Sure, the golf season is coming to an end or completely over in much of the country but that may give some business owners a chance to work on their swing before spring. Yes, there are some people that think using golf as a business tool is passé. With the increasing popularity of alternative sports like mountain biking it’s even been said that bike trails are the new golf course for business outings. But with 25 million golfers in the USA alone, many of which are top CEOs and entrepreneurs, the golf course is still a popular board room and the golf club may still be the ultimate business tool.
One of the great things about golf is that you can just show up at a club and get a game. Depending on your business, you could be looking at three prospects each and every time you tee it up! Golf is the ultimate networking environment for all kinds of professionals and services.
Perhaps the best thing about golf is that it is a sport that suits all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Thanks to the handicap system, people of widely different abilities can play together and still compete. So the 60-something CEO of the company can still beat his 30-something employee, franchise owner or potential vendor, while the 30-something can look forward to decades of on-course meetings and deals. Try doing that on a mountain bike.
If you are a businesswoman, playing golf is an even greater advantage. Adrienne Wax, co-author of Even Par: How Golf helps Women Gain the Upper Hand In Business, says, “Outside the office, you can communicate differently with your higher-level peers and get to know one another in a way that the office can’t provide. Being able to talk golf in the office gives you a chance to bond with the bigwigs. If you can talk about golf, suddenly you have reasons to talk with the CEO.”
A simple interest in golf alone can be enough to grow friendships and business relationships. Best of all, the friendships built around golf tend to last a lifetime so as people move around new opportunities could potentially open up for you and your business.
And where else can you spend four quality hours with a prospective client, a business partner or a valued customer? With today’s busy schedules most of us are lucky if we can get five minutes! There is simply no other sport with the amount of quiet time between shots that allows for wide-ranging conversations and mutual interests to be discovered.
“Business Golf” is not just surviving, it is thriving. So do yourself a favor, in fact do your business and your career a favor and head out to the driving range this winter. Work on your long ball, practice your short game, chip, putt and when the weather starts to warm up again in Spring, get out on the golf course and make some deals.
