No Golf Game, No Gain For Women?

New study says women are missing out on career-building networking ops now favoring ambitious male colleagues by not playing golf. The frustrating 4-hour game also can reveal competitors’ strengths, weaknesses.

So, what’s not to like from the female perspective (btw: There are 4 male to every 1 female golfer)? The WSJ article suggests many women wrongly think they can’t compete well enough on the links, at least, well enough to overcome traditional prejudices against them; others, especially moms, might shy away from the game simply because they have less discretionary time on their hands. Yet, Deborah Gray, a professor of marketing at Central Michigan U & co-author of the study, has this to say by way of encouragement to her female audience:

“Golf is so much different than other networking activities. The game takes hours and gives you a chance to learn about someone’s life & personality. You learn how they react [and vice versa] when things are not going well. You also get a sense of their integrity by seeing if they are honest on the course. Not surprisingly, many executives say their careers benefit from playing golf. We found one article stating that 71% of Fortune 1000 CEOs reported doing business with someone they met on the golf course & another article that said 80% of Fortune 500 executives say golf has helped their career.” But, you say, you still stink at golf? The study says most men do, too, sister. Shh.

Davd Soul