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On Golf & Getting Ahead: A Golfer’s Perspective
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As a golfer for the last 14 years (and seeing as I’m only 22, that’s a significant portion of my life thus far), I thought that it would be appropriate to respond to Elizabeth’s article, “Oh God, Not Golf Again,” with the hopes that I can offer a bit of insight into this mysterious world. Elizabeth is correct when she says it is more important to “not be lame” than to try and develop a specialized skill. I would encourage any attempts to learn how to play the game, however it is very technically challenging and cannot be faked or played half-heartedly. There are more ways to impress your golf-fanatic boss or coworker than by just hitting a golf ball. Learning to talk about the game can show them that you are interested in something they are passionate about, even if you are not a golfer yourself.
Finding the tipping point
One trick to bridge the gap between paying for golf lessons in hopes that it’ll help you in business and abandoning any attempts to play the sport:
It’s understanding that a businessman would rather socialize by talking to you about the last PGA event than he would play with someone who’s just a beginner. If you’ve never heard of the PGA, the Masters or the Ryder Cup, and you don’t understand what it means when Tiger is fifteen under going into the 17th with Phil one shot back looking at a birdie putt on the 18th, do not fear. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars (and hours) on golf lessons and golf clubs, spend an afternoon reading about the game. The rules are relatively simple and golf lingo can be easily learned with a little exposure.
Sources to kick-start your knowledge…
Wikipedia’s page on golf is great at explaining everything from par to major championships.
The Official Site of the PGA Tour: Follow the latest tournaments
The Ladies version of the PGA, the LPGA…
If you are still confused about what a par is or why someone is re-teeing and hitting his third shot instead of his second, use it as a conversation starter… I’m sure the handsome guy at the bar watching highlights of the day’s round would love to explain.
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Lila Barton is currently a senior at Stanford University where she has been a member of the Stanford Women’s Golf Team for the past four years. She is majoring in International Relations and is originally from Dallas, Texas.
Congratulations on your first article Lila! I love it!
I also think it's just so obvious if you're getting into something as arbitrary as a sport purely for the sake of being able to impress someone else. And golf is a pretty cool sport- it's not my sport, but it's a legitimate sport that requires a heck of a lot of practice and training in order to really excel at. I can't imagine if the same arbitrary requirement existed for some other sport or hobby. Like, 'You'll never get the promotion unless you jam with the CEO! or Sure, you'd make a great VP, but are you... a philatelist? It just seems totally bizarre to me.
Thank you for this great article! I've played golf for probably 10+ years myself (as a 23 year old) as well. I'm not professional, but I can hold my own from the red tees. My Dad started teaching my brother and I as a great summer family activity (we ski in the winter). His philosophy is you are outside, on mostly beautiful days, with great opportunities for conversation.He's always encouraged me in pursuing golf especially as a woman due to it's significance in the business world. Not that I've experienced this yet, but his point is that way I won't miss out on some of those conversations. Even if they are relationship building, and that's what business is about. That's 4-6 hours of conversation that's possibly missed out on. Thanks for the great article!