Research Proposal on "Learning to Play Business Golf"

Research Proposal 25 pages (8157 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Learning to Play Business Golf

What is my goal for this project?

The project I have chosen is to analyze the concept of business golf. Further to that, I wish to develop a plan for me to learn to play golf, and then engage in business golf to attract and retain key clients. I hope that in the course of this project I am able to determine the steps I need to take to learn how to play the game of golf, and figure out what I can expect in terms of outcomes from playing business golf.

Business golf is a formalized version of an age-old concept. For as long as there has been business, that business has been based on relationships. Sometimes those relationships are based on minimal interaction, but the strongest relationships usually require a higher degree of interaction. They must involve the development of trust, camaraderie and the forging of interpersonal bonds. Every successful businessperson must be able to engage other human beings to develop these links. The idea of business golf is that this can take place on the links.

There has been a long association between business and golf. The essence of the concept dates back to clubs in the 19th century, where the business elite in England and the United States would interact in exclusive settings. Athletic endeavor has long been a tool for bonding, but there are specific reasons why golf has emerged as one of the best. The first is that golf has a low physical impact. The game can be played by people of most any age and fitness level. The second is the amount of time taken to play a round of golf. The average round takes between 4-5 hours, over which time the players have significant time in which to bond, establishing the trust and camaraderie so essential to business.

The formalized concept of business golf can be attributed to Scot Duke, whose book How to Play Business Golf is considered the seminal work on the subject. The connection between golf and business was long-established before the book, but Duke outlined how business golf works, why it works, and emphasized how to use business golf to specifically improve business as opposed to merely using it to enjoy a round of golf. Duke has followed his book by founding a consulting company called Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and he writes a blog on the subject as well.

I do not currently play golf. But the concept is intriguing, and I feel that business golf is a skill that will be valuable for me. Therefore, I wish to explore the concept and determine the steps that I will take to learn business golf. I will estimate the time frame for incorporating business golf into my work life, and I hope to get a sense of how much benefit I will receive from business golf. The latter is key because the concept does have its detractors, who view it as being a waste of time and money or at the very least a poor investment of one's time and money. If business golf is a frivolous pursuit, I hope to determine that as well.

How did I choose a topic for this project?

One of the goals for my education is to improve my business skills. For me, this has always been about book learning. That part of learning is essential to business, but it is not the only aspect. When considering what topic I wanted to address with this project, I was looking for something that addressed some of the soft skills that are relevant in the business world today.

Forging relationships has always been one of the key attributes for any salesperson. Relationships are the basis of all business, however, not just sales. Relationships help a person find a new job, devise creative solutions to problems and identify new business opportunities. The knowledge that one gains through one's contacts is just as important as sales.

Developing soft skills is a key component of business golf. It is about taking something concrete - the game of golf - and using it to achieve any number of goals. My primary interest is choosing a topic was to find something that would address the development of soft skills and help me to increase my sales and generate more business. Business golf fits all of these needs.

The other reason I chose this topic is because I have an interest in the game of golf. It holds a powerful place in the modern world, and in the business world in particular. Business golf has gone from being something everybody knew about but never specifically practiced to a formal discipline, subject to a growing body of literature. As pastimes go, golf's ability to intertwine with the world of business is compelling to me. This has encouraged me to explore the subject in greater detail. Normally, a discipline such as golf, which requires a very hands-on learning technique, is something I would shy away from. However, because of its importance in the business world, I wanted to take a closer look at the game. When I discovered the concept of business golf, I was intrigued. From there I read about the history of the game, and began to understand why it holds such a prominent place in our society.

Golf represents more than mere gameplay. Its role in bonding and relationship formation is precisely why it is such a valuable business tool, and why the idea of business golf proved such an attractive subject matter to me.

The fact that business golf requires such a wide variety of skills makes it a perfect subject for learning. Each of the different styles of learning that are key to successful business golf are different style than the one I am most comfortable with. The challenge of acquiring new skills in new ways compels me. It will force me to improve my ability to learn, which is something I can take with me and build upon for the rest of my life.

What methods will I use to achieve the goal?

The first thing I need to do is analyze what business golf is, and what learning it will entail. I will need to acquire a varied set of skills. The game of golf itself requires the acquisition of many different hard skills, from driving to putting and hand-eye coordination. Learning these hard skills is the first step in my plan.

The second step is to learn the soft skills. Business golf combines the game of golf with the full range of relationship-building skills. The basic concept is that golf allows a businessperson to build stronger relationships, and does so faster, than would be achieved through conventional relationship-building techniques. In order for this to work I need to understand what these skills are, how they can be acquired, and how to apply them to playing golf.

The learning process for me starts with an analysis of my learning style. I need to understand the ways in which I acquire both hard skills and soft skills. This will help me to better engage the process.

From there I will consider the type of skills that I need to acquire, and how those are generally taught. I will need to reconcile the method of learning for those skills with my own personal learning style. By doing this, I will be able to see potential obstacles, and hopefully deal with them in advance. Ideally, this will make for a smoother learning process.

To achieve my goal, I need to do more than just learn skills, however. There are end objectives that drive my desire to learn business golf. Part of my methodology will be to determine measures of success. These will help me to assess my performance. It is understood that business golf is not about the game itself. The objective of business golf is not to win the golf game, but to generate future business. That must be measured. Scot Duke estimates that he gets a 150% return on his business golf for his consulting services. Part of my methodology will be to develop a means of tracking my business golf returns.

At that point, my initial learning methodology stops, and I begin a feedback loop where I hope to continually improve my ability to generate revenues from my business golf endeavors.

What is my learning style, and how might my work on this project influence it?

There are dozens of different theories about learning styles. None has been deemed the most accurate, but some have gained significant currency in the field of learning. In general, my knowledge is book knowledge. In Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, this would be represented as linguistic intelligence. Traditionally, I learn by reading, studying, and memorizing. This learning style is well-suited to classroom learning.

For me, learning something hands-on is a new concept. I am more comfortable studying the game of golf by reading the… READ MORE

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