Raising Attendees' Golf Game

Golf is a sport that everyone can play, old, young, athletic, or sedentary. It's a game that doesn't play favorites. No matter one's age or ability, he or she can play, and play competitively.

When incorporated into a meeting or incentive, golf can also be a great equalizer. "In a business setting, the boss is at the top with a dominant personality and generally more experience. The whole scenario shifts when an entry-level staff member learns to hit a ball far or scores in a short game, which brings to them a different level of confidence and authority," explains Dawn Mercer, director of instruction at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, FL. "Tournaments have handicaps to make us equal and in the short game everyone is equal, since it doesn't take brute strength to have success." It's this nonhierarchical environment that makes the game unique.

The statistics are impressive: An estimated 90 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf, and those executives who play make an average of 17 percent more than those who do not, says Andrew Wood, CEO of Legendary Marketing, a golf, resort, destination, and real estate marketing company.

Many key relationships have been fostered on the golf course. The typical executive golfer has closed a median of five deals through golf, according to Jon Last, president of Sports & Leisure Research Group, a custom research and market analysis company. This means that companies must make sure they are providing opportunities for all to go out and play. And one good way to do that is by incorporating golf academies into meeting itineraries as much as possible.


Instruction Is All-Inclusive

Golf clubs and destinations are tapping into the power of golf instruction for players of all skill levels. The Ballantyne in Charlotte, NC, for example, offers golf outings for those who play and clinics for those who don't, so everyone can get in the game. Similarly, Pelican Hill Golf Academy in Newport Beach, CA, guided by Instruction Director Glenn Deck, one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America, is dedicated to helping new golfers and solving problems for current golfers so they have more fun playing the game. Pelican Hill offers panoramic ocean views from its two award-winning Tom Fazio--designed courses and a Golf Academy that's set up to focus on a player's entire game.  

Golf schools and academies give beginners a chance to learn the game or for experienced players to develop their skills. "Golf is a humbling sport and they call it a game of a lifetime for many reasons," says Brad Doell, director of sales and marketing for Turtle Bay Resort, North Shore, Oahu, HI. "For one thing, you can play for 30-plus years and still learn something about your game and yourself every day you pick up a club." Plus, he adds, learning nuances of the game with coworkers can uncover strengths and weaknesses.

"There's no question that what is taught at a golf academy can help improve the dynamics of a team," says Ryan Mulvey, PGA Golf Professional and General Manager of the golf operation at Sheraton Bay Point Resort in Panama City Beach, FL. "For one, your team members have the opportunity to interact in an environment that encourages them to support one another while working towards a goal. Many clinics are often structured in a manner that facilitates teambuilding by introducing a competitive and collaborative element to the session."

The structure of the game itself, not to mention the camaraderie present in golf academies, is also ideal in this regard. "The teambuilding and bonding that I have seen happen during golf clinics brings everyone closer to create a positive and fun work environment," says Matt Denzer, director of instruction at LGA Palm Beach Gardens at PGA National.

This holds true if there is a component in the lesson that requires every member to reach a certain goal. "This results in the team working together and assisting in aiding less able team members," says Jonathan McCord, golf director at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs in New Zealand.

Learning to Cope
The best way to learn about someone's character may be to see them in a competitive situation. Does your fellow golfer lose his or her temper easily? Is he or she a good sport? These insights can prove invaluable in a business setting. Wood calls it "business intelligence."

Success, failure, adversity, and a rollercoaster of emotions must all be managed and controlled as a student of the game. "The very skills it takes to be a good golfer are the very skills it takes to be successful in business," says Bobby Clampett, a PGA Tour Life Member, popular television golf broadcaster, and author of The Impact Zone.

Julie Cole, master teaching professional at Ballantyne Golf Academy, agrees that golf offers valuable business insight. "Experiencing the challenges of learning golf or making corrections exposes attitudes and emotions," says Cole. "Listening and learning skills, patience, and goal setting all take place in golf. "

David Fazio, PGA, director of golf operations at Eaglewood Resort, in Itasca, IL, agrees. "The game of golf is based on core principles that include integrity, trust, and respect. These are the same principles on which great business is conducted. I believe that's why golf and business have always had such close connection to one another," he says.

Patience and the ability to manage expectations are two skills important to not only golf but one's business life as well. "Golf, much like life, is a game that is never mastered; we are always learning," says McCord. "It takes years of hard work and dedication to form a solid and repeatable golf swing, just as it takes time to start up, manage, and lead a business to profitability."


Learning to Trouble Shoot
It's no secret that golf is a difficult game. But that difficulty level is a large part of what makes it a great learning vehicle.

"Golf demands players become problem solvers, whether you're trying to recover a wayward shot or read a green. In golf, as in life, there is no one recipe for success, and players have found similar levels of success using wildly different strategies. Business professionals and golfers must experiment with different possibilities and discover their strengths and weaknesses through practice," adds Deck.

Golf helps foster the skills that are necessary to be an achiever. These skills include focusing on the process and not the results, concentrating on cause and effect, and being realistic in your goals. "It's all about keeping it simple," says Clampett.

Not only will groups benefit from golf academies but by just getting out on the course as well. "Golf stimulates brainwave activity, which is a good thing," says Clampett. "Plus, it is a relational sport that fosters real business relationships."

Those who are intimidated by the game of golf are losing out on a possible opportunity to network and conduct business. That's where a golf academy can help. "By teaching them the basic skills or perfecting the skills they already have, it will make them feel comfortable to be out on the links," says Brandon Woods, CEO of Wyn Experiences, a sports event management company.

He agrees that many of the techniques offered at golf academies can be applied to the business world. "For instance, a golf swing is all tempo. Slow and steady creates better impact and distance -- ultimately better results," he says. "It takes patience to learn and understand this. These skills can be carried over to the business world, as patience is key in creating a relationship, mining a relationship, and doing business."

Woods says he has witnessed a transformation in the golf business the last 10 years. Having spent two decades in the incentive industry, he has watched as large groups on the course have been replaced by smaller business development groups. "Creating an experience on and off the golf course is the trend now. Smaller, more intimate groups that include instruction provide a better experience," he says.

One of the strengths of golf that makes it unique is its ability to empower business professionals and build their confidence.

"In a study that we conducted with the PGA of America, nearly three in four women executives strongly agreed that business golf is a great way to build confidence and comfort levels in working with others," says Last. A significant majority of all business executives surveyed strongly felt that business golf has contributed to their professional success, and made them feel more included in the workplace.  Further, the research revealed that playing business golf has helped executives to be more disciplined, take more risks, and be more assertive. In the same study, similar numbers strongly agreed that golf has helped to develop business relationships and yielded more useful insights on a customer, client, or colleague's work style than was gleaned in an office setting.

From a golf academy and instruction perspective, it's interesting to note that executive women are in general much more receptive to golf lessons than men, with seven in ten women executives placing strong importance on having easy access to private one-on-one lessons and an instructor with whom they'd have a great rapport, adds Last.

Golf instruction, much like a think tank in a meeting, involves identifying the issue and figuring out a resolution, says McCord. It also aids in discovering more about how each individual on the team learns. Some members may simply need a demonstration of what a swing is supposed to look like and they will be able to repeat it, while another may need to be told what to feel or directed where the club should be at different portions of the swing. "People learn golf differently, and this much is true for life and business as well, so while golf instruction and business may seem quite different, there are many synergies that can be drawn between the two," he says.



Questions or comments? Email [email protected]



This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Successful Meetings.

Learning to Cope
The best way to learn about someone's character may be to see them in a competitive situation. Does your fellow golfer lose his or her temper easily? Is he or she a good sport? These insights can prove invaluable in a business setting. Wood calls it "business intelligence."

Success, failure, adversity, and a rollercoaster of emotions must all be managed and controlled as a student of the game. "The very skills it takes to be a good golfer are the very skills it takes to be successful in business," says Bobby Clampett, a PGA Tour Life Member, popular television golf broadcaster, and author of The Impact Zone.

Julie Cole, master teaching professional at Ballantyne Golf Academy, agrees that golf offers valuable business insight. "Experiencing the challenges of learning golf or making corrections exposes attitudes and emotions," says Cole. "Listening and learning skills, patience, and goal setting all take place in golf. "

David Fazio, PGA, director of golf operations at Eaglewood Resort, in Itasca, IL, agrees. "The game of golf is based on core principles that include integrity, trust, and respect. These are the same principles on which great business is conducted. I believe that's why golf and business have always had such close connection to one another," he says.

Patience and the ability to manage expectations are two skills important to not only golf but one's business life as well. "Golf, much like life, is a game that is never mastered; we are always learning," says McCord. "It takes years of hard work and dedication to form a solid and repeatable golf swing, just as it takes time to start up, manage, and lead a business to profitability."


Learning to Trouble Shoot
It's no secret that golf is a difficult game. But that difficulty level is a large part of what makes it a great learning vehicle.

"Golf demands players become problem solvers, whether you're trying to recover a wayward shot or read a green. In golf, as in life, there is no one recipe for success, and players have found similar levels of success using wildly different strategies. Business professionals and golfers must experiment with different possibilities and discover their strengths and weaknesses through practice," adds Deck.

Golf helps foster the skills that are necessary to be an achiever. These skills include focusing on the process and not the results, concentrating on cause and effect, and being realistic in your goals. "It's all about keeping it simple," says Clampett.

Not only will groups benefit from golf academies but by just getting out on the course as well. "Golf stimulates brainwave activity, which is a good thing," says Clampett. "Plus, it is a relational sport that fosters real business relationships."

Those who are intimidated by the game of golf are losing out on a possible opportunity to network and conduct business. That's where a golf academy can help. "By teaching them the basic skills or perfecting the skills they already have, it will make them feel comfortable to be out on the links," says Brandon Woods, CEO of Wyn Experiences, a sports event management company.

He agrees that many of the techniques offered at golf academies can be applied to the business world. "For instance, a golf swing is all tempo. Slow and steady creates better impact and distance -- ultimately better results," he says. "It takes patience to learn and understand this. These skills can be carried over to the business world, as patience is key in creating a relationship, mining a relationship, and doing business."

Woods says he has witnessed a transformation in the golf business the last 10 years. Having spent two decades in the incentive industry, he has watched as large groups on the course have been replaced by smaller business development groups. "Creating an experience on and off the golf course is the trend now. Smaller, more intimate groups that include instruction provide a better experience," he says.

One of the strengths of golf that makes it unique is its ability to empower business professionals and build their confidence.

"In a study that we conducted with the PGA of America, nearly three in four women executives strongly agreed that business golf is a great way to build confidence and comfort levels in working with others," says Last. A significant majority of all business executives surveyed strongly felt that business golf has contributed to their professional success, and made them feel more included in the workplace.  Further, the research revealed that playing business golf has helped executives to be more disciplined, take more risks, and be more assertive. In the same study, similar numbers strongly agreed that golf has helped to develop business relationships and yielded more useful insights on a customer, client, or colleague's work style than was gleaned in an office setting.

From a golf academy and instruction perspective, it's interesting to note that executive women are in general much more receptive to golf lessons than men, with seven in ten women executives placing strong importance on having easy access to private one-on-one lessons and an instructor with whom they'd have a great rapport, adds Last.

Golf instruction, much like a think tank in a meeting, involves identifying the issue and figuring out a resolution, says McCord. It also aids in discovering more about how each individual on the team learns. Some members may simply need a demonstration of what a swing is supposed to look like and they will be able to repeat it, while another may need to be told what to feel or directed where the club should be at different portions of the swing. "People learn golf differently, and this much is true for life and business as well, so while golf instruction and business may seem quite different, there are many synergies that can be drawn between the two," he says.



Questions or comments? Email [email protected]



This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Successful Meetings.