What Can We Learn About Business and Coaching From Collegiate Golf?

I recently read a great article in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Golf Digest by Derek Duncan, entitled How We Roll.  The article focused on several players and coaches of the University of Texas and Vanderbilt University golf teams.  Buried within the presentation of the school’s various coaching systems and the discussion of their conditioning, practice and competitive rituals were many concepts that directly translate into the world of business.  In addition, these same concepts underlie many of the fundamentals inherent in business coaching.

Coach John Fields is the longtime coach of the number one ranked (coming into the 2019-2020 season) University of Texas Longhorn’s golf team.  Coach Fields is one of the deans of college golf.  He has coached the Longhorns 23 years of his 33-year coaching career.  To quote the article, “he runs the program with the wise, dispassionate confidence of a second term president.  He can be stern but warm …”  Vanderbilt’s coach Scott Limbaugh has transformed the Commodores into a national collegiate golf powerhouse since he arrived there in 2012.

Here are a few highlights:

·    Conditioning – both teams devote time toward golf specific physical conditioning. In business coaching, we coach our clients to condition themselves and their teams to deliver their product or service with absolute consistency.  As one of our ActionCOACH presentation slides says

“Consistency = The Foundation For Healthy Growth”

·    Teamwork – While all to the team members compete for the limited number of player slots at each tournament, they are totally and completely supportive of their team members. They understand the value of teamwork and hold each other accountable to team standards. During tournaments, the selected players feel the pressure that results from not wanting to let their teammates down.  Teamwork is the key to building a successful, growing business.  How are you maximizing teamwork in your company?  Are you getting maximum leverage of your and your team’s talents? 

·    Practice – Quite simply, they practice their butts off. However, their practices do not consist of random hitting balls on the range or practice rounds.  They practice with purpose, working on strengthening the areas of their games that the numerous statistics lead them to.  They practice to round out their games, to develop situational awareness and competitive instincts.  They practice their fundamentals and hone their instincts beyond firing at pins and exact yardages.  What practice and training have you implemented in your business?  Sales training?  Customer service training?  Training on the company Mission Vision and Culture?

·    Competition – As mentioned above the team members compete for player slots for most tournaments. In business, competition sharpen skills, focus and lead to increased results.  Are you running sales competitions?  Do you reward and celebrate wins and achievements?

·    Coaching – Both coaches help their team members to a deeper understanding of competitive collegiate golf.

o  That score is not the only measure of success.

o  Which statistics matter the most?

Coach Fields summed it up this way … “I really want to see if our performance can approach our talent level.”  Is the performance of your business approaching the talent level of you and your team?  Is your or your team’s talent level up to the level needed to succeed?

If you answered NO to any of the questions above, you need a business coach!

Our mission at ActionCOACH is to assist you to have more YES answers.

Any No’s, Give me a call, NOW!