What Golf Can Teach Us About Internet Marketing

22 replies
I never really thought about it much before, but playing good golf and doing well with IM are VERY similar.

Had a chance to get out and play my first round of Michigan golf yesterday, and I was a little rusty to say the least. If you're a golfer that lives in the Midwest, I'm sure you know what I mean.

How They Are Related

Lots of golfers, myself included, spend too much time thinking/worrying about our final score at the end of the day. After a few good shots or a few good holes, we start thinking about how good our final score is going to look... IF we don't mess anything up.

For a lot of people, all it takes is ONE bad shot, or ONE bad hole to take the "fun" out of everything.

Ok, let's get on with my analogy. In IM, most marketers are constantly focused on their "final score" -- or how much money they're going to make.

If you're a golfer, look at every site or blog that you build, or every ad or article that you write as a "stroke" that helps determine your score.

So if you have a bad "shot" in marketing (site or article doesn't perform the way you thought it would), you'd worry about it having a bad effect on your final score (the money you'll make).

Is anybody seeing the point yet?

To play good golf, you've got to forget about your total score... and just concentrate on giving your all on each individual shot. Once that shot's done, it's done.

Dwelling on a bad shot only makes it harder for you to hit a good shot on the next one.

I think a lot of us can benefit from looking at marketing the same way. We've gotta stop thinking about how much money we want to make.

Just like in golf, we should focus on each individual shot -- each article, blog post, website, etc. This little shift in thinking makes us much more likely to see "a lower score at the end of the round" (more $$ in our hands).

I'm curious to hear any comments from all you golfers out there!!

- jaked10
#golf #internet #marketing #teach
  • You should always have goals. Long term goals and short term goals. Short term goals will help you had motivate you to reach your long term goal. You need to set your shoert term goals very carefully. Basicly divide your actions into smaller and managable tasks. This way you don't burn out.

    I don't know much about golf, but, let say playing a tennis match. I admire the tennis players a lot. Because it requires a lot of energy and each match is painfully long. But, if you ask them how they overcome this, they will tell you that they take game at a time and don't think about the next few hours. They will have plenty of time to analyse the match after it is finish. So, basicly, they divide the whole match in to smaller objectives (games). So, each time they accomplish their objectives, their confidence grow.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jake Dennert
      Originally Posted by sellingmanagerebay View Post

      You should always have goals. Long term goals and short term goals. Short term goals will help you had motivate you to reach your long term goal. You need to set your shoert term goals very carefully. Basicly divide your actions into smaller and managable tasks. This way you don't burn out.

      I don't know much about golf, but, let say playing a tennis match. I admire the tennis players a lot. Because it requires a lot of energy and each match is painfully long. But, if you ask them how they overcome this, they will tell you that they take game at a time and don't think about the next few hours. They will have plenty of time to analyse the match after it is finish. So, basicly, they divide the whole match in to smaller objectives (games). So, each time they accomplish their objectives, their confidence grow.

      Thanks for your input!

      Tennis another good example. Rather than thinking about how long and difficult something is going to be to pull off --- just break it down into bite sized chunks and goals.

      I see what you're sayin'.

      Online Bliss:

      That made me laugh To add to what you said...

      What that "celebrity golfer" is going through is a PERFECT example of how things aren't necessarily easier just because you're successful at what you do.

      So once you DO see some success -- don't get lazy and just think that you've got it made in the shade.

      Thanks Kunle!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kunle Olomofe
    I don't play golf. Doubt I ever will, personal reasons But that's some dead on killer advice!
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  • Profile picture of the author Online Bliss
    And like a certain celebrity golfer has proven,
    too many personal distractions can destroy your (game) business
    or at least cripple it.
    But we can't always ignore personal situations in favor of our business.
    I like your analogy.
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  • Profile picture of the author GNU27
    Last time I played golf was in Orlando, Florida attempting to win $1 million dollars at Million Dollar Mulligan.

    It was a very hot day and instead of hitting the golf ball the club slipped out of my hands, went 30 feet into the air and landed in a lake full of alligators.

    Fortunately it went forward and didn't fly into the spectators sitting having drinks on the balcony behind.

    I seem to be better at marketing than I am at golf.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Even in Florida, winter golf can be a hit or miss thing when you add in snowbirds, tourists and "winter rates"...

      The point you make translates to many sports, even fishing.

      A couple of quick examples:

      > Many times, snook like the one in my avatar will hang out at the edge of stands of mangroves, waiting for the current to bring them an easy meal. If you can cast your bait close to the mangroves, you can get bit. Leave it too far away and the fish ignore it. You have to learn to ignore the possibility of landing your line in the mangroves and either losing your lure or ruining a potential spot by going in to get it with the boat. Too timid, and you catch nothing but a sunburn. Too aggressive, and you spend all your time either retying your line or untangling it from the branches.

      > Grouper are one of the most popular bottom fish. They love to hang out on rocky structure and old wrecks. Most of the time, they won't come up too far to get a bait, so you have to keep the bait near the bottom. Let it rest on the bottom, and you get hung up. So you almost have to develop the ability to 'see' what's gong on at the bottom by feeling what your bait is doing. If you're afraid of getting rocked up occasionally, you won't be fishing where the fish are. Get lazy, and all you catch is limestone or rusty steel.
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  • Profile picture of the author graemewallis
    Banned
    I'm an amateur in golfing. But I love to play. Just like I'm new to IM. But I'm willing to learn all I can about it. Thanks for posting. Now I'm going to play Golf on my Nintendo Wii. LOL!!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kunle Olomofe
    Originally Posted by jaked10 View Post

    just break it down into bite sized chunks and goals.

    things aren't necessarily easier just because you're successful at what you do.

    So once you DO see some success -- don't get lazy and just think that you've got it made in the shade.
    Man you're just knocking 'em out of the park tonight ... so marketing can be related to baseball too...

    Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

    A couple of quick examples:

    > Many times, snook like the one in my avatar will hang out at the edge of stands of mangroves, waiting for the current to bring them an easy meal. If you can cast your bait close to the mangroves, you can get bit. Leave it too far away and the fish ignore it. You have to learn to ignore the possibility of landing your line in the mangroves and either losing your lure or ruining a potential spot by going in to get it with the boat. Too timid, and you catch nothing but a sunburn. Too aggressive, and you spend all your time either retying your line or untangling it from the branches.

    > Grouper are one of the most popular bottom fish. They love to hang out on rocky structure and old wrecks. Most of the time, they won't come up too far to get a bait, so you have to keep the bait near the bottom. Let it rest on the bottom, and you get hung up. So you almost have to develop the ability to 'see' what's gong on at the bottom by feeling what your bait is doing. If you're afraid of getting rocked up occasionally, you won't be fishing where the fish are. Get lazy, and all you catch is limestone or rusty steel.
    Wow... that's spooky how so many activities in life have so many tactics in common, this analogy is really an eye-opener in more ways than one thanks!

    Originally Posted by GNU27 View Post

    Last time I played golf was in Orlando, Florida attempting to win $1 million dollars at Million Dollar Mulligan.

    It was a very hot day and instead of hitting the golf ball the club slipped out of my hands, went 30 feet into the air and landed in a lake full of alligators.

    Fortunately it went forward and didn't fly into the spectators sitting having drinks on the balcony behind.

    I seem to be better at marketing than I am at golf.
    Ouch...

    Originally Posted by graemewallis View Post

    Just like I'm new to IM. But I'm willing to learn all I can about it. Thanks for posting. Now I'm going to play Golf on my Nintendo Wii. LOL!!!!
    LOL, exactly HOW is that gonna help improve your marketing Graeme? :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author Paleochora
    Nice analogy but theres no way IM is anywhere near as boring and dreadful as golf.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jake Dennert
      Originally Posted by Paleochora View Post

      Nice analogy but theres no way IM is anywhere near as boring and dreadful as golf.
      Well that's your opinion, but I disagree.

      Haha, I know how people that don't golf would rather watch paint dry than to watch golf on tv - but the same is true for IM.

      Anything is boring if you're not actively involved in it.

      Funny thing is, all you need is a SMALL taste of success in IM to keep you coming back for more -- much like it only takes one good shot to keep you headin' back out to the course
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    • Profile picture of the author JEL0221
      Originally Posted by Paleochora View Post

      Nice analogy but theres no way IM is anywhere near as boring and dreadful as golf.
      Dreadful!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!



      Just kidding, I am not really offended
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Scotten
    One of the greats (I think it was Hogan) when asked why he did not get upset when he hit a bad shot replied something as follows...
    "When I start a round, I know I will hit three bad shots and as soon as I hit one, I know that there is one bad shot less to play."
    Now us amateurs will need to allocate a few more bad shots per round.

    In IM, the less experience we have, the more failures we may need to allow ourselves before we get a winner.
    The more experience we get and the more we learn the art of IM, the fewer failures we will have to allow for.
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    All the best,

    Eddie

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    • Profile picture of the author Jake Dennert
      Originally Posted by Eddie Scotten View Post

      One of the greats (I think it was Hogan) when asked why he did not get upset when he hit a bad shot replied something as follows...
      "When I start a round, I know I will hit three bad shots and as soon as I hit one, I know that there is one bad shot less to play."
      Now us amateurs will need to allocate a few more bad shots per round.

      In IM, the less experience we have, the more failures we may need to allow ourselves before we get a winner.
      The more experience we get and the more we learn the art of IM, the fewer failures we will have to allow for.
      Well put Eddie.

      Even the Ben Hogans of IM have "bad shots" once in a while... and the only way for newcomers to get to that "pro" level is by allowing themselves to have more of them.

      Thanks for your input!
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  • Profile picture of the author Christian York
    I really like this post.

    Maybe because I played golf the other day and instead of worrying about my end score I just really enjoyed myself and tried to do my best on each hole. In the end I played a good round and didn't get frustrated at myself if I hit a bad shot like I usually do. And I believe this is the same with our online businesses.

    If we are enjoying what we do and stay focused on our current tasks and not always our previous mistakes then we will enjoy working more and actually earn more money.
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  • Profile picture of the author poker princess
    I dont play much golf, but your advice is really fantastic.

    I do play badminton and poker, can we have some teaching from these games
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    • Profile picture of the author Jake Dennert
      Yup, you got it Christian!

      Well thank you very much for the compliment, poker princess -- didn't know I was fantastic.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Here's another takeaway from the golf world...

        I remember watching an interview with Jack Nicklaus, and the interviewer asked the Golden Bear what he saw as the difference between the pros and the average semi-serious club golfer.

        Jack's answer stuck with me... (paraphrased from memory)
        The only real difference between the touring pros and the low-handicap club golfer is consistency. If the club golfer would take a year's worth of score cards and record his four best scores on each hole, to make a tournament of 72 holes, he'd probably find that he could have placed pretty well against the pros. The difference isn't in the physical ability to hit the shots - even high handicappers hit several shots every round that would fit in with a pro game. The difference is in being able to focus on the next shot, and the next one, and the next one.
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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    31 years ago I wrote a little booklet; Think And Reach Par: The Four Shots of Golf. Since then I have delivered scores of seminars and workshops to untold hordes of golfers. It was recorded, first as a cassette and then as a CD (see it here: golf books: Think and Reach Par (Compact Disc) )

    Here are my parallels between golf and IM.

    First, ability. Golf is a complicated game that involves hand/eye coordination. BUT, even those without much ability can enjoy the game for FUN, but probably not for profit.

    IM can be complicated especially for those that lack the basic "abilities": Product/Service Creation/Acquistion, Target Audience, Remote Persuasion, Follow Through.

    As complicated as golf is, you can reduce it to FOUR SHOTS:

    Tee, Approach, Recovery, Putting or TARP. Each shot has 4 parts, for example, The TEE Shot has

    1- Target A clearly identified place you want the ball to go to. A "goal".
    2- Alignment You must align your body and MIND with the goal.
    3- Relaxation A good golf swing delivers power to the ball without "tension" introduced.
    4- Performance The Tee Box is a little stage, and a good performance comes from rehearsal

    Golf is easy and FUN when it goes well. A good Tee shot makes you feel great. A good Approach shot will have you puffing your chest out. A Putt that roles into the cup, well, you give it the ol Tiger Woods arm pump.

    But, and here's the BIG BUT that kills golfers and Imers. It's when things go awry, wrong or haywire.

    And this is what separates the ams from the pros, it is the RECOVERY shot. When things don't go exactly to plan. In golf you can hit a great shot but it could hit a sprinkler head for example and bounce into deep rough. This bad luck in golf is called, "rub of the green" or "so sorry, to bad, hit the ball where it lies".

    The Amateur IMer will quit, whine or protest when he runs into a little "rub of the Internet", like a Google slap, server crash or crappy WSO.

    The PRO keeps focused on his goal. In golf, when you are faced with a RECOVERY shot, the TARP keys are:

    Thought (Extra)
    Abilities (based on practice and experience)
    Ramifications (what if)
    Purpose (to get back on track)

    We've watched some great golfers, Phil Michelson and Greg Norman spring to mind, screw up their chances for winning a major title when they have to face a RECOVERY shot and end up "screwing the pooch".

    In my opinion, what makes great golfers and successful Imers, is...their ability to MANAGE their emotions and actions when their "A" game and "A" swing have left the course. gjabiz
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Thats why Nike slogan fits so well in IM world:

    Just do it.

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    • Profile picture of the author mrjonman
      This is a very good post covering something I've believed in for years.

      Back in the early '70s there was a book called "The Inner Game of Golf" which talked about how in golf, you are playing against yourself. Your mind and mindset are critical in golf and in Internet Marketing.

      Just my $0.025

      John
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    I was golfing at Sentryworld and was having the best game of my life. I've never been a good golfer, but I was way ahead of my best ever score with only three holes left (18 hole course).

    This golf course is a difficult course and has won many awards. The sixteenth hole is known as the flower hole because they plant 100,000 flowers around it every year. Here's a picture of it in bloom...



    This hole intimidates a lot of golfers because if you hit into the flowers you have to leave your ball and take a drop, and the flowers are all around the green, except for where the sand traps are!

    I seldom play this hole well. I teed up, and I was so tuned in I shot a hole in one! Yes, I had witnesses, and yes, you do get a bunch of freebies for shooting a hole in one.

    Wow, was I excited. Not only did I have the best game of my life going, I'd just shot my first (and only) hole in one and now I only had two holes left!

    I didn't shoot the best game of my life though. I was so pumped up my next shot went further than I'd ever hit the ball, right past the dogleg and deep into the woods. Next shot, after taking a drop, I over shot the green by a long way.

    Long story short, I took an 8 on each of the last two par 4 holes and missed my best game ever by two strokes.

    What's that got to do with IM?

    Beats me, but I love telling that story.

    Just kidding! Seriously though, I got too excited. I didn't remember the fundamentals. I just blasted my way into blowing the game. In IM, we can get too excited too, and skip some of the basics we should remember.

    Have you ever sent out a mailing with a broken link? That wouldn't happen if you remembered the fundamentals and checked the link before you send your mailing. There are other fundamentals as well. You know your business, I won't pretend I do. Just remember to take care of your business and your business will take care of you.

    Good luck, y'all...on the course and online.
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    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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    • Profile picture of the author JEL0221
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      I was golfing at Sentryworld and was having the best game of my life. I've never been a good golfer, but I was way ahead of my best ever score with only three holes left (18 hole course).

      This golf course is a difficult course and has won many awards. The sixteenth hole is known as the flower hole because they plant 100,000 flowers around it every year. Here's a picture of it in bloom...



      This hole intimidates a lot of golfers because if you hit into the flowers you have to leave your ball and take a drop, and the flowers are all around the green, except for where the sand traps are!

      I seldom play this hole well. I teed up, and I was so tuned in I shot a hole in one! Yes, I had witnesses, and yes, you do get a bunch of freebies for shooting a hole in one.

      Wow, was I excited. Not only did I have the best game of my life going, I'd just shot my first (and only) hole in one and now I only had two holes left!

      I didn't shatter my record though. I didn't even shoot the best game of my life. I was so pumped up my next shot went further than I'd ever hit the ball, right past the dogleg and deep into the woods. Next shot, after taking a drop, I over shot the green by a long way.

      Long story short, I took an 8 on each of the last two par 4 holes and missed my best game ever by two strokes.

      What's that got to do with IM?

      Beats me, but I love telling that story.

      Just kidding! Seriously though, I got too excited. I didn't remember the fundamentals. I just blasted my way into blowing the game. In IM, we can get too excited too, and skip some of the basics we should remember.

      Have you ever sent out a mailing with a broken link? That wouldn't happen if you remembered the fundamentals and checked the link before you send your mailing. There are other fundamentals as well. You know your business, I won't pretend I do. Just remember to take care of your business and your business will take care of you.

      Good luck, y'all...on the course and online.
      Jealous of everything in this story, including the actual course(wow)
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