By Emily Kay
Winter 2007

David Howell is one of the world’s top golfers, not a CIO. Yet Howell finds himself dealing with many of the same issues that face CIOs: improving performance, overcoming challenges, coping with global issues, making tough decisions, staying ahead of the competition and making the best use of new technologies. To learn more, contributing writer Emily Kay caught up with Howell, a 31-year-old from Surrey, England, as he prepared for the CA-sponsored World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Everyone, whether in business or golf, faces unique challenges along the road to success. What were some of yours?
In 2002 I broke my arm, which could have cost me my career. Instead, I decided to rededicate myself and improve all aspects of my golf. Though I looked at myself as a business, I had no major plan. So I entrusted my former coach, Clive Tucker, with helping me. Also, my body is my business, so I decided to look after it a bit more. I took the plunge and invested in a full-time therapist on tour and a full-time personal trainer.

What’s the toughest decisions you’ve had to make during a tournament?
During my first victory on the European tour, I went into the last round tied for the lead. My best decision was to ask my former caddie to make sure we talked all the way around to take my mind off the situation. It paid off handsomely, and I won the 1999 Dubai Desert Classic.

Another decision I made was not to look at the leader boards that day. It’s a difficult mental challenge, because they stare you in the face. Sometimes you need to look at leaderboards. You have to change your strategy according to the circumstances.

Have you been able to turn competitive pressure into a competitive advantage?
I try to focus on one shot at a time and not get ahead of myself. I tell myself, “All you can do is try your best,” and accept that’s all you can do that week.

Also, I use Sum It Golf [Services Ltd.], a British company, to collect my statistics. They use a high-tech database to log where all my shots go and compare me against my peers or myself. They’re telling me that my putting is my strength, and I’ve made a conscious effort to believe that.

How satisfied are you with your game?
There are always more challenges; that’s the nature of golf. Most golfers want to feel like we’re totally in control of that little white golf ball, which we can’t really ever achieve. But I keep striving to get there. Not being satisfied is a positive, whether you’re in business or sports. In the last three or four years, I’ve seen consistent improvement, but I’m not the best at giving myself a pat on the back.

Golf, like business, has gone global, and you travel a great deal to compete in tournaments. Is golf essentially the same wherever you go, or are there profound local differences?
Golf is a global game. You play with the same clubs, and golfers around the world have the same mentality about the game. That’s the nice thing about golf. It’s a unifying game.

What do you think of the new golf club and ball technologies? Useful tools or unfair advantages?
Golf is a difficult game, so anything that makes it easier for the average player is a good thing. If you’re hitting 200 yards normally and you gain 10 percent, now you’re hitting 220 yards.

That said, I think technology has gone about as far as it should. There’s been a giant leap in the last 15 years, and it won’t be the same in the next 15. The average player believes a new driver will cut shots off his or her handicap. While it will help him or her play the game slightly better, a few golf lessons may be just as good an idea.

Can CIOs tap into their career strengths while on the green?
CIOs need to realize that although great technology will help you in business or golf, it’s ultimately the person using the technology that counts. Whether in business or golf, there’s nothing harder than going into a situation when you’re unprepared. You have to know what level you’re playing at.

Interviewer Emily Kay plays to a 10-ish handicap and has no plans to give up her day job writing about business and technology in Chelmsford, Mass.