{"id":114,"date":"2010-06-03T13:22:45","date_gmt":"2010-06-03T13:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janinajacobs.com\/?p=114"},"modified":"2011-01-31T05:15:55","modified_gmt":"2011-01-31T05:15:55","slug":"30-days-to-business-golf-part-3-conversational-topics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/golf\/instruction\/114\/30-days-to-business-golf-part-3-conversational-topics","title":{"rendered":"Business Golf Primer: Conversational Topics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quite often women complain \u2018the men won\u2019t talk<\/em> to me\u2019.\u00a0 The fact is, you need to talk to them.<\/em> In their language.\u00a0 Men like to discuss sports, business, golf, cars, and\u2026\u2026well, sex and women.<\/p>\n

Do not feel as if you need to cover ALL of these topics but know that while discussing sex and women may not be something you\u2019d care to tackle, you may find you could learn how men think.\u00a0 And in turn, they could learn how you, and other women, think.\u00a0\u00a0 Knowing how the other side views the world is well over half the battle in learning how best to get along.\u00a0 This doesn’t mean you have to suffer through a slew of off color jokes, jock strap humor, bust size inquiries and the like, but you should be prepared to handle these conversations if they arise.\u00a0 You don’t want to act like a cloistered nun who has never heard this kind of talk before.\u00a0 You do want to have the right amount of tolerance.<\/p>\n

A few years back, did you ever tune in to the \u2018Tom Leykis Show\u2019, syndicated out of Los Angeles?\u00a0 Every woman should have listened to this show at least once to hear what men all over the country were saying.\u00a0 Some of it is unbelievable, gross, and\u00a0hard to fathom, almost taking women back to the opinions and status of\u00a0200 years or more.\u00a0 \u00a0However, it is worth hearing so you can understand where some men get their opinions.\u00a0 Leykis is still around but in a different capacity.\u00a0 You can check out his website, www.tomleykis.com.<\/p>\n

Other radio stations and certain shows in particular cater to male audiences.\u00a0 In Detroit, 101.1 WRIF\u00a0 notoriously covers topics that are of interest mainly to men.\u00a0 You may not agree with what goes on but you can bet men are listening and talking about the day\u2019s morning show happenings and the guests that co-hosts\u00a0Drew and Mike were chatting up on \u2018The Riff\u2019.\u00a0 One advantage to tuning in to these types of shows is that the men you play golf with will be shocked to hear YOU listen to the shows.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u00a0will be\u00a0difficult to listen without wanting to jump inside your radio to give them a piece of your mind, but you will benefit from your male cohorts recognizing you’re \u2018in the loop\u2019.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget to listen to the news excerpts and the sports shows so that you become familiar with what is happening in the world and in the various sports arenas.<\/p>\n

Don’t expect the same in return.\u00a0 Very few men will tune into The View or Oprah or The Ellen DeGeneres Show to understand how women think.\u00a0 I won’t say it isn’t important but they will never want their buddies to know if they do.\u00a0 And do not initiate conversations about your kids, no matter how wonderful they may be – unless Junior got a hole-in-one or a double eagle the first time out, or you are playing with colleagues who work in education, child-care services, or other kid-friendly professions.<\/p>\n

Take time to become familiar with and learn the basics of the following sports:<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Baseball<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Basketball<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Football<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Golf<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hockey<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 NASCAR<\/p>\n

–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Soccer<\/p>\n

Know how the games are played, the basic rules, how many players are on a team and how many play at one time, some terminology, and some of the major events and name players.\u00a0 If your city has local teams in all of these sports, know the teams, where they play, and the key players.\u00a0 In Detroit we have everything:\u00a0 The Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, The Detroit Pistons at The Palace, The Detroit Lions at Ford Field, and The Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, commonly referred to as\u00a0\u2018The Joe\u2019.\u00a0 The only thing lacking these days, unfortunately, is a major golf tournament or a PGA or LPGA Tour stop.\u00a0 With the economic downturn rampantly pounding the Detroit area, it is no surprise that\u00a0sponsors, consisting of mostly car companies, have backed down, which means no more Buick Open, Ford Senior Players, or the LPGA’s Oldsmobile event.\u00a0\u00a0 This is odd considering golf’s popularity in Michigan – you’d think someone would pick up on it since the opportunity is wide open now.<\/p>\n

With NASCAR, there aren’t home teams, though you do have racing teams,\u00a0many with prominent owners like Roger Penske, Richard Petty, Richard Childress, the Earnhardt family,\u00a0and Jack Roush of Roush Racing, whose headquarters is in the proverbial Motor City\u00a0\u2013 or more specifically Livonia, Michigan.\u00a0\u00a0 Learn about each track and its intricacies:\u00a0 whether it is a fast track like Talladega or Atlanta where speeds can top\u00a0200mph,\u00a0or a short\u00a0track where maneuverability is paramount like Bristol and Martinsville,\u00a0or a deadly track, like Daytona, the infamous site of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s. death in 2001.<\/p>\n

Do you fish?\u00a0 Consider learning how.\u00a0 Many golfers love this sport. \u00a0 I wondered how you could possibly combine two warm-weather (for the most part) sports without sacrificing one.\u00a0 About two years ago I began to fish, in\u00a0both salt water and fresh water and now I see the light (as it streams through the water and you can really<\/em> see the fish)…….watch for\u00a0an upcoming story, ‘Fish-N-Chips’, which chronicles venues offering sterling opportunities for both in Michigan.<\/p>\n

In golf, there are no home teams, but since the Tours travel everywhere, there will be some event in or near many major cities in the U.S.\u00a0 Here in Michigan, we have very high activity in many aspects of the game including top-notch organizations such as the Michigan Professional Golfers Association (MPGA), the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) which governs amateur golf, the Michigan Women\u2019s Golf Association (MWGA) which provides information and tournament opportunities for public course women players – and many other public and private associations as well.\u00a0\u00a0 Clubs in Michigan have hosted significant golf events:\u00a0 Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills hosted the Ryder Cup back in September of 2004, the PGA Championship in 2008, and has been the site of several major PGA Tour and national amateur events.\u00a0 Oakland Hills is also a major site for business golf – more so as foursomes than outings, which are limited – and an invitation here is not to be missed.\u00a0\u00a0 Every state has their ‘star courses’ and it is up to you to know what and where they are.\u00a0\u00a0 Indianwood Golf and Country Club does host numerous business and charity golf outings and will be the site of the USGA Senior Open July 12-15, 2012.\u00a0\u00a0 I was a member st Indianwood back in the early 80’s and can testify that the seniors will have their hands full if owner Stan Aldridge allows the rough and the heather to grow, tightening the fairways to frighteningly narrow widths.<\/p>\n

Michigan has the largest number of public access golf courses in the country <\/em><\/strong>and the most courses, both public and private, in the U.S. of the \u2018cold weather\u2019 states.\u00a0 Michigan also has a higher percentage of women golfers than anywhere else, at about 28% of the total golfing population.\u00a0 Other areas of the country are at roughly 22%.<\/p>\n

There are other ways to become knowledgeable on golf topics:\u00a0 read golf magazines such as Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Travel and Leisure Golf, Links Magazine, and GolfWeek. There are hundreds of golf websites besides\u00a0www.theAPosition.com:\u00a0 the Executive Women’s Golf Association is a\u00a0national organization which helps women learn\u00a0how to use golf as a business tool.\u00a0\u00a0 Go to\u00a0www.ewga.com<\/a> for more information.\u00a0\u00a0 Check these sites every few days or so,\u00a0as stories are added, updated and changed frequently.\u00a0 By doing so you should find answers to just about any golf question or situation you may ponder.\u00a0\u00a0 For more localized information, many states have their own regional magazines, like ACES in California, On the Green Magazine in the Myrtle Beach area, Midwest Golf Magazine, Colorado Golf Magazine, Chicagoland Golf, The Met Golfer in New York, Flagstick Golf and SCORE Golf in Canada, and Michigan Golf Magazine here in my home state. \u00a0 Watch The Golf Channel –\u00a0 you\u2019ll be amazed at the wealth of golf information you\u2019ll gather in a short period of time.\u00a0\u00a0 Most media mentioned here could do a better job of including more\u00a0articles and stories\u00a0written by and for women\u00a0in their publications or on the air.\u00a0\u00a0 For many years, women have been considered as a serious emerging market, though companies have been unable to capture it as they should.\u00a0 Ladies, please contact any media outlet you may know and tell them what you think.\u00a0 It is the ONLY way awareness will improve.<\/p>\n

Read your local newspapers for golf information though I hate to say that golf coverage there is on the decline.\u00a0 Many main newspapers in major cities do not have a dedicated golf writer any more.\u00a0 \u00a0Of course, this is one reason The A Position came to be so all is not lost, but the trend is not appealing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Off-color jokes, jock straps, and in-house company dirt…….are these topics off limits?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,9,1495],"tags":[4852],"class_list":["post-114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-instruction","category-golf","category-what-do-women-want","tag-business-golf-conversation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114\/revisions\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}