The Smart Golfer Podcast

New To Golf? Here's How to Prepare for Your First Corporate Golf Event

October 19, 2022 Greta Anderson Episode 6
The Smart Golfer Podcast
New To Golf? Here's How to Prepare for Your First Corporate Golf Event
Show Notes Transcript

Have you been ignoring the announcements and invitations to corporate and client golf events that come your way?

Are you thinking that you're neither equipped nor ready to participate in the event(s) in ANY way?

If this sounds like you, then get ready to dive in to this episode! Here, Dr. Greta breaks down the following:

  • The advantages of participating in corporate golf events
  • Info you can gather beforehand to feel more comfortable
  • What you should bring (even if you don't have clubs)


There's a lot to be gained by participating in opportunities that mix golf and business...it's time to get you into the game!!

Get on the waitlist and be the FIRST to know when we reopen.  You'll get strategies, tools, and support from our friendly community to make your dreams of confidently playing fun, strategic golf anywhere with anyone come true.


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Dr. Greta:

Welcome to the Smart Golfer Podcast, where we help aspiring golfers improve their skills, strategy, and know how for better performance, fun and play. I'm your host, Dr. Greta Anderson, and I am beyond excited to help you move from just hitting balls to lane your best golf. So let's get to it. Hi there. I'm Dr. Greta. Thanks so much for tuning in today. So maybe it's been flickering in your mind for the longest time. Maybe you've heard others talk about how they successfully forged business relationships or develop their network and even close deals with clients while on the golf course. Unfortunately for too many business women, though, corporate golf events are simply kind of like a line item in the company newsletter, typically ignored because oftentimes they believe it's not for their involvement. So here are some of those unfortunate inaccurate thoughts that often come to mind. I don't belong. I don't play golf. Only the men do business out there. To all of that, I say hooey. Perhaps you have just chosen to ignore all the buzz about how well golf and business go together. But I think it's really important that you know that golf events present huge, I mean, massive opportunities for exposure and advancement and growth within your career. Data collected by the PGA, which is the Professional Golf Association, collected from business professionals, estimates that a whopping 90%, let me say that again, 90, not 1990 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf. That means that nine out of ten company bosses hit the links on a regular basis. That's basically all of the leadership. So no more procrastinating, ladies. With the following steps that we're going to talk about here, let's prepare to get you in the game and participating in the upcoming corporate golf event. I want you to make plans to participate in the next event, whether that's next week, next month, or next calendar year. So part one to this is pretty simple. I want you to begin with gathering event details. Now, in addition to the pertinent facts like the date and the time, of course, I want you to gather as many details as you possibly can about the event. Make a point to ask questions to colleagues who, you know, have participated in previous corporate events and maybe even if they haven't. Some of those corporate colleagues who have golf experience, because even if they haven't participated in the event, which is probably unlikely if they're golfers, they probably know a good deal about it, even if they haven't. You will be surprised at how much information you can collect by just talking to another golfer again, whether or not they have participated in that event in the prior year or season or something like that. And the reason I know that is because golfers love to talk about golf. Golf is one of those things that is kind of in or out. And so people who are declared golfers, we love to talk about golf. So they'll be happy to share as much information as they have with you. After you've collected that data, we want to begin the next step, which I like to term taking the temperature. So while we're out there gathering the logistics and other event details, again, this is also a great time to ask and learn about the overall tone, if you will, of the approaching golf event. Because the golf event could probably go in a couple of directions. The first one you kind of want to ask is it tournament like? And when we say that, I'm asking you to dig and do a little sleuthing to determine if it's a competitive event in which the participants are probably practicing and preparing way in advance because they really want to win. Because winning comes with those annual bragging rights, it's important to know if that's the case. Option kind of number one. Number two, find out if it's what we might term as a playdate. And a playdate is a more of a noncompetitive approach to corporate golf events. And it focuses on fun and networking far more than the results in being a top of the leaderboard. Now, here's what I want you to know. Don't be surprised to learn that your upcoming event has a bit of both because simply put, that gives golf events a broader appeal. And of course, people are taking the time to put on an event. They want to appeal to pretty much as many people as possible. And there may be some other instances where that is not the case, but for the most part, we want broad appeal. These kind of events where, you know, it's a little bit of everything makes room for everyone. So again, even if you're a newbie, think of that this way. It gives you an awesome opportunity to meet, to play and network with an array of people. Because some of those important players out there and people when I say players, I mean in terms of the business, your corporate career, your business career, they may be awesome experienced golfers or they may be newbies just like you. So you'll have a chance to meet people from across the spectrum. Next, after we've gathered facts and we've taken the temperature, now it's our time to begin thinking about equipment and supplies. So if you're brand new to golf, the odds are very slim that you own clubs and other equipment. I recognize that. So don't worry about that. The good news here is that many golf clubs and facilities that are hosting corporate events offer what we call loaner or rental clubs. Again, once you've gathered those details, this is something that you can very easily check into as part of that basic fact gathering, so don't worry about it. But usually that's pretty common. The ability to either rent or use what we call loaner clubs now presuming that they're loaner or rental clubs available. There's still some items that each golfer needs to provide for herself. And this is not an exhaustive list, but it's pretty comprehensive. And we'll just start from the top. First things first, you've got to bring golf balls because we're out on the course. You're responsible for your own golf balls. Now you're newbie, even if you're playing in a scramble format or something like that. And we talked about that in another episode. What you want to do is I would suggest bringing about a dozen. I know that sounds like a lot, but people are often surprised how many golf balls we can lose in a round of golf. If you can get close to a dozen, that's fine, but bring more than three, that's for sure. OK. Secondly, golf tees. Those are those wooden or plastic pegs that we put the ball on. We use those at the start of every hole. Okay? So if you're playing in a tournament, you're going to use you're going to use a T 18 times. Now, it doesn't mean you need to bring 18, but you definitely need more than one or two because if you strike the ball all and you hit the tee, you don't want to spend time looking in the grass. It's literally like looking for a needle in a haystack. And we don't want to be bothered with that. So just have a pocket full and you'll be fine. Next, we have a kind of a group of items that are all about managing the elements. First of all, we need a hat or a visor. We play golf in the out of doors, of course. And so you're going to need to protect your hair and your skin and your face because probably going to be kind of sunny and hot. And so you just want that as protection, as good skin protection. Right along with that sunscreen. Got to protect the skin. Say no more. Right now, golf course, we're out in nature, so a lot of people like to have insect repellent with them in the event they realize that, hey, it's a few more bugs out here than I thought, then they can always apply it. Or you might want to put it on before the round, but you may just want to have it. Next, sunglasses. Again, with this whole theme of kind of protecting ourselves from the elements, you definitely want that. Hydration is so essential. Again, golf without running and jumping, like tennis. But don't be fooled. Hydration or dehydration is very common in golf, and we all know that dehydration is quite dangerous. So I recommend that you bring a refillable water bottle around. Most golf courses are going to be plenty of coolers and that type of thing. So you can refill your bottle and you can stay well hydrated, but it's so important to do that. Next, golf shoes. Now, if you're not yet declaring yourself a golfer, don't worry about running out and buying some super expensive golf shoes. If you have some athletic golf shoes with good support, that will serve you just fine. But in the event you have some golf shoes out on the golf course is the perfect time to wear them. And then lastly, if you have experience using one or you wear one already, don't forget your golf club. But if you don't have one or you don't even know what a golf club is, don't worry about it. So let me say this about a lot of those items that I listed. Again, water and sports beverages and snacks, they are typically provided at most golf events. But a refillable bottle is kind of I went into that a few seconds ago. Refillable water bottle is really, really handy because you really, really do need to drink and dehydration happens so much on the course that it's quite dangerous. So I really want to emphasize staying hydrated and bringing your own water bottle is the easiest way to do that. Now, if you prefer or you're very specific about your snacking, bring your own snacks. There's no problem with that at all. Most golfers, we have a golf bag, we have our own goodies in there, even though you can buy things. And again at corporate events and lots of freebies, probably. So they'll probably give you some stuff. But if you're very specific about what types of snacks you like to eat, then bring your own. And remember that that's something to definitely consider or plan for, because a round of golf is quite lengthy. If you not familiar with being on the course, you're going to be on the course for several hours. If it's an 18 hole tournament, you'll be out there for about 4 hours plus. So that's quite a while. So you want to make sure that you bring what you want and what serves you well. So perhaps you're ready to wade in and get involved with this golf event now that we've been talking about this. But guess what? You just cannot muster up the courage to get out there on the course just yet. No worries. We have all been there. We've all been scared. It can be daunting. No heat, no judgment, right? The great news is that many corporate events offer what we term beginners clinics for those that are interested in participating in the event, but maybe not quite ready to jump out there on the course led by LPGA or PGA certified golf professionals, kind of people like me. These are small group learning sessions that help introduce newer golfers to many of the basics in a fun and unintimidating environment. These clinics are really a great way to make new golf friends while growing your involvement in golf with clients and colleagues. Now, most clinics require preregistration just like the tournament, because to ensure a high quality learning experience, we have to ensure proper teacher to student ratio. I mean, you wouldn't want to show up and there like 27 people at the clinic and one instructor. As an instructor, I'm telling you, that is just a horrible scenario for all parties involved. So we don't want that. So in doing that research, if this is an option, you also want to collect details about the clinic. You know, just ask, are they having a clinic not or whatever the case may be, but those details will be available, typically at the same time that registration for the event itself is. So here's what I want you to know. Even though you're new to golf, this is the perfect moment to take your first step. Your participation in the upcoming golf tournament. Corporate event client event, networking event. It's right around the corner. Remember, at the top of this episode, I said, let's make a goal. Let's create a goal. Participating in an event soon, maybe that's next month, maybe that's next quarter, maybe that's six months from now. I hope it's not six months from now, but what I want you to do, regardless of the time frame, because you have to move in your own space and time. I recognize that. But I want you to make a commitment to whatever it is, because I'm guessing if you're listening to this episode, you've been wanting to participate in an event. So that's just between you and your calendar, you and your planner. Make a plan, decide on it, and commit to it. It's nothing but golf. It's not going to kill you. It'll make you stronger, and it will definitely allow you to make some great friends, strengthen some of your business relationships, and who knows? Close that deal. Get that promotion client to the highest, highest whatever your goal is. So golf is perfect for you. But I want you to remember, you are perfect for golf. See you in the next episode. Thanks so much for joining us this week on the Smartgolfr podcast. Make sure you visit our website, Dr. Greta Golfer.com, where you can subscribe to the show using your preferred podcast platform so you'll never miss a show. And while you're at it, if you found value in the show, we'd appreciate a rating on that platform. Or if you'd simply like to tell a friend about the show, that could help us out, too. And if you like this show, you might want check out more of our learning programs at academy dot. Dr. Greta goalf.com.