Building Relationships - And a Career - Through Golf

There’s no better place to do business than on the golf course, and Jennifer Hanson, National Sales Director at GolfNow, has done just that.

Chantel McCabe, sideline reporter and Dormie Network ambassador, sat down with the businesswoman to uncover exactly how she does it. Jennifer has worked in the golf industry since 2002, owning a golf advertising firm, and leading sales for Links magazine and Cox Media Group. In 2019 she received recognition with the Inspire Award for FSU Women of Distinction for her leadership in golf.

At what point did you realize that a golf industry career was something that you wanted to pursue?

It was something that happened by chance. The head of programming at the time for Golf Channel was recruiting my brother to Yale University.

Peter Gordon was interviewing my brother. My dad and brother had to go out to the Golf Channel to meet with Peter. I graduated from Florida State University in December 2011. That was right after 9/11 when everything was getting cancelled. All of our career fairs and job fairs were cancelled due to companies not wanting to fly following 9/11. I was actively looking at what I was going to do for next steps of my career, and I had gone into the Golf Channel with my dad and brother over Thanksgiving break. I just thought it was so cool to see a television station that had so many young people working there and so passionate about golf and the success of the company. There was something really attractive about it. 

I actually went to FSU and always wanted to be a television news anchor…it really wasn’t until I did that Golf Channel tour where my passion for journalism and television came together with seeing energetic people. I went back to school and immediately wrote Peter Gordon the email saying how impressed I was with the Golf Channel. I asked if he knew of any entry-level jobs and he recommended me for a sales position.

Where have you seen golf as a sport change the most, from the lens of working in the industry?

One of the ways I’d say it’s changed the most is its spread in popularity and diversity of who’s playing the game.

Even a brand like PUMA has got kids that want to go to a golf tournament and want to dress in all orange to look like Rickie Fowler or all in pink to look like Paula Creamer. Having these young personalities that kids want to emulate and having someone like Tiger Woods who is a household name helped to grow the game. When I look at who was playing and thought golf was cool when I was in middle school to who is playing now, it’s such a wide spectrum. So many of my friends’ kids are getting plastic golf clubs before they’re even big enough to swing a club…and it carries through my entire life.

Seeing how many youth minorities are getting to programs to get exposure to a sport that they never would’ve had access to and the number of programs that [exist], it’s really just kind of changing who gets experience in the game.

How significant is the growth of women and the business side of golf?

The growth of women playing and being able to play at a respectable level is huge. If you’re taking clients out or playing with someone you’ve never played with before I think it’s such an intimidating sport. I have so many girl friends and colleagues who say, “I don’t want to play with those guys who I haven’t played with before.”

You have to get through that first layer of being the only female in the foursome and the intimidating part of three guys teeing off from the same tee, and then watching you, and the expectations of how good you should be. There’s a lot of pressure there but it’s also such an amazing thing for women to be able to insert themselves in those situations so they are part of the same meetings and dynamics that their coworkers and men in the same field are able to utilize golf as a business resource. Anything you can do as a woman to get credibility because of your intellect and get time with people because of your skills on a golf course is going to naturally bridge a relationship with companies that men have the ability to work with. 

Not many people get the opportunity to play in Pro-ams, where a lot of business connections can be made. What’s your favorite experience?

My favorite golf experience with clients is getting to invite someone to the Masters who has never been at seeing it through their eyes.

But my favorite pro-am experience was about 6 – 8 years ago, playing in the Chubb Classic PGA Tour Champions Pro-am down in Naples. Somebody from Orlando was supposed to go down and play with a multi-course business owner. That person couldn't go so he asked me to go down and fill in for him. The gentleman that I met with, I’d never met him before. We shared a golf cart and we had the experience of playing an amazing course with an awesome pro. To this day, he is one of my favorite people to do business with, he’s become a personal friend. We reflect back on how golf is the only reason we would have ever met at that moment, at that tournament and time. By spending those hours together in that experience, is what truly bonded us.

What in your career would you qualify as your most significant accomplishment or the accomplishment that means the most to you?

I think my biggest accomplishment has been setting goals for myself on how I want to impact the golf industry and my personal life.

When I look back on my 20 years at Golf Channel, GolfNow and NBC Sports, it’s crazy how many different people I’ve met along the way: how many friendships, future business relationships and mentors of people who I took a lot of my current leadership and management style from watching them. Having my makeup of who I am every day at the office a combination of all of these people I’m surrounded by, I pass on to people on our team. There’s something really special about passing that on and knowing how you’re helping shape how they will lead and pass that on as a legacy.

Interview by Chantel McCabe.

Learn more about the Dormie Network experience, or check out stories that show how one woman gained more business influence through golf, and about an organization that empowers women through the game.

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