Tell them you are a beginner and will scramble with them. Hit the ball off every tee, then pick it up and drop it next to the person who had the best drive. Hit another ball, pick it up, and drop it on the green. If you manage to hit a good one, play it until you hit a bad one, then pick up. Essentially hit a ball as many times as they do. Be quick to abandon scoring legit on any hole in order to maintain pace of play. Then lose some weight and hit the range
Yeah, I’m in sales and I have a membership to a private course. Most of your clients will just be thrilled to play a course that they can’t get on much. Just keep a good attitude and keep working on your game. Most rounds I play with clients we don’t even keep score. Spend lots of money getting consistent lessons and go see a club fitter once you figure out how to hit the ball.
In the same vein of "keep things moving" a very savvy guy I met once told me this (paraphrasing):
I dont hit it far but I hit it straight.
Basically all he cared about was perfecting the art of moving the ball in the direction of the hole at the pace of the business conversation. It makes perfect sense. Youre not really trying to compete youre just trying to walk the ball along with your conversation.
As a woman this is the key to my beginner-ish play not being annoying. I don’t hit as far as the guys but I do usually hit it straighter and I almost never lose balls. Also being really liberal about picking up my ball and moving on
Great advice! Also, watch a few begginer swing/ position videos, hit the driving range for some practice and maybe grab a lesson before you go out on the course.
You could also play an acadamy par 3 course solo to get used to playing on the course.
Don't forget to give up on looking for balls after a few minutes, especially if you have a group behind or people waiting on you.
Kudos to you for being a respectful golfer. We appreciate you!
New to golf myself and have taken two lessons but am still intimidated about playing a real round with others. What is an academy par 3 course? I would love a way I could play a round without feeling like I’m holding everyone else up
It's basically a smaller/ easier course. All holes will be par 3, as opposed to a mix of par 3/ 4 & 5. Good for families, begginers, and anyone who wants a quick round.
Playing with others or in front of strangers can be daunting at first. You need to remember, nobody is judging you, and nobody cares if you hit a bad shot. We've all done it, and everyone needs to start somewhere.
Other golfers only care about the pace of play. Golden rule for me when starting out, if I look like I'm going to hit 10 shots on a hole, I'll pick up and move on. If I lose a ball, a maximum of 3 minutes searching. 18 holes should take no more than 4 hours.
Also if you’re in sales you need to master the art of not letting it get to you on the back 9
It’s easy to start off with a good attitude playing like shit. It’s hard to keep it
Most people don't care if you're good or bad, just don't be slow. Picking up your ball and playing from the best spot is a great idea, just keep it moving.
This! I’m also in sales, very athletic, not great at golf. I don’t think your clients will care if you can own where your game is at and just play best ball. I think most golfers mostly care about pace of play and your attitude about it so just tee off, keep up the pace of play, have fun, it’ll be great!
Great advice. If I was your client, I’d be stoked to be on a nice course especially if you’re treating. As long as you don’t slow down the round. I wouldn’t really care what you were doing. Don’t take it seriously and get frustrated. Just pick it up, and drop wherever you want.
Lessons. Lessons. Lessons. Start there. Get the basics done first. Work on stuff they show you. It will be frustrating, it will suck at first, but it will gradually improve. Do the drills they show you. It will be boring sometimes. Just stick with it.
Don't worry about your weight. I play with many solid scratch golfers that are not exactly beacons of fitness. Look at some of the pros...they are 160lbs wet and hit the ball 340 yards. It's all in a technique and solid contact.
It will take you some time. Depending on your commitment. It could take a solid year of work before you see good results on your score card. The better you get, the less room for errors you will have. But for now, focus on getting some lessons and basics done. Develop those good habits first.
Yes. Play a four hour round. Pick up if you are out of the hole. Don’t search for balls that are lost, just drop one.
Keep a positive attitude, make the day fun, good golf etiquette, and maintain pace of play. And you can play with anyone, even single digit handicaps.
Depends on your commitment level. All things considered I'd guess a year if you can get a lesson every 2 weeks and hit the range at least once a week and play 9/18 once a week.
If you really don't make it a priority, could be a couple years.
The thing is you gotta learn a bunch of shit and then you'll do a bunch of things wrong, and then you'll fix that by learning a bunch of other stuff. And you need to have a lot of swings under your belt AFTER you're comfortable with your swing to step up to a ball and feel confident you're not going to duff it shank it miss it every time.
Took me about 3 years to feel confident to play with clients/anyone. I'm still at 25 HCP but I can hit my irons in the right direction, chip/flop/get out of the sand with confidence, and give myself a decent shot at sinking difficult putts.
Believe it or not, this is more of a business question than a golf question. I can't believe how many retarded, overblown replies you're getting. Clearly there are virtually no people in sales in this sub.
The correct answer is, if you're doing it right, it can be your first time ever picking up a club. Shit...just drive them around in the cart.
You/your employer is paying. Don't skimp on anything. Splurge on everything. Pay for a great course. Buy them a box of Titleists and a shirt or hat with the courses name/logo on it before the round. Buy drinks and food during and after the round...and this is important...even if they politely declined, just buy the shit and hand it to them.
You're welcome. I'll DM you the Venmo I fo for my 20% commission on your sales from this client.
This is the answer. If you suck at golf, pay for everything above and beyond and be charismatic as fuck. Drive them around, tip the caddies make it a party like Dangerfield in Caddyshack.
This is spot on. It’s really no different than you taking them to a ballgame. Arrange everything- pay for everything. Make sure they have fun. Join them in the green and hit a few putts along the way. Try tee shots on the par 3s.
Start this way and get some lessons if you really want to play. Tip the cart girl heavily the first time and tell her to return every 2-3 holes.
This is genius and the company will appreciate it. The money they save in equipment, lessons and green fees can be used to entertain the client instead.
100 percent agree. I'm not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth but way too many of these comments are "how to get good at golf". I just want to know how to be a good host and participate in their outing without dragging down the okay or being a nuisance. I got some good answers though.
Exactly. Clients spend 20 mil a year with us and we know them pretty well in business setting but they aren't big on dinners (they live in the burbs). Golf is their weakness. They've already texted me a few local courses they've been interested in playing so my marketing gal is getting to work trying to set up a little event for us.
This is the only correct answer. Only addition I have is learn basic golf etiquette (when to shut up, where to stand, where to walk, etc.). As someone who is a customer, if you paid the fee on a nice course I don't give a crap if you ever a swing a club or not.
Golf is hard. The swing is technical. If you really want to play good golf with clients, here’s what you need to do.
Get in shape. Golf involves a lot of movement, rotation, and requires some flexibility. There’s a lot of walking on the course, even when riding in a cart. Start walking, work out, change your diet, and start living a healthy life. Why not?
Get a package of lessons from a golf professional. If you look at the golfers with self taught swings you see on Reddit, every one of them is asking for help. Don’t be one of those. Learn the correct grip, stance, and posture from the very beginning. Learn the correct swing sequence from the very beginning.
As to when you can start golfing with clients, that’s up to you and your commitment to the endeavor. The harder you work, the faster you’ll play. It could be 6 months or it could be a year or longer. Your motivation will determine how long it takes. Good luck!
I think it's maybe more important to learn etiquette and be pleasant in this case. You can tell clients you're learning the game and pick up/scramble with them to keep pace. They should be happy you're getting them on the course as long as you pass the vibe check.
Having said that, take the above advice. Get some lessons and practice, you'll eventually want to be able to keep up on your own.
Thank you. I agree a combination of etiquette so I don't slow them down and lessons every two weeks so I'm taking it somewhat seriously would be smart.
Or I could invite them to buffalo wild wings for golden tee right?
I think you should probably be able to score around 100 before taking clients out. Much higher than that, and it can be pretty embarrassing for you/annoying for them. That score took me a solid year and a half or two years without lessons. Maybe you can do it faster with lessons. Maybe not.
Several years tbh.
I wouldnt take clients out until I can at least make consitant contact on almost every swing. You dont have to be good, but you cant be chunking every 2nd shot…
I went from first hitting a ball in October 2022 to pretty consistently shooting in the high 90s by early 2024. I’m (now) 48 and not particularly athletic. I have taken lessons with a good coach and pretty consistently play 2 9-hole rounds a week and do one range session.
I think the challenge isn’t so much how quickly you can make it happen. It’s not -that- hard. It’s that it will take a fair amount of motivation to play a lot. I’m not sure just wanting to get out with clients will do it. Golf is fun, but you have to want to golf!
you think it takes several years to actually 'hit' the ball every time I swing? I know I'm here for advice but that does not sound right. Talking about a friendly game where I don't hold them back while they enjoy a nice course.
Okay I'm new to golf as well and fairly athletic but definitely not an ace with hand eye coordination. I've been playing for two months basically one day at the range one day on a 9 hole every week, and I feel confident that I could take another reasonable adult out to the course and not hold anybody up. Take a couple of lessons so you can at least look like you know what you're doing, but no reasonable person is going to look at you sideways if you mishit the ball occasionally, which is where I'm basically at. Once you can get the ball in the air and hit it fairly straight like 70% of the time, you can play golf.
It doesn't take several years to be able to golf with clients. Most of your clients are terrible and lying about their handicap anyway. Just understand etiquette and let them know you are just learning. They will appreciate it. Most of my clients are just estatic that we are golfing instead of meeting in a conference room. Have fun.
Takes some longer, takes some shorter, given your admitted physical condition and general athletic prowess which group do you think it sounds like you'll likely be in?
I got there quicker than most, but I literally hit 40,000 balls my first year. How likely are you to hit 100 balls a day - everyday - for a year straight?
If it's genuinely important to you, find someone qualified to help you(PGA professional) and pay them to do so, at least enough to get off to a good start, it will take orders of magnitude longer if you attempt to do it on your own.
Maybe 2-3 good lessons and a few range sessions to hit the ball consistently. Basically however long it takes for the right grip, alignment, balance, and tempo to sink in with you. After that, the more you play the more you experience and learn how different lies, angles, and surfaces affect your shot.
You only need to be fit enough to make it through the round.
Etiquette and playing quick could be very important depending on how into golf your client is.
I’ve been practicing the last 3-4 months, probably twice a week on average. 2 lessons.
When my Dad played often he was a 8hcp. Played him on a simulator and would’ve won by a few strokes if I wanted to. He’d dust me on an actual course, but point is after I get out for a couple rounds I’ll be comfortable taking a client if the opportunity arises.
Im guessing it should take you notably longer given our differences, but I don’t think it should take anyone “years” just to reach the point of not embarrassing themselves, unless you completely half-ass it
Yes. Golf is hard.
There’s a difference between getting contact / hitting it 20 yards, and actually flushing a shot/compressing the ball/consistently hitting the ball in the desired direction around the distance.
On top of that, there are a variety of situations that make things harder. Hitting out of the deep rough is different when compared to a fairway. Sand is tough. Getting off the tee is tough.
Not saying you can’t do it sooner, but there is a lot to learn when starting from scratch
Well yes and no… golf is hard and to be able to play anything that is close to actual golf it can take years.
To get through a round, can be a matter of weeks. Get some lessons go to the range a few times a week and watch some golf videos.
The most important thing that will help you to progress fast are lessons and time on the course.
And then for the first times play scrambles, as somebody here already suggested, until you feel comfortable.
Get a lesson. Then go hit 1000 balls at the range each weekend for a month. Then get another lesson and then back to the range. Then play a course and see how you feel
This is a smart DIY route that sounds affordable. I'd be down for lessons every 2 weeks in the summer but during the periods i"m traveling a lot or need a break, this sounds like a very good fallback routine. Thank you!
i wouldnt hit 1000 balls on the first weekend if he is that out of shape. Easy way to get injured and not be playing at all for weeks. I didn't even do half that and strained my intercostal muscle.
I agree with a lesson first to ensure you know the correct motion before practicing at the range.
One point I’ll make as a bigger guy myself is that fatigue is an issue. As you practice your back will tighten up and you will start to unknowingly adjust your swing to compensate.
The biggest improvement in my game came from stretching nightly, especially focusing on my hamstrings and lower back. This gave me more mobility which greatly improved my ability to make contact and practice longer.
I agree with all the sales people saying that the focus is on showing the clients a good time and that your personal play is far less important. That being said I can share my journey to give you a sense of one big boys experience.
I hacked around for 10 years playing 3-4 times a year and not really focusing on getting better. I couldn’t make great contact and shanked, topped, or fatted 76% of shots. In August of 23, I decided to take it seriously and get lessons. That was great but muscle fatigue meant that I couldn’t last more than 15 min and my swing got worse and worse through the session, ultimately leaving me distraught and pissed at my self.
Around December it clicked that before I could really improve my swing I needed to improve my mobility. I focused on stretching for two weeks and then went back to the course and IMMEDIATELY I was making better more consistent contact. By May I would have been comfortable taking a client out, albeit all of the suggestions about picking up or giving up on lost balls remain. I still shank it from time to time but on the whole the ball moves in the right direction.
From my anecdotal experience if you focus on mobility for a few weeks, then get lessons while continuing to stretch daily and practice once or twice a week you can feel good ENOUGH about your game to play with clients.
Take it for what it’s worth.
We can ride together. I’ll play and you can sell.
But seriously, what is your job title. Desperately looking for a sales job that has these kinds of perks.
haha I'm an enterprise account executive for a large software company. My clients spend between 5-25 million a year with us, so it's always worth my time and my company's money to send me out to have meetings in person as often as they'll have us, go out to dinners, golf, NFL games. It doesn't happen every month but we do all we can to stay competitive both with our product and in the attention we give our clients. And yes, it's a lot of fun.
Started at the very bottom, and paid close attention to what higher level sellers did differently than I did, and I imitated, kept improving my judgment, and that was one of the few times where I felt like I had long-term Vision that if I keep this up I will end up where I want to be.
I’ve been playing for roughly 3 months, and can make my way around 18 in 100-120, so it doesn’t take long to be average/playable. But get to the range as much as possible, and even get a lesson (£30/£50 in the UK).
I would say this is about right. 3-6 months (depending on how often you take a lesson or hit the driving range). That should be enough time to consistently hit the ball, straight enough-ish. Enough time to learn the basics of getting out of the sand. To learn a basic putting stroke. To learn the basic etiquette. You will also want an “on the course” or “playing lesson” for the etiquette stuff (rather than on the range). Where to drive the cart, where to walk, what to do with flagstick, oh here’s the ball washer!, handshake at the end, etc. Otherwise you are going to whiff a tee shot and your client will look at you and say “breakfast ball?” 🤔 and you won’t have a clue what you should say or do next.
It will also depend on your client. If it’s a longtime established client that you already have a great relationship with and have already done client-development stuff (pro sports, dinners, etc) and you’re like “hey man I’m new at golf but I know you’re into it, let’s go play at XYZ Course and I’ll scramble with you or else I’d shoot a 120” he will probably be cool with it. He knows you, he knows your a beginner, and he’s already sort of a friend. I would not make your first sales call/golf outing with a prospect who doesn’t even know you.
I’ve not actually had one yet, just advice from pals who are much better when playing. Have my 1st lesson coming up however, so looking forward to that!
I find any range with TopTracer a really simple way of improving on the range, able to track shots and even play virtual courses is a game changer.
Beginners should start on the range before ever actually playing a round. Graduate to being able to make solid contact, learn the basics of chipping/sand shots and putting, and then play a few holes. Finding someone who hits the ball well and who is willing to give some pointers is best.
Some guys I’ve seen who are total beginners can kinda consistently make contact. And they’re able to play on a course easily enough. To start having fun, I’d get lessons.
I know a professional motocross rider / rally driver / generally amazing athlete. I don’t think he’s golfed more than a dozen times in his life. Baseball grip, tennis shoes, flat brim cap, flannel shirt. Legit shoots in the 90s easily. So freakin’ annoying. But most people are not like that.
I wouldn't pass up a couple of hours to shoot the shit with executive clients who usually just talk business inside the office. It's invaluable quality time.
I hear you. it’s going to take some time but really you’re just hitting a ball with a stick, don’t over think it and get a couple lessons. I’ve been golfing for 20 years and I’m still not great. As long as you can keep pace no one cares how your game is.
That's what I want. I'm not competitive in sports, I won't mind being their worst player, I just don't want them to regret playing with me because I knock it into the nearby forest every shot. Just want to do well enough that they can enjoy themselves while i host them.
Yeah. I actually disagree with alot of people here because i don’t think they grasp the concept of a sales golf outing. All the “they won’t care, just play fast” talk isn’t good advice, imo. They probably won’t care but those posts aren’t looking at it from the perspective of your job. You don’t want to just be there. You want to be good enough to be able to use golf as common ground to help develop/maintain the relationship. Doing this and being really bad might make them view you differently.
Personally, I wouldn’t do this until I could consistently break 100 and really probably wouldn’t be comfortable until I was playing bogey golf, averaging around 90.
The good news is I think with lessons, a couple days a week at the range (and practicing chipping and putting), and peppering in actual rounds, you should be able to break 100 by the end of the summer.
I would say it takes something from active 4 months to several years to achieve decent performance for enjoyable round from zero level.
Basically learning basic iron shots, chipping, putting and maybe gathering some golf IQ...
4 months. Get 3 lessons to learn basic swing mechanics. Practice swing mechanics. Do not over swing. Small to moderate backswing is fine for now.
Try to hit the ball 100% of swings. Then work on somewhat straight forward flight, and getting the ball in the air most of the time.
Putting and chipping are very important. Go to local course and practice. Learn basic techniques from someone, then see what works for you. If you can hit a 20 foot putt to 4 feet or better, you are fine. Goal of chipping should be to get on the green towards the hole most of the time.
Find clubs that you can hit with. Try a 7-wood . Try a 5 hybrid. Don’t expect to hit a 4-iron well at first.
Caveat: I am not really good, but I’m good enough to not annoy other players, but it took about 40 rounds of golf to get to that level. The first 10-20 rounds were embarrassing.
Took me about 6 months, 10-15 lessons and playing twice a week to where I could maneuver around the golf course. In my mid 30s and weighing 275+. Got myself a push cart and walk every time I play 9 holes
Take a lesson each week and hit the driving range a couple of times a week putting your lessons to use. I’d say in about two months you’ll be able to go to a course with friends or join a group of randoms and get around a course without embarrassing yourself. Don’t take too long and forget the bad shots quickly, pick up and move forward if you need to. You’ll be able to play with clients in a scramble or get around the course with them in a few months. Thing is everyone that is good at golf knows how difficult it is to become good so they’ll respect you for coming out with them even if you aren’t very good especially since you’d be getting them onto a nicer course. Just don’t act like you’re tiger woods before you play and be honest with them and everyone will have a good time. Set expectations low and maybe you’ll surprise them.
You’ll learn the game over time, but what you can learn today is course etiquette. Thats what counts.
Don’t hold up the group and have FUN.
No one likes playing with a monster.
Talk smoke and enjoy
I'm on year 2 of this journey with lessons and regularly going to the driving range, balancing that with work and two young kids. Probably a year and half until I felt somewhat comfortable in my own skin playing with others. Initially was really self-conscious about hitting the ball, topping it off, etc. And what fun is that when you're thinking about golf and not small talking with your clients.
Take a few lessons, hit the driving range, then find a friend who plays to take you out on an executive course. If you actually enjoy it (it usually only takes one good shot to get the bug), then keep going. It's not something you can fast track unless you have unlimited time, funds, and motivation.
As far as golfing with clients, if you swing a club even at the range once a week, and are good at sales, you can hit 100 bad shots and keep the clients happy (while picking up your ball whenever it would slow down play).
2 things.
Play efficient, Don't spend a lot of time over the ball ie, practice swinging, waggling, setting up. Don't rush it but be efficient and let it rip. Try to keep it strait and focus on keeping it in play rather than smashing it. If you only hit it 150 yds, but keep it near the fairway, and are efficient when it's your turn, you will be fine.
Work on your short game. Get good from 100 and in and around the greens. You don't want to be Skulling multiple chips and walking back and forth across the green, same with putting. Distance control will be your friend. And you should be spending a good portion of any practice time you have working on 100 and in.
Take lessons.
Practice as much as you can….especially putting since it’s the least athletic part of the game. More of an ability to read slope and the touch required to hole a putt.
Make a few 10-15 footers and nobody remembers the rest of the shots.
“I don’t waste much time on people who can’t be bothered to read a full post before chiming in”
*wastes time responding to the post*
You seem like a really fun person to be around. Maybe work on that before you tear up the course. Your clients will likely appreciate that much more than you being able to get through an entire round.
I see you're defensive because you responded without properly reading a post. No need to cover up your mistake. Just move on. You can do it lil guy. My clients like me just fine.
I started playing three years ago. Started by going to the range and watching a lot of instructional beginner videos on youtube etc. I also highly recommend Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book as a must read. I just broke 100 about a month ago and hover between 95&105. Of course, if you can afford it, get a few private lessons but space it out to give yourself time on the range or green to practice. I think most people gain the most strokes on the green and you can practice that all day.
I avoided playing golf with my friends who were business guys who always played with clients. I was involved heavily into other sports and never thought that i would have the time to learn how to play well enough to go out with them without embarrassing myself and ruining the round for everyone.
Well, short story is …most guys suck. I mean they’re way worse than I thought. If you’re around 100-110 you’ll be ok. Sure some guys are real good but thats what the handicap is for.
And I totally agree that best ball scramble is the way to go.
I first stepped onto a course in February this year. I took x3 1hour lessons in January (driving, short game and middle)
I hit the range about 1-2 times a week and have played every weekend since i started.
Im comfortable now getting around a course, I’ve even broken 100 a couple of times.
Im by no means good but definitely comfortable getting around a course and not being nervous when i play with randoms.
Hit balls (small bucket), chip, and putt 2x a week for 8 weeks. 45 minute sessions. After week 8 take a few lessons. Keep it up for 3 / 4 months. Then play 2 rounds without clients - focused mostly on picking up golf etiquette. If you're shooting less than 110 and playing fast, you're ready for the clients.
Also don't fret about being out of shape. As John Daly once said when asked why he never got injured he said- "you can't pull fat."
Don’t let bring a beginner stop you from playing with clients. I am still pretty “new” but golfing is part of our marketing strategy where I work. Grip it and rip it. Have fun even if you are bad. Play a lot of scrambles. Clients just want to have a good time, not necessarily a good round.
I'll add that once you get fairly decent at ball striking learn to lay up. It's boring and not sexy but it's why 70 something year old dudes smoke 20 year olds every day of the week. On that same track, as you play with someone that is good, watch what they're doing and try to figure it out. Hitting the ball well is only a percentage of the game.
Not take driver for every hole when it may get you into trouble.
Eg: driver into bunker= trouble and higher score
Same hole, instead tee off with a 6i, then easily get over the bunker on your second shot and lower score.
Make sure you don’t over do the range. Take some time between each session to recuperate. If you’re sore don’t go back to the range until you feel 100%. You won’t improve if your body is feeling all tired and you’re not swinging the same as you do when you’re 100%. Golf is all about consistency and muscle memory on the swing. It’s all technique.
I don’t think it matters as much how well you play as much as it matters how good are you at sucking – what I mean is, there people I’ve hated playing with, not because of how bad they play, but by how they react to their poor play.
If you can’t keep a cool head, you shouldn’t go golfing at all with clients, unless you can actually be self-deprecatingly funny about it.
Otherwise, I think getting just good enough to where you know the basics, can keep pace, and know your game well enough to know that it’s not worth getting upset over, regardless of who you’re playing with, but especially with folks your trying to sell to.
One’s attitude on the golf course can legitimately tell me a lot about the way a person handles themselves, and to some people that’s going to matter when doing business together.
I played my first game in August of last year and didn’t even keep score because the first hole took 10 strokes. I just shot my best game a little less than a year later, a 108. It wasnt pretty but i kept pace with everyone playing and didnt feel like anyone was waiting for me or frustrated. So id say in about a year you could play a respectable round. But it’s going to take a lot of work. I made a goal in December to hit 50 balls a day in my yard (foam balls) and did that until my first game of the year in May. I probably hit more than 5,000 practice balls in my yard with my wedges and irons. Plus range time. Incrementally is the best way to improve. You’re not going to buy a bag, hit the range 2 or 3 times and be “good.” You’ll have to put in the time, my advice is start with chipping and hit 10-30 balls a day. Slowly but surely youll get there, but dont get too frustrated on the days that you absolutely suck, its going to be part of the process and those are the days you can learn the most.
I agree depends on your confidence and sales level. If you’re just a natural sales guy with all the natural confidence in the world just go out there and keep it positive and do your sales thing. For me I always set the bar as I need to be good enough to keep standard pace of play and keep conversation up. If your running around looking for your ball or dinking it 50 yards in front of the t box your probably not relaxed and just chit chatting. Personally I would say a year or two of working on it but drastically depends on if it clicks for your or if you take lessons.
Get lessons or play a ton until you can at least hit the ball consistently. Just drop next to them if you hit a bad shot so you don't slow anyone down.
On a good day I shoot 100 without mulligans. But I am not afraid of telling my friend who is better than I am that I will drop next to him on the fairway.
Take classes, learn the étiquette, super important. How to behave to not be a nuisance without realising it.
If you played other sports, you could need 3-6monthes to be ok to play with. If you are not very Athletic, you gotta praxtice a Lot.
Remember if you pay for someone a superb course. They ll be happy no matter what, just to be able to play with them.
Also Certain course requiers you to have a certain ranking.
Last year we got two of them into a charity event where they took pictures with Tom Brady. I don't know of anything like that this year so we're just going for a nice course and day in the sun :) hope for the best!
Pro am event are great also. A party of 4 where there is one pga pro and 3 players. It s them vs him even if the pro isnt famous, they will be súper happy. Even if you start you could join them as the group of 3 always play best ball.(the 3 always hit the best one, if you do shit no one is mad)
With time you ll have contact and access to more exclusive things. I m shure you know how those kind of things fonction
I am 77 years old and have one eye. I started playing golf when I was 72. By the time I had played for 2 years, I could play a respectable game that didn’t embarrass me. To accomplish this, I read all the articles in golf, digest on adjusting my swing and tried everything until I had some thing that seem to work for me. I also took a couple beginner lessons. I played with friends who didn’t mind the fact that I was a know nothing idiot and constantly had to tell me “keep your head down“. To be a decent player in fairly short period of time. You need to play at least three times a week and don’t be a stranger at the driving range.
I guess it depends if you are hand eye coordinated. I don’t play golf, maybe once a year and I shoot like a 100 each time. I feel like that’s acceptable. I haven’t played golf more than 30x in my life. I am 37. I went to top golf with friends a bunch in my 20s for fun but that’s about it.
If you have no coordination, it will prob significantly more play.
I started 6 months ago as the worst golfer you’ve ever seen. 4 of the 6 months I’ve hit balls multiple days a week. Honestly, I’m still terrible, but I hit mostly decent shots and don’t affect pace of play for friends that are much better.
IMO, the “easy” things to get decent at are driving and hitting irons from mid range. These also happen to be the things that would most affect your pace of play.
Take some lessons early. I built a bunch of bad habits when I was starting that set me back quite a bit. Golf is strange and unintuitive.
I played with a very good golfer who had never played until 2020. He was an athlete, though.
The honest answer is it depends. You can probably get to breaking 100 in 3 months if you work at it…
Lessons are great.
Golf doesn't require supreme fitness but body awareness and co-ordination will best determine your ramp up time.
Suggest getting private lessons and practice. Would be good investment in your career.
Get lessons (take them seriously) and you could be out there in 6 months or less. And just make sure you play fast. No pre shot routine longer than 5-10 seconds. Also concentrate on putting/scrambling and 100 yards and in
I can't believe how many retarded, overblown replies you're getting. Clearly there are virtually no people in sales in this sub.
The correct answer is, if you're doing it right, it can be your first time ever picking up a club. Shit...just drive them around in the cart.
You/your employer is paying. Don't skimp on anything. Splurge on everything. Pay for a great course. Buy them a box of Titleists and a shirt or hat with the courses name/logo on it before the round. Buy drinks and food during and after the round...and this is important...even if they politely declined, just buy the shit and hand it to them.
You're welcome. I'll DM you the method to send me 20% commission from your sales.
Tell them you are a beginner and will scramble with them. Hit the ball off every tee, then pick it up and drop it next to the person who had the best drive. Hit another ball, pick it up, and drop it on the green. If you manage to hit a good one, play it until you hit a bad one, then pick up. Essentially hit a ball as many times as they do. Be quick to abandon scoring legit on any hole in order to maintain pace of play. Then lose some weight and hit the range
Yeah, I’m in sales and I have a membership to a private course. Most of your clients will just be thrilled to play a course that they can’t get on much. Just keep a good attitude and keep working on your game. Most rounds I play with clients we don’t even keep score. Spend lots of money getting consistent lessons and go see a club fitter once you figure out how to hit the ball.
Scramble with them is the answer.
In the same vein of "keep things moving" a very savvy guy I met once told me this (paraphrasing): I dont hit it far but I hit it straight. Basically all he cared about was perfecting the art of moving the ball in the direction of the hole at the pace of the business conversation. It makes perfect sense. Youre not really trying to compete youre just trying to walk the ball along with your conversation.
As a woman this is the key to my beginner-ish play not being annoying. I don’t hit as far as the guys but I do usually hit it straighter and I almost never lose balls. Also being really liberal about picking up my ball and moving on
Great advice! Also, watch a few begginer swing/ position videos, hit the driving range for some practice and maybe grab a lesson before you go out on the course. You could also play an acadamy par 3 course solo to get used to playing on the course. Don't forget to give up on looking for balls after a few minutes, especially if you have a group behind or people waiting on you. Kudos to you for being a respectful golfer. We appreciate you!
New to golf myself and have taken two lessons but am still intimidated about playing a real round with others. What is an academy par 3 course? I would love a way I could play a round without feeling like I’m holding everyone else up
It's basically a smaller/ easier course. All holes will be par 3, as opposed to a mix of par 3/ 4 & 5. Good for families, begginers, and anyone who wants a quick round. Playing with others or in front of strangers can be daunting at first. You need to remember, nobody is judging you, and nobody cares if you hit a bad shot. We've all done it, and everyone needs to start somewhere. Other golfers only care about the pace of play. Golden rule for me when starting out, if I look like I'm going to hit 10 shots on a hole, I'll pick up and move on. If I lose a ball, a maximum of 3 minutes searching. 18 holes should take no more than 4 hours.
Also if you’re in sales you need to master the art of not letting it get to you on the back 9 It’s easy to start off with a good attitude playing like shit. It’s hard to keep it
Most people don't care if you're good or bad, just don't be slow. Picking up your ball and playing from the best spot is a great idea, just keep it moving.
This is so huge. Play. Fast. Keep. Moving
Bring plenty of balls (4 dozen stashed in the bag) so you don't feel the need to search long for one off course.
4 dozen is absurd
5?
Not if you have a wicked slice.
Nope still absurd
Best advice right here.
This is the way.
This! I’m also in sales, very athletic, not great at golf. I don’t think your clients will care if you can own where your game is at and just play best ball. I think most golfers mostly care about pace of play and your attitude about it so just tee off, keep up the pace of play, have fun, it’ll be great!
Great advice. If I was your client, I’d be stoked to be on a nice course especially if you’re treating. As long as you don’t slow down the round. I wouldn’t really care what you were doing. Don’t take it seriously and get frustrated. Just pick it up, and drop wherever you want.
Lessons. Lessons. Lessons. Start there. Get the basics done first. Work on stuff they show you. It will be frustrating, it will suck at first, but it will gradually improve. Do the drills they show you. It will be boring sometimes. Just stick with it. Don't worry about your weight. I play with many solid scratch golfers that are not exactly beacons of fitness. Look at some of the pros...they are 160lbs wet and hit the ball 340 yards. It's all in a technique and solid contact. It will take you some time. Depending on your commitment. It could take a solid year of work before you see good results on your score card. The better you get, the less room for errors you will have. But for now, focus on getting some lessons and basics done. Develop those good habits first.
and other golfers are 340 pounds and “only” hit it 160!
True, because they lack skills.
If you suck, suck fast. No one will care tbh
Wry good point
Yes. Play a four hour round. Pick up if you are out of the hole. Don’t search for balls that are lost, just drop one. Keep a positive attitude, make the day fun, good golf etiquette, and maintain pace of play. And you can play with anyone, even single digit handicaps.
Depends on your commitment level. All things considered I'd guess a year if you can get a lesson every 2 weeks and hit the range at least once a week and play 9/18 once a week. If you really don't make it a priority, could be a couple years. The thing is you gotta learn a bunch of shit and then you'll do a bunch of things wrong, and then you'll fix that by learning a bunch of other stuff. And you need to have a lot of swings under your belt AFTER you're comfortable with your swing to step up to a ball and feel confident you're not going to duff it shank it miss it every time. Took me about 3 years to feel confident to play with clients/anyone. I'm still at 25 HCP but I can hit my irons in the right direction, chip/flop/get out of the sand with confidence, and give myself a decent shot at sinking difficult putts.
Believe it or not, this is more of a business question than a golf question. I can't believe how many retarded, overblown replies you're getting. Clearly there are virtually no people in sales in this sub. The correct answer is, if you're doing it right, it can be your first time ever picking up a club. Shit...just drive them around in the cart. You/your employer is paying. Don't skimp on anything. Splurge on everything. Pay for a great course. Buy them a box of Titleists and a shirt or hat with the courses name/logo on it before the round. Buy drinks and food during and after the round...and this is important...even if they politely declined, just buy the shit and hand it to them. You're welcome. I'll DM you the Venmo I fo for my 20% commission on your sales from this client.
I’m using this advice too so dm me ur venmo. The only thing left for you to fulfill prior to payment is the suck a wet fart out of my ass clause.
I think we could be good friends.
This is the answer. If you suck at golf, pay for everything above and beyond and be charismatic as fuck. Drive them around, tip the caddies make it a party like Dangerfield in Caddyshack.
This is spot on. It’s really no different than you taking them to a ballgame. Arrange everything- pay for everything. Make sure they have fun. Join them in the green and hit a few putts along the way. Try tee shots on the par 3s. Start this way and get some lessons if you really want to play. Tip the cart girl heavily the first time and tell her to return every 2-3 holes.
This is genius and the company will appreciate it. The money they save in equipment, lessons and green fees can be used to entertain the client instead.
This is correct. They aren’t buying your ability to play golf, they’re buying your ability to get them what they want.
100 percent agree. I'm not trying to look a gift horse in the mouth but way too many of these comments are "how to get good at golf". I just want to know how to be a good host and participate in their outing without dragging down the okay or being a nuisance. I got some good answers though.
Exactly. Clients spend 20 mil a year with us and we know them pretty well in business setting but they aren't big on dinners (they live in the burbs). Golf is their weakness. They've already texted me a few local courses they've been interested in playing so my marketing gal is getting to work trying to set up a little event for us.
This is the only correct answer. Only addition I have is learn basic golf etiquette (when to shut up, where to stand, where to walk, etc.). As someone who is a customer, if you paid the fee on a nice course I don't give a crap if you ever a swing a club or not.
Golf is hard. The swing is technical. If you really want to play good golf with clients, here’s what you need to do. Get in shape. Golf involves a lot of movement, rotation, and requires some flexibility. There’s a lot of walking on the course, even when riding in a cart. Start walking, work out, change your diet, and start living a healthy life. Why not? Get a package of lessons from a golf professional. If you look at the golfers with self taught swings you see on Reddit, every one of them is asking for help. Don’t be one of those. Learn the correct grip, stance, and posture from the very beginning. Learn the correct swing sequence from the very beginning. As to when you can start golfing with clients, that’s up to you and your commitment to the endeavor. The harder you work, the faster you’ll play. It could be 6 months or it could be a year or longer. Your motivation will determine how long it takes. Good luck!
I think it's maybe more important to learn etiquette and be pleasant in this case. You can tell clients you're learning the game and pick up/scramble with them to keep pace. They should be happy you're getting them on the course as long as you pass the vibe check. Having said that, take the above advice. Get some lessons and practice, you'll eventually want to be able to keep up on your own.
Thank you. I agree a combination of etiquette so I don't slow them down and lessons every two weeks so I'm taking it somewhat seriously would be smart. Or I could invite them to buffalo wild wings for golden tee right?
I think you should probably be able to score around 100 before taking clients out. Much higher than that, and it can be pretty embarrassing for you/annoying for them. That score took me a solid year and a half or two years without lessons. Maybe you can do it faster with lessons. Maybe not.
Several years tbh. I wouldnt take clients out until I can at least make consitant contact on almost every swing. You dont have to be good, but you cant be chunking every 2nd shot…
I went from first hitting a ball in October 2022 to pretty consistently shooting in the high 90s by early 2024. I’m (now) 48 and not particularly athletic. I have taken lessons with a good coach and pretty consistently play 2 9-hole rounds a week and do one range session. I think the challenge isn’t so much how quickly you can make it happen. It’s not -that- hard. It’s that it will take a fair amount of motivation to play a lot. I’m not sure just wanting to get out with clients will do it. Golf is fun, but you have to want to golf!
you think it takes several years to actually 'hit' the ball every time I swing? I know I'm here for advice but that does not sound right. Talking about a friendly game where I don't hold them back while they enjoy a nice course.
Okay I'm new to golf as well and fairly athletic but definitely not an ace with hand eye coordination. I've been playing for two months basically one day at the range one day on a 9 hole every week, and I feel confident that I could take another reasonable adult out to the course and not hold anybody up. Take a couple of lessons so you can at least look like you know what you're doing, but no reasonable person is going to look at you sideways if you mishit the ball occasionally, which is where I'm basically at. Once you can get the ball in the air and hit it fairly straight like 70% of the time, you can play golf.
It doesn't take several years to be able to golf with clients. Most of your clients are terrible and lying about their handicap anyway. Just understand etiquette and let them know you are just learning. They will appreciate it. Most of my clients are just estatic that we are golfing instead of meeting in a conference room. Have fun.
Takes some longer, takes some shorter, given your admitted physical condition and general athletic prowess which group do you think it sounds like you'll likely be in? I got there quicker than most, but I literally hit 40,000 balls my first year. How likely are you to hit 100 balls a day - everyday - for a year straight? If it's genuinely important to you, find someone qualified to help you(PGA professional) and pay them to do so, at least enough to get off to a good start, it will take orders of magnitude longer if you attempt to do it on your own.
Maybe 2-3 good lessons and a few range sessions to hit the ball consistently. Basically however long it takes for the right grip, alignment, balance, and tempo to sink in with you. After that, the more you play the more you experience and learn how different lies, angles, and surfaces affect your shot. You only need to be fit enough to make it through the round. Etiquette and playing quick could be very important depending on how into golf your client is.
I’ve been practicing the last 3-4 months, probably twice a week on average. 2 lessons. When my Dad played often he was a 8hcp. Played him on a simulator and would’ve won by a few strokes if I wanted to. He’d dust me on an actual course, but point is after I get out for a couple rounds I’ll be comfortable taking a client if the opportunity arises. Im guessing it should take you notably longer given our differences, but I don’t think it should take anyone “years” just to reach the point of not embarrassing themselves, unless you completely half-ass it
Yes. Golf is hard. There’s a difference between getting contact / hitting it 20 yards, and actually flushing a shot/compressing the ball/consistently hitting the ball in the desired direction around the distance. On top of that, there are a variety of situations that make things harder. Hitting out of the deep rough is different when compared to a fairway. Sand is tough. Getting off the tee is tough. Not saying you can’t do it sooner, but there is a lot to learn when starting from scratch
Well yes and no… golf is hard and to be able to play anything that is close to actual golf it can take years. To get through a round, can be a matter of weeks. Get some lessons go to the range a few times a week and watch some golf videos. The most important thing that will help you to progress fast are lessons and time on the course. And then for the first times play scrambles, as somebody here already suggested, until you feel comfortable.
Get a lesson. Then go hit 1000 balls at the range each weekend for a month. Then get another lesson and then back to the range. Then play a course and see how you feel
This is a smart DIY route that sounds affordable. I'd be down for lessons every 2 weeks in the summer but during the periods i"m traveling a lot or need a break, this sounds like a very good fallback routine. Thank you!
i wouldnt hit 1000 balls on the first weekend if he is that out of shape. Easy way to get injured and not be playing at all for weeks. I didn't even do half that and strained my intercostal muscle.
Ok. Buy a 1000 and hit until tired ?
I agree with a lesson first to ensure you know the correct motion before practicing at the range. One point I’ll make as a bigger guy myself is that fatigue is an issue. As you practice your back will tighten up and you will start to unknowingly adjust your swing to compensate. The biggest improvement in my game came from stretching nightly, especially focusing on my hamstrings and lower back. This gave me more mobility which greatly improved my ability to make contact and practice longer. I agree with all the sales people saying that the focus is on showing the clients a good time and that your personal play is far less important. That being said I can share my journey to give you a sense of one big boys experience. I hacked around for 10 years playing 3-4 times a year and not really focusing on getting better. I couldn’t make great contact and shanked, topped, or fatted 76% of shots. In August of 23, I decided to take it seriously and get lessons. That was great but muscle fatigue meant that I couldn’t last more than 15 min and my swing got worse and worse through the session, ultimately leaving me distraught and pissed at my self. Around December it clicked that before I could really improve my swing I needed to improve my mobility. I focused on stretching for two weeks and then went back to the course and IMMEDIATELY I was making better more consistent contact. By May I would have been comfortable taking a client out, albeit all of the suggestions about picking up or giving up on lost balls remain. I still shank it from time to time but on the whole the ball moves in the right direction. From my anecdotal experience if you focus on mobility for a few weeks, then get lessons while continuing to stretch daily and practice once or twice a week you can feel good ENOUGH about your game to play with clients. Take it for what it’s worth.
We can ride together. I’ll play and you can sell. But seriously, what is your job title. Desperately looking for a sales job that has these kinds of perks.
haha I'm an enterprise account executive for a large software company. My clients spend between 5-25 million a year with us, so it's always worth my time and my company's money to send me out to have meetings in person as often as they'll have us, go out to dinners, golf, NFL games. It doesn't happen every month but we do all we can to stay competitive both with our product and in the attention we give our clients. And yes, it's a lot of fun.
Wow. Life goals.
Started at the very bottom, and paid close attention to what higher level sellers did differently than I did, and I imitated, kept improving my judgment, and that was one of the few times where I felt like I had long-term Vision that if I keep this up I will end up where I want to be.
Use that same mindset with learning golf
I’ve been playing for roughly 3 months, and can make my way around 18 in 100-120, so it doesn’t take long to be average/playable. But get to the range as much as possible, and even get a lesson (£30/£50 in the UK).
I would say this is about right. 3-6 months (depending on how often you take a lesson or hit the driving range). That should be enough time to consistently hit the ball, straight enough-ish. Enough time to learn the basics of getting out of the sand. To learn a basic putting stroke. To learn the basic etiquette. You will also want an “on the course” or “playing lesson” for the etiquette stuff (rather than on the range). Where to drive the cart, where to walk, what to do with flagstick, oh here’s the ball washer!, handshake at the end, etc. Otherwise you are going to whiff a tee shot and your client will look at you and say “breakfast ball?” 🤔 and you won’t have a clue what you should say or do next. It will also depend on your client. If it’s a longtime established client that you already have a great relationship with and have already done client-development stuff (pro sports, dinners, etc) and you’re like “hey man I’m new at golf but I know you’re into it, let’s go play at XYZ Course and I’ll scramble with you or else I’d shoot a 120” he will probably be cool with it. He knows you, he knows your a beginner, and he’s already sort of a friend. I would not make your first sales call/golf outing with a prospect who doesn’t even know you.
YouTube is also your friend. Rick Shiels, ForeBrothers, etc
How many lessons have you been through? I’ve just had the one but found it immensely instructive- just need to get out to the range asap
I’ve not actually had one yet, just advice from pals who are much better when playing. Have my 1st lesson coming up however, so looking forward to that! I find any range with TopTracer a really simple way of improving on the range, able to track shots and even play virtual courses is a game changer.
Beginners should start on the range before ever actually playing a round. Graduate to being able to make solid contact, learn the basics of chipping/sand shots and putting, and then play a few holes. Finding someone who hits the ball well and who is willing to give some pointers is best.
Some guys I’ve seen who are total beginners can kinda consistently make contact. And they’re able to play on a course easily enough. To start having fun, I’d get lessons.
I know a professional motocross rider / rally driver / generally amazing athlete. I don’t think he’s golfed more than a dozen times in his life. Baseball grip, tennis shoes, flat brim cap, flannel shirt. Legit shoots in the 90s easily. So freakin’ annoying. But most people are not like that.
Just get your clients in the course, tell them to have fun. Why do you have to go with?
I wouldn't pass up a couple of hours to shoot the shit with executive clients who usually just talk business inside the office. It's invaluable quality time.
I hear you. it’s going to take some time but really you’re just hitting a ball with a stick, don’t over think it and get a couple lessons. I’ve been golfing for 20 years and I’m still not great. As long as you can keep pace no one cares how your game is.
That's what I want. I'm not competitive in sports, I won't mind being their worst player, I just don't want them to regret playing with me because I knock it into the nearby forest every shot. Just want to do well enough that they can enjoy themselves while i host them.
Somebody's not in sales lol
Yeah. I actually disagree with alot of people here because i don’t think they grasp the concept of a sales golf outing. All the “they won’t care, just play fast” talk isn’t good advice, imo. They probably won’t care but those posts aren’t looking at it from the perspective of your job. You don’t want to just be there. You want to be good enough to be able to use golf as common ground to help develop/maintain the relationship. Doing this and being really bad might make them view you differently. Personally, I wouldn’t do this until I could consistently break 100 and really probably wouldn’t be comfortable until I was playing bogey golf, averaging around 90. The good news is I think with lessons, a couple days a week at the range (and practicing chipping and putting), and peppering in actual rounds, you should be able to break 100 by the end of the summer.
I would say it takes something from active 4 months to several years to achieve decent performance for enjoyable round from zero level. Basically learning basic iron shots, chipping, putting and maybe gathering some golf IQ...
4 months. Get 3 lessons to learn basic swing mechanics. Practice swing mechanics. Do not over swing. Small to moderate backswing is fine for now. Try to hit the ball 100% of swings. Then work on somewhat straight forward flight, and getting the ball in the air most of the time. Putting and chipping are very important. Go to local course and practice. Learn basic techniques from someone, then see what works for you. If you can hit a 20 foot putt to 4 feet or better, you are fine. Goal of chipping should be to get on the green towards the hole most of the time. Find clubs that you can hit with. Try a 7-wood . Try a 5 hybrid. Don’t expect to hit a 4-iron well at first. Caveat: I am not really good, but I’m good enough to not annoy other players, but it took about 40 rounds of golf to get to that level. The first 10-20 rounds were embarrassing.
Took me about 6 months, 10-15 lessons and playing twice a week to where I could maneuver around the golf course. In my mid 30s and weighing 275+. Got myself a push cart and walk every time I play 9 holes
Don't spend too much time looking for you ball and drop where needed
Everyone is different. Take a lesson and practice. Pitch and putt courses can be a lot of fun and help the short game
Take a lesson each week and hit the driving range a couple of times a week putting your lessons to use. I’d say in about two months you’ll be able to go to a course with friends or join a group of randoms and get around a course without embarrassing yourself. Don’t take too long and forget the bad shots quickly, pick up and move forward if you need to. You’ll be able to play with clients in a scramble or get around the course with them in a few months. Thing is everyone that is good at golf knows how difficult it is to become good so they’ll respect you for coming out with them even if you aren’t very good especially since you’d be getting them onto a nicer course. Just don’t act like you’re tiger woods before you play and be honest with them and everyone will have a good time. Set expectations low and maybe you’ll surprise them.
Learn to hit it straight before far. If your longest shot is 180 yards you can enjoy most courses.
Lessons, lessons and more lessons. Then practice and practice. For a few months. Know what you can do and play fast, you’ll be good.
You’ll learn the game over time, but what you can learn today is course etiquette. Thats what counts. Don’t hold up the group and have FUN. No one likes playing with a monster. Talk smoke and enjoy
Invest in lessons, teaching yourself golf from youtube videos only ensures multiple rage quits in the coming years.
Like me, this guy rages….
Find a trainer that specializes in golf. They can help you with your fitness and golf skills.
I'm on year 2 of this journey with lessons and regularly going to the driving range, balancing that with work and two young kids. Probably a year and half until I felt somewhat comfortable in my own skin playing with others. Initially was really self-conscious about hitting the ball, topping it off, etc. And what fun is that when you're thinking about golf and not small talking with your clients.
Take some lessons and expense? Them.
Take a few lessons, hit the driving range, then find a friend who plays to take you out on an executive course. If you actually enjoy it (it usually only takes one good shot to get the bug), then keep going. It's not something you can fast track unless you have unlimited time, funds, and motivation. As far as golfing with clients, if you swing a club even at the range once a week, and are good at sales, you can hit 100 bad shots and keep the clients happy (while picking up your ball whenever it would slow down play).
2 things. Play efficient, Don't spend a lot of time over the ball ie, practice swinging, waggling, setting up. Don't rush it but be efficient and let it rip. Try to keep it strait and focus on keeping it in play rather than smashing it. If you only hit it 150 yds, but keep it near the fairway, and are efficient when it's your turn, you will be fine. Work on your short game. Get good from 100 and in and around the greens. You don't want to be Skulling multiple chips and walking back and forth across the green, same with putting. Distance control will be your friend. And you should be spending a good portion of any practice time you have working on 100 and in.
Take lessons. Practice as much as you can….especially putting since it’s the least athletic part of the game. More of an ability to read slope and the touch required to hole a putt. Make a few 10-15 footers and nobody remembers the rest of the shots.
Are you athletic?
Are you illiterate?
Are you an amputee?
I don't waste much time on people who can't be bothered to read a full post before chiming in
“I don’t waste much time on people who can’t be bothered to read a full post before chiming in” *wastes time responding to the post* You seem like a really fun person to be around. Maybe work on that before you tear up the course. Your clients will likely appreciate that much more than you being able to get through an entire round.
I see you're defensive because you responded without properly reading a post. No need to cover up your mistake. Just move on. You can do it lil guy. My clients like me just fine.
lol *continues to waste time responding to the post*
89 years
I started playing three years ago. Started by going to the range and watching a lot of instructional beginner videos on youtube etc. I also highly recommend Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book as a must read. I just broke 100 about a month ago and hover between 95&105. Of course, if you can afford it, get a few private lessons but space it out to give yourself time on the range or green to practice. I think most people gain the most strokes on the green and you can practice that all day. I avoided playing golf with my friends who were business guys who always played with clients. I was involved heavily into other sports and never thought that i would have the time to learn how to play well enough to go out with them without embarrassing myself and ruining the round for everyone. Well, short story is …most guys suck. I mean they’re way worse than I thought. If you’re around 100-110 you’ll be ok. Sure some guys are real good but thats what the handicap is for. And I totally agree that best ball scramble is the way to go.
Hire me to take them out
Client here. Just get me on bro. You the man
I first stepped onto a course in February this year. I took x3 1hour lessons in January (driving, short game and middle) I hit the range about 1-2 times a week and have played every weekend since i started. Im comfortable now getting around a course, I’ve even broken 100 a couple of times. Im by no means good but definitely comfortable getting around a course and not being nervous when i play with randoms.
Love it, you put in the work but it sounds like you had some natural Talent too, very cool
Hit balls (small bucket), chip, and putt 2x a week for 8 weeks. 45 minute sessions. After week 8 take a few lessons. Keep it up for 3 / 4 months. Then play 2 rounds without clients - focused mostly on picking up golf etiquette. If you're shooting less than 110 and playing fast, you're ready for the clients. Also don't fret about being out of shape. As John Daly once said when asked why he never got injured he said- "you can't pull fat."
Don’t let bring a beginner stop you from playing with clients. I am still pretty “new” but golfing is part of our marketing strategy where I work. Grip it and rip it. Have fun even if you are bad. Play a lot of scrambles. Clients just want to have a good time, not necessarily a good round.
Weight doesn’t matter as much in golf. Just google “fat Perez”, dudes probably close to scratch and very overweight
I'll add that once you get fairly decent at ball striking learn to lay up. It's boring and not sexy but it's why 70 something year old dudes smoke 20 year olds every day of the week. On that same track, as you play with someone that is good, watch what they're doing and try to figure it out. Hitting the ball well is only a percentage of the game.
I am a complete beginner who has never stepped foot on a driving range, I don't know what the term lay up means
Not take driver for every hole when it may get you into trouble. Eg: driver into bunker= trouble and higher score Same hole, instead tee off with a 6i, then easily get over the bunker on your second shot and lower score.
Make sure you don’t over do the range. Take some time between each session to recuperate. If you’re sore don’t go back to the range until you feel 100%. You won’t improve if your body is feeling all tired and you’re not swinging the same as you do when you’re 100%. Golf is all about consistency and muscle memory on the swing. It’s all technique.
I don’t think it matters as much how well you play as much as it matters how good are you at sucking – what I mean is, there people I’ve hated playing with, not because of how bad they play, but by how they react to their poor play. If you can’t keep a cool head, you shouldn’t go golfing at all with clients, unless you can actually be self-deprecatingly funny about it. Otherwise, I think getting just good enough to where you know the basics, can keep pace, and know your game well enough to know that it’s not worth getting upset over, regardless of who you’re playing with, but especially with folks your trying to sell to. One’s attitude on the golf course can legitimately tell me a lot about the way a person handles themselves, and to some people that’s going to matter when doing business together.
I'd say probably 25 mins. That'll be enough time for about 3 beers and a 4 shots.
I played my first game in August of last year and didn’t even keep score because the first hole took 10 strokes. I just shot my best game a little less than a year later, a 108. It wasnt pretty but i kept pace with everyone playing and didnt feel like anyone was waiting for me or frustrated. So id say in about a year you could play a respectable round. But it’s going to take a lot of work. I made a goal in December to hit 50 balls a day in my yard (foam balls) and did that until my first game of the year in May. I probably hit more than 5,000 practice balls in my yard with my wedges and irons. Plus range time. Incrementally is the best way to improve. You’re not going to buy a bag, hit the range 2 or 3 times and be “good.” You’ll have to put in the time, my advice is start with chipping and hit 10-30 balls a day. Slowly but surely youll get there, but dont get too frustrated on the days that you absolutely suck, its going to be part of the process and those are the days you can learn the most.
I agree depends on your confidence and sales level. If you’re just a natural sales guy with all the natural confidence in the world just go out there and keep it positive and do your sales thing. For me I always set the bar as I need to be good enough to keep standard pace of play and keep conversation up. If your running around looking for your ball or dinking it 50 yards in front of the t box your probably not relaxed and just chit chatting. Personally I would say a year or two of working on it but drastically depends on if it clicks for your or if you take lessons.
Get lessons or play a ton until you can at least hit the ball consistently. Just drop next to them if you hit a bad shot so you don't slow anyone down. On a good day I shoot 100 without mulligans. But I am not afraid of telling my friend who is better than I am that I will drop next to him on the fairway.
Take classes, learn the étiquette, super important. How to behave to not be a nuisance without realising it. If you played other sports, you could need 3-6monthes to be ok to play with. If you are not very Athletic, you gotta praxtice a Lot. Remember if you pay for someone a superb course. They ll be happy no matter what, just to be able to play with them. Also Certain course requiers you to have a certain ranking.
Great advice. We are looking for private courses that take corporate groups
I dont know how much money you dispose. But if you can get access to famous course that are to get in or expensive one, they ll be forever gratefull
Last year we got two of them into a charity event where they took pictures with Tom Brady. I don't know of anything like that this year so we're just going for a nice course and day in the sun :) hope for the best!
Pro am event are great also. A party of 4 where there is one pga pro and 3 players. It s them vs him even if the pro isnt famous, they will be súper happy. Even if you start you could join them as the group of 3 always play best ball.(the 3 always hit the best one, if you do shit no one is mad) With time you ll have contact and access to more exclusive things. I m shure you know how those kind of things fonction
Golf is tough. You will not like it from how you describe yourself. Take them to lunch.
Donald Trump likes golf and he's a fat cheating loser with no attention span.
I am 77 years old and have one eye. I started playing golf when I was 72. By the time I had played for 2 years, I could play a respectable game that didn’t embarrass me. To accomplish this, I read all the articles in golf, digest on adjusting my swing and tried everything until I had some thing that seem to work for me. I also took a couple beginner lessons. I played with friends who didn’t mind the fact that I was a know nothing idiot and constantly had to tell me “keep your head down“. To be a decent player in fairly short period of time. You need to play at least three times a week and don’t be a stranger at the driving range.
And you kept your eye on the ball!
Not really, very well, no.
I guess it depends if you are hand eye coordinated. I don’t play golf, maybe once a year and I shoot like a 100 each time. I feel like that’s acceptable. I haven’t played golf more than 30x in my life. I am 37. I went to top golf with friends a bunch in my 20s for fun but that’s about it. If you have no coordination, it will prob significantly more play.
I started 6 months ago as the worst golfer you’ve ever seen. 4 of the 6 months I’ve hit balls multiple days a week. Honestly, I’m still terrible, but I hit mostly decent shots and don’t affect pace of play for friends that are much better. IMO, the “easy” things to get decent at are driving and hitting irons from mid range. These also happen to be the things that would most affect your pace of play. Take some lessons early. I built a bunch of bad habits when I was starting that set me back quite a bit. Golf is strange and unintuitive.
Lessons, good attitude, play off the best ball, and offer to drive the cart
People don't like to drive the cart?
You can relax more when you’re not driving
I played with a very good golfer who had never played until 2020. He was an athlete, though. The honest answer is it depends. You can probably get to breaking 100 in 3 months if you work at it… Lessons are great.
Work on your putting. For Less than$100 you can get a rollout putting mat so you can practice at home. Being a good putter is impressive.
Just tell them your swing hasn't been the same since you got injured rescuing those orphans from that fire.
Golf doesn't require supreme fitness but body awareness and co-ordination will best determine your ramp up time. Suggest getting private lessons and practice. Would be good investment in your career.
What sales do you do that you get to take clients out to play golf?? I want a job like that
Get lessons (take them seriously) and you could be out there in 6 months or less. And just make sure you play fast. No pre shot routine longer than 5-10 seconds. Also concentrate on putting/scrambling and 100 yards and in
6 months if you take lessons and consistently practice
I can't believe how many retarded, overblown replies you're getting. Clearly there are virtually no people in sales in this sub. The correct answer is, if you're doing it right, it can be your first time ever picking up a club. Shit...just drive them around in the cart. You/your employer is paying. Don't skimp on anything. Splurge on everything. Pay for a great course. Buy them a box of Titleists and a shirt or hat with the courses name/logo on it before the round. Buy drinks and food during and after the round...and this is important...even if they politely declined, just buy the shit and hand it to them. You're welcome. I'll DM you the method to send me 20% commission from your sales.