Business is like Golf

Sharing the same principles for success

As Your Uncle Ralph, writing for entrepreneurs at LearningEntrepreneurship.com, I have often used the analogy that business is like golf. It seems timely to revisit some of those themes and you don’t have to be a golfer to recognize the similarities and the shared principles for success.

Business is like golf: It’s easy to get into trouble and hard to get the results you want.

Here are some extracts from previous blog posts for you to consider as you watch or play golf this summer.

Business is like Golf:

1. It's important to have a plan. Of course nothing goes exactly according to plan, but if you have one, you will at least recognize when it’s time to make corrections and get where you want to be. (Oops! I'm in the sand trap and need to get back on the fairway in front of the green.)
2. Even the good shots can end up badly. And vice versa. So take your best shot and hope for the best. (That long straight drive may go too far and end up in the rough. And sometimes a terrible slice will bounce off a tree and end up right where you wanted to be.)
3. Every problem is just another challenge. It was not supposed to end up in the rough and behind a tree, but now you have a chance to work on your creative recovery shot.
4. Work on the fundamentals. You cannot get better if you don't understand and master the basic principles, skills, and techniques and build a solid foundation to support better performance. (As Arnold Palmer wisely advised one angry amateur golfer, "You're not good enough to get that upset about poor results."
5. Choose and use the right tools and equipment. Technology keeps making the game easier, but make sure it’s the right equipment for your current plan and objective. (Don't use your favourite 8-iron for a long, low fade when a 4-iron is the right tool.)
6. Know the rules and play fair. Even if nobody catches you cheating, you know you don't deserve the score you gave yourself for the game. (A swing and a miss still counts as a stroke and “hit it as it lies,” means don’t kick it out of the long grass from under a tree back on the fairway without penalty.) Kidding yourself about your score doesn't work in business either.
7. Continuous learning and determined practice are the disciplines of champions. If the Number One golfer in the world is still adjusting his swing with a new coach and working hard in the gym and on the practice range every day, what are you doing to get better and do better?
8. It's easier if you lower your expectations and figure out what it takes to get better. Trying too hard to achieve unrealistic goals can be stressful and cause even worse results. (“Grip and rip it,” may just send your ball farther into the woods or the lake.) It’s better to find your groove and then consistently deliver the results you want.
9. Learn from your mistakes. You will inevitably have an occasional bad shot, a bad hole, or a bad day. It may be bad luck, a bad idea, or a bad swing, but analyse what you did wrong so that you can avoid the mistake next time. (A simple change in your swing thoughts or pre-shot routine can suddenly and significantly improve performance.

That's the first nine holes.

And for more important principles of golf that apply to business:

• Keep it simple. Don’t make it complicated. (You’re just trying to hit a little white ball into a 4-inch cup that is 400 yards away in only four shots.)
• It’s a choice: either it’s a simple and enjoyable game or it’s a maddeningly frustrating challenge. You can love it and enjoy it every day, or hate it and avoid it like a bad case of food poisoning.
• You might be sufficiently smart and talented to succeed at it; you may still fail miserably. Know when to try again and when to quit.
• Recognize what you’re good at and like to do. Choose that.
• Start with a purpose and a plan. Good results come from having an appropriate strategy that guides you to good decisions in every situation.
• Master the skills first, then focus on managing effective execution in action.
• Accept the truth that for golf and business too, life is not fair. You may not be the winner and someone less deserving gets the prize.

Have a good summer and enjoy the golf!

Be better. Do Better. Be an Enlightened Entrepreneur.

Del Chatterson, your Uncle Ralph

Learn more about Enlightened Entrepreneurship at: LearningEntrepreneurship.com Read more of Uncle Ralph's advice for Entrepreneurs in Don't Do It the Hard Way & The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans - 2020 Editions.

 Read more Blog posts at: LearningEntrepreneurship Blogs. 

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Good luck or bad bounce?

Hazards of the British Open

Tiger Woods was leading after nine holes. At one point it was Spieth, also Kisner, Schauffele, and Chappell. Finally the winner, after four days of challenging conditions and 72 difficult holes of Scottish links golf, was Francesco Molinari.

How to explain it?

Yes, the best golfer won, that’s the way it usually works. And Molinari did avoid the mistakes that eliminated so many others, including strong contenders who made miraculous shots, like Rory McIlroy.

But the nature of golf is such that good shots don’t guarantee good results and bad shots don’t always end up in trouble. Sometimes a wayward ball heading out of bounds bounces off a spectator or a hillside and rolls back to the middle of the fairway. Sometimes a terrific drive rolls three feet too far and falls into a deep bunker where recovery without penalty is impossible.

Remember: Business is like golf and life is not fair. You don’t always get what you want or even what you deserve.

But the important basic principles for success remain: have a strategy and a plan, execute well, stay focused and avoid mistakes.

Be better, do better.

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrepreneurship.comand join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check outUncle Ralph’s books, Don’t Do It the Hard Way and The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans. Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Impressive, talented and tough

Business is like golf

Brooke Henderson showed great skill and determination on the weekend as she dominated the strong winds and the world-class competitors at Ko Olina Golf Club in Hawaii to win the Lotte Championship for her sixth LPGA Tour victory.

After a disappointing round of shaky putting trouble in the third-round, Henderson finished strong at 12-under par for a four stroke victory. The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont. is already within two victories of tying Sandra Post’s LPGA Tour career record for Canadians.

A charming young lady, she has talent and skill and the strength of character to push through against all obstacles. She also demonstrated her integrity and generosity with effusive praise for her supporting team, especially her caddy, sister Brittany, and a thoughtful tribute to the families of Humboldt, Saskatchewan after the tragic bus accident for the Broncos hockey team.

A great Canadian, athlete and inspiration.

Tiger lessons – Business is like Golf

Coming back as a contender

Tiger Woods is back.

Playing in the Bahamas against the top 32 golfers in the world, he clearly belongs there again, hopefully for the 2018 season. Age 42, after four back surgeries and he has not played more than two tournaments in almost three years.

How does he do it?

What are the lessons for your business?

Here’s my take-away list:

1. Don’t try to compete against the best in the world until you’re ready. Physically and mentally.
2. Prepare and practice. Test and improve. Practice some more. Get as good as you can be. Accept that you may have been better in the past. Make adjustments.
3.  Recognize that preparation and practice are never the same as real world competition. Be ready for unexpected challenges.
4.  Expect more stress, wear and tear than you remember.
5.  Don’t be distracted by inconsistent performance in the early going, raise your expectations as the results improve.

Tiger made it look easy, this time around. It never is.

P.S. A brief addendum based on my Old-Timers Hockey experience today: Update your tools and equipment to the latest technology. (I finally invested in a new high-tech hockey stick and the difference was HUGE – better stickhandling, passing and fore-checking and scored on the first shot.) Tiger is still wearing Nike clothes, hat and shoes, but is now playing with Titleist clubs and Bridgestone balls.

Remember: Business is like golf.

Be better, do better.

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrepreneurship.comand join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check outUncle Ralph’s books, Don’t Do It the Hard Way and The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans. Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Stick to the plan

Calm and confident pays off

Business is like golf. Consider the challenges faced by Canadian Adam Hadwin on the final round of the Valspar Championship on Sunday.

This is his third year on the PGA Tour and Hadwin had recently attracted attention with the rare and remarkable achievement of a 59 on a par in California, finishing second and winning his first major prize money of $626,000.

Last week at the Valspar Championship in Florida, he had played three flawless rounds and was leading on Sunday by four strokes at 14-under-par. His playing partner in the final group was Patrick Cantlay at 10-under-par and the other challengers were further back. So Hadwin’s strategy was “to just hit fairways and greens” and count on his putter to get him an occasional birdie to retain the lead for his first win on the Tour. He had admitted before starting that staying focused would be difficult, knowing that a win would move him to fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings, give him a two-year exemption from qualifying on the PGA Tour and earn a much-coveted invitation to the Masters in April. He had already committed to getting married in two weeks, but his fiancée, who has been coaching him on keeping calm instead of occasionally ‘losing it’, had already agreed to change honeymoon plans if necessary, to go to Augusta for the Masters. It was a lot to ignore while trying to win his first tournament.

So how did his strategy work out? Not exactly according to plan.

Patrick Cantlay came on strong and maintained the pressure until the end. He also had a backstory and was out to prove that he belonged among the young American stars of the game, playing only his second event on the PGA Tour. He had been a top-ranked college player and World #1 amateur for over a year, ahead of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Daniel Berger, all of whom had surged into prominence on the PGA Tour during his absence of almost three years due to a severe back injury. During that time, he also suffered the tragic loss of his caddie and long-time friend, Chris Roth, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking right in front of Patrick. It was a lot to recover from and get back to playing professional golf at a high level.

Cantlay had a run of birdies to reduce Hadwin’s lead to only one stroke after the first twelve holes. Then on the long par three 13^th, Cantlay hit it within five feet for another likely birdie to tie for the lead as Hadwin’s ball was lying over 50 feet from the hole. But Hadwin reversed the pressure and drained the putt! Cantlay stroked his ball confidently into the hole for birdie, birdie. On to the 14^th for par, par. Hadwin was still leading by one.

At the par four 15^th, Cantlay hit his approach shot into the greenside bunker and missed the sand save by hitting it well past the hole and needing two putts to come back for bogey. Advantage to Hadwin with another par. He was back on cruise control, “just hit fairways and greens”, with a two stroke lead at 15-under versus Cantlay’s 13-under and only three holes left to play.

Surprise! Off the 16^th tee, Hadwin hit a wide curving fade into the lake on the right side of the fairway. “I don’t know where that drive came from,” he said later, “after four days without a bad drive.” With a one stroke penalty, a layup and two putts on the green, he left the 16^th with a double bogey six. Cantlay had a long drive down the middle and made an easy par four. They were now tied at 13-under.

Two pars on the 17^th followed by two good drives, left them still tied with no advantage and looking at the 18^th green from 150-yards away.

Is your business this exciting? Would you be able to focus and make the shot? The pressure makes a difference. Nerves jangling, adrenalin pumping, a caddie offering advice and surrounded by excited spectators. Don’t think about winning or losing, or the consequences. Not the $450,000 difference in prize money between first and second, not the FedEx Cup standings or the two-year Tour qualifying exemption and not the invitation to play at the Masters. Just make the shot. Hit it close and one putt to win or maybe two to continue in a playoff. Forget all that. Just focus. Make the shot.

Cantlay was first. He hit it slightly right of the green and his ball rolled down the slope and into another sand trap. Hadwin hit his ball to the middle of the green, but it rolled to the back across the fringe and up against the longer grass. More challenges for each golfer.

Cantlay again failed to hit it well out of the sand and this time it stopped short, leaving a fifteen-foot putt for par.

Hadwin decided to hit through the grass with the blade of his wedge on the centre of the ball. The commentators agreed it was the right technique for the awkward lie, but difficult to execute, especially under the pressure to get it close to the hole. Still calm and confident, Hadwin hit it perfectly and rolled the ball to within 18-inches.

Cantlay missed his putt and Hadwin finished with a par to win. Happy honeymoon! Easy to make new plans with the $1.1 million in prize money.

You can extract the lessons that suit you from this dramatic round of golf, but Cantlay learned he has to improve his play from the sand traps and Hadwin reinforced what he had already demonstrated with his round of 59. Stay calm and confident, focus on the task right in front of you and block out the distractions.

Good strategies for your business too, don’t you think?

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrepreneurship.com and join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check out Uncle Ralph’s books, Don’t Do It the Hard Way and The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans. Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Pressure improves performance

Raising the stakes may help you too 

Compared to the recent disappointing Olympic golf tournament, the Ryder Cup was a tremendous spectacle of high performance under pressure. Drama and excitement for three days of competition. At the Olympics, the golf event was a complete failure. The best golfers did not go, the spectators did not care.

At the Ryder Cup Last weekend, a tradition since 1927 matching the best American golfers against the best of Europe, the golfers were excited to make the team and determined to play their best in front of 50,000 wildly enthusiastic fans.

The individual performances were outstanding in spite of the screaming fans and high stakes, by the end of three days of head-to-head competition every player had shown his best talents. There was no prize money at stake, only the right to claim a small trophy for the winning team. But as Tiger Woods said, “we always play for pride, this is just bigger because we’re playing as a team.”

Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy on the last day played one of the most epic battles ever seen on a golf course. It was a like a heavy-weight bout with the two of them pounding at each other on every hole and pumping up themselves and the fans along the way, while demonstrating the courtesy and etiquette of golf by respecting each other and loving every minute of the contest. Never a better performance to attract golfers and fans.

Playing as a team is unusual for golfers. Golf is normally very focused on individual performance. Striving for the best score on the hole, the day and the tournament, then on to the next one. The golfer has only to meet his own expectations, any pressure is primarily imposed on himself. The Ryder Cup is an opportunity only once every two years to be selected to a team of the best twelve golfers to play together in front of the world. But the high pressure and focus on team effort seems to lead to exceptional individual performance.

Maybe raising the stakes and then performing in public will motivate your team to run a better business. It may be as easy as setting more ambitious competitive objectives and then exposing the performance and contributions of all team members.

Another lesson from golf for your business?

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrerpreneurship.comand join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs. Check outUncle Ralph’s books, "Don't Do It the Hard Way" and "The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans" Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Dramatic finish for the FedEx Cup

Severe tests of skill, strategy and nerve.  Just like your business. 

Proving he is definitely back, Rory McIlroy came from behind to win the PGA Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup on Sunday. It was a big win worth a total of $11.5 million.

And he took it all from Dustin Johnson, who had been the clear FedEx Cup and tournament leader until the last day. Johnson was dominating with a combination of long accurate drives and a reliable short game, hitting them close and rolling in the putts. It started to fall apart on Saturday and he had the worst round of the day on Sunday to fall from the lead to fifth place.

Before the final playoff rounds at the Tour Championship, any one of the Top 5 in FedEx Cup standings for the year could have won the $10 million bonus by winning the final tournament (and another $1.5 million in prize money). The five were Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Paul Casey. McIlroy was standing sixth, just ahead of Jordan Spieth. By the last round, Day had withdrawn due to a back injury, Scott, Casey and Spieth were well back and out of the running.

McIlroy was coming up fast, but needed Johnson to falter for him to win the tournament and the FedEx Cup. Johnson opened the door, but two new challengers suddenly appeared with chances to win the tournament themselves. Kevin Chappell started the last round tied with Johnson, but left him well behind with a 4-under par for 68. McIlroy was playing with Ryan Moore and they both gained four strokes with final rounds of 64 to tie Chappell for a sudden death three-way playoff at 12-under par.

That’s where it got complicated. If either Chappell or Moore won the tournament, then Dustin Johnson would still win the FedEx Cup by a few points. If McIlroy won the tournament, he would also gain enough points to win the FedEx Cup too. Over a challenging four holes in the playoff, he did just that.

It was exciting drama to watch. Complicated scenarios with unmanageable variables and severe tests of skill, strategy and nerve.

Just like running a business.

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrerpreneurship.com and join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check out Uncle Ralph’s books, "Don't Do It the Hard Way" and "The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans" Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.

Rory is back, or he never left?

Talent and hard work are hard to beat

Within hours of a suggestion that Rory McIlroy was “at risk of no longer being part of the conversation”, he suddenly forced himself back onto the stage with a dramatic demonstration of world class performance and a win at the second round FedEx playoff in Boston on the weekend.

Struggling with months of erratic play and terrible putting, Rory had not had a PGA Tour win in 16 months and only the Irish Open win in May. After a nineteen months run at No.1 in World Golf Rankings, he had slipped to sixth and looked to be falling away from current No.1 Jason Day, and the challengers Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.

But Rory has been working hard on some mental adjustments and a new approach to putting that are suddenly starting to show results. He recovered quickly from a very bad first few holes on Friday and went 19-under-par on the next 68 holes to win by two strokes over Paul Casey and return to World No. 3 ranking.

So if you want to remain a world class competitor, keep working at getting better. And if you are currently No. 1, now is not the time to relax. There are tough champions coming up behind you who want it back.

Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson

Read more articles like this one at: Business is Like Golf Blog

• Friendly Competition Inspires Everybody

• Stories behind the headlines

• Match play: Beating one competitor at a time

Visit LearningEntrerpreneurship.com and  join our mailing list for more ideas, information and inspiration for entrepreneurs.

Check out Uncle Ralph’s books, "Don't Do It the Hard Way" and "The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans" Available online or at your favourite bookstore in hard cover, paperback or e-book.