According to Forrest Blake, owner of Oxnard-based GolfTec, 92 percent of business owners and business executives play golf.

That said, Blake insists that if golf isn't part of a company's business strategy, then it is leaving money on the table.

Deals are being done on the golf course every day, so Blake and his GolfTec team is offering corporations and executives a way to put golf into their business plan, through a series of business golf programs.

"With 27 million golfers in the nation, it behooves every top executive or marketing director to be proficient at golf or to find ways to use the game as a business and relationship builder," Blake said. "There is great confusion as to how to capitalize on these opportunities."

Blake, who owns eight GolfTec stores, believes his own experience gives him the ability to show business folks how to use golf to improve their bottom line.

Before he got involved with golf, Blake was in commercial real estate and used to do quite a bit of business on the golf course.

Blake eventually joined a country club, a move that allowed him to meet other business folks. Those relationships often benefitted his business.

"I've used golf as a powerful business tool," Blake said.

One part of the program is geared toward providing businesses with a way to use golf to build new business and develop stronger relationships with clients.

One option is to is hold an in-store party at a GolfTec close to their location.

Such a gathering allows the business to host a small group of clients, 15 to 20. But unlike having them out on the golf course, they are in an enclosed environment, making it easier to have one-on-one chats with the client in a relaxed atmosphere.

Another program offers businesses the ability to bring a group of clients out to River Ridge Golf Course for a golf clinic and nine-hole situational round.

Instead of playing a full round of golf, the participants go out with an instructor to certain spots on the golf course where they are given tips on how to handle that situation.

For example, on one hole they might be taught what to do when their tee shot ends up in the trees. Another situation might cover how to hit a chip shot from a tight, greenside lie.

"Most people like the idea of getting instruction more than they do playing a round of golf, because a lot of business people don't get to play a lot of golf," Blake said.

If a company is holding a golf tournament, GolfTec can go out and capture each person's swing on videotape and within 48 hours provide online analysis and instruction for each participant.

With his years of experience using golf to build his own business, Blake also offers to give keynote speeches to business-minded people. He gives advice on how to use the round to cultivate a business relationship and also some dos and don'ts when playing with a client.

"People want to know when they should talk business during a round," Blake said. "The answer is when the client brings it up.

"You have to remember it's not your day, it's the client's day. If they don't bring up business, you look it as a day spent cultivating a relationship."

The other part of the program helps teach business clients who have never played how to be comfortable on the course.

Not only does it teach clients golf fundamentals, it also cover things like etiquette and rules so the business person doesn't make a fool of himself or herself when they are out on the links.

"If they give us one year, we will make them a golfer," Blake said. "They have to invest time and some money, but if it translates into more business, it's a wise investment."