Why a few hours on a golf course often creates more business than a meeting room

Most business meetings are designed to be efficient. Few are designed to build trust. Yet trust is the single biggest driver of long-term business decisions. That’s why a day or even a half day on a golf course often creates more value than weeks of follow-up meetings in a boardroom.

This isn’t about golf as a sport. It’s about environment, time, and human behavior.

Business decisions don’t happen the way we plan them

More than 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf. Not because it’s relaxing - but because it creates access, conversation and context. Most companies still try to build relationships through:

• short, agenda-driven meetings

• pitch-heavy conversations

• environments where people “perform” their role

  
  

Example: In a boardroom, conversations are often controlled by the agenda. People speak when it’s their turn. Decisions feel formal - and guarded.

The result? You exchange information, but you rarely build understanding.

Environment changes behavior

A golf course removes many of the barriers that exist in traditional meetings. Instead of:

• sitting across a table

• maintaining eye contact

• defending a position

  
  

People walk side by side. Conversations come and go naturally.

Example: On a golf course, business discussions rarely start with business. They start with family, interests, challenges - and then move into work. This matters because research shows that shared experiences increase trust and memory far more than formal meetings. People don’t remember slides. They remember moments.

Time is the real differentiator

Trust doesn’t happen in 30 minutes. A few hours together allow:

• conversations to deepen

• opinions to change

• real questions to surface

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Example: In a meeting, you ask: “What are your goals this year?” On a golf course, you might hear: “Here’s what’s actually challenging right now.” That difference is where real business begins.

Why corporate golf events work - when designed intentionally

This is also where many brands get it wrong. A corporate golf event is not automatically valuable just because it happens on a course.

What doesn’t work:

• too many people

• too tight schedules

• focus on competition or hospitality

  
  

What does work:

• the right mix of people

• time for unstructured conversation

• a clear intention: relationships before exposure

  
  

Example: A well-designed corporate golf event feels less like an event - and more like a shared day with purpose. That’s where trust forms naturally.

Golf as a business platform

At Creekhouse, we see golf as a business platform, not an activation.

A platform where:

• brands meet decision-makers

• conversations happen without pressure

• relationships are built before deals are discussed

  
  

Golf doesn’t replace meetings. It makes the meetings that come after more effective.