In business, golf is the great equalizer, says Matt Nowakowski, director of the MBA program at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It has no equal for blowing off steam and for really getting to know somebody. “It’s a place where you can kind of take off the armor we all wear,” he muses. “If you think about it, golfing is very social. A lot of times you’re eating and you’re doing some kind of physical activity, so afterwards, when you’re at the 19th hole, people are relaxed and they’re more apt to be conversational.”
That’s why Kathy Hedlund, director of global accounts at HelmsBriscoe in Minneapolis, loves to golf with clients. “I think it’s one of the best ways to build or enhance a relationship with someone, because you’re with that person for four hours.”
The fresh air and scenery is a draw, especially for those who spend most of their time in meeting rooms and airport lounges. A lot of business events are structured around golf outings, so it becomes a networking opportunity. And golf is an equal-opportunity sport for young and old, skilled and unskilled.
“Golf is a sport where you can play by yourself, and you can play within yourself,” says Marvin Schenk, founder of Architectural Sales of Minnesota, Inc., in Minneapolis. “You can play with younger fellows because everybody has a handicap. A 2-handicapper can play with a 15-handicapper, and you can have a game. And the nice thing about it is, the golf courses are gorgeous. It’s being outside, walking with friends—that’s what it amounts to.”
Here, 15 Twin Cities businesspeople explain “what it amounts to” for them in particular.
Randy Wallake
President, Securian Financial Group, Inc., St. Paul
How often do you play? “My golf season is probably from May to the middle of September. I probably recorded about 25 or 30 rounds [last] year.”
Handicap: Wallake calls himself a weekend warrior. “I was high single-digit at one time, and now I’m a struggling 15-handicapper.”
Favorite Courses
Twin Cities: “My favorite golf course is the one I belong to, which is White Bear Yacht Club. It’s a Donald Ross course that is beautiful, very rolling and well taken care of. It also has a small membership. We don’t even have tee times; we just walk up, tee up, and go find it.”
