He walked away from a $750,000 golf apparel order, cried on his living room floor, and told his wife their dream was dead. Then he built a $12 million business from scratch - without knowing how to brew a single beer.
Geoff Tait has one of the wildest entrepreneurial stories in golf. He started a funky golf clothing brand before Travis Matthew, Puma and Nike caught on, landed a deal with Arnold Palmer himself, and drank Kettle One with The King and Jack Nicklaus on a balcony at Augusta. Then it all fell apart. Business partner battles. Lost control. Humiliation.
But here's the twist: Geoff didn't go work for someone else. He went back to teaching as a marketing professor as he built the business plan for Triple Bogey Brewing Company. No brewing experience. No investors. Just a fun name and a relentless commitment to slow, organic growth.
This is a conversation about the real cost of entrepreneurship, the loneliness and exhilaration of building something from nothing, and why "better hit another" isn't just a Triple Bogey Brewing slogan - it's a life philosophy.
Key takeaways in this episode with Geoff that you will discover:
Losing control of your company is a nightmare - but losing your values is worse
Geoff learned the hard way that scaling too fast with the wrong partners can cost you everything. Now he grows organically, keeps full control, and says "the best investor is your customer."
You don't need to be an expert. You need to surround yourself with the right people
Geoff couldn't sew a button or brew a lager. But he knew how to spot talent, build trust, and let experts execute. His superpower isn't technical skill - it's knowing who to bring into the room.
The golf industry rewards loyalty, not flash
While big brands fight for shelf space, Geoff built Triple Bogey one golf course at a time - by showing up, delivering great customer service, and making a product people actually want to drink on a hot day. Slow, steady, and authentic won the race.
Are you more of a watcher than a listener? Then check out our extended bonus segment with Geoff on The ModGolf YouTube channel. Click on this link or the image below to watch.
Three Memorable Quotes from Geoff:
"I walked out of my office with a $750,000 JCPenney order on my desk that we didn't deliver. I went home and cried on the floor and had to tell my wife what happened."
"If I'm going to do this, this time it's with slow growth. For the first eight years, I was putting my own money back in. I didn't want to take on partners. I wanted to keep this thing in my complete control."
"It's a lonely world being an entrepreneur. There are sleepless nights where you're waking up trying to figure out how you're going to tackle the next step. But that's the fun of it. Even if you get pits in your stomach, you just gotta keep going."
🔗 Links & Resources
Triple Bogey Brewing Company: www.triplebogey.com
Geoff Tait's bio page >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/geoff-tait
LinkedIn: Geoff Tait
The ModGolf YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@modgolfpodcast
Episode Chapters:
00:00: Welcome to The ModGolf Podcast
01:00: The Icebreaker: Geoff's first golf memory at age six
03:15: From bag drop to Australia to cruise ships (and Venezuela)
05:30: The birth of Quagmire Golf: funky clothes before anyone else
07:15: The random IMG phone call that led to Arnold Palmer
09:00: Redesigning Arnie's clothing line (and the Augusta invitation)
11:10: How things fell apart: business partners, lost control, and a $750k order
13:15: Crying on the floor: the lowest moment
14:45: Teaching college and secretly building Triple Bogey's business plan
16:40: Launching a brewery with zero brewing experience
18:20: Why "Triple Bogey" (and why you can't call a beer "Birdie")
20:00: Minimum viable product: one lager, sunny days, sessionable
22:30: The non-alcoholic pivot (and a secret water launch)
24:00: Colin's 99-year-old dad converts from his beer to Triple Bogey
25:15: Transfusions and how grape changed everything
28:30: Navigating provincial liquor boards (and why BC is finally opening up)
30:45: Selling direct to 600 golf courses (no brewpub, no sandwiches)
32:40: Lessons from Quagmire Golf: slow growth, no partners, stay in control
35:30: "The best investor is your customer"
37:45: The loneliness of entrepreneurship (and why it's worth it)
39:00: Where to find Triple Bogey (including a first step into the US)
41:30: Meet us on The ModGolf YouTube channel: more Arnie stories await
🍻 One Last Thing from Geoff
"When you buy a Triple Bogey you're supporting my family - my kids Sawyer and Fiona, my wife Megan, and all our employees. We're not a faceless corporate brand. Drop me a line. I'm better on email than the phone. But call if you need a friend."
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