Learning to play golf can be tremendously rewarding both professionally and personally. Golf has bridged communication gaps between parents and adolescent children, introduced and forged lifelong friendships, and led to new business opportunities. The relationships are not forced or contrived because a passionate golfer can appreciate another who shares his or her zeal for the game.

If you're considering starting the game of golf, returning to golf after being away, or joining a private or semi-private club, here are a few reasons why your investment in time and financial resources will be money well spent.

Family Golf is Family Time

PGA Tour golfer Tom Lehman once said, “if you're a golfer with a young family, one of the best things you can do is to play as a family. Introduce your kids to the game and be patient so they want to stay with the game.” Lehman acknowledges the time commitment and explains that rather than spending 5 hours away from home playing golf, get your family involved. Over time, golf can bridge discussion and communication with your child. It's common ground and if you have a child in their early teen years, you understand how difficult it can be to communicate with your kids.

Lehman's belief in raising golfers is best seen in families who play the game together. Often parents with children who golf realize their child starts playing more than the mom or dad! What’s more, the parents often spend more time with each other than most other families. Walking together, it gives the parent and child time to talk about life, and of course, golf. This is time most parents would otherwise not have with their children. What's more, it's a game that can be shared for the rest of their lives.

Golf Develops Lifelong Friendships

Golf brings people together whether you meet through the game or not. Traditions are developed around golf and a recommitment to friendships is a fabulous payoff. The laughter, jokes, and time spent with each other is the glue for friendships regardless of gender, and the golf course is the perfect backdrop.

Like continuing long and enduring relationships on the course, making new lifelong friends through golf is also not uncommon. While it's always fun to play with pals, a passionate golfer also realizes one of the joys is to go out alone and get paired up with new people. You never know who will be your playing partner, which may be off putting to some, but presents an opportunity to meet someone new and maybe even make a new friend. We are social creatures and the golf course is a wonderful stage for socialization!

Golf Builds Business Relationships

Put simply, business relationships that develop on the golf course happen over time. They are not forced and do not magically occur in one round of golf. Business relationships occur when you get a sense for the quality of the person, not just their professional qualities. As is the case with any friendship, business relationships happen over the course of years after trust has been given and cared for. It happens when people are able to watch and learn how ethical, honest, and tempered they behave on the course. 

When this is displayed over time and trust is built, only then can you really leverage your golf rounds in a way that can benefit your business. That said, once you've created those relationships, they turn into friendships which transcend business, personal, and family.

Golf is a Game for Life

Is golf the be all, end all to family, personal and business relationships? No. There are many ways to create and develop these relationships. Yet, the beauty is that golf is a game for life. The young and old can play separately and together. Generational gaps are bridged, stories are exchanged, and traditions are passed down from generation to generation. If you are still skeptical, get in the game and see for yourself.

Hazeltine National Golf Club is a private golf club located in Chaska, Minn., about 30 minutes southwest of downtown Minneapolis. The club opened in 1962 with a mission to build and maintain a golf course suitable for the conduct of national championships. Hazeltine is one of only two courses in the United States to have hosted the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur, and Ryder Cup. Hazeltine’s meeting and event space, golf shop and specified services in the learning center are open to the public. More information about becoming a member at Hazeltine is available at www.hazeltinenational.com.