Val: Along with the advent of summer comes the charity golf tournament season. On June 3rd the Chamber hosted its annual Chairman’s Cup golf tournament at Riverside Country Club. Over 130 players, sponsored by local businesses, showed up to participate in the event. The weather was perfect. The food was fantastic. And a great time was had by all.

For the rest of summer, hardly a weekday will pass that there won’t be a fund-raising tournament somewhere in the valley or the state. Golf tournaments generate hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars for Utah charities each year.

Which raises an interesting discussion about business and golf. If a person is in business, should he/she learn to golf?

I have heard of some business schools that actually require or strongly recommend that their students take a golf class. Some people view it as an essential business skill. Others would argue that the relative importance of golf in the business arena is insignificant.

I tend to be of the opinion that knowing how to golf is a definite advantage in business. I have spent many hours on the golf course developing relationships that eventually led to key partnerships, sales or long-term bonds. My friends at Corporate Alliance always remind us that, all things being equal, we do business with those we know and like. So if I have spent four hours on the golf course getting to know someone, I am more likely to generate a sale to that person.

I have had the good fortune of golfing with some very important and influential politicians, business leaders and philanthropists over the years. I can almost guarantee if I had called their administrative assistants and asked for a four-hour block of time to visit them in their office, I would have been met with the sound of crickets chirping in the background. Busy, important people simply are not going to block out four hours in the office for me to stop by and visit.

On the other hand, those same people will frequently respond favorably to an invitation to spend four hours on the golf course. It is often joked that the worst day on the golf course is better than the best day in the office. So even the CEO is inclined to sneak out of the office from time to time for a round of golf.

Sitting for four hours in a golf cart with someone creates an opportunity to get to know him/her unlike almost any other situation. By the end of the round, you are officially “golf buddies.”

The trouble with golf is that it is not an easy game. If you don’t already golf but want to learn the game, invest in some lessons, and then spend time practicing. There aren’t any shortcuts. You have to play if you want to get better. Consider it an investment in your business career. Then when you have a chance to get out on the course with the CEO, you won’t embarrass yourself and ruin your chance at a promotion.

Donna: Perhaps it will not surprise anyone for me to admit that I have not found golf to be an essential business skill up to this point. When Val mentioned there is no shortcut to learning golf, I am almost certain he was speaking to me and others like me who find themselves trying to pick up the game later in our careers. Don’t get me wrong, I took the mandatory PE credit in golf in High School in New York when we were introduced to almost every sport, including lacrosse. The difference is driving a ball with ill-fitted clubs across a football field with 20 other girls is not the same thing as trying to hit par at Riverside with the vice president of a major financial institution.

I firmly believe there are many industries where ping-pong outshines golf these days, but Val has a point about spending four hours on a golf cart with someone. There really isn’t anywhere for them to go. No walking away in the middle of the fairway and no one to take ‘next game’ if you hit poorly. The golf course is still a very busy place for commerce in many countries, including the U.S. Utah Valley has some amazing courses and many tournaments. They are still great fundraisers and also a good reason to enjoy the summer sunshine.

Shortly after I was offered the position with the Utah Valley Chamber and before my first official day of work, the first invitations to play golf with some of the members came my way. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t tell them I had only ever hit the driving range once before on a blind date. So I agreed to play and I started lessons immediately. Unfortunately for me, there is no magic pill you can take to become a good golfer and practice takes time. I did find that with good equipment and a good teacher, I could avoid slowing the rest of our foursome down intolerably.

Just this week I was asked to join a foursome and although my scheduling didn’t permit me to play, it felt good to say I would gladly join them next time.

Golf is a quiet enjoyable way to spend a Saturday morning with friends. There are some amazing views from the Utah Valley courses. Learning to play golf has helped me to understand how to better plan a golf tournament. I had organized five or more charity golf tournaments with only a rudimentary understanding of the game and they were successful and enjoyable. After learning more about the game, I feel like I can better assist my organization in executing an excellent tournament.

As far as “on the job training” and professional development goes, I don’t mind driving a golf cart around and swinging a club now and then.

• Val Hale is president and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce Donna Milakovic is Executive Vice President of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce

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