Sport and networking are a very good combination. Some of the best contacts I have made over the years have sport at their core and there have been some great memories from days out at sporting events with business contacts. I have also found out lots of useful information by being able to spend more time than just a quick call or a formal meeting with someone that has been helpful in a business context.

Now, I’m a weekly golfer here in the north west of the UK and take every opportunity I can to get outdoors and hit some balls. At the end of last year I tried to set up a very informal golf networking society with a few of my contacts where we would play every few weeks and then invite new contacts but it took a lot of time to organise which I couldn’t spare. We also had a few people drop out at short notice which is never ideal and I decided to put it on ice.

Then along came Fore Business – a company that has been constructed to organise the ideal opportunity for networking over a round of golf – the bonus being the ability to spend a few hours with someone and find out lots about them while also playing a round on a great course. Played the first round as a guest this week and joined up for more on a monthly basis. Really enjoyed the format and made a couple of excellent new connections in the process.

All the signs are that it will be a strong network and I might even win a couple of matches over the months. Will be inviting my contacts who I know play golf but if you fancy a game please give me a shout.