SoCal: The ABCs of Business Golf

by A.J. Ali

Few things are more stressful than making an important presentation to your boss. If you’re a beginning golfer, participating in the annual corporate outing can be one of them.

Golf and business are inseparable.

The PGA Tour has surpassed $1 billion donated to charity and many of those gifts were made possible by corporate sponsorships.

Golf is the unofficial sport of business. It allows companies to achieve business development, relationship management, charitable giving and brand development goals all at once. In fact, corporate golf outings are more prevalent than corporate picnics these days. If you thought holding court over potato salad and softball was difficult, try looking good in front of the boss after you’ve just hooked your tee shot into the CFO’s leg.

Golf is not only inseparable from business, it’s unavoidable if you want to climb most corporate ladders. Take a look at the Forbes list of top corporate golfers, and you’ll see that people take the game seriously when it comes to business.

If you’re a beginning golfer, here are some tips on how to survive your first corporate golf outing:

Know the rules: Recently, I attended a small, informal golf outing for a national charity. Our foursome was about to tee off on the No. 7 hole when a golf cart came flying up the hill, driven into our line of fire by a young lady armed with a camera. After noisily rumbling the cart to a halt, she said she was the event photographer and wanted to take our photos as we hit our tee shots. We agreed, and she proceeded to kneel down with her camera pointed at the golfer about to hit. She was positioned directly in front of him about 10 yards away! After we all broke up laughing and told jokes about getting the Motrin and ice packs ready, we proceeded to tell her that a much safer place to stand might be off to the side of the golfer ... or, in my case, just a little behind me.

If you’re a golfer, or a volunteer, it’s not only critical to the integrity of the game to know the rules, it might just save you from becoming critically injured by a flying golf ball or swinging club. Check out the Rules of the Game at www.usga.org or take a class on golf etiquette at a local course or club.

Also, when taking golf lessons, a good golf instructor will spend some time not only teaching you swing mechanics, but also the rules and etiquette of the game. Knowing the rules will save you some embarrassment, keep you out of harm’s way and show others that you are committed to excellence. Look the part: Golf has come a long way since the days of plaid “grandfather” pants. In fact, nearly all of the top designers have embraced golf and have revamped its conservative image. Golf apparel and business casual are almost indistinguishable these days, so there’s no excuse for not looking the part in the golf environment.

A couple of basic guidelines: No denim, and no sweats, no matter how much they cost. If in doubt, take a moment to call the Pro Shop at the course you’ll be playing to find out the specific dress code. While an untucked Tommy Bahama shirt can be comfortable and acceptable at a resort course, you might have to tuck it in at the local country club.

Take lessons: In most corporate golf outings, a scramble or captain’s choice format is used. That means you can get by with just a basic skill level because your team of four hits from the spot of the best ball in your group each time. If you can’t hit a long drive, make your contributions with your putting. Take a series of lessons in the weeks leading up to the event and take time to practice, practice, practice. You don’t have to be great, just good enough to contribute to the team.

Volunteer: If you have absolutely no interest in golfing or if your participation would pose a major health risk to the other participants (picture Mike Tyson with a golf club), consider volunteering at the event. You can score a lot of points by helping make the day successful. Select a highly visible position, like checking in all of the golfers and giving them goodie bags (people remember you when you hand out gifts). Again, it’s important to know golf etiquette, so you don’t wind up being the butt of jokes like the wayward photographer.

With a little preparation, you can survive the corporate golf outing and reap the many benefits of participating in the unofficial sport of business. FG