Women in Business will host its second annual golf outing this Saturday to introduce women to the game of golf, considered to be an excellent networking tool in the business world.
Meghan Feely '08, one of the main organizers of "Golf & Business: Learning the Links," played golf in high school and soon realized that she not only loved the game but that it would be a useful skill to have later in life.
"My interest in golf benefited out of my love of the game, but I soon realized there were other benefits. Golf is a unique opportunity for strengthening relationships and enhancing business success," Feely said.
The event includes a beginner's clinic taught by LPGA pro Leslie Andrews and a nine-hole tournament geared toward more experienced golfers. Organizers hope the tournament will be a unique networking opportunity for undergraduates, especially because players will include students at the Tuck School of Business, recent alumni and women from various corporations such as Goldman Sachs.
Feely notes that the golf course is used as a business setting because it not only offers a more relaxed setting than the office, but that the game itself can reveal a lot about a person.
"The way a person reacts to a wayward drive or a missed putt is often a reflection of how she reacts to hardships in the workplace," Feely said.
Feely also said that "there are interrelationships between the game and business," especially in the development of "winning strategies."
The event was popular last year, and Feely expects a good turnout this year as well.
"We got a lot of positive feedback from girls who came out last year, and we're hoping to get girls out to play who didn't have the opportunity last spring," she said.
After the clinic and tournament, there will be a light lunch and panel discussion. The panel of speakers includes successful businesswomen Marianne Gaertner Dorado, Luanne Zurlo, Lisa Furlong and Leslie Andrews T'90, all of whom say golf plays an important role in the business world.
Andrews has noticed that many businesswomen want and need to learn to golf in order to be successful. In 2002, she co-founded Golfing Women, a company that offers golf workshops and one-on-one coaching to help women learn golfing basics.
"Business is all about relationships," Andrews said. "A round of golf takes five hours to play; five hours alone together is a unique opportunity to get to know a person."
Women in Business and 85 Broads, a group founded by women CEOs on Wall Street, are funding the course and clinic fees. Roger Demmett, head of the Hanover Country Club, is also donating clubs for women who do not have their own.
