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FREE Information | Archive Sign up for your own issue of the bi-weekly, BizGolf E-Tips. November 25, 2008 During a recent business golf event held at Sevillano Links in Northern California, I learned from the Course Superintendent that his staff spends ten minutes on every green fixing ball marks. If they don't fix them first, they'll shave the grass off with the mower and cause a scar on the green. That's three hours spent on doing something that each of us as courteous golfers should be fixing ourselves. The course maintenance crew is probably the most overlooked, but the most important to our golfing experience. So in the spirit of Thanksgiving, next time you see the staff on the course, at least say hi, if not thanks for their efforts. Here are some tips on how you can use golf with your clients during these tumultuous times:
As they say, people do business with people they like and show interest in them. Your investment of time with your clients will likely payoff in the future. Even better is if you can spend some face time with them at a professional golf tournament. If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, we're fortunate to have two opportunities to invite clients and prospects in the near future. First is the Samsung World Championship in beautiful Half Moon Bay, California. Enjoy scenic Half Moon Bay in early Fall and watch the top 20 female professionals play between October 1st and 5th. The second opportunity is at the Longs Drug Challenge in Danville, California between October 9th and 12th. It'll likely be warmer since Danville is in the East Bay and you can watch a larger field play at Blackhawk Country Club. Use your passion for golf to build rapport and deepen your business relationships. June 17, 2008 I always emphasize with my clients that you're not out there to shoot your personal best score when playing in a business golf round. You should be out there building or deepening your business relationships. You're out there to be the gracious host and making sure your clients or prospects are enjoying their time with you on the links. Rocco was obviously trying to shoot his personal best as he was trying to be the victor of the US Open. But he put on his "happy face" as NBC commentator Roger Maltbie described throughout most of his rounds on Sunday and Monday. By doing so he was almost successful in defeating the best golfer in the world, but he also developed a relationship with the thousands of fan in attendance as well as t.v. viewers. His personality and happy-go-lucky attitude made him a fan favorite over Tiger. So when you're playing your business golf rounds, remember Rocco and you'll likely play your best round of business golf! May 27, 2008 I suspect it is a bad habit for both men, but it's really not pleasant to be around, especially during a business golf round. Neither was a tobacco chewer, so I'm not sure the reason for their doing so. Perhaps you recall when professional golfer, Sergio Garcia, spat into the hole in disgust after missing his putt. I believe the PGA fined him for it and he half-heartedly apologized. If you know any women in the S.F. Bay Area who would like to learn how to play and have a fun day, with wine-tasting after golf, please let her know about the Women in Golf events that I'll be holding in June. The events will be held at Mather Golf Course (Sacramento), Callippe Preserve Golf (Pleasanton), Crystal Springs Golf Course (Burlingame), and Foxtail Golf Club (Rohnert Park). To learn more about the events, visit GolfAroundTheBay.com It'll be a fun way to learn game! May 13, 2008 During a tournament for a trade association, I played as a single and was teamed with three men from the same financial firm. On each of the par threes, one of the players took four or five quick and consecutive practice swings. Each time he took a divot, which were at least on top of another, rather than a series of individual divots. After watching his practice swings and then seeing the outcome of his actual shot, I wondered whether any one of his practice swings would have resulted in a better shot. I can understand taking one or two practice swings. I don't take a practice swing, but I do the usual wiggle and waggle to relax. And if it helps you to take a one or two practice swings, then build them into your routine. But to take four or five is a bit much--it takes a lot of time and I would think be physically tiring. By the way, if you make a divot, and the golf course provides a sand-seed mixture on the tees, then make sure you fill in the divot with the mixture. It only takes a few seconds to do and helps maintain the course. Pick up your tees as well. April 8, 2008 I can understand being competitive and wanting to do your best. But if a person loses so much control to cause himself or herself pain or an injury, then there is definitely an anger problem. I doubt if one can play better either with the resulting headache. As amateurs and business golfers, we need to keep our composure on the course and never let our anger about our poor play be on display. Throwing a club or a stream of profanity is out of line, especially when playing with a client. On a lighter note, The Masters, the first PGA major, starts this Thursday. It's my favorite tournament and even though I'll be in Bethlehem, PA, I'll make sure to watch most of it. Check out the t.v. and online schedules on pgatour.com. Will Tiger win the first Major on the start of the Grand Slam, or will Phil pull it out off? Make sure to follow the action! March 4, 2008 When you hit a poor shot, what's your first reaction to your shot? Anger? Embarrassment? Laughter? Finding someone to blame? Last year one of the players in the foursome ahead of my group asked me a favor before I was about to putt. He asked if I would not hit my drive off the tee when he's about to hit his second shot in the fairway. He wasn't upset that I hit into him and feared for his safety...because my ball landed safely away from him. Instead the sound of my driver distracted him from hitting his second shot well. You can imagine my reply and dismay. This single-digit golfer obviously needs ear plugs when he plays or needs to find another reason for his poor shots. If you're playing with clients or prospects, how you react to poor shots can reflect on your ability to take responsibility for something that you caused in the business world. If you take it in stride, without making excuses or accusing someone else of causing it, you'll more likely gain people's respect (or at least not compound the matter by looking ridiculous). Yesterday I waited between almost every shot. I watched the group in front and saw several reasons for slow play. First, one player would place his bag in front of the green rather than on the side of the green of the next tee. You should never need to walk (or drive a cart) backwards. It's really common sense and saves you a few steps if you're walking, but most importantly it speeds play. The other reason for slow play is simply lack of consideration. If you know you're behind the group in front of you and see the foursome waiting behind you, it would be helpful to walk off the green a little quicker or walk at a slightly faster pace up the fairway. Finally, one player wasn't too realistic about how far he could hit the ball. Some of us have visions of grandeur that we can hit a shot next to the pin with the longest club in our bag. But when you're consistently missing the shot left or right of the green and woefully short, then a reality check is needed. If it's safe to hit your shot, then do so, and prepare to yell "Fore!" if you did indeed hit the best shot of your life. To wait beyond what's realistic, however, just holds up the field.
I understand being competitive and wanting to do your best, especially for a professional where every lost shot is money and a possible drop in ranking as a professional. But, if you're playing business golf, you are presumably wanting to strengthen your relationship with your clients, prospects, and others. This means acting in a way that doesn't surprise or offend your playing partners. A business golf round is not the time to try to shoot your personal best round, so be careful in how you react to your missed shots. Throwing your clubs or hitting your bag with your club may turn your playing partners off and hurt your business relationships instead of improving them as you intended. January 22, 2008 So you can stay in the golf conversation with your clients and prospects, keep up with the professional tournaments. You can visit and bookmark PGATour.com or LPGA.com to learn the latest news about the guys and gals on Tour. Tiger (and possibly Phil, who is scheduled to play, but is sick) makes his first appearance of 2008 at the Buick Invitational in San Diego. On Thursday and Friday, watch the action on the Golf Channel between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.ET. Weekend coverage will be on CBS between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.ET. I look forward to Driving Your Business Success with Golf this year! November 20, 2007 If you can't play or practice because of the weather, look for an indoor hitting facility or a heated driving range to keep your game in shape during the winter. The winter is also a great time to take lessons when the instructors have more time to spend with you to improve your game. Don't forget you can always practice in your home or office as well! This is my last E-Tips of the year, so I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays! I look forward to "talking" with you in 2008 and helping you create a successful business golf year! October 2, 2007 The end of daylight savings time is approaching quickly and it's getting dark around 6:30 p.m. these days. So, fit in as many business golf outings as you can with either nine holes of golf in the late afternoon or a bucket of balls at the driving range. They're both effective ways of using golf to deepen your business relationships. July 3, 2007 Have you played with a business person who cheated during your golf match? It is clear that the person cheated, but then he or she denies it adamantly. I had the misfortune of doing so over the weekend during a match. After some discussion about what occurred, I dropped it because I realized it wasn't worth it to me to "have to win." It was evident that this person wanted to win so much so that she and her partner were willing to lie about what occurred. Pretty sad commentary about who they are as people. To read more about what I think about someone who is willing to cheat to win a golf match, click onto my Business Golf Blog. My advice: If a person is willing to cheat to win in something so unimportant, i.e. a golf match, stay away from them in business! June 19, 2007 A couple of events occurred last week that prompts me to write about this topic. First, on Friday, a guest at Mira Vista said to a member, "Your greens suck!" Then, while watching the US Open on Sunday, I saw Angel Cabrera throw his cigarette butt onto a beautiful fairway of Oakmont Country Club. (Perhaps, someone will now invent a portable ash tray for golfers.) If you're a guest of a member at his or her country club, it's like being a guest at their home. Just like you wouldn't say to your host, "The color of your walls is awful," you shouldn't make a disparaging comment about the club or do something that is disrespectful of it. If you're trying to build rapport and relationship with the host, compliment your host's club about something you like (even if you don't like something else) and certainly never litter on a golf course. June 6, 2007 You've probably heard about range finders that give you precise distances to the hole. I resisted getting one for over a year. Then, I played more often with friends who used the GPS-based range finders and my friends would give me distances to the hole. I discovered that I would hit the ball more confidently knowing the precise distance and saved at least 1 or 2 strokes per round. I finally got my own range finder a couple of months ago, and I'm glad that I did. If you like to use course yardage books, then you'll enjoy having that information in a GPS unit. May 10, 2007 When I played at Medinah last year, I hit into the PGA tournament-ready rough (4") several times and just used a 7-iron to hit out. Since then, I've purchased a 4 iron-hybrid, that I just love to hit out of the rough and even off the fairway when I need to lay up. If you are having trouble hitting your long irons, then consider buying a hybrid. You won't be as upset when you hit into the rough if you have a hybrid. April 17, 2007 In the last issue of Biz-Golf E-Tips, you read about how discouraged I was about my pitch shots. I'm in South Lake Tahoe and decided I had to have a practice session in nearby Carson City, NV even though wind gusts of 20 - 35 mph were expected. When I arrived at the course, every flag on the course was horizontal from the winds. Nevertheless, I got a large bucket of balls and, to my surprise, had the best and most fun practice session that I've ever had. I suspect it was the case for several reasons. First, I swung slower than usual because of the strong winds. Second, I kept my head down longer than usual through the swing. There really wasn't any point in looking at my ball flight when the winds were howling left to right. I knew when I hit a good shot by how it felt on the club. Finally, I had to take more breaks between shots because the winds were so strong that I had to turn my back against it to take a breath and not let the wind affect my backswing. I didn't let the wind stop me and went to the practice green and practiced my pitch shots to three different pin locations. If I can incorporate all of what I learned today about my swing and pitch shots on the course, I'll be a much happier golfer! So, don't let wind stop you from a planned practice session. You may have as much fun as I did today! March 27, 2007 I'm planning a practice session in the next few days to work on my short game, especially my pitching and my putting. With putting nearly fifty percent of one's score, it's the place we all can improve on. So, next time you go practice, work on your short game, and you'll lower your scores! March 13, 2007 Golf for Women magazine has created a Try and Buy Campaign, so you can find a participating retailer and test clubs before you buy them. It's a great program to take out the uncertainty of buying new clubs. You'll be able to hit clubs at a range before you buy them. Click onto Try and Buy Campaign, and find new clubs to improve your game and, of course, to have more fun! February 27, 2007 It's often distracting to play with someone who is complaining constantly about their game. To make sure you're not annoying your playing partners, consider what Catherine Crier, host of her legal-news talk show on Court TV, says she has learned from golf:
If you and I can incorporate those three insights, everyone would enjoy the game more. February 13, 2007 It's a pop-up calendar with daily tips on how to play winning business golf with clients and prospects. To get your free BizGolf Dynamics's Ponder Pearls, click on "Download" at this page. Don't worry there is no spyware or virus. If you'd like to see today's tip on my desktop before you download, click here. Feel free to share this with your business golf playing partners and friends! January 31, 2007 Another secret to playing in the winter, try walking when you're playing. You'll get your circulation going and keep warmer than you might think. Forget the cart with the chilly wind blowing on you and get some exercise this winter.
If you've been watching the PGA Tour, you've probably heard commentators talk about the FedEx Cup and the number of points a player can earn if he wins the tournament. But what is all of this about? I thought a synopsis of the FedEx Cup would be helpful. PGA Tour players can earn points in each event they play, with extra points allocated in the Major tournaments and The Players Championship. In the first two tournaments played so far, each winner won 4,500 points. Starting in late August, there will be playoffs depending on the highest point leaders. At the first round of the playoffs, the Barclays Classic, only the top 144 point leaders are eligible to play. Only the top 120 point leaders will play in the second round at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Only the top 70 point leaders will play in the third round at the BMW Championship. Finally, only the top 30 point leaders will play the final round at the Tour Championship. The player with the most points after The Tour Championship will win the FedEx Cup and $10 million of a $35 million bonus fund. Runner-up gets $3 million, 3rd place $2 million, 4th place $1.5 million, and so on down to $32,000 for 144th place. Why this complicated system? It's designed to keep players and fans excited throughout the year because of the huge prize money. With only two tournaments played thus far, the excitement isn't showing for fans or the players just yet. By August, perhaps the excitement will build.
Whatever your resolutions, be specific, write them down, and keep it where you'll see them often as a reminder. The Golf Channel will be airing the Thursday and Friday PGA play, so click onto the Golf Channel to get their schedule for this week's PGA Opener, the Mercedes-Benz Championship. November 29, 2006 To help you get started with your shopping, take advantage of Golfsmith's Friends and Family sale that starts today and ends on Sunday, December 3rd. Click on Golfsmith's website. I don't get anything by your shopping at Golfsmith. Just hoping that you'll enjoy some savings and the convenience. Happy Holidays to you and yours! I look forward to sharing more of my BizGolf E-Tips in 2007! October 19, 2006 Listen to Suzanne's interview on why playing golf with clients is valuable in London's BBC Newshour. September 26, 2006 What's not good gamesmanship? Of course, cheating is an obvious. But it's also the subtle comments made about the water or O.B. before the player is about to hit, or taking a jab at your opponent's political or religious beliefs before you tee off. If you have to resort to those tactics to "win" in your match, then remember Paul McGinley and how you want to be thought of as a golfer. Five weeks after the match, I finally received a ruling from the Golf Committee against my claim because I didn't notify the player that I was making a claim when I learned that she was cheating. I made the claim to the Head Pro instead. Moral of the story: Don't play with cheaters, who by the way is angry that I made a claim, and check on the posting computer your opponent's handicap before starting your match. August 22, 2006 I do as well, but be careful. You might get overloaded with new swing thoughts and make a mess of your swing. If you read a tip that really seems to make sense to you, try that one and only tip on the driving range to see if it works for you. Don't try to incorporate more than one or two tips at a time. You'll only get confused and frustrated. August 8, 2006 Recently I played in a match play tournament and my opponent played the match to a higher handicap than she actually was. She claims to have told me that she was the lower handicap, but I somehow agreed to "give" her an extra stroke. Considering the golf slump that I've been in for the last several months, I wouldn't give her or anyone else right now an extra stroke. Instead of disqualifying herself for playing our match with a higher handicap, we're still waiting for a ruling from the tournament committee. Regardless of the ruling, I don't look forward to playing with this woman again (and certainly hope to never have to do business with her). July 25, 2006 First, put away the driver if you're having trouble hitting it well or you'll hit through fairways, for the long hitters among us. Second, control your emotions during your round of golf.
Whether it's elation for a great shot, frustration for a missed short putt, or annoyance with a playing partner, stay on an even emotional keel to give yourself a chance to play your best. July 4, 2006 After a round of business golf, send your playing partners a handwritten thank-you note, regardless if you were the host or guest. Last week, I played Medinah Country Club's Course #3, the host of this year's PGA Championship, with the general manager and a member of the Board. You can be sure each received a handwritten thank-you note for giving me the most memorable round of golf thus far.
June 22, 2006 I truly believe you can learn about a person's style in evaluating risk and how he might make decisions in the future. Does he go for broke? Or do she minimize her potential loss. Phil is a known gambler and it showed on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, he lost the bet. If you played as a foursome and all of you are going in for drinks in the 19th hole , make sure you sit at a table, rather than at the bar. It'll be much easier for all of you to talk about your great shots and some business. May 9, 2006 When you're playing in a business golf round or charity tournament, you'll most likely be using a cart. Make sure you and your cart partner manage the cart during your round together. It takes teamwork and communication between the two of you. If you two can't manage the cart well, your business relationship may also be troubled. April 25, 2006 If weather is finally permitting you to play some golf, don't forget to use a practice session as a business golf outing. Invite guests to a driving range, hit a bucket of balls each, practice your putting and chipping, and have drinks and/or a meal afterwards. Your practice session will take only two hours or less and everyone will be glad to get some practice time in before hitting the links. The following weekend, April 6-9 is the men's first official majors, The Masters. Visit The Masters official site for television times and more. Watch these tournaments. Your golfing clients and prospects will be talking about them!
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Phone: (510) 233.9290 • suzanne"at"bizgolfdynamics"dot"com
© 1999 - 2008 Suzanne Woo. BizGolf Dynamics. All Rights Reserved.