Eighteen holes of golf will teach you more about a client than 18 years of working together.

Seriously, if you’ve ever been on a golf outing, you know that golf reveals how we handle the good, bad and ugly that expose our true characters. Golfing can also be a great way to build rapport with prospective clients, camaraderie with coworkers and loyalty with clients.

Mike Buckley, assistant golf pro at the Salt Lake Country Club, says the golf course can be better than a boardroom for sealing deals. But make sure you polish up with these simple rules.

Dress CodeYour dress must meet the code set by the courses you play. For men, this most often includes a cotton/polyester shirt with collar and slacks or walking shorts. For women, a short-sleeved shirt with collar and skirt or walking shorts would be considered most appropriate. You can wear sleeveless tops but avoid tank tops or halter-tops. Host Behavior

• If your guest players don’t know one another, give them some advance bio information so that conversation will be effortless, but also held to a minimum during the game.
• Adopt the mindset that everyone you interact with is a guest at your home. If you are putting together a foursome, it is no different.
• Arrive 45 minutes early to pay the bill at the pro shop.
• Tell your guest(s) to meet at the putting green so that whoever arrives early can practice putting.
• Let the pro know who will be cart-partnering with whom, so that the proper golf bag will be put on the proper carts.
• Check the golf carts for towels, drinks and extra scorecards.
• Make sure that your guest(s) have secured their valuables such as cell phones, pagers, Blackberrys and other gadgets in their respective lockers.

Guest BehaviorAlways be gracious and courteous to everyone, regardless of how they play the game. Avoid the following:

• If, at the last minute, you must drop out of a foursome, advise your host a few days beforehand so that you can be replaced.
• Refrain from using foul language.
• Do not drink alcohol on the golf course.
• Do not use your cell phone. If you must receive an urgent call, switch the phone to vibrate mode and answer the call quietly. Excuse yourself out of hearing distance and keep the call short.
• Don’t pretend to be a hotshot golfer. Be modest and play with others at your level.
• Don’t lie about your score.
• Don’t practice your swing while someone is teeing off.
• Avoid talking while someone is teeing off.
• Never comment on a poor shot. However, it is appropriate to compliment someone on a good shot.

Player’s Etiquette In their book “How to Play Golf,” Steve Newell and Paul Foston list four areas of courtesy and common sense that should be adhered to on the course: 

• Put yourself in the right place. Because golf should be played without distraction, it’s necessary to stand behind the individual taking his or her shot. If the person is right-handed, stand behind him or her and slightly to the right so you’re out of eye-line. If the person is left-handed, stand behind him or her and slightly to the left.
• Always think of safety, as well as courtesy, by making sure you do not stand too close when your partner is taking a shot.
• When on the green, don’t walk across the line of another player’s putt. When you step in front of another ball, you are making indentations in the green, which could disrupt the putt.
• Avoid slow play. While you don’t want to rush your shot, there are a few steps you can take to speed your progress. When your partner is playing a shot, prepare for your own so you can play immediately afterwards.
• If your ball goes into the rough and appears to be well hidden, signal the better players to go ahead of you.