Golfing and Trust
On a podcast I listen to, the host and guest were discussing the difference between social people and those who are not apt to spend time with others. People who are engaged in business tend, on average, to be more social than academics; many business deals have been made over a round of golf. Why is golfing and spending time together popular with business folks?
We can ask a similar question: why has golf been popular, other than being fun? The host recounted an experience: a business executive took a potential partner out golfing with other workers; his wife came along. The wife noticed that the potential partner cheated at one point during the game; she told her husband about it, and they decided to back out of the deal.
Socializing with games allows us an opportunity to see if people are willing to lie and cheat to win. It lets us see a little about their character. As Jesus said,
“Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Luke 10:16
