Ladies there are some of you reading this who once had a passing interest in golf.  Or maybe you are a retired softball or tennis player.  Golf offers the kind of challenge that will sharpen you right up...at every level.  To say nothing of the advantages of being a skilled woman golfer in business.

Don't get me wrong.  You don't have to be scoring in the 80's to take play the  highly profitable game of customer golf.  Nor do you need a single digit handicap to host a threesome of important male contacts on a fabulously planned golf event.  All you need is a presence on the golf course that communicates a serious respect for the game and a great sense of humor.

It is known in horse riding circles that a horse will not respond to you if you are in the least bit doubtful at your ability to command its respect. Golf is exactly the same way.  

You will not garner the respect that will attract golfing customers if you don't radiate confidence in who you are as a golfer. Here are five things you can do right now to get you on your way to amazing business success on the golf course:

1. Make a Decision How good could you be?  Decide to find out.  Once you make a decision to explore how good you can be, you will find the inspiration to allow golf to have a place in your life.  The excuse of not enough time is just that, an excuse.  The advantages in opening up a part of yourself that wants to be expressed through golf are countless.  Just make a decision to give it three to six months and then re-evaluate.  You can't lose and you have cash to be gained.

2. Find a couple of friends to keep you company. If you ask around, I'll bet you anything there are a couple of women in your immediate circle of contacts who would love to explore golf too.  Once you have two or three friends along for the ride, contact an area pro and ask about splitting up a series of lessons.  You should be able to find someone to do this for around $100 for a series of 4 or 5 lessons.

3. Bring a golf club and a welcome mat into your daily life. Don't squawk about not having time to practice.  I practice daily but in ways that are not typical. My husband frequents the area driving range two to three times a week and gives concentrated attention to each segment of his game.  I do lots and lots of small practice swings around the house. Have your local golf pro show you some swing exercises you can do at home.  I even hung a sheet up in a wide doorway and weighted the bottom down with bricks. Once I started to sense how good I could be, I was hooked.  There really is nothing quite like the feeling of a perfectly struck golf shot.

4. Get out and play. If you are lucky, there is a Women on Course group in your area.  Founded by Donna Hoffman, this fantastic group hosts golf events all over the country where you can meet other professional women who enjoy the golf lifestyle.  Check out the site and if there are no events in your area, you can contact them and they will help you get one started.  Find a friend and play nine holes as often as possible.  It doesn't take as much time and it will give you real golf experience.  You have fun with your friends without shopping, eating and sitting in coffee shops.

4. Start Tracking Your Scores. Most of the women in business that I know are really competitive and resilient...the perfect temperment for golf.  Once a woman starts to track her results, her naturally competitive nature will create a strong desire to experience personal bests.  I used regular graph paper and tracked my 9 hole scores.  Breaking a hundred was a real sticking point for me at one point until I started making 9 hole goals. 49 and 49 is 98 every time.  Seeing the graph go lower and lower as the weeks went by was fun.  I loved it.

5. Practice your putting. No one practices enough when it comes to putting and the irony is, more strokes are lost on the green than anywhere else.  How frustrating it is to get on in two and leave the green with a five.  Once you really understand the game, you are tracking your scores and you are seeing results from your practice, the next step is to ramp up your putting skills.  Become the best putter you can be.  Ask your pro for some practice exercises and go out to the practice green with a friend.  Have a couple of contests.   Golf is a naturally social game and great quality time is created between friends. Follow this up with lunch and a little shopping and you're good to go!

You learn everything you need to know about a person during a round of golf and you will know exactly who is a perfect fit for your business as vendor or client. It is a fact that thousands of dollars of business deals are hammered out in and around the golf arena.  There are so few women playing, 75% of all golfers are men, savvy women execs are quietly reeling in the big fish. My coaching challenge to you is: Can you afford NOT to give golf a try?