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1 Corporate Golf Leagues

[edit] Corporate Golf Leagues

[edit] Driving for success

How creating a Corporate Golf League can be a win-win situation for the workplace

Most people would agree that success at the workplace is just as much or more about relationships as it is about a person’s ability to get the job done. Just as it has been documented that our society is less involved in community based activities, it could be argued that a similar trend has occurred at the workplace. You are as likely to know as much about a fellow cubicle worker as you are about the person that lives in the apartment across the hall or the neighbor down the street. Getting to know your fellow workers can lead to better communication at work which, in turn, results in greater productivity and job satisfaction. You win, your co-workers win and your company wins. It’s a win-win-win situation. With this in mind, it makes sense that companies might also be interested in encouraging or even leading the charge when it comes to setting up a corporate golf league.

Why golf? Golf is a unique activity in that it combines so many benefits. In addition to answering why you might consider golf to be a useful corporate tool, let’s also look at the Who, Where, What, When and How aspects of golf.

Who can play golf? In my mind, one of the best things about golf is that it is inclusive in nature. It’s for everyone. In the corporate context, that means that corporate golf leagues can easily be made up of males and females, pros and amateurs, and can include workers from every rung of the corporate ladder. Golf lends itself to big groups, as well as small. Furthermore, even if a particular corporate golf league is rather large, you still play and interact with a small group of people as you play your round. A golf league can also be structured so that those pairings change and rotate from round to round which encourages a wider interaction among co-workers. Golf is the great equalizer. Status means little when you tee it up. Where - the great outdoors. Since most corporate workers spend their days couped up indoors, what could be better than to get outside to enjoy a round of golf. Golf courses are often some of the most scenic outdoor locations with beautiful landscaping, as well as groomed fairways and putting greens. While carts are always an option, I prefer walking since I, like many others, sit on my rump for most of the day. What - the mysterious game of golf. Just when you think you’ve mastered it, the joke’s on you. How many times have you shot a wonderful round of golf (or even just a couple of good holes) and started to think to yourself - this isn’t so difficult just to turn around the next time out and seemly hit every tree on the course. Even though golf can be maddening at times, it is a game that requires focus, strategy and lots of practice to become even an average player. That being said, it does not preclude those of us hackers (me included) from having a blast even if that means hitting more trees than fairways. There are also so many different variations of golf that it can be tailored to best meet the requirements of any particular league. For example, leagues with a wide range of skill levels may want to play a version such as Scramble or Best Ball which focuses more on the team than on the play of each individual golfer. When - Needless to say, golf can be played from dusk till dawn and, in some places, even at night. Some golfers are even crazy enough to play polar golf during the winter months. Even if you’re not that crazy, you can enjoy a round of golf during the colder months by using simulators that have become popular at numerous indoor locations. How do you go about creating and managing a corporate golf league. This first place to go would be to the U.S. Golf Association’s website (www.usga.org). Managing a golf league can be a lot of work and can take some of the fun out of playing golf. There are services online that can do most of the heavy lifting for you. One such service that attracts many corporate, as well as other golf leagues is netGolfLeague (www.netgolfleague.com). What benefits can this unique activity bring to the corporate world?

Breaks down barriers and builds trust and communication - Being inclusive, golf gives co-workers a context in which to level the field. Workers (men and women) from top management down can share in the golf experience which promises to include much fun, laughter, and inevitable heartache. Shared emotional experiences can lead to greater and better communication among co-workers; they aren’t as hesitant to contact each other to work issues out. Greater communication and cooperation can lead to tremendous gains in productivity, especially as it can often affect the greater corporate culture by increasing energy and team building across the company. The other important factor that is strengthened is the trust factor. As Charles Handy stated in The Hungry Spirit, “There is no such thing as blind trust. You tend to trust those whom you know well” (The Hungry Spirit). Greater Job Retention - Based on research done by the Gallup organization, people are less likely to leave a job where they have lots of friends. According to Susan Heathfield, a management consultant, “People leave managers and supervisors more often than they leave companies or jobs” (The Bottom Line for Employee Retention <http://humanresources.about.com/od/retention/a/manager_role.htm>). The conclusion is that relationships matter whether they are between employees and managers or among employees. Better relationships lead to happier employees. Happy employees are more productive and creative and can ultimately lead to a boost in the bottom line. Health benefits - Being an activity that takes place outdoors over long distances, golfing encourages exercise. Of course, the benefits are much greater if you walk instead of using a cart. It has been proved that walking is a great and low impact way of staying in shape and maintaining one’s health. Beyond the physical benefits, getting out of the office/cubicle and into a beautiful outdoor setting can help you re-energize mentally. Moreover, the strengthening of relationships at work can lower stress levels during the day. Needless to say, healthier employees mean less sick days and lower health care costs for both employees and their company. Knowledge sharing and problem-solving - The golf course is an environment that is conducive to solving workplace issues. Leaving the stressful environment of the office and getting outside to do some physical activity can get the creative and problem-solving juices flowing. Just as people have some of their best ideas in the shower or on the road, the golf course can also be fertile ground for the germination of ideas. The act of focusing on something other than work can oftentimes allow the mind to counter-intuitively work on work. Boost in the Bottom Line - Happy + Healthy + Motivated + Experienced Employees = Better Bottom Line. Much of the success of a business rests on the quality of people that are employed there along with how well those people work with one another. The nature of golf encourages relationship building which leads to a myriad of benefits at work - greater communication, trust and motivation along with healthier employees both physically and mentally. By taking the lead in creating a corporate golf league, a company can create a situation that is beneficial to everyone involved. The company ends up with happier, healthier and more productive employees that work better together, are less likely to leave and feel like they are part of a team. Employees that participate have a chance to get to know their co-workers better in a less stressful and fun environment that can make daily work more rewarding and enjoyable.

http://golfers.wordpress.com/2007/02/23/driving-for-success-how-creating-a-corporate-golf-league-can-be-a-win-win-situation-for-the-workplace

[edit] It's hole-in-one

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/13625834.htm

Posted on Sun, Jan. 15, 2006 Software program fills need of golfers who like playing in leagues

By Mike Rasor Beacon Journal business writer

Bill Ferry and his friends liked to play golf together, but they hated the work that went along with having a league. Organizing the members and crunching data is a frustrating job that can consume hours each week, they said. Then the guys had an epiphany. As software developers, they could make a program to do these tasks for them. In 2000 they did. Later, they began selling the service to leagues throughout North America. ``It makes league administrators' jobs a lot easier, said Ferry, chief marketeer and partner at iNextGen Inc., the Wadsworth-based company that runs NetGolfLeague.com. ``They have more time for golfing and less time for managing. The service costs the same, regardless of a league's size. The premium subscription costs $99.95 per year. So far, the company has just 36 premium subscribers. At $99.95 a pop, revenue isn't pouring in from the site. However, business has tripled since 2004, when only 12 leagues used the premium service. ``I thought (the growth) was pretty encouraging, said Mike Ferry, president of iNextGen and Bill's brother. ``This year, as we hit the marketing more, I'd like to see us get up to 100 premium leagues. The company also will look into having a sponsor or advertisements on the Web site to bring in more cash. A minor professional tour also approached the company about helping it with statistics, Mike Ferry said. The founders believe the Web site's ability to compute complicated statistics, such as several variations of a handicap, will continue to grow the subscriber base. The software can feed golfers many other stats, too. Members can find out how many 3-putts they had in 2005. Or how many times they putted for birdie on par 3s. Or how often they drove the ball in the fairway off a par-5 tee. The premium service can answer those questions with a few clicks. Bill Ferry said he especially likes the feature that allows golfers to chart their progress. ``One of the powerful things for members is that it tracks your stats season to season, he said. ``It allows you to analyze your game over time. The data is posted on the Web site, so members can access it whenever they wish. NetGolfLeague also offers a basic service that allows leagues to post pictures, notifications, standings and schedules. The basic version lacks the statistical wonders. Last year, the company had about 1,000 subscribers for its free basic service. Charging $24.95 for basic this year might bring in more revenue, as well. Bill Ferry attributes most of the company's growth to marketing through Google Inc.'s search engine. Because the Internet has no boundaries, NetGolfLeague.com has customers in every state and even some in Canada. ``It's online, so there's not really any barriers except language, Ferry said. Despite that, the company plans to strengthen ties with local golf courses. ``We're going to focus on this region now, so we can get a good presence here, then branch out, Ferry said. High customer satisfaction and referrals could help the company reach its 2006 goal of 100 premium subscriptions. ``We get a lot of good feedback, Ferry said. ``People think it's cool and saves a lot of time.

[edit] Corporate Golf Leagues inspire workers' camaraderie

Corporate Golf Leagues Inspire Worker Camaraderie

by Michael J. Ureel

DEARBORN, Mich., March 4, 2005 (FCN) -- The excitement around the Ford Championship at Doral this week reflects a broader trend of growing participation in corporate golf leagues, where coworkers of all stripes and playing ability close ranks on the links.

Ford is among Sprint, Bausch & Lomb, Nationwide and many other Fortune 500 companies that have golf leagues, and more are sprouting all the time, said Mike Ferry, president of Netgolfleague.com, a Web site that manages leagues.

"The barriers between coworkers of different ranks, upper and middle management, disappear," he said. "It makes it easier for them to communicate at work; they aren't as scared to give them a call and get things done."

Corporate leagues account for up to 25 percent of Netgolfleague's users, besides clubs, fraternal organizations and chambers of commerce, he said. The Web site has been growing by 75 percent a year since starting up five years ago. There are other online league management services, as well, such as Americangolfersonline.com and Golfsoft.com.

Ford began its Ford Golf Association in 1997. Part of the Ford Employees Recreation Association, the group organizes several golf outings throughout the year -- not always in the summer. Last December, players in Dearborn, Mich., braved 18 degree weather and snow at the TundraBowl at a bitter Detroit course. It's all for fun and coming together to enjoy the game, said an FGA participant Frank Villiard.

"It takes us out of our normal work environment," said Villiard, supervisor of Ford Truck Body CAD. "We are out of uniform, so to speak; we can enjoy each other's personalities and unique viewpoints on things."

In addition, the Ford league facilitated a cultural exchange of sorts during a match with Ford employees from the Bridgend Engine Plant in Wales last fall during the Ryder Cup, held in metro Detroit. Though, just like its professional counterpart, the European team trounced North America's 15 to 9. Steve Clarke, leader of the Welch team, remembers the camaraderie and cultural sharing that took place.

"It was great for everyone," said Clarke, MP&L Scheduling Supervisor. "We speak English, but we do things differently; it was rewarding for me to experience this exchange."

The golf society (as they call it in the U.K.) for the Bridgend plant began in 1981. Clarke said the membership has grown over the years to its current 80 people. He noticed that when the society began, it was about 70-30, staff to hourly workers; now it is the reverse. Whatever the mix, he said it's a great way to get to know your fellow coworkers.

"Four hours on a golf course and you can find out more about somebody than 20 years behind a desk."