Where Sales Meets Golf

Just like a golfer has to learn the fundamentals of grip, posture and alignment before competing in a tournament, a sales student must develop confidence, active listening and trust.

Students in the C. T. Bauer College of Business Program for Excellence in Selling (PES) discovered that this semester as they planned and executed the biannual PES Open golf tournament, part of the program's format that requires student to close sales with actual businesses to meet their quotas.

For weeks, first-semester students secure sales and sponsorships for the golf tournament and ultimately run the event when the time comes.

With the Spring 2026 PES Open behind them, students in the program shared some life lessons they picked up while selling on the golf course.

Perseverance

Only in her second semester of college, freshman Akshitha Erukulla was one of the top sellers for this spring’s tournament.

From the get-go, Erukulla was motivated to succeed and often heard advice to grab the phone and get started. While she described the process as easier said than done, her commitment to making sales ultimately paid off.

“Actually picking up the phone and consistently calling people changes your mindset about perseverance,” Erukulla said. “We made calls for many hours a day, every single day for a month and a half. We had to make sure to put in the effort, not just say that were going to.”

Senior Logan Roberts also was told to make a sale, you have to make a call.

“I remember before dialing, I'd stress about the things that could go wrong in the phone call,” Roberts said. “Throughout the semester, those nerves went away.”

Roberts became more comfortable as he got more experience making calls, which ultimately led to him being the top seller in his class.

“My mentality flipped from thinking of what could go wrong to what could go right,” he said. “That gave me that extra motivation to keep pushing.”

Community

Golf may often be considered an individual sport, but PES is not.

The program is known for building lasting bonds between its students, starting from their first semester. Once the students started making their PES Open sales, they quickly started leaning on others in the program for support.

“I spent a lot of time building connections within PES because everyone has a story you can always learn from,” Erukulla said. One of the mentors here told us, ‘A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from others' mistakes.’”

Roberts, who had an early lead in making sales, said he got the push he needed to keep going from the second semester PES students.

“I started losing a little bit of motivation because my goal was to be top three, but it's getting close,” he said. “My team lead kept telling me, ‘It's not over till it's over.’ They were right. The only way to see results is if you're making those phone calls and sending those emails.”

Time Management

Unlike most business professionals, students in PES have to balance making sales with academics and college life.

For junior Kaylee Mims, adding PES to her already packed schedule has pushed her to strengthen her time management skills further. Mims hit the ball rolling and made the first sale for this semester’s PES Open.

“I really wanted to start early and take initiative to make the first cold call,” Mims said. “Thankfully, I wasn't scared, and I felt supported by the people around me to do it. I started off strong with that.”

Once her schedule got busier as a Cougar Dolls dance team member, Mims kept making calls and learned how to make time for her priorities.

“One day I was dancing at the Sweet 16, and a few days later I was at the PES Open,” she said. “I picked up a lot of confidence because if anyone is going to go for it, it'll be me. I learned that the things I think I can manage are only a slice of what I can actually handle.”

Proceeds from the PES Open support and fund the program.