There are as many golf games as you can imagine. The purpose of this discussion is to cover some of the basic games that are most commonly played and with which your client is most likely to be familiar with. Bottom line, if you customer has a particular game they enjoy playing...go for it. Remember, it's all about them.
Team games can be fun and build rapport and teamwork. It's a good idea to suggest a team game if your client wants a bet. You can set up the bet where you and he/she are working together to win. Team games are also a good idea for the person who likes to smell the flowers. You can set the game up in that situation where there is little stress and once again teamwork can help your relationship with your customer. The Scramble is best suited for this kind of environment.
Individual games are most suited for the competitive golfer who is out to shoot his/her best score. Individual play is competitive in nature and you will want to be careful in employing it. The partnership environment that is so conducive to creating relationships can be undermined. In some cases where you are playing with your customer in a twosome or threesome and where you customer is competitive in nature it is quite appropriate. In this case, you have to be mindful of whether your clients losing the game will affect your relationship. I have been in situations where letting the customer win would have worked against me. I have also been in situations where letting the customer win was the only thing to do.
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Scoring. There are different methods of keeping score. The total strokes on each hole are always calculated the same and the total strokes for the round are always calculated the same. However, the method for determining who wins the game can be calculated differently.
Wagering. Wagering is often apart of ?The Game.? It should be administered carefully but should be utilized whenever possible. The amount is not important. The opportunity to work together with your customer(s) in a team environment with something on the line provides many benefits. You learn a great deal about each other and the opportunity is definitely there to form a binding, long term relationship. Some of the games golfers play are:
Rules of Golf & Golf Etiquette
The rules of golf and golf etiquette are extremely important in business golf. You can you learn a great deal about your prospect by how they adhere to both. For example, if your client kicks his ball in the rough to get a better lie, you may well want to play close attention when it comes time to sign a contract. By the same token, a customer can learn a great deal about you and your company by how you adhere to The Rules and golf etiquette. I knew a superintendent of schools in California who, once he saw a sales person cheat refused to have any further dealings with that person.
The USGA and the R & A from the UK are from where the rules of golf come. The following links will take you to their respective sites.
http://www.randa.org/index.cfm?cfid=10039058&cftoken=93625473&action=rules.home
http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/rules.html
Golf etiquette is reasonably complicated. Where to stand when someone is executing a shot to talking in someone's backswing are all apart of golf etiquette. The following site should prove helpful in learning more about what to do and what not to do on the golf course.
http://www.mrgolf.com/primer.html
Team games can be fun and build rapport and teamwork. It's a good idea to suggest a team game if your client wants a bet. You can set up the bet where you and he/she are working together to win. Team games are also a good idea for the person who likes to smell the flowers. You can set the game up in that situation where there is little stress and once again teamwork can help your relationship with your customer. The Scramble is best suited for this kind of environment.Scramble: A Scramble or Captains Choice is typically played in two, three or four person teams where each player plays their shot from the tee. From all of the tee shots, the team decides which shot they like the most and each player plays their next shot from that point. This procedure continues until the ball is holed. Scrambles are excellent for business golf because the emphasis is taken away from any one person's ability. A poor shot is merely picked up and everyone gets to play from the best possible position. Scrambles also set the stage for working together and teamwork. This can enhance a business relationship and create a sense of ?espirit de corp.? The scramble format is typically utilized in benefit tournaments or corporate outings where teams may be competing for a prize.
Best Ball: Best ball is also a two, three or four person format. Here, each golfer plays his own ball for the entire game. After each hole, the lowest score in the group is recorded for the team score. Best ball is a good format for games within a group. For example, you could set up a best ball game with you and your customer playing the other twosome in the group. This can create an instant ?relationship? between you and your partner.
Individual games are most suited for the competitive golfer who is out to shoot his/her best score. Individual play is competitive in nature and you will want to be careful in employing it. The partnership environment that is so conducive to creating relationships can be undermined. In some cases where you are playing with your customer in a twosome or threesome and where you customer is competitive in nature it is quite appropriate. In this case, you have to be mindful of whether your clients losing the game will affect your relationship. I have been in situations where letting the customer win would have worked against me. I have also been in situations where letting the customer win was the only thing to do.>
Scoring. There are different methods of keeping score. The total strokes on each hole are always calculated the same and the total strokes for the round are always calculated the same. However, the method for determining who wins the game can be calculated differently.
Medal play is typically utilized in competitive golf tournaments. The PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA Tour use this format for most of their tournaments. Total score for all of the holes played is all that matters.
Match Play is utilized for most business golf situations. Most games and wagers are based on this system of scoring. Each hole is scored independently of the others. Typically, the winner is the one who won the most holes. That golfer may not have had the lowest overall score. This is excellent for business golf because the bad hole may be forgotten and a good time can still be had.
Wagering. Wagering is often apart of ?The Game.? It should be administered carefully but should be utilized whenever possible. The amount is not important. The opportunity to work together with your customer(s) in a team environment with something on the line provides many benefits. You learn a great deal about each other and the opportunity is definitely there to form a binding, long term relationship. Some of the games golfers play are:
NassauIn most cases wagers or bets may be ?pressed.? This allows a player or team that is ?down? in the game to start a new game at that point. As an example, if team A has won two out of the first three holes, team B could ?press the bet.? This would start a new game on hole four. If team B won the fourth hole and the teams tied all of the rest of the holes for ?the nine?, the bet would be tied. Team A would have won the first bet one up and team B would have won the second bet one up. The nomenclature for scoring the bet would be ?one up and one down? or ?one and one.?
Skins
Nine Point
Scotch
Wolf
Rules of Golf & Golf Etiquette
The rules of golf and golf etiquette are extremely important in business golf. You can you learn a great deal about your prospect by how they adhere to both. For example, if your client kicks his ball in the rough to get a better lie, you may well want to play close attention when it comes time to sign a contract. By the same token, a customer can learn a great deal about you and your company by how you adhere to The Rules and golf etiquette. I knew a superintendent of schools in California who, once he saw a sales person cheat refused to have any further dealings with that person.
The USGA and the R & A from the UK are from where the rules of golf come. The following links will take you to their respective sites.
http://www.randa.org/index.cfm?cfid=10039058&cftoken=93625473&action=rules.home
http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/rules.html
Golf etiquette is reasonably complicated. Where to stand when someone is executing a shot to talking in someone's backswing are all apart of golf etiquette. The following site should prove helpful in learning more about what to do and what not to do on the golf course.
http://www.mrgolf.com/primer.html
