Golf’s overall reach is an estimated 108 million people. One out of every three Americans age six and older played, watched, or read about golf in 2019.
Based on this data, using golf to form and solidify new relationships can present exciting new business opportunities.
Keep reading to learn how to weave golf into your business strategy.
Engage Your Captive Audience
Golf can provide you with unique opportunities to sell. While you’re playing a round of golf that lasts four to five hours, you have plenty of time to sell your goods and services to potential clients. You have a captive audience with you in your golf cart.
If you’re able to turn a round of golf at the country club into an impromptu lunch or drink at the bar afterward, you can close a deal in one day.
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Form New Relationships
Golf provides the chance to form new relationships and strengthen existing ones. A friendship found through golf has the potential to last a lifetime. It allows people to form a common interest, which provides a platform and the time to enjoy a common experience, which bonds people together.
If you play golf and belong to a private club, show up early and ask to join a foursome with other members. Do this enough, and you can expand your personal and professional network.
If you’re considering joining a private club, check out this article from GolfDay.
Use the Game to Destress
Golf can be an excellent outlet for stress. Yes, it’s a stressful sport, but you can use it to destress after work once you get the hang of it.
Becoming good at golf requires tremendous focus and practice. You can’t be in your head, rehashing a bad meeting, while you’re teeing off. Immersing yourself in the game lets you put work out of your mind.
Get to Know Your Clients and Colleagues
Using golf as a business development strategy allows you to learn important things about your colleagues and clients.
How a person plays golf says a lot about their character. Are they acting out, sulking, or even cheating when they miss a shot? In contrast, are they determined and focused, even when their game is off?
Observing someone while they play golf can tell you a lot about who you’re playing with.
As part of your business level strategy, take colleagues and clients out to golf and observe them while they play. If they throw a fit after a bad shot, they may be prone to throwing fits at work, too. If they keep themselves under control, it shows that they take things in stride.
Golf Is a Hole-in-One Business Strategy
As a business strategy, golf can give you additional insights into your clients’ and colleagues’ personalities. Simultaneously, playing golf can allow you to destress and give you insights into your own psyche.
Becoming good at golf requires practice, patience, and time. It can also become a business growth strategy that allows you to form client relationships that last a lifetime. What are you waiting for? Go pick out a set of clubs and make some calls.
