There are two misconceptions, yet widely spread beliefs regarding the sport of golf as it is connected with business. The first is simply that the sport of golf is just, plain boring. Often individuals who express this opinion are those who haven't truly played the game very much, yet they base this view on the fact that watching it on television is seemingly worthless. Second is that business people who play golf are all weasels who plot fraudulent deals between shots.
Recently, The Economist Magazine posted an article regarding the benefits associated with intertwining of businesses and golf. CEO of Wentworth Golf Club, Julian Small shared four logical defenses for the game of golf as it relates to business.
The first reason why golf proves to be a valuable venue for business and pleasure is because it's a sport that can be played at any age level. Unlike other sports such as tennis, basketball, boxing and others which require a lot of physical exertion, golf can be played at a leisurely pace with little to no physical strain involved. This becomes extremely beneficial for a young, right out of college business man, who is looking to make a good impression on the senior leader of a company through mutual interaction on the golf course.
The existence of a handicap system is a second reason why golf has been proven to be an effective tool for business individuals due to the fact that various individuals with widely differing skills can still compete with each other and have an enjoyable time with a fellow colleague or new client. Although this system can be abused by certain individuals who tend to purposefully lose to a client in order to make them more confident in themselves and ultimately more vulnerable to make a quick, poorly thought out decision, more often than not the pros outweigh the cons.
Third, much different from other sports, golf allows for multiple meaningful conversations to take place in a relatively neutral setting apart from all other distractions of life. This allows an unexperienced young professional to seek guidance from an aged, wise leader of a prosperous organization. Often times minor decisions that need to be made regarding the current and future success of a company are made before teeing off at the 18th hole or waiting in the clubhouse for bad weather to subside.
Last and most importantly, the game of golf offers numerous opportunities for individuals to cheat and lose their integrity, making it a true test of character. Most business professionals can determine a lot about a man or woman who consistenly moves their ball to a nicer lie while nobody is watching or purposefully subtracts strokes from his or her scorecard in order to finish with a better score. According to Mr. Small, "When you do business with people, you need to know more about them". Often, the same virtues such as patience, self-control and honesty that show up on the golf course at one time or another are key character traits looked for in the business world.
Whether or not everyone will agree that golf is the greatest game on earth, clearly there are numerous reasons why it should be utilized when interacting with fellow business professionals in order to provide a safe, neutral location to talk shop and determine certain qualities necessary to be successful in the both areas of business and golf.
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