Man, did Golf take a beating in 2009. Really, the beating started a few years ago, but with the failed economy and the foolishness carried on from of a number of politicians and You Know Who this year..geez, it is a wonder to find golfers anywhere online.
Nonetheless, I am bound and determine to do what I can to Put Business Back on Course..the Golf Course that is..
From my five year review of the economy of golf, how golf is used by business people, how professional golfers represent golf and all the tricks and games played on the internet that are running golfers off, I put together 5 New Year Resolutions every business golfer (or all golfers for that matter) should make for 2010.
Play More Golf
Now I am sure you have heard every golfer who is truly hooked on the game say..
“This year I am going to play more golf.”
How many who have really done that each year ranges between 30% to 40%. More needs to be done to get more golfers to play more golf. True, the economy is not very solid right now and there are still many golf facilities living in a world of denial believing golfers are still going to pay $200 for a green fee. This is not helping get the ball rolling again for Golf.
Affording to play more golf is an issue, but for business people there are a large number of opportunities they are missing out on that brings golf into the way they do business. If just 10% of the business golfers were to play just one more round of golf a month with two or more people it would put billions of dollars back into the Golf economy that is taking away from the recreational golfers who have had to put the clubs up until they can find a job. So, Business Golfers..get the sticks out..I want to play a round of golf with you..lets help golf survive.
Play Better Golf
Yaw, Yaw,..I hear it every year.
“This year I am going to take a few more lessons and find out what it is going to improve my golf skills so I am more confident in playing with strangers”.
Ok, what is hold you back?
One of the more logical reasons I hear golfers tell me on why they don’t play Business Golf is their confidence in their golf game. This is perfectly natural and is part of human nature. Golf is a very frustrating experience and can work on a person’s emotions if they are not comfortable with their game.
Some people have no problem with it and understand that golf has a very long learning curve. These people are usually the more determined. However, over 60% of he golfers I have met get hung up on wanting to play golf like..well it use to be… Tiger Woods. Business people especially feel they have to be perfect at the game to play it with other people. A more realistic approach to playing golf needs to take place in order to build confidence.
Lessons are the way to go to over come the lack of confidence. The PGA and LPGA teaching professionals are all well trained in dealing with confidence building.
However, if you are like many of use and want to accelerate the learning experience so you can get on the courses with business people sooner I recommend Golf Schools. Yaw baby,…a good old fashion 3 or 4 day Boot Camp of Golf School.
Nothing presents all of what a golfer will encounter on the golf course in a very short period of time than a well organized golf school. You can learn in a 3 day golf school what might take three years with once a week lessons.
The key to better business golf is better golf skills. So start off the year with making your plans on taking a few more lessons or going to Golf School..you may see me there.
Live Your Golf Dream
I have lost count of the times I have heard people’s dreams of playing the Old Course at St Andrews. Some of the most realistic golfers will mention places like Bandon Dunes or PGA West as the place they would really like to play someday. Some will even be more specific in their remark on what is the ultimate place to play golf with remarking that playing with Bubba Watson in the Phoenix Open Pro-Am is their dream.
Every golfer has a vision in their head of playing someplace that is very special to them. Its their golf dream and every golfer should attempt to live that dream. Why not, that is what having a dream is all about. What is holding them back?
Again, that old ‘Cost of Golf’ and now ‘Cost of Travel’ has sneaked around to bite those dreams in the butt for most golfers. And, again, this is where the business golf opportunity becomes the solution for many business people to experience their golf dream.
Over the past five years I have had the privilege of playing at a few of the places I really wanted to play golf. I still have a long list to go, but hopefully I will get to those places to play before I have to move on up to the forward tees. During a couple of those rounds I ran into others who were also were experiencing their dream round of golf. How did they make it happen?
Well, Business Golf played a big part in how they got to live their golf dream. I met a few business men and women who took their staff to a golf resort and combined half day meetings on business with half days of golf..hummm, wonder who gave them that idea?
I met a lady who calls regional meetings with her clients and spends an entire week in that region playing a round of golf with each of them..sometimes in groups.
Then of course there were a few who came to town to go to a seminar or conference and stayed over for golf and business meetings.
Business Golf can help make those golf dreams come true if you let it.
Develop More Business
The major issue keeping golfers and business golfers off the golf course is the slowing business environment. More business people are having to spend more time at the office fighting fires caused as a result of slowing revenue streams or cost over runs. These are truly issues that have to be managed constantly.
In the cases I reviewed I found that most of the issue these business people were having could be solved by increase revenue. In reality, increase revenue, or at least revenue flows equal to 2008 levels, would solve a lot of businesses problems..so what else is new?
In today’s economy business people have to keep after developing new business. I strongly recommend doing what ever it takes to keep old clients as well. So, how can a business person go about developing new business, keeping old business and play more golf?
One of the most successful ways is using business golf as a way to develop new or old business. Schedule, once or twice a month, a day that the executives or staff of the company take a new and old client out for a round of golf. If the clients don’t play golf, invite them to attend a golf school or a clinic or lessons to learn golf.
In the cases where business people have tried this method of developing business, over 50% found it to benefit their efforts to win new business and keep old business. Even the business people who did not play golf and tried this method with taking new clients to golf schools had positive results after a period of time.
Developing new business in today’s economy will come from building trust and Golf is the ONLY activity that builds trust while building solid business relationships…that is if you do it right.
Help the Community
If there is one thing the world needs now more than anything is for those who Can help those who Cannot; for those who Have lend a hand to those Without and those who Know reach out to Teach those who Do Not. Helping the community is where the new economy will begin.
Helping charity efforts are admiral and should be supported. However, supporting the community can be done through doing business with as many businesses as possible within the community. Local businesses, large and small, need support from the community as much, if not more, than many charities.
Supporting businesses in a community offers them the ability to hire more people which puts more people in the community to work and allows them to afford even more support to the community.
The golf businesses in a community are included in the businesses needing support.
The best way to help the community overall and to help your golf efforts is to produce a charity golf tournament; have your next business conference at one of the local country clubs with a golf outing before or afterwards or just get out and play more golf.
Golf courses in a community employee hundreds of people and service hundreds of vendors. The national golf economy represents tens of billions of dollars. Supporting golf supports the community..so lets play more golf and play more business golf. Its good for your health as well as your bank account.
Let me know how I can help and Happy New Year.
SPONSOR NOTE: Look for the launch of the New Business Golf Country Club on January 1, 2010. The new mission of the private business/social network is to..Put Business Back on Course..the Golf Course that is. Stay tuned for more information on how to join ‘The Club’.
