So you’re working in corporate America and your company holds an annual golf event for its employees. At first this might seem daunting, especially if you’re new to golf or have never played before. What do I wear? Do I need to bring anything? Am I about to look like a straight up fool in front of my co-workers? We’re here to break it down for you - the ins and outs of THE corporate golf outing.
First thing’s first: You gotta brush up on some vocab.
Do a little Googling and see what you find, but the below will get you pretty far in the meantime. And you can check back at this blog post while you’re at your event if you forget anything 🙂
Tee box - this is the area you stand in to make your first shot at each hole
Par - that’s the score you should (in theory) be able to make at each hole. Now, if you don’t score exactly on par, here are some other terms to get familiar with:
Eagle - two shots under par for that hole. Hell yeah, girl! If you get one of these, you should quit your job and pursue your dream of becoming a pro female player hehe.
Birdie - this is one shot under par for that hole. Also wicked good!
Bogey - this is one shot over par for the hole. Not bad!
Double Bogey - two shots over par, tends to be where all the cool kids hang out (Especially if you are only golfing once or twice a year)
“FORE!” - you should probably yell this if your ball is headed toward a co-worker, in a bad way. If you hear someone else yell it… duck ;)
19th hole - there are 18 holes on a typical golf course. The “19th hole” is used to describe a place to rendez-vous after you’re done. Like for your company outing, the 19th hole is probably going to consist of refreshments at the clubhouse - hopefully on the CEO’s Mastercard.
Luckily a lot of other terms are sort of self explanatory - like, “hazard” - you can probably guess that’s something on the course you want to avoid, such as a sand trap.
As the Grinch says, “BUT WHAT WOULD I WEAR?!”
Some courses are more strict than others on skirt length, covered shoulders, etc. Especially for a company outing, we recommend you play it safe and keep it classy (not that we don’t support showing some skin on a nice sunny day with your peeps). Opt for a longer skort to make your “bend and snap'' to grab your ball a little less ~revealing~ and maybe a cute polo or quarter zip for some arm coverage. Think biz-casual-meets-sporty, and maybe leave the cute outfit for Mark in Accounting for Monday.
Pipe down! Jk, but...
Just remember to be respectful and don’t shout across the green. It’s best practice to hold the talking while someone is making their shot and the ball is rolling, and generally keep it quiet on the course. Resist any loud cheering, and consider putting your phone on silent, too. But don’t worry, having conversation throughout the course is perfectly normal, especially if you and your co-worker bestie need to catch up on last week’s tea. Just remember to keep things moving, and try not to hold up the group behind you.
Keep it positive.
Sometimes golf can be frustrating, no matter what your experience level is. Try to stay cool, calm and collected. Enjoy spending time with your colleagues, clients, fellow freelancers, etc. Congratulate your foursome on good shots, and be a good sport even if you aren’t playing as well as you’d like to that day.
This one is quick...
If you don’t have clubs, no worries, just steal some from your neighbor’s garage…For legal reasons, we’re kidding. All you have to do is give the golf course a call prior to the event and reserve a set. You most likely won’t have any trouble with this, and if you do, we’re pretty confident your co-worker won’t mind sharing their clubs with you for a bit. No sense in purchasing clubs if you don’t have any or don’t plan to play long-term.
Practice your putt in your living room!
That first long range shot is just as important as your putting. So, if you’re really nervous before your company outing, grab a few balls, a club, and lay a plastic cup sideways on the carpet in your living room to practice putting into. No need to turn your house into a full on mini golf course…unless you want to! This will just get you loose and comfy with holding your club without the watchful eye of Fiona from HR.
Finally: Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Some golfers aren’t even that good, and honestly a lot are kinda sorta bad and just enjoy the sport. That’s because there are a lot of enjoyable things about golf that don’t even have to do with actually golfing. Like spending time outside with friends and a lemonade in hand, or riding in the cart with the wind in your hair and pretending you’re in a rom-com. The point is, it’s all chill, bruh. Swing that club and let ‘er fly!
Now call the golf course to see if you can rent some clubs, and head to our Shop page to pick out a cutie new fit and the Ladies Golf Bible to learn more tips & tricks ;)
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