Knock it stiff: get the most out of networking on the links.

• Author: Coon, John
• Position: Corporate Golf

There is something about driving and putting a small white ball into a tin cup that appeals to business people from all backgrounds. But the weekly tee time is more than an excuse to get away from the office--golf provides the perfect environment where a client or prospective client can be given undivided attention.

"You can't quantify it really, but I think [golfinq] adds a lot of value for business relationships," says Ted Diven, vice president and middle market relationship manager at Key Bank, "it's priceless to get out and spend time with someone."

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A corporate golf trip can serve a variety of purposes for a company. Bruce Rowe, president of Sebo Marketing, looks at golfing as the perfect way to get to know clients and prospective clients on a personal level.

"It's a very low-pressure way to get to know people better," Rowe says. "With the casual atmosphere and the ability to hang out for a couple hours and ride around in a golf cart together, you get plenty of chances just to talk. Most of the time, with that amount of time, you're frequently talking about things other than work."

When Rowe goes golfing, his focus is not necessarily on getting a business deal done. He sees it as a period of time where networking is the most important thing. By focusing on networking and getting to know people better, Rowe does his part to put Sebo Marketing in a positive light.

Rowe once used an invitation to golf as a way to build a professional relationship with Jeff Larsen, a professor of marketing at BYU who taught an internet marketing class. Larsen accepted the invitation and went with Rowe to East Bay Golf Course in Prove By hole five or six, he began asking Rowe questions about Sebo Marketing. By the end of the round, Larsen had arranged for Rowe to be a guest speaker in his class.

Their relationship has continued since that time, and a number of Larsehs students have gone on to work for Sebo Marketing. Golfing for Rowe has become the ultimate company building tool.

"There's no question that because of golfing, or because of other networking things that I do, that people tell other people about us," Rowe says. "Maybe the guy I go golfing with doesn't become a client. But he tells somebody about us and they call us and they become a client."

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Interest in corporate golfing is reflected by the growth of Utah Business Golf Connection, a Linkedln group devoted to corporate golfing. The Linkedln group formed in June 2011; within six months, it had nearly 300 members and had divided into two separate chapters for northern Utah and Utah County. In December, the group launched an official website, businessgolfconnection.com. Golfing events scheduled by the group are held twice per month during cold weather months and weekly during warm weather months.

Shawn Robinson helped organize Utah Business Golf Connection on Linkedln with Diven and he sees it as a tool for promoting corporate golfing without cutting into important work time at the office. Robinson notes that every group-sponsored golf outing starts at the first available tee time and features a shotgun start over the back nine.

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For Robinson, vice president of...