What a Week of Golf Taught Me About Accelerating CX Growth
By Julian Barton, EGM. March 2025.
I recently returned from a week away with a group of golfing buddies.
I’ve done this trip for the last 3 years now and the group size is around 60 people. We play four championship courses in as many days but around the serious golf games, there is also a lot of fun to be had. I know… it’s a tough gig but someone has to do it. There are many laughs but as I walked the fairways, lined up shots, and watched how people performed under pressure, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much the principles of golf overlap with the fundamentals of successful customer experience (CX) programs. The week turned out to be more than just birdies and bogeys (and worse)—it reinforced five key lessons that are directly relevant for any business serious about CX-driven growth.
Here are my 5 top CX tips, that will help you drive better outcomes for your business.
- Play the course, not just the hole
In golf, it’s easy to obsess over your current shot or the last bad hole. But winning players stay focused on the full 18 holes. They manage their game with the bigger picture in mind. The same goes for CX. Too many businesses get caught up reacting to individual pieces of feedback. One negative review. One bad customer interaction. Of course, those moments matter. But lasting growth comes from stepping back and looking at your entire customer journey.
Tip: Make sure your CX program isn’t just a series of isolated surveys. It should be a structured, long-term strategy that connects feedback to improvement actions across the entire experience—from first contact to long-term loyalty.
- Know your game (and measure what matters)
Every golfer has strengths and weaknesses. Some crush it off the tee. Others sink putts under pressure. The key to improving? Knowing your stats. The key for me as an average golfer is just knowing where I need to improve. In CX, businesses often fall into the trap of measuring too much, or worse, measuring the wrong things. You end up being what we call data-rich but action-poor.
Tip: Focus on the feedback measures that matter to your customer’s decision to buy, return, or recommend. And then link those measures to team member actions that drive performance where it counts—like conversion rates, average transaction value, and advocacy. Get past the scores like net promoter and to the behaviours and ‘why’ customers feel the way they feel.
- It’s a team game
Golf might look like a solo sport, but our trip reminded me how much performance depends on the people around you. Whether it’s in your foursome or just the banter on the bus. The teams that encouraged each other, gave useful feedback and stayed focused under pressure always played better. Customer experience works the same way. You can’t delegate CX to one department or hope software will solve it. The best programs engage every team member, from the front line to the leadership group, with a shared focus on delivering value for customers.
Tip: Make CX everyone’s business. Build a rhythm of reviewing results, prioritizing the top issues, and acting together to make improvements. Teams that are clear, confident, and aligned with what matters to customers always outperform.
- Course conditions change—so should your strategy
Every day is different. Wind changes. Pin positions change. Sometimes it rains. The best players weren’t the ones with one perfect swing—they were the ones who adapted fastest. In business, your customers are playing on a course that’s constantly changing. Cost of living pressures. Plenty of choices of where to buy. Bringing their own expectations. If your CX program looks the same as it did a year ago, it’s probably already outdated.
Tip: Review your CX strategy quarterly. Are you asking the right questions? Are you acting on the feedback fast enough? Are you seeing results from the changes you’ve made? Stay agile—and stay customer-led.
- Celebrate the wins and learn from every round
After every day, we’d debrief. Who played well? Who had the shot of the day? Who needs to forget the round and move on? These moments weren’t just for laughs—they created momentum. It helped us go into the next day with a plan and a positive mindset. In CX, this is often overlooked. Leaders spend time digging into what went wrong but rarely stop to celebrate what went right—or recognize the team members driving positive change. But if you want your team engaged and motivated, this is essential.
Tip: Highlight success stories. Recognize the people delivering “wow” experiences. Share feedback that lifts morale. Growth doesn’t just come from fixing problems—it comes from building belief.
Final thought This trip reminded me that performance—whether in sport or CX—comes down to a few simple disciplines:
- Play with a plan
- Measure what matters
- Back your team
- Stay agile
- And keep learning
The same mindset that improves your handicap will improve your customer outcomes—if you apply it with the right CX structure and a focus on action. If you’re ready to tune up your CX game and accelerate growth in the months ahead, I’d love to have a chat. A quick 15-minute coffee or Teams call could be the first step to getting your team on the fairway to success.