This morning was a long time coming interview with aspiring PGA Tour professional John Raser.  John brings a refreshing, yet serious, energy to social media for the golf industry.  John is a member of the Business Golf Country Club and is an entrepreneur focused on bringing awareness to his sponsors through the effective use of Social Media.

John can be found at:

Web-site: www.gospeedraser.com

Twitter: @johnraser

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/johnraser

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-raser/8/867/a59

John Raser, aspiring golf professional who is working his way to the PGA Tour, will be making his appearance on the ClamBake Cafe.  John has been a member of the Business Golf Country Club for over a year. 

When it comes to Social Media, not many surpass John’s grasp of the golf market.  His influence on the game of golf and the internet has been phenomenal and was made famous online with the now infamous match between him and Christina Kim broadcasted live via their iPhones.

John brings the freshness the PGA tour needs to keep it going.  His interview on the ClamBake Cafe will bring you another opportunity to hear from him what his goals are from making the PGA Tour. 

My video interview of John will be posted Monday, August 23, 2010, on the ClamBake Cafe, the BGCC and other video sites.  Make sure to bookmark the CBC so you don’t miss this interview.

The ClamBake Cafe is the broadcast media division of Innovative Business Golf Solutions and is used to promote the Business Golf Country Club and its members.

On June 9th the Business Golf Country Club improved the world of golf with the launch of it first Chapter Club in Dallas, Texas.  Here is the ROLL CALL for who attended this very special gathering.

The mission of the BGCC Chapter Club is to offer the members of the private online business/social club an opportunity to gathering offline to play golf, enjoy food and drinks while making connections plus learn something they may not know about new business development processes.  the BGCC Chapter Clubs meet monthly at private country clubs.  Other activities we will be produced as the membership of the Chapter clubs grows.

The BGCC is open to College Students, Business Owners/Executives and Professional Golfers.  To join the BGCC Click here.

Next scheduled gathering of the BGCC Dallas Chapter is on July 22 3:30 to 8PM at the Las Colinas Country Club.  More information on the Dallas Chapter Club can be found HERE.  To join the Next Dallas Chapter gathering Click Here

You do What? Business Golf Country Club offers me What?   Say What?    So when I join the BGCC I get What?    The ClamBake Cafe™ is What?

I know..I get a LOT of questions asked of me everyday and I answer just as many everyday.  For some people answering these kind of questions would be questionably a waste of time, but for me, it offers an insight into how people perceive things they do not understand.

I have been talking with golfers and non-golfers about the changes the Business Golf Country Club is making towards accomplishing its mission to putting business back on course.  During these discussions with people around the world the question that seems to be asked about the most has to do with the ClamBake Cafe.  Why do you not talk about the ClamBake Cafe in your blog?

Where the ClamBake Cafe Came From

Alllrighty then, the ClamBake Cafe will be what I talk about more in the blogs since once I explain it I get more golfers to sign up for the BGCC.

The ClamBake Cafe is a product of a brain fart I had about five years ago.  Its creation was derived after reading a blog from one of the youngster of the golf blogger world the big dog golf sites picked up to fill their site with dribble.  Obviously, what was written about was Golf needing to change and get away from the Old Ways of promoting Golf.   

What I was seeing was the fact that many of the under 40 year old golf writers have little, if any, memory of the great days of golf when Hollywood celebrities became addicted to playing golf and as a result produced huge gatherings of their friends to ‘Party on the Golf Course’.  One of the little things many golfers today overlook about the great days of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby golf extravaganzas was it all started during the Great Depression.  Yes, in an era like we are stepping into today.  And how they dealt with Golf back then applies to how golf should be dealt with today.

The Good Old Days of Business Golf

During the Good Old Days of Golf, Bing Crosby craftily dealt with golf’s downtrodden image in the mid-1930’s by renaming the gathers Clambakes.  What I like to highlight about this grander time in golf is the golf outings back then were also where the many icons of business of that era spent time getting to know each other better which resulted in some of the largest corporations in the world being created.  Yes, the Good Old Days of Golf played a huge part in helping get the country and the world out of the dumps it was in during the worst economic times in hundreds of years.

So, the misguided remarks made in that article about ‘golf does not need old ideas’ spurred me to thinking Golf does need the old ideas to get new ideas started.  As I searched for how I could help change young people’s minds about Golf’s great past, I could not keep from remembering how much fun it was as a young kid to watch the Bing Crosby ClamBake golf outings on early TV back in the 60’s and 70’s.  Where Bing would interview his friends on camera to ask them about their latest projects they where working on.  Little does most people under 40 know..those events then could be considered the first MeetUps or..hummm, with all the birdies being shot back then I guess they could of been the first..TweetUp.

Good New Days of Business Deals

As part of my personal and professional effort to help golf survive I looked to name a function or activity that best described how business golf is played today.  The Business Golf Country Club was what I named the golf community that needed to be built so modern techniques of business development could be shared, but there needed to be a function developed purposely for highlighting the Old and New ways of playing Business Golf.

So, I re-coined the name ClamBake as a symbol of how golf and business was done during the last time the economy sucked.  Then I thought, how is business done today?  How were the deals swung that made these hugely successfully tech companies the geeks of the world drool over? 

Interesting enough, I was finding more and more people were ditching their high-rise offices to just set up shop in coffee shops.  I also found business people were meeting each other online in chatrooms which someone tagged as a Cafe.   So the term Cafe took on a definition of where business was done today.

The Way Clambake Cafe Came About

My efforts to identify the function that would add old and new ways business is done started with the word ClamBake, the symbol of the old way business was done.  Then I added to the word Cafe, the symbol of how business is done today, to come up with ClamBake Cafe™.

That is how the name came about, but you are asking..

What does the ClamBake Cafe do and why is it an important part of the Business Golf Country Club?

Simply put, the ClamBake Cafe is the social media arm of the Innovative Business Golf Solutions endeavors to help golf and business survive these tough economic times.  The Business Golf Country Club is the golf community IBGS is building to bring together in a business/social environment the real golfers of the world..the real people who understand golf or want to get a better understanding of golf.  The ClamBake Cafe is where the old styles of business networking comes together with today’s new technology.

The ClamBake Cafe (CBC) is where video interviews of the members of the Business Golf Country Club will be shown.  The CBC will be the multi-media presence for the BGCC Chapter Club’s Live Streams.  As the BGCC grows so does the CBC.  Ultimately, the goal for the ClamBake Cafe is for it to become the name of the Conference Expo of the BGCC and IBGS.

Business Golf is not a new way to develop business.   It has been proven over and over for many years now how trust is the foundation of business and golf is one of the only ways to develop trust.  If you do not play golf many doors to opportunity will be tougher to open. 

The Power of Business Golf Shows in the Clambake Cafe

If you are not playing golf now you should and the Business Golf Country Club is a great way to add Purpose to playing golf which should drive you to want to learn to play golf.  The BGCC can help facilitate your learning the game through introduction to golf professionals in your area who are members of the BGCC or through the golf schools produced by the BGCC.

Join ‘The Club’ that makes a difference in your business as well as your personal life.  And, of course, let me know how I can help.

You do What? BGCC offers me What? Say What?  So when I join the BGCC I get What? The ClamBake Cafe™ is What?

I know..I get a LOT of questions asked of me everyday and I answer just as many everyday.  For some people answering these questions would be questionably a waste of time, but for me, it offers an insight into how people perceive things they do not understand.

Recently, I have been out talking about the changes the Business Golf Country Club is making towards accomplishing its mission to putting business back on course.  During these discussions with people around the world the question that seems to be asked about the most is on the ClamBake Cafe.

Where the ClamBake Cafe Came From

So, Alllrighty then, the ClamBake Cafe will be what I talk about more in the blogs since once I explain it I get more golfers to sign up for the BGCC.

The ClamBake Cafe is a product of a brain fart I had about five years ago derived from reading a blog from one of the youngster golf bloggers the big dog golf sites picked up to fill their site with dribble.  Obviously, what was written about was golf needing to change and get away from the Old Ways of promoting Golf.  Naturally this writer was probably real excited they landed a gig paying a huge salary to keep the golf site filled with stuff they did not know what they were talking about. 

What I saw was the fact that many of the under 40 golf writers have little, if any, memory of the great days of golf when Hollywood celebrities became addicted to playing golf and as a result produced huge gatherings of their friends to ‘Party on the Golf Course’.  The thing younger golfers overlook with that era, and most say they don’t care about, was the great days of the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby golf extravaganza’s all started during the Great Depression.  Yes, in an era like we are stepping into today.

Good Old Days of Business Golf

During the Good Old Days of Golf, when Bing Crosby craftily dealt with golf’s downtrodden image in the mid-1930’s, golf was an exciting activity for people to play.  I’ll not try to high the fact that the prohibition era was also winding down back then and golf gatherings became one of the only activities you could socially play and drink at the same time.  What I like to highlight about this grander time in golf is the golf outings back then were also where the many icons of business of that era spent time getting to know each other better which resulted in some of the largest corporations in the world being created.  Yes, the Good Old Days of Golf played a huge part in helping get the country and the world out of the dumps it was in during the worst economic times in hundreds of years.

So, the misguided remarks made in that article about ‘golf does not need old ideas’ spurred me to thinking Golf does need the old ideas to get new ideas started.  As I searched for how I could help change young people’s minds about Golf’s great past, I could not keep from remembering how much fun it was as a young kid to watch the Bing Crosby ClamBake golf outings on early TV back in the 60’s and 70’s.  Where Bing would interview his friends on camera to ask them about their latest projects they where working on.  Little does most people under 40 know..those events then could be considered the first MeetUps or..hummm, with all the birdies being shot back then I guess they could of been the first..TweetUp.

Good New Days of Business Deals

I took the name ClamBake as a symbol of how golf and business was done during the last time the economy sucked.  Then I thought, how is business done today?  How were the deals swung that made these hugely successfully tech companies the geeks of the world drool over? 

Right after I asked myself, “were are deals made today”, I received a call from a new potential client wanting to know if I could meet him in his office for a chat..his office turned out to be Starbucks.  For the next few months I was finding more and more people were ditching their high-rise offices to just set up shop in coffee shops.  As I looked into this phenomena I saw where a number of the big deals in business today where made in coffee shops.

During my study of how business is done today I also found that business people were meeting each other online in chatrooms which someone tagged as a Cafe.

So, I added with word ClamBake, the symbol of the old way business was done, the word Cafe, the symbol of how business is done today to come up with ClamBake Cafe™.

That is how the name came about, but you are asking..

What does the ClamBake Cafe do and why is it an important part of the Business Golf Country Club?

Simply put, the ClamBake Cafe is the social media arm of the Innovative Business Golf Solutions endeavors to help golf and business survive these tough economic times.  The Business Golf Country Club is the golf community IBGS is building to bring together in a business/social environment the real golfers of the world..the real people who understand golf or want to get a better understanding of golf.  The ClamBake Cafe is where the old styles of business networking comes together with today’s new technology.

The ClamBake Cafe (CBC) is where video interviews of the members of the Business Golf Country Club will be shown.  The CBC will be the multi-media presence for the BGCC Chapter Club’s Live Streams.  As the BGCC grows so does the CBC.  Ultimately, the huge goal for the ClamBake Cafe is for it to become the name of the Conference Expo of the BGCC and IBGS.

Since you hung in here this far into the blog about the ClamBake Cafe then let me leave you with this…

Business Golf is the new way to develop business.  In years to come,as it has been proven in years past, if you do not play golf many doors to opportunity will be tougher to open.  If you are not playing golf now you should and the Business Golf Country Club is a great way to add Purpose to playing golf which should drive you to want to learn to play golf.  The BGCC can help facilitate your learning the game through introduction to golf professionals in your area who are members of the BGCC or through the golf schools produced by the BGCC.

Join ‘The Club’ that makes a difference in your business as well as your personal life.  And, of course, let me know how I can help.

Several of you have been asking what happened to the interviews of the BGCC members on the ClamBake Cafe.  Good question..not sure I know the answer but do know that the New members of the Business Golf Country Club  are seeing the value of the exposure the ClamBake Cafe videos would give them.

The ClamBake Cafe interviews are posted on the CBC site, the BGCC Group Site, the BGCC Blog Site, on the scotduke.com site, on the BGCC Facebook fan page and the CBC Facebook fan page, on You Tube, Vimeo and any other platform for videos.  These interviews are viewed by over 5000 views each day and that is growing with more videos produced and posted.

The overall ranking of all of the BGCC ventures, including the ClamBake Cafe is going up with each post and each member that joins the BGCC. The Chapter Clubs of the BGCC are stirring attention to the sites that draws in the attention from people from all around the world.

The ClamBake Cafe interview format will be changing and more on site videos will be produced.  More value will be added with every new member that joins the club.  The BGCC concept of social media is just catching on.  Each month more energy is built up from golfers who are finding the club.  The ClamBake Cafe plays a huge part in showing the world who is a member and what they offer the game of golf as well as the business world.

Come join ‘The Club’ that everyone in the Golf industry will soon be talking about.  An interview on the ClamBake Cafe is what each member is offered, so take advantage of the best deal in business/social networking.

See you at ‘The Club’.

Since the mission and focus of the Business Golf Country Club is to help golf survive by doing what it can to put business back on course I thought I would list the Top 6 Things that are Good for golf in hopes more people will focus on the Good.  I could sum up the one thing Golf needs to do to solve all its issues by saying…Make Golf Fun, but that is not Golf-like, is it?  So for those out there who want to know the details, let me wade into what I find are the Top 6 Things need to be addressed to keep golf growing.

Reducing the Price for Golf

I could and have written a lot on this issue.  The cost of golf has gone off the chart, and why is this?  Economist will tell you that raising the price of golf is doing what the other icons of the economy are doing which is just that..doing what someone else is doing and not basing any of the increases on any logic or reasoning.

Country Clubs are reeling in budget issues from cost increases of operational supply and then compounding the issue by increasing payouts to investors or executive salaries with the explanation that it is due to previous contractual agreements.  Previous unsound management decisions are starting to stress these pillars of the golf economy to a point that foreclosure is mandated.  Where the Country Clubs go, so will Golf.

Golf equipment manufacturers for years have been unwisely spending huge sums of money on technology to make the golf ball go further when it has been proven over and over again that it is the golf swing that makes the ball go further.  This cost of that technology has been long paid for, so why aren’t the prices for golf equipment going down.

Yes, the average golfer wants to golf ball to go further and further in an effort to gain advantage against scoring a PAR.  Naturally, when there is an invention of something that actually improves the distance of the ball flight the average golfer is going to go for the invention instead of the fix.  Kinda like choosing to take a drug to mask the problem instead of having the surgery to permanently fix the problem. 

Unfortunately, there has not been a way invented to play golf without golf equipment making it impossible to play golf unless you pay the piper.

Reducing the cost of golf would be Good For Golf.  Bad deals and previous unsound business management need to be amputated from the business operations in order for Country Clubs to cut their pricing to affordable rates.  The cost of the R&D on all the latest gadgetry that increases the length of the ball flight has been paid for sometime now, but the golf manufacturers keep the pricing high for…what?  The supply and demand economy was locked up with Bernie Madoff so that S&D excuse for why these prices stay high only places more smoke on the real problems.  If Golf does not bring the cost within reach of the general public its days could be numbered and that is not good for golf.

Learning Golf Made Easier

Many of the old-timers of the PGA argue if golf was easier to play people would pay any price to play golf.  I’ll leave that up to you to determine how you feel about it, but, my studies indicate that even if everyone was born to play golf they would balk at paying what they know are overly inflated prices.  However, if golf was easier to learn then I will concede more people will play golf which is GOOD for Golf, but the ease of learning to play golf does not make golf affordable.

I heard the other day many in in the PGA do not want leaning golf to become simple or easy since it would put them out of business.  Really?  So there is a simpler way to learning to play golf?  Holding back on us..aye?

I can see where if more people would play golf it would be a huge boost to the economy placing it as the number one issue to address for the survival of golf, however, when a new golfers steps into a golf retail store to price the minimum amount of golf equipment and supplies to meet the minimal standard of play, they usually go next door to Wal-Mart and invest in gerbil farming..they learn how that works easier and cheaper.

If there are methods of cutting the learning curve of playing golf down to weeks instead of years then Golf should be taught that way.  Knocking down the barriers to learning the game is Good for Golf.

Putting Golf Into the America School Systems

I understand there was an effort made by the PGA to put the golf program in the America School System like it is in other countries.  I have supported that effort in the past and will continue to do so through my non-profit, Screen Door Open Charity Golf.

How impacting would it be to the future of Golf if every five year old had the opportunity to pick up a golf club during their Physical Education classes at school and hit a golf ball instead of being peer pressured into asking Santa for a football helmet for Christmas so they can be like their friends at school.  Yaw, that was a little backhanded but being a parent and now a grandparent, and coach for almost every sport, I can honestly tell you that NOT every kid (even here in Texas) is made to be a football player.

What type of society would we have in this country if kids were taught at an early age during the low pressure of a fun GAME the consequences of dishonesty and the importance of integrity?   I ask this question since I am not sure many people in this world have thought of the answer.  To me, if anything could be improved in the American way of life is in the way we get along with each other and our different ways of life and cultures.  Playing golf with hundreds of different people over an entire life time eventually would change the DNA of humans to become more tolerant of others and their differences.  OK, maybe golf will not change evolution, but it was worth a shot.

Giving golf a chance to continue into the future by putting the future of golf into the hands of the children of the world is GOOD for Golf.  What is it going to take to expose the children of this country to golf?  The parents of the future of golf have to understand the values of golf and drop their dreams of living vicariously through their children to overcome all the short comings they had in life. 

Yes, I can hammer that issue because I, like a trillion other parents, am guilty of pushing my kids to do things I wanted to do when I was their age.  Now I am being asked by my daughter why I never let her play golf when she was a kid..the answer..it was not part of their school program or part of my school program when I was growing up.  Like the dozens of generations of working parents before me, I fell to the path of least resistance and pushed my kid to playing the sports offered at school.

It is not the elementary schools fault for not offering golf.  What determines what will be offered to kids as activities at school is decided by the school boards and government regulations.  As long as the advance learning institutes make their revenue from the promotions of the team sports, they will push down to the elementary level of learning the pressure to learn to play those sports so they are insured quality athletes to perpetuate their legacies.  The high dollar scholarships give the parents incentive to push the kids even hard to only focus on one activity so they can receive monetary reward.  But I digress.

Placing golf in the school system is very good for golf and would be rated higher in the things that are Good for Golf if the cost of providing golf in the schools was lessened.

Offer More Formats of Golf

I hear so many reason why people do not play golf and why people who play golf are leaving golf.  The remarks frequently made have to do with time and the lack of it.

The statement of ‘it takes too much time to play 18 holes’ seems to be amongst the lame, but justifiable, reasons many people have for not playing golf.  The other comments I get have to do with a person’s lack of time in their busy day to play golf.

Another explanation for not playing or discontinuing to play golf is in feeling the format of golf is boring.  Even with all the different games that can be played and formats of competition that can be created today’s fast paced generation still looks to doing something in golf that others are not doing.  If something different or new is not offered on a regular basis, then these fast trackers will move to something that is faster changing.

Change is Good for golf and offering new formats of play is the right direction.  Movement amongst many golf clubs has been made to develop pricing for abbreviated rounds of golf..3, 6, 9 or 12 holes of golf are now being offered. Night golf is now becoming popular as well as Willie Nelson style golf competitions being held. 

Offering a greater menu of ways to play golf is Good for Golf.

Modernizing the PGA Professional

Each time I go to play golf at a golf facility I walk amongst dozens of men and women who are eager to start their apprenticeship into the PGA.  These courageous individuals truly hold in their efforts a huge part of the future of golf.  Without the PGA Professional their would not be anyone to be the gatekeeper of golf.

However, over the years, the quality of training of these golf professionals has evaporated.  Why?  From what I see, the changes in business, economy and especially technology have left many of the swaggering highly skillful golfer golf professionals to stay in the Bobby Jones era of golf.  These changes in the world outside of golf threaten the ‘Good ol Boys’ of golf to a point they are holding hostage the future of the PGA.  The changes the PGA have to make would deem these leaders of golf irrelevant, thus is what is holding the PGA back from dealing with the other issues gnawing at the core of golf.

New training needs to be instigated at the apprentice level of the PGA so the change to the new way golf has to be manage can get a fresh start.  More has to be taught the new members of the PGA than park carts in the barn, shagging balls on the range and folding shirts in the Pro-shop.  The golf professional needs to receive extensive training on an ongoing basis on how to read and deal with people..the people who pay their salaries would be a good start. 

Many of the kids that want to take on golf as their careers do not have any understanding of business operations and only are able to learn from the mistakes their boss makes just before they get fired.  A more advanced approach is needed to training the front line golf professional on dealing with things as advanced as Social Media and the importance of Professional Image.

The PGA will have to look outside their brotherhood to get the help they need to rapidly catch up to the foot dragging that has been going on for almost 20 years.  There are many experience business people close to the golf industry who are eager to help make that change, if the PGA would just let them.  One is waving to you right now.

It is good to see and hear that the PGA has pulled the veil of denial off to now acknowledge the golf world is nearing crisis mode and needs their expertise even more than ever if golf is to survive.  Golfers look up to the well dressed, well mannered business savvy golf professional to lead them to enjoying a better golf experience.  The PGA getting a new attitude and image will be Good for Golf.

Tour Elites Need to Play More Golf

Wouldn’t it be great to have ‘Lefty’ come to your community and flash your way that positive smile and thumbs up he has?  Wouldn’t it even be better to have all of the top tour professionals stop by to thank you for watching the tour events, for playing golf, and..golly, thanks for stopping by the sponsors store to check out their deals.

The PGA Tour really has to be at fault for the sponsors leaving the tour events.  Not having the top players of the game at every event is not what the Sponsors want.  They want people to come and see the top players they are paying a lot of money to support. 

There just is no disputing the fact that the lack of the marquee players reduces fans interest in watching or attending the tour event. It is human nature to want to see the the competition between the Best. 

It is not really the golf fans fault, but golf fans play a part in this issue as well.

Many of today’s golf fans grew up with Tiger.  They saw the excitement of the New thing in golf..power, distant and magic.  What they did not learn or get an understanding of before they became a fan is every one of the other tour players who went up against Tiger could play just as well, but not as flamboyant.

The new golf fans got to expect 300+ drives hit by a guy their age.  Nothing or nobody else matters.  So when Tiger does not show up for a tournament those fans did not see any reason to watch or attend.

What the PGA fail to do was see that change in fan attitude towards golf and place policy in place that insured that fans around the country got to see the golf profession’s best players.  Not requiring the Tour Players to play a greater number of events lets the top players skip events or not play at golf courses that ‘did not fit their eye’.  What that did was generate a negative force behind the traditional golf fan of not being interest in golf since the PGA did not require the player to play all tour events.

The lack of interest in these events by fans logically would cause the sponsors to have a lack of interest in sponsoring the event. The result..no event..no golf for the locals to that community to see..lose of jobs that supported the event.. all of which cause a cascading attitude by the fans of  effected community towards golf.  That is Not Good for Golf.

What would be Good for Golf is once a player reaches the Top 25 in the world they are required to tour the country and play golf for the fans.  It would spur interest, help the local economy and would be GOOD for golf.

As you can see, these are just a few of the things golf needs to address to keep golf open to the public and to keep the golf economy viable.  I am sure you have a few issues with golf that is keeping you away from playing.  I would enjoy hearing about them.  Let me know how I can help.

Last evening the room was filled with 15 very excited business golfers with Hundreds more watching, via live video stream, the launch of the Business Golf Country Club ’s first Chapter Club in Dallas, TX.  The attendees ranged from top business execs to startups: attorneys to accountants; golf professionals to beginner golfers..the virtual attendance probably more of the same. 

The atmosphere was Very electrifying, social media wise, with the WOW factor and OMG meter on Twitter and Facebook registering off the chart. 

It is very gratifying to know that so many golfers I have become friends with over the past five years came in to not just listen, but to JOIN my efforts to help Golf Survive through developing a greater purpose to play golf.  Truly, Dave and my efforts to..Put Business Back on Course..took a positive leap forward with the support of the golfers who attended.

Of course there were the pesky technical difficulties with the video feed..sorry for that..but I was very excited to hear that one of the attendees stream the entire 25 minute lecture I gave to the internet via his iPhone.  Plus the entire presentation was captured on tape so a Special Thanks to Mark Nease of Key Image Media Solutions.   If you missed the launch we will get the editing done and place the lecture right here for you to watch .

Clear Message

The message I received from those who attended was very clear.  “We love golf and want to help”.  The message I presented was even clearer…

For Golf to survive golfers need to develop a greater PURPOSE to playing golf that is above it being just a recreational activity.

Golf + Business/Social Networking = Business Golf

Yes, business golf combined with an operational style of social media is what the Business Golf Country Club is all about.  With the launch of the BGCC’s Dallas Chapter the scales are now balanced for the members to take advantage of bringing  the business/social networking done in the online club to the golf course..or in this case..the Country Clubs.

I will be writing more on this meeting and posting photos and videos of the launch in the next few days.  If you would like to learn more about what you missed, let me know, I would be glad to fill you in.

To join the Dallas Chapter of the Business Golf Country Club you first must be a member of ‘The Club’.  To Join you must post a photo of yourself and have a URL to a profile you have posted somewhere else online.  If you have these basic requirements then Click Here to Join the BGCC.  You then are eligible to join the Dallas Chapter…or any of the chapter clubs we have planned on launching around the country.  More info on signing up for the Dallas Chapter will be sent to BGCC members through the BGCC email.  So, join up..become a member of ‘The Club’.

Moving Fast

Yes, business golfers in Arizona, I hear ya..and with that roar of interest out there getting louder everyday, Dave and I are in the process of getting ready to launch the Phoenix Chapter.  Target is Next Month so hopefully you are ready for this new way of playing golf in Arizona.  More details are developing..literally as I am writing this blog..Dave is calling me now..so..I will be back with more news later on the Phoenix launch REAL SOON.

Let me know how I can help.

Getting someone to play golf with you is sometimes easy to do, but if you don’t understand how to communicate with others or if everything has to be about You, it may be very hard to get someone to play golf with you again.

I am sure everyone has experienced a round of golf with someone you just do not get a long with.  In competitive golf that is kind of expected.  However, in business golf getting that second round of golf with someone could make a difference in the level of networking you will receive or the sale you would make with them.  In that case, it sometimes good to be able to get another round of golf with that person. 

To do this you need to be prepared for everything and be able to stay pleasant at the minimum during the first round of business golf you have with someone.  Here are a few pointers to remember.

Turn the Sale Off

One of the first problems many sales people have when playing golf is knowing how to ‘Turn The Sale Off’.  Its understandable that selling something pays the bills but there is a time to sell and time to find out who it is you are selling to.  The number one rule of business golf is to not talk business on the golf course.  At the end of the day when the round is over the business part comes natural.  Keep the business – business and golf – golf.

Listen More

Many times a Host of a round of business golf will feel like they need to keep the air filled with talk.  This sometimes is needed, however, the best thing a host should do is ask his guest questions..let him/her do the talking.   Ask only questions on current events in business news or questions (here is a novel idea) about golf.   This takes the edge off any feelings someone may have towards being set up for a six hour sales pitch.

Mirror Personality

Personality conflicts top the list of why someone may not want to play golf with you again.  Knowing from body language or tones of voice what type of personality someone is comfortable with comes from personality profile training or years of experience.  Not understanding the other person’s personality traits, and even worst, not wanting to understanding their traits, usually is what gets someone to not like someone.  That makes it real hard to get those people to want to play golf with you again.  Best thing to do is learn how to mirror other personalities that are not comfortable for you.

Be Pleasant

Not everyone can be ‘Mr Funny’ or ‘Ms Charming’..those characteristics of a person’s personality sometimes come from how the person was brought up.  If they were in a social environment as a child then being sociable comes natural. 

To some, being personable is difficult.  However, to get someone to want to play golf with you a second time there has to be some enjoyable experience encountered during the first round.  Being pleasant is the absolute default to behavior for the first round of golf you have someone.

Look Important

People like people who know how to dress for the occasion.  A person could have the best personality but if they dress too casual the people around them get uncomfortable and that turns them to not want to be around that person.  Some people take lightly what they wear to play golf and see no problem in it.  However, that portrays an image of ‘Its All About Me’ which is the killer personality trait for any business relationship.  The best thing to remember is to dress UP, not down for business golf.

Business golf is one of the best ways to go about fighting off a slow economy.  Learn how to business golf and it can make life and business a little more fun while also being profitable.  Let me know how I can help.

When Rob Pritts, of Back 9 Promotions, approached me to solicit my support for the FORE! Jack and Jill Golf Marathon I was sold on supporting the cause at Rob’s saying.. “Hey, I need your help”. 

Now, I Need Your help

Here is the deal.  I have pledged to play 72 holes of golf in one day, on June 28 at the TPC at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. 

For those of you who are not familiar with the TPC at Craig Ranch or where the heck McKinney, Texas is ,I can tell you this, any golf course the TPC hangs their hat on is tough and anywhere in North Texas  is all I can say is it is going to be HOT.  So, for me to bite off playing 72 holes in this Heat on that brute of a course means I am SERIOUS.

Click Here for more on what I have to say about this cause.

What I hope I can depend on you for is serious support in the way of a pledged donation to the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation for each hole I play.   Any amount per hole adds up and the donation is tax deductible.

How Does a Golf Marathon Work

A golf marathon is a FULL day of non-stop golf on a championship venue. All golfers tee off in the morning and keep on going to see how many holes they can play for the day. The goal is for all players to play 72 holes. 

Each hole is validated that the player has played each hole.  At the end of the day, the number of holes the golfer has played is totaled along with the amount pledged and the donors are charged for their pledge.

What This Really Means

OK, let me paint a picture of what me playing 72 holes is going to entail.   First, lets get this out of the way..I am a Bad 14 handicapper..that means the absolute best score I could make on my home course is 86.  Now, add in that the TPC Craig Ranch is about 10 strokes harder than my home course that would mean that at my very best I might be able to score a 96 each time I play Craig Ranch..yaw, hahaha  Give me a break! 

Now, you take into consideration I am going to play the equivalent of 4 rounds in one day I am sure that 96 score would be a great score by the 72nd hole…hope Rob does not have the cameras on for that last hole.  So, if you add that up that would be a minimum of approximately 385 times I will hit a golf ball for charity. 

OK, knowing that there are around 80 golf balls to a medium size basket of balls at the driving range…that would equate to setting five baskets of balls on the range and hit all of them before dark…  

Plus, lets don’t forget the Heat factor!  Geez, Rob, are you kidding me?  OK, you are not, so it is Suck It Up Time and quit whining..I got the message, thank you.

BOTTOMLINE:  Guys and Gals, I am going to play a lot of golf in one day and not many people do this for recreation.  It is in a way a daunting task..especially for a hack like me.   What keeps me going is thinking of the cause I am helping.  This is where your support with your pledge comes into play.  I am pledging to you to complete this task if you pledge to make a donation to Jack and Jill for each hole I play.  You can donate as much or little as you want and can even make a Flat Rate Donation.  Anything and everything you pledge is tax deductible and it all mounts up.  So, together we can make a difference and with your pledge I will also stop whining and make those four loops around the TPC of Craig Ranch with a Smile..knowing I helped US make a difference.  Let me thank you in advance for your donation…and as always, let me know how I can help.

More on the Cause

The Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation provides memory opportunities for children who have a Mom or Dad with late stage, limited life expectancy cancer. Thousands of Mom’s and Dad’s in their 20′s, 30′s, and 40′s  with late stage cancer will die each year despite the advances in research.  These parents are leaving behind grieving children.

The Jack & Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation provides families with an opportunity to capture indispensable memories together that will be both a break from the disease and a return to some normalcy now, as well as a legacy to cherish after the loss of their parent. The Foundation is able to positively impact the children and parents by providing them with strong, happy, recent memories that certainly provide comfort and support on the imminent grieving process.

As Jill Albert said just weeks before she passed away: "The children need a break… they just need a break… and so do the parents. This Foundation needs to continue. It must."