I love golf. Where else can you spend quality time with a client for hours, sharing in the experience of a most challenging, confounding, fun and interesting sport? Some say more deals are made playing Golf than are made in Boardrooms.

Here's a familiar excerpt from one of my rounds: "I'm on the Tee on a 425 yard Par 4. About 225 yards out, it turns right. I have to get it past the huge tree on the right, but on the left and up is a deep sand trap. If I clear it, I'm ok. If I'm short, it will cost me another stroke. Which club should I use? Why, I ask myself, does my target look like a postage stamp??"

Ever thought about Golf as it relates to Business? Consider this: Jack Nicklaus has authored many articles and conducted countless interviews about how he approaches each course, each hole, each part of the game. Every time I read his words, I see, all the more clearly, the similarities between the game of Golf and, if you will, the game of Business. There are risks and rewards and you have to weight your decisions based on the information you have, your training, your experience and what your gut is telling you to do.

My friend, Rick Sessinghaus, is a member of the PGA and is a sought after motivational speaker. Rick teaches the mindset of champions. He uses gold as the metaphor to train business professionals on how to achieve peak performance in their life. In fact, he actually holds training sessions at a golf course and mixes classroom as well as on-the-course instruction. Pretty cool. Here's what Rick's students learn:

1. The ability to block out distractions and focus on what matters most will increase the quality of your performance.

2. The ability to take action despite the fear of the outcome separates the great from the rest.

3. Possessing the skill of controlling your emotions affects decision-making, communication, and ultimately, execution.

4. Having a target is fundamental to both golf and business. Be clear on what you want, not on what you don't want.

5. Have fun. The best at their chosen professions love what they do and that passion helps them deal with obstacles.

The long and straight of it is this: Promotional Products play a huge role in Golf and in the enormous Brand-extension you can enjoy when the right items are used. From Golf Balls to Shirts, Divot Fixers to Caps, our industry continues to come up with great looking, useful items to compliment your logo and objectives. Make the most of this great business-building sport that also serves as a great teacher about life, about ourselves and about how It's ALL Personal.

Dave Ribble is President of The Company Image, Inc./Geiger
Published in Brilliant Results, March 2006, reprinted with permission