Golf is an extremely difficult game to learn. In fact, many will tell you it is the MOST difficult game to learn. Despite this difficulty, golf continues to be a popular sport for players of all ages to pick up. As an instructor, I have spent many days working with a junior under 10 years old, while later that day working with a student who is close to 90 years old. It’s incredible to be a part of this, but it’s also a great example of the popularity of this wonderful sport.
Golf brings people together. When you factor in that a typical round of golf can sometimes take longer than 4 hours to complete, there is plenty of time for conversation with your playing partners. This is one reason why so many business transactions take place on the golf course. The atmosphere is comfortable, casual, and allows for positive energy to flow throughout all of us.
Over the years, I have taught the game to dozens of adult students who wanted to learn the game for business purposes. Golf courses are a great place to network with clients, but only if you feel your golf game is up to the task.
Though the idea of networking on the golf course is a great one, it can also backfire on you if your game is not up ‘par’. The last thing anybody wants to do is invite a client to the golf course and have a golf game that is so bad that the focus of the day becomes trying to locate your golf balls. You don’t have to be a good golfer, but you need to be good enough to not be a distraction.
Everybody’s goal for this type of ‘casual golf’, should be to have enough ability to enjoy the 4 hours on the course, while being able to conduct some friendly business when the opportunity presents itself.
Think back at all of the Presidents who have played golf. I am certain that many of our world’s issues have been discussed while attempting to line up a 4-foot putt to shoot 104. The golf course is a natural arena for conversation, and we should all embrace this aspect of it. By taking time to focus on more issues than just your golf game, you will learn to enjoy the experience of playing golf even more. Enjoy the company you are with on the golf course, and you might even learn a thing or two.
