"I can tell more about how someone is likely to react in a business situation from one round of golf than I can from a hundred hours of meetings," wrote Mark H. McCormack in What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-Smart Executive.
My friend Jim took this statement to heart. He was considering transferring his substantial investment portfolio to a different financial institution in Naples when a senior vice president from this prospective company invited him to play a round of golf. Imagine Jim’s surprise when the VP arrived late, didn’t repair his divots, creatively kept score and then broke his club over his knee on the eighth hole.
Golf course manners can reveal a lot about a person’s ethics and values in the workplace. That senior vice president’s behavior on the links persuaded Jim to use a different money manager.
Studies show that the golf course is second only to restaurants as an effective place to conduct business outside the office. According to a 2004 COMPAS Leader Poll, "Business leaders use golf as an important tool in doing business and say it is extremely remunerative; for each dollar they spend on golf they earn over $1,500 in business revenue as a result."
Golf etiquette is fairly simple. Use common courtesies. Play honestly. Turn off your cell phone. Rake the bunkers. Observe cart rules. Dress appropriately—and if you don’t know what to wear, call ahead. Know the rules of golf and follow them. The USGA’s Rules of Golf are available online (www.usga.org) or perhaps at your local clubhouse.
Playing by the rules matters as much on the golf course as in the workplace. Don’t let bad manners be your handicap.
Do you have a question for Suzanne Willis about business etiquette? E-mail etiquette@gulfshorebusiness.com.
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