Golf courses aren’t strangers to business and have always maintained a good relationship. Golf is a sport which is practiced outdoors, walking, chasing and shooting the ball over lush green lawns, which is pretty much the exact opposite to the office setting… yet, it is a perfect time and place to create long and lasting business relations. There is more than enough time for business men/women to have talks related to their own personal business between holes.
It can be safely said that numerous business agreements are made on the daily basis on almost every golf course around the globe. There are various reasons why a golf course is a great place to settle a business deal or a proposal. From the relaxed and calm setting, to the quiet and peace essential for reflection, golf courses offer the perfect atmosphere for people to make decisions and improve relationships.
Facts
Firstly, conducting business when playing golf allows individuals to reduce communication barriers, which typically occur in offices or other business environments. As the players aren’t in a formal environment and not wearing a tie and suit, they tend to be more relaxed. It has been stated that ‘a good golfer makes a good business man/woman.”
Here are some significant stats to highlight the successful relation between business and golf:
- Around 90% CEOs of Fortune 500 play regular golf
- Executives who regularly play golf earn an average of about 17% more as compared to individuals who don’t play golf
- 54% business men/women consent that golf is an ultimate networking sport.
- Majority of the golfers have a strong belief that the way an individual plays golf is the way in which they conduct business
Why It Works
The idea of inviting a business partner or a client for a round of golf isn’t new. This has long been a tradition for many decades. Time spent with a client on the golf course enables you to get to know more about the individual you will be dealing with. Following are the benefits and reasons why business and golf work well together:
- Offers time to break the ice with a typical chit-chat and initiate more meaningful business discussions
- Creates a stress free atmosphere to freely discuss business
- Allows you to create a stronger bond with your client
- Provides you enough time to read and understand your client
- Gives you an opportunity to determine the ethics and integrity of an individual you want to conduct business with
- Offer you an opportunity to build trust
Business golf is undoubtedly a sociable way of building deeper and lasting relations with your colleagues, potential leads, and clients. It is all about focus, techniques and tactics – which also make it a perfect way to hone the essential mental skills to assist you in getting ahead in business. Furthermore, it provides you with an abundance of time during breaks and between holes to converse with your client.
This ease of having something to talk about will also translate into the office as well, as it also gives you something to talk about when you have a next meeting with that client.
