Category Archives: Helpful Hints

July 17, 2008 · 9:53 am

Changing Conditions

The Open Championship begins at Royal Birkdale today.  Whilst we call it The British Open over here, for the last almost 150 years, it has been the premiere test of golf worldwide.  Is that because of the courses, which generally have few trees and not a lot of water?  No, I don’t think so.  Really, it’s such a great test because of the ever-changing conditions.  Teeing off, it may be sunny and warm.  By the turn, it can be in the 50’s and rainy.  The wind may come up – gale force winds at that – and just as quickly go away.

This morning, the conditions there are terrible.  Rain.  Wind.  Chilly.  Two golfers – each of whom has won a major championship before – quit at the turn because their scores were so bad they couldn’t take it any more.  Now THAT’S a test!

How equipped are you and your company to deal with changing conditions?  What happens when things turn to..um…British Open weather?  I’ve found that many folks are not ready – they’ve packed for sunny and warm and have neither a plan nor the resources to deal with the change.

Thinking you can hit a 7-iron on the 165 yard hole today because you did so yesterday never works in golf.  The wind, the heat, the humidity, your mindset – all have an effect on how you hit the ball and how far it carries.  If you don’t pay attention to the changing conditions and have a plan to deal with them, you’re pretty much never going to win, no matter if it’s golf or business.

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July 15, 2008 · 8:39 am

Dreamland

One of the things in which I fancy myself an expert of sorts is barbecue.  It’s hard to get right and very easy to get wrong.  I’ve been to a lot of the great BBQ places around the USA and one of the best is the legendary Dreamland.  “That’s nice, Keith” you say “but what the hell does that have to do with business?”  Elementary, dear Watsons.

Dreamland, until it expanded, had two outlets and one thing one the menu – ribs and white bread.  In fact, that’s still all they have on the menu at the original pit in Tuscaloosa. The business lesson is easy – do one thing very very well before you try and do others.  Big Daddy may have missed some folks who wanted pulled pork or a hot link but he based their entire business on one thing and one thing only: ribs.  And they do them phenomenally well.

Doesn’t it comfort you to know that someplace has been in business with a single product for a long time?   If you only had one product, could you stay in business?  Is there a single thing you do that’s good enough to carry the entire operation?  Too often, the “shotgun approach” of just blasting away, hoping to hit something beats out the carefully aimed rifle.  I prefer the Dreamland approach – building your reputation based on a single superior product and then adding on (as they’ve done in their other outlets).  It’s much easier to maintain organizational focus this way as well.

And now, I need a rib!

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July 9, 2008 · 10:48 pm

Asking the right question

Interesting article out of Purdue U on golfers’ perceptions of hole size while putting.

46 golfers were asked to estimate the size of the hole after they played a round of golf. The diameter of a golf hole is 10.8 centimeters. The golfers selected from a poster one of nine black holes that ranged in size from 9-13 centimeters. Those who selected larger holes were the same players who had better scores on the course that day.

They did some further testing in a lab and found participants who putted closer drew the circle to be bigger than those who putted farther away.

This goes to one of my favorite points – asking the right question is more important than getting the right answer since you’ll NEVER get the latter without the former.  In this case, maybe someone should have asked the good putters (who may or may NOT be the better golfers) what they were looking at while putting.  I can tell you from a lot (way too much, probably) of time spent putting that one really doesn’t look at the hole while putting.  Great putters know that all putts are straight if they’re hit properly- it’s the green that makes them move.  Because of that, one judges the line and speed and picks a spot to which you putt – it’s usually NOT the hole.  Pelz Golf Institute research shows that less than five per cent of all putts are perfectly straight (the green moves them!) so you’re not aiming at the hole 95% of the time.

Another, smaller point is that of COURSE the hole looks bigger when you’re closer to it!  (As an aside, as the parent of a Michigan grad, I’m really holding back on the Boilermaker comments right now…).  Chances are the the better golfers were the ones putting closer to the hole as well.

Ask the right questions and if you’re in unfamiliar territory as these researchers seemd to be, ask a native for directions.

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