Business Golf

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Street Golf: Passed the Limits

WHOA! What is up with this? http://urbangolf.org/

I have been thinking for a few days on if I even wanted to provide any credence or attention to this bastardization of golf. Yes, I was young a few days ago and this looks like it would be fun. Yes, I can see that the youth stuck in the city need something to do to keep them away from the video games. But, Urban Golf? This sounds and looks a little militant. I can see kids lobbing a nine iron shot over a building into the next block where kids are playing kick ball…’Incoming!’ This group reports they are not promoting the aggressive form of urban golf that is played in SF…is there anything done aggressively in SF? And they don’t play in residential areas are where there are cars. The photos look like they might even be playing in the dark…but that might just be the black and white images.. I am not sure if this style of golf is still going on since the last post to their site was in 05. I can see where this could be a simple game of hit the ball to there and you win, but I also see someone’s car windshield catching an approach shot…I guess to them, the windshield is like a two stroke penalty or something.. if the ball sticks in the windshield you have to lay it like a hazard!...

What I am afraid of is what someone who is not really interested in the skill of the game might do if this was played in a crowd of people on a street.

Where are they going to take this…are they going to have the UG Open Event, where you have play in SF where you have sink a putt down California Street at midnight. I could see a par five from Van Ness back up to Nob Hill and then a little par three through Chinatown…the finishing hole would be down by the wharf since there is this huge water hazard on the left like at the TPC and Pebble Beach.

Now that I think about it, maybe that is where the commercial of Tiger hitting the ball in Manhattan came from. Since he only plays in the majors, maybe he was playing in the Urban Golf Masters.

Scot Duke

President

Innovative Business Golf Solutions, LLC.

scot.duke@innovativebusinessgolf.com

www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

‘My Blog’ http://businessgolf.blogspot.com

http://businessgolf.wordpress.com

Author of: ‘How To Play Business Golf’, From The Boardroom To The Fairways…

The best investment you can make for your business…

http://www.innovativebusinessgolf.com/business_golf/cb_order.html

Friday, July 14, 2006

Business Survival: How Business Golf Can Deal With It?

Yes, the fuel prices are up and when the economy is hinged on the oil industry everything is going to be effected. Is that a prediction of doom or a projection of prosperity? Well, you be the judge. You can sit there and whine about the cost of fuel or you can start thinking on how to deal with it. I am thinking about dealing with it. Being in the golf business and being a consultant is not a real secured position right now. But what I provide both for the golf industry and businesses is of great value right now and that is my experience. I have been through this tough of a situation over five times in my 31 years of operations management.

Why? Because when it comes time for companies to go into survival mood they always lean on their operations manager to pull them through. Traditionally, and unfortunately, there are still businesses out there that hire sales people to sale and not do anything else. In this case sales people know nothing about how to survive because they know nothing about how the company is built. The operation people are the engineers of the company and keep the business running for the sales and marketing groups. They know what needs to be done to survive.

So what makes my operations experience so valuable and what is the secret to surviving this bump in the road…The questions should be what should you be doing?

The first thing you need to remember is to stay positive no matter what…stay positive all the way to foreclosure is what one of my bosses told me a long time ago. At the time I did not know what he meant, but having gone through some real hard times with him, like massive layoffs and closing of offices, I saw what he meant about being positive all to way to foreclosure. Because he was very positive with the people that were effected, and I learned a lot. From that positive attitude came the setting of the foundation of the change that had to be made in order for the company to ride out the down turn in the economy. It has held true for five more times of down turned economy during my career.

There is no need on withdrawing from marketing your business and there is no need to withdraw from all of the activities you use to generate business. There is one thing I mention in my book that makes even more sense today and that is to keep planning…do nothing without a plan and stick to the plan. If you have thought your plan out to the conclusion then there is no need to change your plan.

Playing Business Golf now probably makes more sense than ever before. Because Business Golf is done with a purpose in mind and not just done as a frilly expense to the already strained bottomline. The most important thing is that People need it. Your customers need it… Your Vendors need it… and for sure your employees need business golf more than ever. Business Golf takes their minds off the negative and places right on the plan you have landed out. It provides your customers with knowing what you are going to do to keep them as a customer. It eases your vendors’ minds on if you are going to cut them or not. And, for the engine of your business, your employees…well they need it more than ever. Take them all out for a round of business golf and let them know how much you are going to need them…I guarantee if your plan was to ask everyone one of your operations people to help sell your product or services they would out produce your entire sales force… Why, well golf generates trust and when you play business golf with your employees you just told them you trust them and people who trust someone will do anything for them…

So learn how to play business golf now so you can use it to survive what is obviously going to happen with the economy.

The How To Play Business Golf Ebook is now available and the Hardcopy will be available in August… http://innovativebusinessgolf.com