Competitive golfers require silence to perform. I recently learned the truth in this statement as I walked 18 holes with my husband and two friends while on vacation in Ireland. One of our friends is a truly competitive golfer and my uneducated presence proved a distraction.
My first thought, while walking Doonbeg in silence, was “how can so many other great athletes perform with screaming fans?” Â I had to laugh when Thomas Lee addressed that requirement in so many other sports in his blog this week. He makes some really nice connections between that kind of focus and business leadership.
My second thought was “if you cannot speak on the course, and you cannot walk together because everyone is walking separately to their golfballs, why is golf considered a great networking activity?” My husband says that in charity tournaments the foursome will ride in a cart, chattering all the way – informal and non-competitive. Carts are not allowed on many Irish courses, including Doonbeg.
Doonbeg golf course, Ireland
Good networking requires dialog, communication, exchange of ideas, sharing of insights. If the golfer is so competitive that you cannot walk together and talk, then golf simply cannot serve as a good networking activity.
The third thought I had on the course that day was “if you must spend so much focus and attention on your next shot, your approach, your angle, then what else are you missing about the experience?” If you spend more time talking to the caddy than to the rest of your party, what have you missed? Perhaps the amazing beauty of the course. Perhaps the opportunity to make a closer connection to those on the course with you. Perhaps some amazing and useful business insight from a fellow player. Who knows?
It really comes back to strategic planning and a clear purpose for me. If one in the foursome is on the course to perform their sport at a high level, while the others are just out for informal fun, the activity may bomb for everyone. Your purposes should match to make the outing worthwhile and rewarding.
The same is true for any business team activity. Everyone must be clear on the purpose of the activity, clear expectations must be set, and everyone in the group must drive toward the same end goal. Only then can you achieve success with a team activity. Or, in the case of golf, a great networking experience.
While I enjoyed the beauty of the surroundings that day, the experience convinced me that my time is better spent on other networking activities than pursuing golf for networking (I had considered this). The dialog is just too important.
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