From Tee to Tech: Golf, Statistical Process Control, & Supply Chain

Whether you’re trying to improve your golf game or streamline a global supply chain, the goal is the same: reduce variability and improve consistency. You might think golf and supply chain management are worlds apart, but they share a surprising number of similarities, especially when viewed through the eyes of an industrial engineer (or someone familiar with statistical process control). 

Let’s tee this off with a look at golf. 

Think about playing a round of golf. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the sport, it should resonate that a golfer makes a plan for the round, similar to supply chain planners looking at routes, or a person determining their morning commute.

Part of a golfer’s plan must consider the 14-club maximum we’re given to work with– these clubs typically are a Driver, Putter, and then a range of either fairway woods, hybrids, irons and wedges.  To prepare for an individual round, we may swap out a fairway wood from our 14 clubs to a hybrid, based on the course we are playing. Every golfer then starts on the tee with a plan to hit the fairway, then hit the next shot onto the green, and then hopefully make the putt for a birdie (1 under par, a great outcome).  

But just like our supply chain plans, what does a golfer do when the plan to hit the fairway isn’t successful?

When a golfer finds themselves in a sand trap or in the trees to the side of the green, making par just got a lot harder.  After making a bad shot like this, golfers may try and pull off a miracle with the next to make up for it… myself included!

Instead of course-correcting, this more often leads to compounding the problem and a higher score.  I would be lying if I said I always make the right decision.

Most professional golfers have a caddy with them, who advises them on what shot they should hit and how they should hit it.  And here is where golf and supply chains start to show their similarities.

Supply chains need a “caddy” to interdict and predict what is going to happen next.  These caddies for supply chains are what TransVoyant’s Machine do.  By bringing together your enterprise data (your golf game), the suppliers/providers/ecosystem data, and external data such as weather, geopolitical events, etc., TransVoyant course-corrects your supply chain just like a caddy does for a professional golfer.

If every golfer had real-time statistics for the best way to get out of a sand trap and predicted outcomes available, provided by a trusted source, maybe our scores would be higher!

Both golf and supply chains are processes where small changes can have big impacts. They require: 

• Measurement of key variables 

• Analysis of trends and anomalies 

• Control to reduce variability 
• Continuous improvement to reach peak performance
   

Whether you’re managing a 7-iron or a global logistics network, the principles are the same.

Golf teaches us that you can’t improve what you do not measure. The same is true in supply chain management. By applying the principles of statistical process control and with the right caddy (software), you can bring clarity to complexity, reduce variability, and drive consistent performance; whether it’s on the golf course or in your company boardroom.

So next time you’re tracking your putts per hole or analyzing delivery lead times, remember: you’re playing the same game, just on a different course.