From his first nervous steps at the 1991 Masters to launching a premium media company dedicated to golf's business landscape, Jimmy shares the lessons learned from a career that's covered every major sporting event on the planet. Whether you're an aspiring broadcaster, a golf industry professional, or simply someone who loves a great story, this episode is your backstage pass to one of sport's most respected voices.

Three key takeaways that you'll discover:

✅ The Power of Curiosity Over Stats Jimmy reveals that his entire career was built not on memorizing statistics, but on genuine curiosity about people. His advice? "God gave us two ears and one mouth" so listen more because everyone has a story worth telling.

✅ Golf is a $250 Billion/year Global Ecosystem With more golf courses in America than McDonald's restaurants and 130 million "golf engaged" Americans, Jimmy explains why he and co-founder Fred Bucher launched Big Swing Media to cover the business side of the game that's been largely overlooked.

✅ Storytelling is About Making People Care From his days at ABC Sports learning from legendary producer Roone Arledge, Jimmy shares the foundational principle of great storytelling: educate your audience and give them a reason to connect emotionally with the subjects you cover.

Inspiring Quotes from Jimmy Roberts:

"Everybody's got a story. The heart of storytelling is to educate people and give them a reason to care. Give them a reason to identify, give them a reason to root."

"If there was such a thing as YouTube back then, I'd probably be either waiting tables or selling insurance right now because there'd be evidence of my incompetence. I was really fortunate to learn on the job and make a lot of mistakes in obscurity."

"We're not broadcasters, we're narrowcasters. We've identified our little lane where there's a lot of white space, and we're colouring in some of the lines."

Episode Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
Colin sets the stage for this special Season 19 finale conversation with broadcasting legend Jimmy Roberts.

01:01 - The Origin Story Jimmy shares his golf journey - from parents who introduced him to the game to maintaining a "comfortable somewhere in the 80s" handicap. He reveals the three things that make golf truly special: beautiful places, connection with people, and the joy of playing the game for a lifetime.

03:43 - The Breakthrough Moment
The remarkable story of how a cold call to ABC's Wide World of Sports at age 18 launched a legendary career. Jimmy recounts pestering legendary producer Ned Steckle and landing his first gig covering the 1976 NCAA lacrosse championship.

08:40 - Finding Golf
Why Jimmy strategically "planted a flag" in golf coverage at ESPN in the early 1990s - and how Tiger Woods' arrival proved to be the perfect timing that turbocharged Jimmy's storytelling career.

10:02 - First Masters Memories
Jimmy's unforgettable 1991 Masters experience: showing up overwhelmed, finding comfort with Dave Marr, and the surreal moment Byron Nelson pretended to know him. "There was no way he had any idea who I was, but that's more a story about who Dave Marr was."

12:49 - Playing Augusta National
Insider details on the Monday media lottery, playing the course, and what television doesn't capture - especially the dramatic elevation changes and the true challenge of those legendary greens.

16:05 - Augusta's Digital Innovation
How the Masters leads the industry by asking "how do we make this the best it can be?" rather than "how much does it cost?" Jimmy shares insights on working with Augusta's digital committee, chaired by Comcast's Brian Roberts.

16:42 - The Art of Storytelling
Jimmy's approach to journalism: be curious, ask more questions than you answer, and always remember that "everybody's got a story." He traces the lineage of "up close and personal" features to Roone Arledge's Olympic coverage.

19:28 - Big Swing Media Origins
The founding story of Jimmy's digital media company, sparked by the surprising fact that there are more golf courses in America than McDonald's restaurants - and a $250 billion annual global industry with virtually no dedicated media coverage.

21:51 - Celebrity Golf and Growth
Jimmy discusses guests like Steph Curry, Jack Nicklaus, and Delta CEO Ed Bastian. He shares insights on why celebrity events like the American Century Championship resonate. "They're like us. We all share this game."

29:03 - The Business of Golf
How Big Swing Media targets the "CEO hour" on Golf Channel, reaching the 450 of 500 Fortune 500 CEOs who play golf. The focus on leadership, culture, and the business side of the game.

34:15 - Diversity and the Future
The fastest-growing golf segments: young women and people of colour. Jimmy highlights stories like Five Iron Golf co-founder Nora Dunn and Stanford women's golf coach Anne Walker, whose program has won three of the last five national championships.

38:23 - Where to Find Jimmy
Big Swing Media's footprint: The Big Swing podcast on YouTube, the Golf Channel show (Tuesdays at 7 AM ET), and the Golf Business Intelligence Brief newsletter twice weekly.

🎧 Subscribe, Rate & Review:

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Connect with Jimmy and Big Swing Media:

• Big Swing Media News: BigSwingMedia.News

• The Big Swing Podcast: Available on YouTube and all major podcast platforms

• On The Golf Channel: The Big Swing with Jimmy Roberts airs Tuesdays at 7 AM ET

We want to thank Golf Genius Software for presenting this episode and for supporting The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!
Are you a golf course owner, manager or operator looking to increase both your profit margins and on-course experience?

Golf Genius powers tournament management at over 10,000 private clubs, public courses, resorts, golf associations, and tours in over 60 countries. So if you’re a golf professional or course operator who wants to save time, deliver exceptional golfer experiences, and generate more revenue, check them out online at golfgenius.com.

Sharing the belief that technology can make a huge difference in elevating the game of golf, 18Birdies creates more ways to conveniently enjoy golf by looking to enhance and improve the entire golfing experience. Eddy realized "technology could make golf more accessible, engaging, social and fun, so when you bring all these elements together you can reshape how the game is played, perceived and experienced. To fundamentally change golf you need connectivity and integration for everything and everyone on the same platform in order for the magic to happen".

There are golf apps out there that focus on one aspect of the game, but Eddy realized that to truly succeed, a mobile golf app needed to "close the circle by connecting everyone in the golf industry". 18Birdies set out to create the big, ambitious vision with a platform that delivers everything that golf can possibly do.

To learn more about 18Birdies, visit their website and download their free app for either iOS or Android.

Twitter: @18BirdiesApp
Facebook: @18birdies
Instagram: 18birdiesapp

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

As the creator and host of The ModGolf Podcast and YouTube channel I've been telling golf entrepreneurship and innovation stories since May 2017 and I love the community of ModGolfers that we are building.

I'm excited to announce that I just launched our ModGolf Patreon page to bring together our close-knit community of golf-loving people! As my Patron you will get access to exclusive live monthly interactive shows where you can participate, ask-me-anything video events, bonus content, golf product discounts and entry in members-only ModGolf Giveaway contests.

I'm offering two monthly membership tiers at $5 and $15 USD, but you can also join for free. Your subscription will ensure that The ModGolf Podcast continues to grow so that I can focus on creating unique and impactful stories that support and celebrate the future of golf.

Click to join >> https://patreon.com/Modgolf

I look forward to seeing you during an upcoming live show!... Colin

In this episode you'll learn:

• Eddy’s “AHA” moment and the inspiration for creating 18Birdies.
• The golf problem 18Birdies looked to solve by harnessing the power of technology to create fun, social and globally connected experiences.
• How customer feedback revealed the popularity of realtime gaming and betting during your golf round as the key to driving growth.
• The importance of building a powerful brand that reflects your purpose and culture.
• Identifying what value 18Birdies can bring to each user and partner, then stringing them all together.
• Creating the one portal that manages everything a user does across their golf life.
• “Every hole is a new game” - Eddy describes how Game Bets and Targets work.
• The gamification of 18Birdies through Dream Games and Golf Bucks.
• Launching the concept of 18Birdies at the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show.
• The power of partnership like they have with NextGenGolf to propel themselves forward.
• The 18Birdies team and the entrepreneurial culture that passionately inspires them to build best golf experiences possible.
• Supporting their remote, high-performance corporate teams based in Oakland and Shanghai
• Next steps - the future of 18Birdies in 2018 and beyond.

Special Guest: Eddy Lui - Founder and CEO, 18Birdies.

Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

As the creator and host of The ModGolf Podcast and YouTube channel I've been telling golf entrepreneurship and innovation stories since May 2017 and I love the community of ModGolfers that we are building.

I recently launched our ModGolf Patreon page to bring together our close-knit community of golf-loving people! By joining you will get access to exclusive live weekly interactive shows where you can participate, ask-me-anything video events, bonus content, golf product discounts and entry in members-only ModGolf Giveaway contests.

I'm offering two monthly membership tiers at $5 and $15 USD, but you can also join for free. Your subscription will ensure that The ModGolf Podcast continues to grow so that I can focus on creating unique and impactful stories that support and celebrate the future of golf.

Click to join >> https://patreon.com/Modgolf

I look forward to seeing you during an upcoming live show!... Colin

We'd love to hear from you! Have any ideas or guests you'd like to hear on future episodes? Email me at colin@modgolfpodcast.com to start the conversation.

Want to listen to our most downloaded episode? That would be our conversation with Blue Ocean Strategy co-author Professor Renée Mauborgne! Click to listen in.

CREATING NEW GOLF MARKETS THAT MAKE THE COMPETITION IRRELEVANT - RENÉE MAUBORGNE / BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY

Special Guests: Jared Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Five Iron Golf and Renée Mauborgne - Co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift.