Golf and business go hand in hand for many reasons. Getting outside and golfing is a fun way to do business once in a while and beats a stuffy PowerPoint presentation in the office any day.
Learn about your clients, colleagues, and yourself
Golf is a sport of integrity, honesty, and mental discipline. While playing golf you’ll not only learn a lot about the people you are with but also yourself.
Golf is one of the few sports where you are your own referee and responsible for keeping your own score and calling your own infractions. This provides the opportunity to demonstrate either positive or negative behaviors and the way someone behaves while playing golf can say a lot about them. It also may be a good indicator of whether or not you would like to move forward with a business relationship with certain individuals or not.
Paying attention to your own game can also teach you a lot about your own strengths and weaknesses. You don’t have to be a good golfer to make a good impression.
Networking opportunities
One of the biggest factors of golf is the social aspect of it. You’re most likely to meet influential people out on the golf course considering that a majority of top CEOs play golf.
Forming any business relationship takes time and golf can be an effective networking tool. Golf involves a lot of downtime which provides the perfect opportunity for conversation. Whether you’re playing a full round or just 9 holes, you’ll have at least a couple hours to take advantage of bonding time with your group.
After a round of golf with business colleges, potential partners, or clients, it’s important to follow up by inviting them to play again sometime. This allows for the business relationship to grow and is a casual way to acknowledge the positive relationship.
Balance business and golf smartly
Remember to always balance business and golf smartly and take full advantage of the business opportunities.
Studies show that CEOs who played an excess number of rounds of golf a year tend to see lower return on assets. This most likely has to do with the CEO golfing more for their own pleasure rather than for the benefit of their business. If a CEO wants to avoid becoming another statistic, keep it under 22 rounds of golf a year.
If you’re looking to improve your game and benefit from the business opportunities that come with golf, become a member of the Pine Ridge Golf Club!
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