The ModGolf Podcast
Host Colin Weston explores the future of golf through conversations with the visionaries and influencers that are shaking up the sport.
About the show
The ModGolf Podcast talks with golf's top influencers, entrepreneurs, innovators and disruptors about their vision and solutions to re-imagine, transform and grow the game.
The ModGolf Podcast has been ranked #4 on 2023's most comprehensive list of "Top 25 Golf Podcasts", based on our quality and consistency of posts, industry expert reviews and social media influence/popularity. Please subscribe to The ModGolf Podcast to help us grow and move up the rankings in 2024!
We'd love to hear from you! Have any ideas or guests you'd like to hear on future episodes? Contact Colin directly here or on Instagram @modgolfpodcast to start the conversation.
Episodes
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Harnessing The Power of Technology To Help Grow Golf - 020: Eddy Lui / 18Birdies
November 7th, 2017 | Season 2 | 30 mins 11 secs
18birdies, eddy lui, entrepreneur, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, golf technology, lean startup, modgolf, modgolf podcast, paige spiranic, sport tech, startup
18Birdies is the fastest growing golf community in the mobile app space, as they have crossed the startup chasm from "skeptics wondering if their cool idea would make it” to “these guys are still here, they’re getting bigger, stronger and achieving more success”. Founder and CEO Eddy Lui speaks with host Colin Weston about his inspiration for creating 18Birdies, the evolution of their product offerings through customer insights and their ambitious plans to scale up quickly through the strategic partnerships they have secured.
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Creating The World's Most Innovative And Fun Golf Tournament - Carlos Sugich / WM Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman
October 31st, 2017 | Season 2 | 36 mins 8 secs
#growgolf, carlos sugich, coors light birds nest, future of golf, golf, golf innovation, kelley james, modgolf, modgolf podcast, pga tour, the 16th hole, the phoenix open, the thunderbirds, waste management, waste management phoenix open, weezer
The Waste Management Phoenix Open, known as #ThePeoplesOpen constantly raises the bar as the premier golf entertainment experience in the world. 2018 Tournament Chairman Carlos Sugich speaks with host Colin Weston about the iconic 16th hole stadium (The Loudest Hole In Golf) and how his charity group The Thunderbirds consistently innovate this unique tournament experience.
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Grow The Game By Taking It A Little Less Seriously - Shane Bacon / FOX Sports
October 17th, 2017 | Season 2 | 45 mins 16 secs
brad faxon, cbs sports, european tour, fox sports, future of golf, golf, golf broadcasting, golf disruption, golf innovation, golf sixes, golf technology, grow golf, keith pelley, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, pga tour, shane bacon, the modgolf podcast, tiger woods, topgolf
Shane Bacon, FOX Sports Golf Reporter and "The Clubhouse" podcast host shares his unique take on golf, ranging from the average fan’s obsession with Tiger Woods to exploring different golf game formats as a fun, social alternative to traditional 18 hole stroke play. As Shane says, "To grow the game, make golf as simple and fun as possible". We couldn't agree more.
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The Links At Petco Park: Creating Fun Golf Experiences - Nate Adelman / Callaway Golf
October 9th, 2017 | Season 2 | 39 mins 55 secs
#growgolf, #modgolfers, #modgolfpodcast, #thelinksatpetco, callaway golf, colin weston, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, lean startup, nate adelman, ogio, petco park, san diego padres, simon sinek, the links at petco park, the modgolf podcast
Host Colin Weston speaks with Nate Adelman, co-creator of The Links At Petco Park and Marketing Manager for Callaway Golf. Nate shares how #TheLinksAtPetco went from fun idea to a constantly evolving and popular annual golf experience now in its third year, providing Callaway with a platform to help grow the game while supporting local charities.
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Creating A Frictionless Experience That Connects Golfers To Tournaments - Eric Crawford / GolfTourney.com
October 3rd, 2017 | Season 2 | 32 mins 11 secs
#growgolf, eric crawford, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, golf technology, golftourney.com, lean startup, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, the modgolf podcast
Does something as simple as connecting eager golfers to unfilled amateur and charity tournament spots qualify as an industry disruptor? Considering close to one million tournament events are held annually in the US alone on 15,000 golf course, the size of the total market says yes it is. GolfTourney.com has created the industry-leading solution to help fill the massive inventory of unfilled tournament tee times while providing their users with an elegant search and booking experience. On this episode, host Colin Weston speaks with Founder and CEO Eric Crawford about his journey from a lean startup idea in 2008 to a validated early growth business that is poised to capture a big piece of a very large global market, all while helping grow the game and supporting charitable causes.
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Building the Technology Engine That Powers Immersive Golf Entertainment Experiences - Dave Shultz / NextLinks
September 26th, 2017 | Season 2 | 28 mins 37 secs
#growgolf, dave shultz, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, golf technology, lean startup, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, nextlinks, realitee, simon sinek, the modgolf podcast
Host Colin Weston speaks with Dave Shultz, founder and CEO of NextLinks. Dave is a passionate golfer and entrepreneur who has developed the technology to fuel the future of golf entertainment experiences. On this episode, we hear about Dave's transformational journey from engineer to entrepreneur, lessons he's learned along the way and the business he is poised to scale up.
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"The Miracles Episode" - Golf Digest's Max Adler Shares Golf's Unexpected Stories
September 19th, 2017 | Season 2 | 26 mins 45 secs
#growgolf, future of golf, golf, golf digest, golf innovation, max adler, modgolf, modgolf podcast, the miracles issue, topgolf
Yes golf is a game, but there has always been an unexpectedly mystical aspect to the sport that many believe operates on an different plane of consciousness. This week Golf Digest Editorial Director Max Adler shares with us some amazing, inspirational stories for their "Miracles Issue".
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"It Only Takes One" - The Innovative Evolution of World Long Drive
September 12th, 2017 | Season 2 | 1 hr 7 mins
#growgolf, future of golf, golf, golf channel, golf innovation, justin james, lisa longball, maurice allen, modgolf, modgolf podcast, sandra carlborg, topgolf, volvik, volvik usa, winstar, winstar world resort and casino, world long drive
We open Season Two as host Colin Weston travels to Oklahoma to cover the Volvik World Long Drive Championship. There Colin speaks with the players, fans, creators, owners and sponsors to reveal how Golf Channel plans to transform what was a niche golf novelty event into a mainstream sport entertainment property.
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BONUS: Season One Wrap Up / Season Two Preview
September 8th, 2017 | 1 min 26 secs
future of golf, golf, golf entertainment, golf innovation, golf instruction, lean startup, modgolf, modgolf podcast, topgolf
While we're hard at work putting together Season Two of The ModGolf Podcast for you, we decided to give you a quick recap of Season One and to get you ready for the next 12 episodes we'll be releasing starting September 12.
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Promoting Diversity And Inclusion To Make Golf Look More Like America - Steve Mona / World Golf Foundation
July 25th, 2017 | Season 1 | 44 mins 9 secs
#growgolf, future of golf, golf, golf 20/20, golf disruption, golf innovation, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, national golf day, steve mona, the first tee, we are golf, world golf foundation, world golf hall of fame
World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona has a clear vision for growing the popularity of and participation in golf: "We want golf to look like America looks and be reflective of society, from a gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and age perspective". Steve and the WGF are putting their words to action by creating various initiatives and task forces to empower individuals, groups and startups with the resources and support they need in order to grow and make an impact. We learn on this episode how The World Golf Foundation has become the hub that connects all the golf innovation spokes together to help create a healthy future for the game.
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Creating Innovative Products That Find Their Customers First - Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen / TrackMan
July 18th, 2017 | Season 1 | 33 mins 17 secs
#growgolf, blue ocean strategy, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, klaus eldrup-jørgensen, lean startup, major league baseball, mlb, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, statcast, trackman, trackman golf
TrackMan began in 2003 with a vision of making practice sessions more efficient and fun by introducing radical innovation to the golf industry. On this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, Trackman co-founder and CEO Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen tells his entrepreneurial journey which started as a trained medical doctor and ex-Danish National Golf Team member who believed Doppler radar could accurately track a golf ball. Fourteen years later, TrackMan is the industry leader with five golf-based ball tracking products, along with developing the StatCast visual tracking for Major League Baseball.
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Growing The Game By Hosting The World's Biggest Golf Tournament - Jeff Monday / Myrtle Beach World Amateur (010)
July 11th, 2017 | Season 1 | 38 mins 21 secs
#growgolf, 19th hole, future of golf, golf, golf innovation, golf tournament, jeff monday, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, myrtle beach golf, myrtle beach world amateur, world am
How do you help grow the popularity of golf? By hosting the world's biggest golf tournament and after-party! Going into the 34th year, The Myrtle Beach World Amateur annually hosts players from the 50 United States and over 30 countries. 3,100 players teed it up in the 2016 tournament, and participation is expected to grow yet again. The event boasts 72 holes of net, stroke play on over 60 championship golf courses, followed every night by their massive "19th Hole" golf party. Players are placed in flights based on gender, age and handicap to keep the competition fun, fair and equitable.
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"Surf The Earth" To Make Golf More Fast, Fun and Popular - Jeff Dowell / GolfBoard
July 4th, 2017 | Season 1 | 34 mins 56 secs
#growgolf, blue ocean strategy, crossing the chasm, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, golfboard, jeff dowell, laird hamilton, lean startup, modgolf, modgolf podcast, surf the earth
This week host Colin Weston speaks with Jeff Dowell, President of GolfBoard. Since their launch at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show, GolfBoard is steadily changing how golfers get around the course as a fun, fast and exhilarating alternative to the traditional golf cart. Jeff explains how GolfBoard is poised for rapid growth as they prepare to "Cross The Chasm" on the Product Adoption Curve from their community of passionate early adopters and into the Early Majority phase where the real business opportunity to scale lies.
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Harnessing The Power Of Music To Reach A New Golf Audience - Kelley James (008)
June 27th, 2017 | Season 1 | 34 mins 50 secs
charlie hoffman, golf, golf digest, golf disruption, golf innovation, golfstream, kelley james, kellyjamesmusic, modgolf, modgolfpodcast, oakley #growgolf, phoenix open, playgolfstream, red bull, rickie fowler, ryan sheckler
On this episode of the ModGolf Podcast, we speak with musician, singer and songwriter Kelley James. Kelley shares how his Californian surf-inspired freestyle music has entertained audiences at PGA Tour events like the WM Phoenix Open. We learn how expanding the on-site fan and player tournament experience is a critical component needed to attract younger, new audiences to golf.
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Inclusive Team Experiences That Connect Young Adult Golfers - Kris Hart / Nextgengolf
June 20th, 2017 | Season 1 | 36 mins 19 secs
golf diversity, golf entrepreneur, golf innovation, grow the game, kris hart, modgolf, modgolf podcast, nexgen golf, pga of america, sport tech, usga, youth golf
This week's guest is Kris Hart, co-founder and CEO of Nextgengolf. "Focusing on the rest, not the best young golfers", has created a massive target market for Nextgengolf, as 95% of the 220,000 high school golfers have few options for maintaining their love for the game once they go to college. Between their golf event properties NCCGA and City Tour, Nextgengolf is the leading entity for golfers in their 20’s and 30’s in the US.
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A 'Blue Ocean Strategy' For Golf - Guillaume Béland / The Major Series of Putting (006)
June 13th, 2017 | Season 1 | 31 mins 14 secs
#growgolf, cirque du soleil, future of golf, golf, golf disruption, golf innovation, guillaume béland, guy laliberté, jack nicklaus, las vegas, lune rouge, major series of putting, modgolf, modgolf podcast, msop, nicklaus design, populous, putting, skills based gaming
This week's guest is Guillaume Béland, President of Lune Rouge and the new golf tournament event series called . In the business world a "Blue Ocean Strategy" occurs when a company succeeds not by battling competitors, but by systematically creating "blue oceans" of uncontested market space that are ripe for growth. The Major Series of Putting (MSOP) is creating just that in the $70 billion per year golf industry by turning putting greens into blue oceans.