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Business Golf Etiquette ( By Cheryl Leonhardt of GolfOnTheGo.com) - Women are closing some large business deals as a result of golf. One executive with Visa returned from the links with a $3 billion account, while another woman with a financial services company inked a $200 million followed by a $300 million deal post-round. Your first duty as a business golfer, as these women know, is to learn the rules and etiquette. Your second duty is to get a handicap card. Knowing the rules, practicing the etiquette and having a handicap shows your clients that you have the "big picture" about golf.
In business golf, appearances count, so be sure to invest in some golf clothes that can move from the links to the Clubhouse in style. Bermuda length shorts, shirts with collars and a matching jacket will keep your look casual yet professional at the 19th hole. Leave the sleeveless shirts for recreational golf. Keep your golf shoes clean and in good repair. Finish the business golf look with a handsome golf bag and matching clubs. I always suggest to my clients that they get organized before they head for the first tee. Use one of the pockets in your golf shorts to carry two golf balls and two or three wooden tees. Use the other pocket to carry your ball mark repair tool and your ball marker. Being organized in this fashion saves times and helps you to look like a Pro.
Stand quietly on the tees, fairways and greens and stay out of the peripheral vision of the person teeing off, hitting or putting. With a magic marker, put a symbol on your balls that makes them uniquely yours. Your initials, a circle or series of dots will suffice so that you can identify your ball at all times. Do not walk on someone's putt line on the green and be sure to repair your ball mark, if you made one, on the green. Make a habit of watching other players' shots and note where the ball lands, so your group can find errant balls more quickly. Agree at the first tee to play "ready golf", which simply means that you should be ready to hit when it's your turn. You don't have to drive to every shot; develop the habit of taking a few clubs and walk to your ball. Limit your practice swings to just one and try not to hang over the ball too long before each shot. Do not spend unnecessary time on the green once everyone has holed out. Write your scores down on the way to the next tee, and be sure to park the golf cart in the direction of the next tee. Learn to count each shot as you play the hole. It is the amateur business golfer who has to verbally reconstruct the hole just played in order to get a tally. When leaving the green, take a moment to see if anyone has left clubs behind. If you want to be considered as a serious golfer, regardless of your handicap, practice the 4 Rs: replace divots, rake sandtraps, repair ball marks and respect the quiet.
Be careful not to pitch your product too soon, if at all, during a round. As you play more business golf, you will develop the ability to read your guests' golfing personalities. They may be all business, about golf, that is. If this is the case, focus on the game and leave the "shop talk" for the 19th hole. If your guests ask questions about your product, answer as briefly as possible, but promise to go into more detail when the round is over. Above all, relax, smile and be yourself.
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