It’s with the fondest memories that we wrap up the season for the 2013/2014 Ivey Golf Club. We’re not discounting the possibility of a few last-minute road trips, but on October 5th we hosted our final tournament of the year at St. Mary’s Golf and Country Club in lovely St. Mary’s Ontario, graciously hosted by the prolific Matt Staffen.
Following a two-day rainstorm, thirty-five Ivey MBAs (and one very brave HBA) shipped out on the fanciest cheese wagon we could find, arriving in style at the club – and only fifteen minutes behind schedule. We teed off through a thick fog, but in high spirits. The real purpose of the ‘scramble’-style tournament, aside from love of the game, was as another opportunity to get our beginner and novice golfers out on the course to practice what they’d learned through the season. One of the key goals of this year’s golf club was to get our MBAs up to a fair level of comfort with the game, knowing that it’s quite likely it will come up again at some time in their professional careers. This isn’t to imply that every businessperson needs to be able to hit a 250-yard drive, but we’d argue that there’s a special place for golf in the business world – and not for the reasons you might think. Let us elaborate.
In a game of golf, for better or worse, you’re stuck with a handful of people for what can seem like an excruciatingly long time. You’re fairly isolated from other stimulus, so you’ll end up learning a lot about your fellow players in those few hours. Picking up on some of the subtle cues you’ll see during a game can give you a solid indication of whether or not this is someone you’d like to do business with in the future. Ask yourself questions like: do they cheat? Do they lose their temper when they shank a shot into the woods? Can they handle their liquor? On the more optimistic end of the spectrum: can they keep a positive attitude when things don’t go so well? Are they supportive and helpful? Good conversationalists? If you take the time to recognize some of these behaviours on the course, it can be a very informative experience – and a valuable one. Think of it like a fast track to getting to know your colleagues, clients and employers.
We’re looking forward to continuing on the periphery with some post-season festivities, most notably a Pub Golf event to take place later in the winter. If you happen to see a pack of good-looking folks dressed like Payne Stewart walking Richmond Row in a foot of snow, be sure to come and say hi. Better yet, come along for the ride!
Many thanks to this year’s club from your Ivey Golf execs,
Gord and Andy
About Andrew and Gord:
Andrew is a recovering advertising executive, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. When he’s not on the golf course, he’s riding his vintage Raleigh bicycle around London, or is lost in the woods on a camping trip. Upon graduation he plans to start the world’s first airborne casino.
Gord was born in Toronto and spent the last few years working in finance as an institutional trader at an independent investment dealer. He came back to Ivey to complete his MBA in hopes of taking over the world upon graduation. When he is not betting the farm on the golf course he enjoys snowboarding, live music and pretending to play hockey.