5 Ways the Game of Golf is just like Digital Marketing

“Golf is a science, the study of a lifetime, in which you can exhaust yourself but never your subject.” -David Forgan

When joining the digital marketing industry a few years back, I knew it would require dedication and a strong work ethic. What I didn’t know was how similar it would be to a game that I love playing (Golf, didn’t you see the title?).

There are little things about Digital Marketing and the game of golf that require similar education, focus, curiosity, patience and execution.

Let me break it down for you:

• You Will Never Stop Learning:

Digital Marketing is a constantly evolving web-book. If you’re not staying ahead of trends, reading articles, brainstorming big ideas and monitoring other brands - you’ll be left behind. Golf is also a lifelong school lesson because you’ll never be good enough to sit on your laurels. You’ll constantly be working on your swing plane, ball striking, reading of greens and most of all your determination to practice and play.

2) Harness Good. Block Bad.

There was no way I was writing a blog about Golf without attempting a Happy Gilmore line - and talk about a hole in one. There is a world full of distractions in Digital Marketing (new apps, g-chat, email, articles, etc.) that can pop up faster than an ad on YouTube. Golf is no different, requiring you to be razor sharp about your focus to the task at hand. If you lose focus before your swing, consider yourself already in the bunker.

3) Curiosity Is King and Imagination is Imperative

Are you following Think with Google or Smartbrief for Social Media?  There are new API’s, apps, ad-techs (lord please let them stop emailing me) and strategies waiting within your inbox. All it takes is dedication and Google. Golf is a game of curiosity and imagination as well - unless of course, you play the same course forever. Watch Bubba Watson play golf - I’m not sure he even knows what he’s going to do. You have to be creative in a sense with your own game - can you hook it around the tree on to the green? We’ll have to wait and see.

4) Patience is Painful

If you are early on in your Digital Marketing career - you’ve started to notice that the work never feels finished. If you present a campaign, you’re typically following up with data or rationale. In a world that moves faster than you can blink, some projects feel like they have been going on for years. Golf takes SO long to get good - that’s why so many never really learn how to play. If you can’t just pick up the club and strike it down the fairway you feel like giving up. The question is, can you make par from the rough and live on to see another hole?

5) Execution Pays The Bills

Anybody can come up with an idea - figuring out how to make it work is without a doubt the tough part. Digital Marketing requires detailed execution, and to be frank the effort is necessary. I have seen so many campaigns that don’t ladder back up or think about the next click. Golf is no different - with most opting to stay on the practice range. Only those who challenge themselves to be great and force themselves to execute at a high level will do it. And when you do, it feels incredible.