The Sneaky Ways That Playing Golf Gives You An Edge In Your Career

Maybe you’ve figured this out already but I am not a full time golf blogger. Womp Womp. Blogging & creating resources for women golfers is a passion & labor of love for me. I love playing golf and I feel strongly that more women should be knowledgeable about golf, and get out and play golf on the course much more often.

My real job is working in supply chain management. I am grateful to (so far) have had a great career working in manufacturing, quality and now supply chain. Recently I have been reflecting about how golf has impacted my career, considering both the missed opportunities and the advantages I’ve had because of golf. You’ll see that even though I am not a lawyer or salesperson, I don’t work in finance or consulting, golf has definitely come up many times over the years. I’ve only just started taking advantage of those opportunities and I feel that it has really impacted my network & therefore my growth.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Relationships Drive Career Success

Let me share some eye-opening statistics that reveal just how critical relationship-building is to professional success:

The Career Reality:

• 85% of jobs are filled through networking rather than traditional job postings

• 70% of people got their current job through networking

The Relationship Power:

• Employees who feel more connected with people in their networks are 2x more likely to report higher levels of career sponsorship

The Common Ground Advantage:

• Shared interests create common ground that helps build trust and communication skills in professional relationships

• When colleagues, clients and managers have shared interests, it creates opportunities for deeper understanding and mutual respect

Here's the kicker: while networking and mentorship are proven career accelerators, many professional women are missing out on one of the most powerful relationship-building environments available—the golf course.

Why Golf Creates Such Strong Professional Bonds:

• 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf, making it a common interest shared across leadership levels

• The 4-hour average length of a golf round provides extended relationship-building time that's rare in business settings

• Golf's handicap system creates a level playing field where skill differences don't prevent meaningful participation

• Shared challenges and experiences on the course create the common ground that research shows is essential for building trust and deeper professional relationships

The Pattern I Keep Seeing (And It Breaks My Heart)

Just last month, I was at a sales conference with four team-building options: a brewery tour, an escape room, a cooking class, and a bar featuring premium mini golf. As I mingled during the cocktail hour, I talked with dozens of professional women from across the country. When the golf option came up in conversation, the responses were heartbreakingly predictable:

"I know nothing about golf!" "My swing is horrible." "I'll just embarrass myself."

One after another, these accomplished, intelligent women automatically counted themselves out. Despite my attempts to encourage them—explaining that it was mini golf, that skill level didn't matter, that it would be fun—they had already made up their minds.

The next day, I showed up to the golf event. Want to guess the demographic breakdown? It was almost entirely men. Key leaders from sales offices across the country. Regional directors I'd only known by name. Senior executives I'd never had casual conversation time with before.

For three hours, I had uninterrupted access to decision-makers, relationship-builders, and influencers in this critical area of our business. We laughed, we strategized, we shared stories about our backgrounds and career aspirations. I walked away with new connections, deeper relationships, and insights into upcoming opportunities.

Meanwhile, those talented women who had automatically opted out? They missed it all.

Beyond the Boardroom: How Supply Chain Taught Me Golf's True Value

I don't work in the "typical" golf industries—law, sales, consulting, finance or real estate. I'm in supply chain management, a field known for its hustle culture where we work hard and play hard. Over the years, I've been invited to all kinds of team-building events: paintball with manufacturing leadership (ouch!), canoeing down the Susquehanna River (my arms were sore for days!), bowling alleys, arcade nights and countless happy hours.

But there was one thread I kept pulling through the last few years: golf events.

What I discovered was that golf provided something these other activities couldn't—extended, meaningful conversation. When you're paintballing, you're strategizing and dodging. When you're canoeing, you're focused on not tipping over. But during a four-hour round of golf? That's when the real conversations happen.

It's during those walks or rides in the golf cart between holes that you learn about your colleague's career aspirations. It's while waiting on the tee box that you discover shared interests beyond work. It's in those moments of vulnerability—when your ball lands in the water hazard and you laugh it off—that authentic relationships are built.

The Instant Connection That Changed Everything

Just recently, I took on a new assignment in a completely different area of our business. If you've ever started a new role, you know that overwhelming feeling—there's SO much to learn, you feel inadequate, and honestly, it's kind of true that you know absolutely nothing at first.

During my transition training with Kyle, the gentleman who was moving out of the role I was taking, we made a discovery that changed our entire dynamic: we're both golfers.

What started as standard knowledge transfer sessions became something much richer. Kyle belongs to a local country club and, before his supply chain career, actually worked on a team that built some of our area's golf courses. Suddenly, our training sessions began with animated conversations about recent rounds, favorite local courses, and memorable golf experiences around Cincinnati and beyond.

"How'd you play last weekend?" became our natural icebreaker. We compared scorecards, shared our highs and lows, and discovered mutual respect for each other's dedication to improving our games. These weren't just pleasant small talk—they were relationship-building moments that created trust and rapport.

Here's what's powerful about this: when you're learning a new role, having the support and engagement of the people around you—especially someone who knows and has performed that role with excellence—is crucial. That shared golf connection gave us an immediate foundation of mutual respect and understanding that enhanced every aspect of our professional relationship.

While any common interest can build professional relationships, there's something special about the golf bond. Maybe it's the shared understanding of the game's challenges, the mutual respect for the dedication it takes to improve, or simply the extensive time golfers spend together on the course. Whatever it is, golf creates connections that extend far beyond the 18th hole.

Building Bridges Across Generations

Golf networking isn't just about connecting up the corporate ladder—sometimes it's about building meaningful relationships with the next generation of talent. As someone 20 years into my career managing a decent-sized team in supply chain analytics, I'll admit it can sometimes be challenging to connect with younger team members. The generational gap can feel significant when you're trying to build rapport and establish trust.

Last spring, one of my team members, Josh—a bright young man just a couple years out of college—mentioned he'd been invited to play in our company's golf league. This wasn't an official company-sanctioned league, but rather an organic group of employees that had been meeting for dozens of years at a course north of the city. (Having worked in three different locations around the country over the past 20 years, it's worth noting that I've never been asked to join any company-associated golf league myself—which speaks to how these informal networks often work.)

This spring, Josh shared exciting news: the league organizers had asked him and another young employee to take over as coordinators. Since I have experience setting up golf leagues myself—I run both indoor and outdoor women's leagues around Cincinnati—Josh and I began chatting about the ins and outs of league management. We didn’t just talk about our own golf games, we compared notes on how scores for the league were reported & tracked, how tee times were set, how prizes were given out for gross or net scores, and what the end of season party was going to look like for each respective league.

Both his league and mine met on Wednesday nights, which created the perfect rhythm for our Thursday morning office conversations. Like clockwork, when we were both downtown, we'd spend a few minutes catching up on how our respective leagues had gone the night before. These weren't lengthy conversations, but they provided a natural foundation for building our professional relationship.

This experience taught me something valuable about leadership: whether you have a small team or a large team, maintaining good relationships with your people is crucial. Employees are on developmental arcs, constantly learning, growing, and looking for their next opportunity. As a leader, you need to cultivate relationships that help you understand their aspirations while identifying suitable talent to backfill roles. More importantly, your reputation as a leader is made or broken by the sentiments of your current team. People talk. When you actively engage with your team beyond work tasks—when you show genuine interest in their lives and experiences—it shows up in their performance and their loyalty.

Having golf in common with Josh opened a door that might have otherwise remained closed. It gave us shared experiences to discuss, common challenges to navigate, and a foundation for mutual respect. It demonstrated that golf networking isn't always about impressing senior executives—sometimes it's about building authentic relationships with the emerging talent who will shape your organization's future.

The Unique Networking Magic of Golf

What makes golf such a powerful networking tool? It's not just the statistics—it's the psychology:

Time and Intimacy: 4 hours is the average length of time for a round of golf, or 2-2.5 hours for a 9 hole round. When was the last time you had four uninterrupted hours to build a relationship with a senior leader or potential business partner?

Leveled Playing Field: Golf's handicap system means beginners can compete alongside seasoned players. Your boss might have a 12 handicap while you're starting at 30—and you can still meaningfully compete with each other, as well as contribute meaningfully to a golf foursome team's success.

Character Revealing: 50% of people agree that the way a person plays golf is very similar to how he or she conducts business. How someone handles pressure on the 18th hole often mirrors how they handle pressure in the boardroom.

Relaxed Environment: Unlike formal networking events where everyone's "selling," golf provides a natural, enjoyable setting where relationships develop organically.

The Women's Golf Opportunity (And Challenge)

Here's where it gets interesting for professional women. While 22% of U.S. golfers are female, the networking opportunities remain largely untapped. Research shows that women in business who don't know how to swing a golf club are missing out on networking opportunities that could advance their careers.

The challenge? Women have far less leisure time than men—they have less opportunity after hours to participate in networking because they have caretaking and childrearing responsibilities.

But here's what I've learned: you don't need to be scratch golfer to benefit from golf networking. You just need to be prepared.

Ready to stop saying "maybe next time" and start saying "absolutely" to golf opportunities? Here's your roadmap:

• Take 3-4 beginner lessons with a PGA professional

• Play 9-hole rounds to build stamina and confidence

• Start establishing a handicap through beginner-friendly courses

• Practice course etiquette and pace of play

If you have an affinity network at work, suggest a golf event as the next team building activity. If you don’t have any format networks, challenge yourself to organize one driving range meetup with 2 or 3 of your colleagues. Every little step helps.

Download my free resource made specifically for you: Before You Say Yes: A Pre-Golf Event Guide for Professional Women

The Bottom Line

My golf journey transformed from that initial missed opportunity into something I never expected: a weekly league, golf trips with girlfriends, and the confidence to accept any company or charity golf invitation that comes my way.

More importantly, it opened networking doors I didn't even know existed. Those two-hour and four-hour relationship-building sessions have led to mentorship opportunities, project collaborations, and yes—career advancement.

The data is clear: golf isn't just a game in the business world—it's a career tool. With 80% of professionals finding networking essential to their career success and nearly 1 in 3 small business owners saying they've closed a deal during or after a golf round, can you afford to keep sitting on the sidelines?

Your Next Step: The next time someone mentions that golf event, that client outing, or that charity tournament, don't let fear or inexperience hold you back. Start your golf journey today, because the relationships you build over the next 18 holes could change the trajectory of your career. Remember to grab my free resource: Before You Say Yes: A Pre-Golf Event Guide for Professional Women.

Remember: You don't have to be a great golfer to benefit from golf networking. You just have to show up, be prepared, and be open to the conversations that happen between the tee and the green.