by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Becky Sauer, the golf professional at Tallahassee’s Southwood Golf Club, has one suggestion for attendees at last month’s Commercial Real Estate Women meeting held at River City Brewing company: swap business cards while golfing.
Sauer was the event’s guest speaker and discussed the topic, “Networking in the Trenches: Breaking out of your Comfort Zone.” At the event, she provided ladies with reasons the fairways could make for excellent networking, how to network better and why golf is just as much a sport for women as it is for men.
“Years ago, golf was referred to by many men as an acronym for ‘Gentlemen only, ladies forbidden’,” said Sauer. “Today, the word stands for, ‘Gentlemen out, ladies forever!”
Sauer is a professional golfer and golf instructor but recently became a licensed realtor. She says that golf and real estate go hand in hand, in a way, due to the fact that the number of women in each industry keeps growing and growing.
Sauer also pointed out the opportunities to observe a potential business partner that the game of golf can provide.
“You can learn a lot about a person by the way they golf,” she said. “You can tell if a person is honest, considerate or even if they have a temper. You can learn a lot.”
Also at the event was Matt Miller, a golf instructor at the University of North Florida, who was on hand to provide attendees with a chance to win a free golf lesson by making a hole-in-one on an indoor putting green.
CREW President Teresa Durand said she hoped the event was not only be helpful to women interested in learning a different networking technique but also helpful to those interested in learning the game of golf.
“Many women think they’re limited to sitting behind the concession stands when the guys are on the golf course,” she said. “But it’s game for everyone and can be a great business tool for people as well, if they try it.”