outfield some, but mostly first base and pitching. And you know, up until I mean, up until I found golf, that was that was I, that was all I cared about outside of you know the other things.
Speaker 2:But but when, when I was a freshman in high school in West Virginia, you know, football is a fall sport. We weren't a football family, we didn't grow up, we didn't care about it. And so a buddy of mine said, hey, we should go out for the golf team. Randomly, it's a fall sport. Yeah, and you know, dad played a little bit.
Speaker 2:You know, usually involved in a fishing trip where they would take a day and play golf. But but you know, I said, sure, why not? And so borrowed a set of clubs from a buddy's father who was left-handed, they were wooden headed, you know drivers, and fairway woods and and old you know, probably much older than I was at the time clubs, and we played this little nine hole golf course, which is actually kind of fun and full circle. My, my first round of golf was on a nine hole golf course, which is actually kind of fun and full circle. My first round of golf was on a nine-hole golf course not far from kind of in the next town over in the eastern panhandle, and now I'm in charge of a nine-hole golf course, so that's pretty cool Actually. That now just comes to mind.
Speaker 2:But anyway, played, went out for the golf team, um, obviously in a small school, like, if you showed up with a pulse, um, you were in and so, um, you know, we had, we had, you know, a lot of multi-sport people in our school, obviously because we were small, so, like, two of the guys on the golf team couldn't even play every tournament cause they also played football. Um, you know, my buddy, he was in the marching band, so if there was a football game that that you know what's going on?
Speaker 1:he wouldn't go on, he couldn't play.
Speaker 2:But I was. I was readily available cause I didn't play football. I didn't do any of that. So you know, I think I I got to play in the first tournament of that fall and I think I shot 129 for 18 holes.
Speaker 1:So room for improvement.
Speaker 2:Yeah, room for improvement had no idea what I was doing. I just knew I could swing hard. We would. You know, dad would take us to the driving range leading up to that and just we would try to see who could hit it the farthest, and you know all that fun stuff. And then you know what was really kind of great at the time was the state of West Virginia.
Speaker 2:So the golf course that I grew up playing the most and eventually working at the state of West Virginia offered a junior golf pass. I think it was maybe $150, and it was unlimited golf, I think, up until the age of 16. And then very quickly come to find out that the state of West Virginia has this really great junior golf tour that a great PGA professional, a guy named Larry Martin, was sort of the founder of that. He was a professional down in Parkersburg, west Virginia, and he made these arrangements at all these golf courses to give access to these junior tour players. And we signed up and it was like we were on the PGA Tour but we were traveling around to all these different.
Speaker 2:there were some private clubs, there were state park, there were public and obviously age divisions and all that stuff and so kind of. Like I said before we got on the podcast here, my entry into the game was all about competing. It was all about being on the golf team. It was about playing in tournaments. Um, it was all about being on the golf team. It was about playing in tournaments. It was, um, you know, it was all about trying to be better as a golfer, um, and and so this tour was awesome because I got to interact with other juniors beyond what was in my small town.
Speaker 1:Now, when you were on the tour, this was like sophomore year of high school, all the way through.
Speaker 2:So it was sophomore year. Yep, so, so it was sophomore year. It was probably like eight tournaments a summer and it was.
Speaker 2:It was kind of all over. It was all over West Virginia. It was up into the Northern Panhandle, where I ended up eventually going to school and wheeling all the way down into you know. I mean, some of the tournaments were way down like Huntington, which is, if you don't know, the state of West Virginia. Driving to Huntington is basically like driving to Hilton Head. You've got to go through the mountains and over these roads. There's not a straight way to get there.
Speaker 2:So we didn't really play the tournaments. You could pick and choose which tournaments you played in, but what was really cool was that if you performed well enough, they had kind of like the FedEx Cup now. If you had, you would get points for tournament finishes and if you were in the top 10, you'd rack up these points. And if you were high enough in your points you could qualify to play in the Tour Championship which was held every year at the end of the summer at the Greenbrier Dang. And that was probably my first experience. So I qualified, they gave us access to play a practice round and then we had our tournament. And it was pretty neat because the first year I qualified, my mom and my grandmother took me to the tournament, and when the tournament was over this was the final year Sam Snead was still alive, and so they brought him out to the scoreboard and he signed pictures and autographs and hung out.
Speaker 2:And it's the middle of August and he's wearing like wool slacks and cashmere sweater and he had his you know, his little coconut you know, you know hat, his like fedora hat on, and so didn't, you know, didn't understand really kind of at the time how big of a deal that was how big of a deal, Like holy crap.
Speaker 2:I'm you know, sam Snead, but you know, fast forward and we'll skip over a lot. But like I, I the first job I had out of college was at the Greenbrier and uh, you know I applied there because you know, in the state of West Virginia that's the pinnacle of of golf.
Speaker 1:And my, my father-in-law. He's a scratch golfer, still 75 years old, and he talks to me about the green briar 24 seven. It's a place he frequents at least every other year for golf trips.
Speaker 2:It's a special. It's a special place, um, and and you know it's, it's interesting, Um, I got that job somewhat in part um part, because you know they were looking for an entry-level assistant, but also this guy that I was talking about that started the junior tour, larry Martin. I had gotten to know him over the years.
Speaker 1:Well, he saw you at every tournament, huh.
Speaker 2:I had reached out to him, yeah, and I had reached out to him. He happened to be really good friends with the head pro that was at the golf course that I grew up on, so like, and not only that, but he was also our Callaway and top flight rep for that area. But then that led me to, you know, I wanted to play collegiate golf. I I ended up going to West Liberty, which is a state school up in the Wheeling, northern Panhandle area. It was Division II. It was very good, it was competitive, it was awesome.
Speaker 2:It was me being on my own, being responsible for class, being responsible for my game, being responsible for a lot of things that I didn't have in a small town, or or, or growing up, um, you know, part of that transition of of being your own man, um, and, and loved it. You know, west Liberty's in the middle of nowhere. There's no stoplights, there's not a gas station, um, so it was, it was just enough. Real world, but also somewhat sheltered in the sense, like I couldn't get in that much trouble, yeah, unlike you know.
Speaker 1:Well, and golf was still your world. I mean, you got these early roots of performing and competing, working at the course, getting exposure to other adults, playing golf, learning the business side of it. I mean your roots have taken you to where you are today and it's great to kind of reflect back on everything that's gotten you here to Palmetto Bluff. So let's switch gears and talk about how long you've been here, brother. It's been 13 years at Palmetto Bluff and I think anyone who's been here this long on this amazing property can put things in perspective. So could you share with us what's made you stay here for the length of time and how has Palmetto Bluff evolved over the years?
Speaker 2:So it's been a really, really cool ride. You know, before Palmetto Bluff, you know, like I said, I did a couple years at the Greenbrier. In between the seasons there I was in Florida at the Ocean Reef Club for a winter season and then eventually transitioned over to a place called Wintergreen Resort, which was a ski and golf community in Virginia. But I didn't spend much time, you know. Wintergreen was maybe three and a half years, so I'd really never had any kind of long tenure anywhere.
Speaker 2:All I knew was when, you know, after a couple of ski seasons at Wintergreen and not working in golf and realizing like I want to be around golf year round, I want to be around golf year round, I started looking at places to move to in the south and I didn't know a thing about Palmetto Bluff, but I knew Hilton Head. Our golf team had come to Hilton Head during spring break and played and competed every year. I was in college, so I knew Hilton Head no-transcript and they tell me where to go and they, they I can't remember if they handed me the cd that they used to yeah, they used to hand the cd when you were going Montage.
Speaker 1:Get the whole history and you get the whole history.
Speaker 2:But anyway, like I get in the gate and I'm driving and driving and driving and driving, I'm looking around and I'm like where am I going? And then all of a sudden you come into Wilson Village and you kind of pass Artee's and you get across that bridge and you look around and it's just kind of amazing. Everything looks so perfect and in place and it's like out of a Norman Rockwell painting. And that was the very first impression. Right, we met, we had lunch at Buffalo's, I think, but anyway. Then we go over to the golf course and I'd been around some pretty high-end places in the past, but there was something quaint and special and really, really cool about May River. And so we go through the interview and go back, drive back to Virginia and then not too long after that get a phone call from the director of HR and a message we want to offer you this position. And of course I accepted and so making that move down here, wanted to be around golf year round, didn't want to have to go north south, didn't want to have to uproot every season or transition into ski.
Speaker 2:When I came on board at that time the property was all. It was owned by Crescent Communities, but it was managed by Albers Resorts, so it was hired by Albers. This is pre-hotel. All we had were the 50 cottages. You checked in at the River House and then you were taken down to your cottage in a golf cart and that's what it was. And then, two years after, that was 2012. So two years after I came here, the ownership at the time decided we want to, we want to build the hotel, we want to expand the resort, cause you know that's gonna increase our exposure to people that could become property owners. And so Albers didn't want to take on, you know, a 200 room resort, that kind of. At the time wasn't there bread and butter? And so, you know, montage became the new partner and so, you know, kind of overnight I was terminated and rehired.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:And so, you know, albers was out. So then I became a Montage employee, just like everybody else, and we were in that era with Montage and montage, and you know montage was at the time. You know they're running all the facilities, everything including the club, um, and you know, to their credit, I they did it really well. They have super high standards, um, and I think, from a guest service standpoint, obviously that's great for us and the property. But during that time, all throughout, basically each year, I've been here at Palmetto Bluff golf has grown by about a thousand rounds a year. Our membership back then we had maybe 160 golf members. I think there was probably 250 homes completed About way back then, like in 2012 when I was hired, and so each year it was all all about, you know, growth. Our tournaments are going to get bigger, our number of rounds, our number of members, um, the resort activity would get bigger and the size of groups and group outings. But, um, it was good for me, mean, I would do more lessons. Yeah, you were probably pumping lessons, but what?
Speaker 2:what was fascinating is it was just greg and I and, yeah, one golf shop attendant and a much smaller, you know, much smaller team and this was at may river yeah, this was at may river and so, you know, it was kind of like that for a while and then gradually we'd add another golf professional or another golf shop attendant and a couple more outside operations attendants, because as we kept getting busier we kept needing, you know, to grow the team. So what it provided for me was, you know, I got to be basically second in command at a place that had super high expectations, that was, you know, highly ranked within the state in terms of golf courses alone. So I kind of got thrust into, I had to learn, I had to, I had to, you know, shadow Greg, who had, you know, been at at Pinehurst and some really, really great places and had lots of experience, um, and and kind of had to, I had to, had to really eat, sleep and breathe.
Speaker 2:May River, um, and and and River in order to find success. And so, you know, fast forward even further. You know we it was during COVID, it was, I think, 2021, south Street Partners you know the previous ownership you know became aware they were setting the property up to go up for sale and South Street Partners became the new owner and pretty quickly, under their tenure, they made the decision to come to an agreement with Montage that the club would need to separate from the hotel operations.
Speaker 2:And so the resort would be its own entity, and so the resort would be its own entity, um, and, and the club would be its own entity, and, and you know, I think part of that, part of that reasoning was just that that we're a community that will one day have 3500 property owners yeah, crazy amount of people will be here and only 200 hotel rooms, or however you want to call that. The club is growing exponentially, and you know it was time to make the club its own thing, and and, and so, you know, with that, um, you know, that transition, you know took place, and, and one of the one of the things that's been kind of a very common theme in the 13 years here is that, you know, buckle up, because we're going to change and we're going to grow and you know we need really really strong, skilled professionals to be able to to to do that, because you know, the older you get, the more you realize growth is hard yeah.
Speaker 1:Change is hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, growing pains are going to happen and and you know, I'm, I'm, I feel fortunate that you know I've been here for a lot of that growth which, um, yeah, truly gives me a perspective of where we've been and kind of where we're going. I hope that that's kind of a benefit, but I think that that the where, where, where we've come in the time I've been here is, you know, from 160 golf memberships to over 650, from 250 homes to over a thousand homes, from one golf course to now two to a third opening up.
Speaker 1:End of this year.
Speaker 2:In the, you know, probably first quarter of 26. There's a lot of stuff happening right now that has been in the works all the way back to the original. You know developers and the people that came up with Palmetto Bluff and laid out this whole big plan and I've just thoroughly enjoyed being a part of seeing that plan come to life. You know, in my you know small role in terms of golf, but the property at large is. You know there's so many good things happening right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's gasoline on the fire for sure, and that's where I'd like to take this next. The golf experience here at Palmetto Bluff is continuing to become more and more unique. There's not many plantations communities in Bluffton and Hilton Head that have three golf courses. There's none. And is that a fair statement? Yeah, there's, so there's.
Speaker 2:There's Berkeley hall has two. So in our local area, palmetto dunes, oh yeah, there you go. Sea pines down in Savannah at the landings. That's pretty much it when it comes to more than two courses. You know, Berkeley, Belfair, Colleton, those have two courses. But yes, we're about to go into a new realm, a new category of.
Speaker 1:we're a three-course property, we're a three-course club which is exciting, very exciting, and that's what I wanted to dive in with you specifically, because everything I've seen with the development in my short time here is each of these courses have their own persona. You know, you've got May River, we've got Crossroads. Now, when you're at Crossroads and then you drive up the road and you go play golf at May River, it's a completely different experience and it seems like that's going to be the same effect with Anson. So, as we think about Palmetto Bluff and other places that you've been exposed to low country nationally, what sets Palmetto Bluff apart?
Speaker 2:So I think what sets Palmetto Bluff apart is well it's a couple of things In terms of like we'll talk about. We'll use the term tourism, even though you know we're a community. You know, in tourism you've got these places that are like non-places right, they're very manufactured, they're very, um, you could do it in any region and and you could kind of replicate um, you know, it's like, it's like Chick-fil-A's. You know, whether it's Flagstaff, arizona, or Bluffton, south Carolina, your Chick-fil-A experience is exactly the same and there's something great about that.
Speaker 1:It's a great experience. You know what to expect.
Speaker 2:There's something great about that, but there's only there's something great about that, but there is only, there's only one palmetto bluff. There's only one um may river golf course. There's only one crossroads and there's soon to be only one core crenshaw course at palmetto bluff, um, and I think that you know that goes back into, well, what is so special about palmetto Bluff that's different from everyone else. It's kind of a feeling, it's a you know it's. It's. Palmetto Bluff isn't for everybody, that's. That's certainly one of the things that I've I've seen over the last 13 years is people come and go. You know every club has attrition, but you know, I think some of our past residents they've left because they fell in love with Palmetto Bluff at a given state and time.
Speaker 1:And as it's changed.
Speaker 2:They weren't wanting to change with it and that you know some people find it too sleepy and that you know some people find it too sleepy. They came from a big city and it's like, oh my, like there's more animals and frogs than there are humans. I don't love this. But the people that truly fall in love with Palmetto Bluff whether you're a staff member, a hotel guest or a property owner, it is such a special, unique place and part of that special thing is you fall in love with the idea of it. I'm sure when you've gone through the buying of real estate process and you're shown like okay, here's where we are now and here's where it's going, and here's this huge master plan map and look at how cool it's going to be sometime later down in the future, right, you buy into the vision of that.
Speaker 2:You know I did 12 years ago. 13 years ago I knew we were going to have another golf course, maybe two. I saw the. You know, right now you're in in what you do. You're looking at expansion in, in in the world of fitness, some of which is going to happen at Crossroads. You know you, you fall in love with the vision of what it's going to be and then you bust your ass and work really hard to try to help. You know, deliver on that you know, whatever your role is.
Speaker 2:So what sets it apart from a golf standpoint like, are there better golf courses out in the world? Sure, you got your Pine Valleys and your Augusta Nationals and Cypress points, and yeah, those are, those are special, for for their own reasons. Um, I think what we try to do here in general at here in general at Palmetto Bluff, is we're providing a lifestyle to people that you can't get anywhere else, or very few places You're providing, and I think it also goes back to what the original vision from, like, the founders of Palmetto Bluff was.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:We're not going to be a country club, we're not a golf community, we're not a fitness-oriented community, we're not an equestrian community or a boating community. We are a place with some of the best amenities and team members that you're going to find anywhere. And so you know, if golf is your thing, you're going to find probably the best golf course in the area now, most unique to golf courses with Crossroads and soon to be this third, unbelievably good Core Crenshaw course. There's nothing in the area that competes with that. And I also think you know, know part of what makes the place so special is is like yes, the physical place is great. Um, it's my experience, the teams that I've worked with, the people I work with from across departments, like we have a lot of really talented people that really care about the lifestyle we're giving to our members and residents.
Speaker 1:That's well put, stephen. Yeah, I think you've just described Palm Oat Bluff in such a beautiful way, where it isn't one thing here. It's a place and our ability of our team members to create this active lifestyle for everyone's unique needs and to serve the members. It is unlike any other place and, going back to how you began answering that question, there's a feeling, there's a vibe, I almost like to say, about Pomona Bluff bluff, and that's what's fun about the growth, the exponential gasoline on the fire right now is how can this place become better and better so that people can live the life they're meant to live? And I think getting that perspective from you is invaluable, given that you've been here much longer than quite a few. But I have plans to get more of our tenured professionals on here for sure, which is exciting. So wow.
Speaker 2:Well, and here's something else that I mean it's kind of something that I've come up with, but I like to think that, whether it's Jeff Ford or Steve Potter or any of our other leaders, and like we are the stewards of our members' time and leisure, nothing about what we do. We want to be transactional, right, like you go to a public fee golf course where the service standards are not as good Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it can be very transactional. Ours is more personal and, and you know so. So this idea that like, yes, our residents, it is not an inexpensive place to make life, but that also adds some pressure to to us that we, we are, we are the ones delivering on that agreement. Right, this is how much it costs for golf. This is how much it's going to cost to build your home. This is how much you know they could do it anywhere, and so we have to keep in mind that that you know we're in our departments. We are how we deliver on what they've bought. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And, and that's really there's, there's pressure in that, there's responsibility, there's, there's excitement too. Yeah.
Speaker 1:With being able to nail that standard to a level that people don't expect too. Yeah, with being able to nail that standard to a level that people don't expect. And I I think you're right on point with this understanding that it is important and it is our honor to be able to be able to serve people in the way that we know we can. And, um, I don't think we've ever dug into that on that passion on this podcast, but it but it's here today and I think that's a great little pause for member listeners to know that, even though it's just Steven and Jeff in the room right now, that theme runs deep through this, through this culture. Yeah, so I want to take kind of kind of a big left turn and go into the golf scene a little bit more.
Speaker 1:I uh grew up playing similar to you, my parents dropping me off at the golf course and spending 27, 36 holes. You know I'd be there all day long and, uh, I tend to be a terrible golfer. Now I'd probably be shooting the 120, um, but, like you shared earlier, um, but I I love the game. I think it's so incredible to just get away from technology, to be out on the course and, like you, I struggled with the competition side of it. I go out and play now and I get frustrated because I know where I was and what it feels like to par more holes than you double bogey. So I want to get your take to start the golf conversation off a little bit here. What's a great day at a golf course? Look like to you.
Speaker 2:So if I'm not the new Steven, so if I'm not the new Steven, if I'm not the the professional Steven, right, who's making the experience happen for people? If I'm the one, that's I'm the consumer, right, I'm going to the golf course to play a great experience. You know, it kind of depends. It starts on who. Who am I playing with? If it's, if it's people that I really love and enjoy being around, well, that's going to be great. Doesn't matter what the golf course is it could be the worst goat farm ever, doesn't matter, we're gonna have fun. Uh, I love golf.
Speaker 2:So conditioning the golf course like I don't, i't, I don't like my golf experience is not won or lost on necessarily the speed of the greens, it's, it's who I'm doing it with, how I'm striking the ball, how am I strategically maneuvering around the golf course?
Speaker 2:Right, you know, and and that's coming from a play playing at a high level and playing A great day on the golf course may not be the best score, but it could be that I saw how the golf course probably should be played and I was able to do that and hit the proper shots. And whether or not the putts fall, you know, that's cherry on top. A great day at the golf course, you know, could be the time of day I used to love being the first one out. I'm the first footsteps in the do you know? I still love. I still love the early morning. I mean, early morning is my life. I wake up at 4 or 4.30 in the morning most days when I'm coming into work. But the other reality is the best kept secret in golf is, I would argue that even better than the first tee time of the day is the last tee time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Is the golden hour, two hours before sunset, and maybe it's just nine holes, but the light, the beauty and I'm talking I mean any golf course, but specifically here at Palmetto Bluff there is no prettier view than number seven on May River, with the sun setting over the river behind, uh, behind the hole, that's the view hole. Seven that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, I would argue that that first thing in the morning at crossroads, when the sun is coming up over the American flag, um, over the golf course and and you, you see, you know this awesome Vista and it just like that, that that's also great. But a great day on the golf course is is, you know, for me it is, it is who I'm doing it with and also how I'm doing it Right and to your point, like sometimes, as a competitor, like you're, fire to perform can turn it, and a lot of juniors go through this right, they get fired up because something bad happened and they don't know how to deal with it.
Speaker 1:Mental game.
Speaker 2:They throw a club, oh gosh.
Speaker 2:Or they break a club, right, and you got to learn quickly, have the fire, but like there is a way to do things, fire, but like there is a way to do things, and that was, that was something that you know. Going back to the junior tour, going back to there's, there's a right and wrong, how to, how to conduct yourself, um, how, how to, how to act, how to do all those things. And I and I think a good round of golf is where you've honored the game, you've honored yourself, you've you've gone out out, you've tried really hard, um, and and sometimes you play great, sometimes you don't, but if you've done those basic things, like it's still a good day, yeah, and if you've had good people to do it with now, on the flip side of that, a good day on the golf course.
Speaker 2:To me, sometimes it's just me being out there solo yeah, playing, I'm out there, you know much like you like we're front-facing, we're we're in charge of of a department, right, we're people interacting all day. Sometimes, you know, one of the best therapies for us is solitude, right, like, and that's why, you know, I, I like to fish by myself, I like to hunt by myself, I like, I like to play golf by myself a lot, because that gives me that moment to just, it's me time I get to recharge, get to be there with each shot, you know, and and and so that's that's, that's also what I would consider like a really good day on the golf course. It's like those last two hours of the day, as many holes as I can get in.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's good stuff.
Speaker 1:I love that. Well, and just keying into what you said initially, it's about how you play and the people you're with. I think that's so valuable for us all to keep in mind. We're getting close to the end of our time and I'm thinking I want to do a rapid fire round with you on some quick golf questions because, as we get a Greg in here other golf professionals who serve our members here at Palmetto bluff I'm so pumped to just hear the different takes on such.
Speaker 1:I mean I had like 20 different questions I wanted to ask you guys because when I was in the golf scene I was all about different clubs, different brands, what gloves should I wear? So we won't get that detailed here today, but you seem to me to be the type of guy who's very reflective, seemed to me to be the type of guy who's very reflective. We don't spend much time together, and so I wanted to ask you one final question to our main segment all around your world what's one lesson the game of golf continues to teach you on and off the course?
Speaker 2:I think the biggest lesson that the game teaches is patience, and I would say as a player, but also as a professional patience. So you know, we're in a world where we want things immediately, instant gratification. Golf is not going to provide you that. Well said, you want to be better Work, you want to play, you want to be a better putter, spend hours upon hours on the putting green, on your carpet at home, and that takes time and that means you have to have patience to let those skills develop.
Speaker 2:As a professional, if I'm working with a student, uh, say, in a lesson it is so awesome to give a lesson to someone and in a short like like, you're going to have those lessons where it's like all right, I watched this guy hit balls for 15 minutes. I've given him a couple of tips and boom, he's all of a sudden seen instant results and you're like man, that lesson was easy. They're not all like that. You know, I've walked away from the lesson T with students where they've regressed. They struggle to capture what you're trying to get them to do and you just hope they come back to you. But you have to have patience and you have to. You have to, you know, realize that there's a process there. You know slow play is is like the bane of existence in the game of golf and you know I've seen it all from nearly not a Palmetto bluff but other places. Nearly fights break out over slow play. But the answer is patience.
Speaker 1:Patience.
Speaker 2:I mean we try really hard to make sure that that. You know people play golf at a prompt pace here and I think we do a pretty good job. But you know, sometimes it's inevitable. Sometimes you know you just got to deal with it and go with the flow, and patience will get you there, um, and then, and then you know back to, like, what we're doing here at Palmetto bluff as a, as a, as a leadership team. Right, you have to have patience with your team. You have to have patience with um. You know the way the wheel turns. Yeah, never turns fast enough.
Speaker 1:Patience with yourself when you're yeah. All of it.
Speaker 2:So so yeah, golf golf teaches patients, um, and it teaches a lot of things similarities to life, or yeah, they're pretty parallel.
Speaker 1:They abound. But uh, yeah, yeah, well, no, I'm glad we keyed in on that word patients, Cause that's that's just something we all can struggle with at times. It might not be out on the golf course, but it can be in different components of each of our worlds, so I really do enjoy that as the main parallel. So let's go ahead. Before we get to understanding what wellness means to you, let's do some fun rapid fire questions here. What did I? Hope you didn't mention it already, but what is your favorite hole at Palmetto Bluff? Either course and a quick why.
Speaker 2:I'm going to give you a two-part answer. So I like number 13 at May River. It's a wonderfully difficult par four. It has a different look and feel than than a lot of the other holes. The green complex is a little bit different. Um, it can provide a good score, but you got to work hard for it. Um, I think it's a really, really great golf hole. Um very fair, but, but you know, just like the rest of the golf course, it's unrelenting yeah, you got to still be on your game.
Speaker 2:You can't fall asleep at the wheel at May River. One bit I would also say, not my least favorite. But what are the hardest holes? Number 9, number 16, number 17. They don't give up easy scores. They don't give much in the way of of leeway. You have to be, you have to be on it. And those holes, bogey is not a bad score.
Speaker 1:That's great perspective for our members and, uh, a nice caution. Caution there for the for anyone playing may river in the future. Now you mentioned Sam Snead earlier. Tell us dream foursome, living or past. You can only choose three because it is a foursome.
Speaker 2:You would count as one.
Speaker 2:Um, you know it's interesting, like I've I've gotten to play like the people that I play golf with, that I've played golf with in the past, like I've gotten to play with most of anyone that I've ever wanted to play with. I don't really, you know they say, don't, you, don't want to meet your heroes. I don't know if I want to meet, you know, and and actually play golf with tiger woods or jack nicholas or or whomever, because there's a risk in that they may not be what you want them to be, fun to think about. But I would say, you know, if I could put myself back and replay a particular round with people a lot of the guys on my golf team in college uh, that would be a lot of fun. Yeah, and some of those Saturday or Thursday groups back home growing up, you know, guys that I grew up with in that town um, that that it would be fun to go back and relive those, those rounds experiences um, that would be, that would be cool love that, let's uh get your professional hat on here.
Speaker 1:One golf tip most amateurs get wrong um, well, it starts with the grip.
Speaker 2:So I would say most people grip it too far into the palm. They don't grasp literally um that. That. You know. The grip is in the fingers, right? You can't, you don't lift uh, you don't lift a 50 pound dumbbell with your palm, do you?
Speaker 1:I've wrapped the whole hand around it for sure. Yeah but your fingers play yeah, your fingers have to be on the way.
Speaker 2:You don't pick up luggage with your palm underneath the handle Right, and so the grip like, like that is the only point where you have control over the club and and and so I think I think people don't spend enough time on that and so they get it wrong and then, they, then they're on the struggle bus and then they come see me to try to sort some things out, to try to fix it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, all right, let's go ahead. Just one brand question here when you're playing golf, or if you could choose any golf ball. I'm not a big fan of spending tons of money on golf balls personally, but let's say, resources aside, golf ball brand of choice so it's got to be callaway interesting chrome soft.
Speaker 2:I just love a soft golf ball. I like like I hit the. I still hit the ball plenty far enough, so I'm not worried about chasing distance. Um, I need a golf ball that I feel like I can control and mostly with a wedge around the greens. Um, and and part of the reason that it's Callaway the guy I talked about, larry Martin Callaway junior golf tour well, top flight when I was on it, but it's the Callaway now. He was my Callaway rep at the green bar winter green. He took really great care of me and I've had I've had a long history with calloway you have that personal connection to call every rep I've ever had has been a rock star.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm I'm really good friends with with our rep down here and that's happened over the course of, you know, these last 13 years. Um, it's an awesome company and they they make great products but they they do great work service.
Speaker 1:Um, so, yeah, big team Callaway, nice free commercial. Uh, team Callaway, love it. Yeah, last rapid fire question here Do you have a post round ritual?
Speaker 2:Um, so it depends on the round. Is it a competition round? Because if it doesn't go well, I might be back on the driving range with balls or putting Okay, if it's a very casual round with, with friends and people that I like, well, it's gotta be going and getting a drink.
Speaker 1:And are you still on Bush?
Speaker 2:light no, I'm not above Bush. Light one bit Fear, no beer, but yeah, I think that's evolved as well Like a good, solid bourbon.
Speaker 1:And you're good to go.
Speaker 2:Like a good, solid bourbon, with whoever you played with and toast your round and settle your bets. That doesn't really get any better than that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So, we're at the end of the episode here. I've enjoyed this conversation thoroughly. What does wellness mean to you?
Speaker 2:Wellness is. You know it's mental. Golf is such a mental game. So you know, from a mental standpoint, you know smart thinking and patience in terms of making good decisions. But I think wellness is all about just keeping up your golf body, and that's something for us in the business of golf. One of our tasks from the PGA is always grow the game. Growing the game could be finding new golfers, like juniors, but growing the game also ties into what you do with your team, which is we've got to get people to play golf longer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, keep them in the game.
Speaker 2:Um, and that starts with fitness and that starts with wellness. And that means, you know, I've got a 75, 80 year old man. That's, that's aging out of the game because his body is not what it once was. If that, if that gentleman you know comes to you and you can work on some key areas of fitness, wellness and and and you know that can help create some more longevity for us in the business of golf, well, that's great Cause we don't want to lose golfers.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That hurts our bottom line, right and and yeah, important for us and that's a perspective that I've had, you know, for, for those you know, like Greg and myself and others, you know, we're in a community where I've known people for 13 years and some of those folks are aging out of the game.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And, sadly, we've lost some folks, um, which, which is a fact of life and it's going to happen when you spend a long time in a community like this. Yeah, you're going to cross those bridges, but what's great is seeing how you know, like your golf fitness class and the, and the number of people that are taking fitness serious when it comes to golf, because the one thing they don't want is to have to give it up.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, uh, they want to keep, they want to play that next golf course, they want to be able to play it for years to come. Um, and so yeah, wellness as it pertains to golf is, is not just physical fitness, it's, it's the mental, it's the, it's the physical, it's the um, you know, and I would even argue, it's you walk and talk on the golf course.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well said, stephen. Well, I'm right there with you on keeping people in the game and I'm excited for our future collaborations. I know we've got a lot of wheels spinning on workshops and concepts to help folks stay in the game and I think just you adding that perspective today fuels, I know, myself and and our team more to continue to work together so that people can participate in life on their terms. You know we we talk about that on our team all the time, and being at Palmetto bluff, you gotta want to participate, you gotta want to do everything that this place offers. So, um, pretty special anyways, um, thanks so much for taking the time to be here. Thank you.
Speaker 2:This has been a. This has been a fun chat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so great to hear more about your story. I know our members will will enjoy the early roots of of Mr Steven Potter and listeners. Feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get a dose of healthy momentum for the rest of your week. People with no friends or poor quality friendships are twice as likely to die prematurely. I bring this up not to scare you, but because when Stephen answered the question about his dream foursome, it triggered for me how important friendships are. He could have said Scotty Scheffler, justin Rose, he could have named any professional golfer, but for him his dream foursome would be going back and playing with his college buddies or the kids he grew up playing with on Saturday and Sundays.
Speaker 1:I think we forget that the most reliable predictor of a long, healthy and satisfying life is our social connection. We get so caught up in the physical, body or nutrition protocols that we forget cultivating and tending our relationships is incredibly important. Just recently, I've been diving into more and more research through various books I've been reading and we fail to understand that, as we face different life challenges, having a close friend to turn to is actually a buffer and a protective factor against negative outcomes, and I feel like we are in this world, as Stephen said, of instant gratification and also who knows who. It's like this rat race to know the most number of people or to be recognized through various platforms, and what we have to take a step back this week and remember is that it's not about how many people we know, it's about how close we are with our people. What's so powerful is that if you have just two close adult relationships outside of your spouse, it's a game changer for your health of your spouse, it's a game changer for your health. And so for this week, I want us to use some of what came up in the conversation today.
Speaker 1:You're not going to get good at golf if you're never practicing your putting. You have to take thousands and thousands of putts to improve your short game. Change the perspective with that. Flip it to your relationships. If you're not having deeper conversations with the people in your life who matter most and going there with them, then you're never going to have the skill of connection. So, for this week, let's figure out those relationships in our life, the people that we want to be close with, and let's tend to them. Life's too short to do it alone. Life's too short to do it alone. That is a wrap on this week's episode. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and remember to actively participate in life on your terms. Thank you.
