Several years ago the younger generation would have frowned upon the thought of their friends and colleagues daring to take up golf - a sport traditionally associated with grey-haired gentlemen.
But the game has evolved, with hi-tech equipment and stylish golf apparel replacing the boring old wooden clubs and bland collared shirts and pants; and with dynamic young golfers including the likes of world number one Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia hitting the big time and making their mark in the sport, the landscape of the game has changed significantly.
In the past few years, the game has been turned completely on its head by SA's so-called Jappiedom.
From an "older man's" activity, it has steadily transformed into an elite sport for vibrant corporate climbing young executives - "Jappies".
With women playing a more prominent role in the business world - in SA and worldwide - they too are swapping their aprons, oven gloves and more recently business suits for the latest set of Callaway and TaylorMade clubs and golf gear.
Though a lot of business is still done in offices and boardrooms, golf courses have become workplaces in their own right, given the frequent networking which takes place on fairways countrywide.
For young executives, golf is no longer a sport; it's a business tool.
Golf has become such a vital aspect of business that potential executives have been working themselves into a sweat to master the art of hitting the perfect bunker shot and getting out of the thick rough while trying to remain on par. All this before a business round.
A trip to any driving range in the evenings or early mornings will reveal young businessmen working tirelessly in their Armani and Hugo Boss pants and ties trying to perfect the shots that usually spoil their scorecards. Nine holes during the day at a golf course close to their offices is also not completely out of the question in the build-up to a round with their boss or potential business partners.
Golf has become such an integral part of business that in-depth studies into the link between the sport and business have proven that golf not only allows potential business partners to network on fairways and greens, it provides the perfect platform to get to know someone better.
How someone carries themselves on the golf course and copes with successful and stressful situations can go a long way in determining how he would deal with tricky situations in the business environment.
Assisting one's playing partner in figuring out how to play themselves out of trouble on the course also determines what kind of working relationship they could develop in the boardroom.
Director of golf at the Gary Player Golf Experience at the Vodacom World of Golf, Richard Kaplan, confirms there has been a rapid increase in the number of vibrant businesspeople taking up golf lessons.
"There are definitely more businessmen taking up the sport and spending large amounts of money to improve their game," says Kaplan. "You learn a lot more about a person in the few hours during a round of golf and the 19th hole than you do in a one-hour meeting at the office." He says the influence Woods has had in changing the image of golf worldwide has played a huge role in converting a sport once considered boring into one with great appeal.
With multi million dollar sponsorships - most notably with Nike - and his determination and will to succeed, Woods has become a brand in world golf - an icon in his own right.
"His influence in the past 15-20 years has changed the face of the game completely and made it more appealing to the younger market," says Kaplan.
- Isaacs is a sports writer at Business Day
