Business Golf 101: Purdue teaches students how to survive on the links.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: Around Indiana

HOW ABOUT MEETING that big client, or perhaps the boss, on the golf course? Great idea--unless you don't golf.

That's why Purdue University offers instruction in golf specifically for novices who believe their business pursuits may someday require them to set foot on a green. Called "Golf: For Business Life," the eight-week course is the brainchild of Thomas Templin, professor and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology. Templin created the course in 1998 with the help of the PGA of America, which has since taken the concept nationwide to some 49 schools.

"A number of business people find themselves at the golf course for company outings or with clients--to establish a relationship with the client, to close a deal or to thank clients for their business," Templin says. "Young business graduates should be prepared to be asked to participate in golf-related activities."

The course is open only to Purdue students, and is taken mostly by those studying business or engineering. "We hope to have a section for MBA students only next fall," Templin says. "The course covers the history of the game, etiquette and basic skills, and the students participate in on-course instruction to better understand game management and how to participate in a scramble event."

Purdue has had a popular course in golf since the 1960s, but Templin decided that a class with a 25-to-1 student-instructor ratio was not the best way for a novice golfer to pick up the game. So he recruited local PGA professionals to provide instruction to smaller groups. Among those helping Templin develop the course was Alice Dye, former PGA board member...