The ModGolf Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Future Of Golf”

Revealing The Process and Inspiration Behind Designing TGL Golf Holes - with Agustín Pizá / Pizá Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:30:00 -0700

When our host Colin Weston attended a TGL match (Tiger's Jupiter Links vs Rory's Boston Common) he quickly learned that several of the compelling holes played out on a 60' high simulator video screen and 360º rotating, undulating green are designed by previous guest Agustin Pizá, who is the creative force behind Pizá Golf Design.

First appearing on The ModGolf Podcast back in November 2021, Augie rejoins us to pull back the curtain on his design inspiration as he walks us through six of the fun and challenging holes he and his Pizá Golf team created for TGL.

Are you a watcher more than a listener? Then you can watch our video with Augie on The ModGolf YouTube channel as he walks us through his inspiration and process on six TGL hole designs. Click on this link or the image below as Colin and Augie discuss how their mutual backgrounds in architectural design influence their creativity in the golf space.

Here are images of all six holes that Augie shares with us for you to take in while listening to the podcast:

The Plank Teams will need to walk “The Plank” as they navigate this uphill hole with tricky diagonal bunkering. For this short 380-yard par 4, it could be tempting for teams to go for the driver, but 3 pot bunkers narrow the landing area adding risk to the aggressive play.

Agustín says: "For The Plank, we wanted to design something simple but also something that required you to think through your shots. To achieve this, we positioned the bunkers to create several dynamic diagonal lines across the hole."

"When you stand on the tee box, that positioning gives you the sensation of, ‘Oh, it’s full of bunkers, there’s nowhere to land my ball!’ But obviously that’s not the case, you have several landing areas and platforms to access. The Plank is designed to be a drivable par-4, depending on the wind, but the strategy will change if it’s a crosswind versus wind at the players’ backs. If less than a driver is chosen off the tee, a well-placed tee shot still leaves a short approach and great chance at birdie."

Pick Yer Plunder Set in Bounty Bay, this hole is the ultimate match play par 5. From the gold tee, players are faced with three options. The riskiest, and by far most rewarding choice, is going straight over the guardian bunker to a 27-yard-wide fairway, requiring a 300-yard carry.

Choosing the right option, the fairway is just 37-yards-wide and requires a 285-yard carry. With a solid drive, players will be left with less than 250 yards remaining. The safest play is to the left, where the fairway is 70 yards wide. But the further left you miss it, the more blind and long your second shot will be.

Agustín says: "A 590 yard par 5. The hole idea is you can take that middle section and you will be rewarded. You will only have a 200 yard shot to the GreenZone to get on in two. The alternative is to play the right arm or the left arm. You will have to play the second shot on a high cliff or a low cliff. This hole not only plays with your psyche on ways of playing it, but also where you land could create some blind shots and some other challenges that you probably were not expecting."

On The Rocks This stunning downhill par 3 hangs off the edge of a cliff in the North Sea of Scotland. The green sits on a 41-yard-wide island that replicates the exact same-sized turntable in TGL's GreenZone at SoFi Center. Players will be tempted to be aggressive, most will likely have a short iron in hand, but any slight misjudgment and a team may quickly find themselves On The Rocks.

Agustín says: "This is one of the last designs that we created, it's a par 3 that sits right on the cliffs. What we did very special here, is we took the GreenZone and just erased everything, all the surroundings, and kept the turntable. We have five distinct tee boxes. The first two tees are right in the center and they are somwhere between 100 yards and 130 yards. On the sides, the tee boxes spread out to ask for a fade or for a draw. If you go towards the furthest one out, it'll ask for a draw and it's 180 yards out."

Sidewinder A high trajectory right-to-left tee shot will reward teams with Position A on this reachable Par 5, while bunkers dot the approach to the green, which sits beyond a small ravine. While the design is similar to Serpent, the penalty areas have been minimized with the intention for Sidewinder to have a bit less bite.

Agustín says: "You can take the conservative route on the right and if you hit over 290 to 310 yards you will get that speed slope onto position A. If you try to clear the left side and be more aggressive you will get rewarded even more. If you cannot get home in two then you will have to find a very good strategy to attack the GreenZone. You have to choose whether you want to lay your ball on the left or the right and that will be dictated by where the flag is played."

The Spear A close relative of Temple, teams will face a simple risk vs. reward choice when teeing off on The Spear. The design places a pinch point right around the PGA TOUR average carry and gives players a choice to either hit a long and straight tee shot past the pinch point, or lay up short and play to the green in three.

Teams that hit the ball short of the pinch will have plenty of room to lay up as they progress towards the green. Players that are able to execute the risky drive and land safely are then rewarded with a green light to go for the floating GreenZone in two.

Agustín says: "The Spear is a full par 5. Architecture at the end is about playing with form and we started to create this hole by playing with triangles and we came up with The Spear. It pinches away on the fairway at approximately 300 yards, give or take. That's where it's going to make players think, with a crosswind likely a key factor in play, too. The strategy is right there in your face. It's a heroic hole. Do you want to lay up to guarantee a three shot hole or do you want to try to clear it and take that risk as it opens up in a very generous way? You'll have a very good chance of getting home in two if you clear the pinch successfully."

Temple is a hole design inspired by ancient civilizations and based on simplicity, the art form of two triangles facing each other to create a unique risk vs. reward with its hourglass shape. The choice off the tee is whether to carry the narrow intersection where the opposing triangles meet, or to lay up short and run the risk of a 240-yard or longer shot into the green. From the tee box, the fairway reaches its narrowest point at 285 yards before it widens again. The entire hole is surrounded by penalty areas and wind will be a factor within the virtual setting, complicating the decision for teams.

Agustín says: "Temple is a par 4 playing over 500 yards that we found in the mountains of South America. This is a very special design because it plays with simplicity. With just two forms - two triangles pinched in the center - it can give us so much excitement and strategy, and we have placed the green in a position to reward the most aggressive shots off the tee."

Want to connect with Augie? Visit his bio page for contact information. And visit The TGL website to learn more about all 29 holes designs that were available for the 2025 TGL season.

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

We want to thank our Episode Presenting Partner Golf Genius Software who have supported 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.

Special Guest: Agustín Pizá - Founder and Architect with Pizá Golf Design.

Applying an Improv Mindset to Golf - Gina Louise Phillips, Host, Producer, Writer, Actor and Golf Personality

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:15:00 -0700

"So I take an improv mindset. It's all about fun. It's all about what happens next." Gina Louise Phillips combines her comedic, writing and acting experiences to inject a fresh perspective into the golf industry. Join us as Gina shares how her journey on shows like The Last of Us with Pedro Pascal and co-hosting Score Golf TV has inspired her to write and develop the first golf-themed sitcom.

Here are three key takeaways you will discover from Colin's engaging conversation with Gina:

1. The Power of Community in Golf: Gina emphasizes the importance of creating a welcoming environment for women in golf. She shares her experiences and insights on how showing up and being visible can inspire others to join the game. By breaking down barriers and highlighting programs that cater to women, she encourages listeners to embrace golf as an accessible and enjoyable sport.

2. Improv and Golf: Embracing the Unexpected: Gina draws parallels between her background in improv and her approach to golf. She discusses how the principles of improv - such as being present, accepting mistakes, and adapting to the moment - can enhance the golfing experience. This mindset allows her to enjoy the game without the pressure of perfection, making it more about the fun and camaraderie than the score.

3. The Journey of Self-Discovery: Throughout the conversation, Gina reflects on her journey in the golf industry, from feeling like an outsider to embracing her unique perspective as a woman in a male-dominated space. She encourages listeners to focus on their strengths and to create opportunities for themselves, rather than waiting for others to validate their worth. This message resonates with anyone looking to carve their own path in any field.
These takeaways not only highlight Gina's passion for golf but also inspire listeners to approach the game - and life - differently. It's all about connection, growth, and enjoying the journey!

These insights not only provide valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, actors and writers but also inspire a deeper appreciation for the evolving landscape of the golf industry.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, you can watch our video with Gina on The ModGolf YouTube channel. Click on this link or the image below as Colin and Gina discuss the keys to making golf more inviting and welcoming for everyone.

Want to connect with Gina and hear more about "Squat Valley Golf", the sitcom she is currently writing? Visit her bio page for contact information. And visit Gina's IMDB page to learn more about the shows and movies she has appeared in.

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

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

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

We want to thank our Partner Golf Genius Software who have supported 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.

Special Guest: Gina Louise Phillips - Host, Producer, Writer, Actor and Golf Personality.

Building Community, Confidence and Connections - Courtney Campbell, Founder of Birdies Babes Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 22:30:00 -0800

Here are three key inspirational and informative takeaways that you will discover from the episode of The ModGolf Podcast featuring Courtney Campbell, Founder of Birdies Babes Golf:

1 Empowering Women Through Community: Courtney emphasizes the importance of creating a supportive and fun environment for women in golf. Birdies Babes Golf fosters a community where women can learn, socialize, and enjoy the game together, breaking down barriers and encouraging newcomers to participate without fear of judgment.

2 Create Innovative Programming and Events: This podcast highlights Courtney's creative approach to engaging women in golf, such as themed social nights and networking events. These gatherings not only provide a platform for learning the game but also facilitate connections among participants, leading to lasting friendships and a sense of belonging within the golfing community - all while having a fun time together.

3 The Power of Invitation: Courtney discusses how personal invitations play a crucial role in bringing new players into the sport. By encouraging existing members to invite their friends, Birdies Babes Golf has successfully expanded its reach, demonstrating that a welcoming atmosphere and shared experiences can significantly enhance women's participation in golf.

In 2019 Courtney launched Birdies Babes Golf (originally named Birdies Babes Beats) at an indoor golf entertainment venue in Vancouver as a way to give women a fun and relaxed introduction to the game she loves. Five years later, Birdies Babes Golf stages themed events all over greater Vancouver, especially at her 9 hole home course Gleneagles in West Vancouver.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode, we encourage you to watch our extended conversation on The ModGolf YouTube channel as Courtney offers up insightful takeaways and nuggets of wisdom with 5 KEY TIPS TO HELP WOMEN GET INTO GOLF Click on this link or the image below to watch our video.

If you would like to connect with Courtney, visit her bio page for contact information. To learn more about Birdies Babes Golf click on the image below to visit their website.

We want to thank our friends at Golf Genius Software who have supported The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!

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.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Courtney Campbell, Founder of Birdies Babes Golf.

The Power of a Growth Mindset - Joe Assell, Co-Founder/CEO at GOLFTEC

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 13:00:00 -0800

From the episode of The ModGolf Podcast featuring Joe Assell, CEO of GOLFTEC, here are three key takeaways that you will discover:

1 Embracing a Growth Mindset: Joe emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset within GOLFTEC's culture, which has been crucial for their innovation and expansion over the past 30 years. This mindset not only drives the company to continuously improve its offerings but also fosters inclusivity, allowing them to reach a broader audience in the golf community.

2 Evolution of Golf Technology: The podcast delves into the fascinating history and evolution of golf technology, highlighting how GOLFTEC has adapted and integrated new advancements. Joe discusses the transition from traditional methods to modern, data-driven approaches, including the use of their proprietary OptiMotion technology, which measures thousands of data points in a golfer's swing.

3 Future Trends in Golf: Joe shares insights on the future of golf technology, including the increasing role of mobile applications and remote coaching. He discusses the upcoming launch of GOLFTEC Anywhere, which aims to provide golf lessons and coaching through smartphones, making the game more accessible and engaging for players everywhere.

These takeaways reflect the dynamic nature of the golf industry and GOLFTEC's commitment to enhancing the golfing experience through innovation and community engagement.

If you enjoyed our podcast with Joe, we encourage you to watch our extended conversation on The ModGolf YouTube channel as Joe offers up insightful lessons for innovators looking to navigate the complex and sometimes overwhelming entrepreneurial world. Click on this link or the image below to watch our video FIVE KEY THINGS EVERY ENTREPRENEUR MUST KNOW.

If you would like to connect with Joe, visit his bio page for contact information. To learn more about GOLFTEC and SkyTrak click on the image below to visit their websites.

We want to thank our partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Joe Assell - Co-Founder and CEO, GOLFTEC.

Embracing Innovation While Honouring Tradition - Hoyt McGarity, President at 8AM Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 12:15:00 -0800

Are you an innovator who is struggling to a move your venture forward? I get it. I've been there. In this episode you will discover three key entrepreneurial takeaways from guest Hoyt McGarity to help you find clarity and inspiration:

1. Embracing Innovation While Honoring Tradition: Hoyt emphasizes the importance of balancing the rich traditions of golf with innovative practices that can help the sport grow. 8AM Golf aims to support and celebrate golfers through a collection of brands that provide tools and experiences designed to enhance enjoyment on the course. This approach reflects a commitment to making golf more accessible and fun for everyone.

2. The Power of Community and Mentorship: Hoyt shares his personal journey in golf, highlighting the significant influence of mentors like his grandfather and Rick Hartman, who guided him through his early career. This underscores the value of community and mentorship in fostering talent and passion within the sport, which is essential for the next generation of golfers.

3. Strategic Growth Through Synergy: The conversation reveals 8AM Golf's strategic approach to acquisitions and partnerships (like they have with Justin Timberlake and Tiger Woods), focusing on brands that complement their existing portfolio. Hoyt discusses the importance of aligning new ventures with their core values and ensuring they enhance the overall experience for golfers. This strategy not only strengthens their brand but also creates a cohesive ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders involved in the golf industry.

These takeaways reflect Hoyt's entrepreneurial journey and business leadership insights, offering valuable lessons for anyone looking to navigate the entrepreneurial world, particularly in the golf industry. Hoyt's episide showcases the dynamic nature of the golf industry and the innovative strategies being employed to ensure its growth and sustainability.

If you enjoyed our conversation with Hoyt, we encourage you to watch our extended conversation on The ModGolf YouTube channel as Hoyt offers up insightful lessons for innovators looking to navigate the complex and sometimes overwhelming entrepreneurial world. Click on this link or the image below to watch our video FIVE KEY THINGS EVERY ENTREPRENEUR MUST KNOW.

If you would like to connect with Hoyt, visit his bio page for contact information. To learn more about 8AM Golf and the companies they own click on the image below to visit their website.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Hoyt McGarity - President at 8AM Golf.

The Power of Passion and Purpose - Tim Markison, Founder and CEO at Athalonz

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 19:45:00 -0800

Here are three key takeaways from Tim Markison's episode on The ModGolf Podcast that will benefit you:

1. Embracing Challenges and Learning from Failure: Tim emphasizes the importance of facing obstacles head-on in entrepreneurship. He shares that his journey with Athalonz has been filled with challenges, particularly in transitioning from a business-to-business model to a direct-to-consumer approach. He learned that understanding the market and effectively communicating with consumers is crucial for success. This experience highlights the necessity of resilience and adaptability in the entrepreneurial landscape.

2. The Power of Passion and Purpose: Tim's story illustrates how personal experiences can fuel entrepreneurial endeavors. His background, including overcoming childhood trauma and his daughter's health challenges, inspired him to create Athalonz and engage in philanthropy. He encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their passions and ensure that their ideas align with a meaningful purpose, as this can sustain motivation through the inevitable ups and downs of business.

3. The Importance of Intellectual Property: As a patent attorney, Tim underscores the significance of protecting innovations through patents. He advises entrepreneurs to file for patents early, especially before publicly disclosing their ideas, to safeguard their intellectual property. This proactive approach not only protects their inventions but also adds value to their business, making it more attractive to investors and partners.

These takeaways reflect Tim's journey and insights, offering valuable lessons for anyone looking to navigate the entrepreneurial world, particularly in the sport and athletic product industries.

In 2021 Tim completed a 40 day Cycle to End Abuse from San Diego to Jacksonville Florida across the US to raise awareness about child sexual abuse. Click on this link or the image below to learn more. Every cent donated to the Cycle to End Abuse goes to a professionally vetted, non-profit organization dedicated to ending child abuse and/or aiding victims.

If you would like to connect with Tim, visit his bio page for contact information. To learn more about Athalonz click on the image below to visit their website and receive $30 USD off a pair of Mana Mangrove Pro shoes using Promo Code MODGOLF30. I don't get any commision, it's just our way of saying "Thanks for being a fan of The ModGolf Podcast!"

Sadly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in North America have been sexually abused as children and those statistics have not changed in 30 years. If you are a man suffering in silence and don't know where to turn to for confidential help, I encourage you to visit Heads Up Guys the world's leading Men's Mental Health resourse.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Tim Markison - Founder/CEO of Athalonz.

A Brief History of Synthetic Turf

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:30:00 -0700

Over the past seven years I have interviewed almost 200 golf industry innovators to bring you stories around the future of the game. But on this episode we're going to try something different. As an entrepreneur myself, I'm always pushing to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. I enjoy documentary-style podcasts and have been looking to create one, but couldn't decide on what story to tell. I recently realized that the story was right under my nose - or more accurately, right under my feet.

While in Sarasota Florida I was invited to PopStroke, which is a fun and challenging 36 hole mini golf entertainment experience. I was impressed by the quality of the synthetic greens, fringe and rough and it got me thinking about the origins of artificial turf. I wanted to learn the why, when and how synthetic turf came to be, along with the evolution of the materials and fabrication techniques over the past six decades.

So who invented this product and why? Artificial sports turf was first brought to fame when used in the Astrodome in 1966, a newly-built stadium in Houston Texas. AstroTurf – a short-pile synthetic turf – was installed because they were struggling to maintain their natural grass field due to a lack of sunlight. For most of the 1965 major league baseball season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass and were desperate for an alternative.

The stadium owners and engineers needed a solution quickly, so they decided to try out a grass substitute made of artificial fibers called ChemGrass. The product was first used at Moses Brown School in Rhode Island in 1964 and became popular quickly. Today, the brand is known as AstroTurf and is manufactured in over 60 countries around the world.

But AstroTurf is only part of the story. Since I am no expert in the world of synthetic turf, I reached out to a couple of people who are to fill in the missing pieces to this puzzle. I asked Jeffrey McDaniel - Global Director of Business Development at Synthetic Turf International and architect Bob Johnston, who specializes in designing high performance sport surfacing to help us understand the origins and future of synthetic turf.

Have a look at the Synthetic Turf International website and you can also learn more about Bob Johnston and Jeffrey McDaniel on their bio pages.

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

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

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

We want to thank Golf Genius Software who have supported 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.

Special Guests: Bob Johnston, Principal at JSA Sport Architecture Inc. and Jeffrey McDaniel - Global Director of Business Development at Synthetic Turf International.

Embracing Lessons: Wisdom Gained from Failure - Igor Vainshtein, Founder of GolfTrak.app

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 16:30:00 -0700

"It was a simulator venue that had six bays with lessons and it was going out of business. In the building I worked in there was a space for lease on the ground level. We ended up buying the business and moved it there for five years. An Indoor Golf Centre with 10 bays, an indoor bunker, massive putting green, a bar and a cafe. It did okay but the rent we were paying was huge so in the end we have to get out of there."

"Shortly after that I had an idea to pivot. 24-hour gyms were really booming in Australia at the time. Why don't we have a 24-hour golf simulator place where you can go and practice anytime? We built two bays and it did well. Then I opened a second venue and that one nosedived and just blew up. I closed it down, lost a lot of money with the four simulators that I had there. I put them on Facebook Marketplace and they sold in a week. I'm like "hmm, this is interesting." So I bought five more simulators to sell. Why am I busting my chops with these venues when I can just bring them in, sell them, make my money and never hear from the customer again? It was great. I pivoted the business. Ended up closing down my second venue and just went completely e-commerce." ... Igor Vainshtein

"At the time it is horrendous. It feels horrible to lose a ton of money. I lost my money, I lost my parents money, which I borrowed from them and they had to bail me out again. It was embarrassing and as you are going through that pain, it's very difficult to see how you will come out of it. But if you're a true entrepreneur, perseverance and grit, you may not know how you're going to get there. But you've got to believe that you will get there. That's part of the job as an entrepreneur to find the "how". But if you don't believe that you'll get the you will never get there."

You can also learn more about Igor and connect on his bio page. And download the GolfTrak App for free at the Apple App Store for iPhone. https://golftrak.app

"I had extremely disastrous blow ups in my career. Moments where I thought there's no way I'm coming back from this. But if I look back now, I wouldn't change a thing because all those little "sliding doors moments" is why I'm here today. And I didn't go through the pain, maybe I wouldn't be able to appreciate the things and I would take things for granted and I wouldn't have the fun and the joy that I get out of life these days. For anyone who's experiencing that who's in that pain right now, I would say "You just don't know". There's a phrase "that it's gonna be alright in the end and if it's not alright, it's not the end."

Episode Chapters
02:40: How and when Igor took her first golf swing and who introduced him to the game
04:40: The story of Igor's family immigrating from the USSR to Melbourne Austrailia
06:20: Igor's early days as an entrepreneur and the experiences that have shaped his approach to life
08:15: Igor's return to golf and the creation of his 24-7 Golf venture
15:00: How a phone call with GOLFTEC CEO Joe Assel over the brand name grew over time into a flourishing collaborative partnership
18:00: The virtue of failure and how to learn from the experience and move on
22:00: We learn about the GolfTrak App, a "golf simulator in your pocket"
25:10: The camera technology and frame rate required to accurately track ball flight data
30:00: The business model behind GolfTrak App and the customer segment they appeal to
33:20: The GolfTrak App customer acquisition strategy
38:35: Igor shares his experience at the Golf Pitch Challenge and Mastermind Event in Orlando

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

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

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

Special Guest: Igor Vainshtein - Founder of GolfTrak.app.

Embrace Change To Fuel Entrepreneurial Success - Carolin Pinegger, The Golf Pitch Challenge

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 08 May 2024 06:30:00 -0700

Calling all golf entrepreneurs! Do you have a golf venture our product that you need help getting to the next level? Even if you're at the idea stage, our guest Carolin Pinegger is looking for you to join them for the next Golf Pitch Challenge and Mastermind event October 7-9 2024 in Miami Florida.

On this fast-paced, engaging episode we learn about Carolin's not-so-straight-line in golf and business to arrive at the place she is along her entrepreneurial journey.

"I wanted to pivot, to change and people that are too planned will have a hard time succeeding because you have to fail fast and you have fail forward and you have to pivot and you have to change and sometimes you even have to change before we really see the reason why you have to change. I felt like I was treading water and it most certainly wasn't because I was working hard enough. I was doing my very best and I wasn't getting where I wanted to be. And then I said "I need a change!" ... Carolin Pinegger

We want to welcome our new Episode Presenting Partner Synthetic Turf International!

Synthetic Turf International - also known as STI - is the industry’s premier producer and supplier of high-quality, natural-looking grass products for residential and commercial applications, both indoors and out.

I have collaborated on projects and ventures with STI for over 10 years through my Sport Entertainment company, so I have seen first hand how innovative, passionate, and creative they are.

If you are considering an artificial landscaped grass lawn, a putting green, golf tee lines and hitting mats, a synthetic sports field, playground turf or a dog park, then I highly recommend STI for your next project. And all of STI's grass products are crafted completely in-house and proudly made in America.

To learn more about the endless synthetic turf application and installation possibilities that Synthetic Turf International has to offer, contact them at synthetic-turf.com.

"My dad was a serial offender in entrepreneurship. He has the right amount of crazy in him. Every entrepreneur needs that. To be misunderstood much more than anybody else who isn't an entrepreneur can tolerate. That's something that a lot of entrepreneurs need to hear. If you want to make it big, if you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to be ready to be criticized. You have to be ready to be misunderstood much much more than the general public because they don't want to put themselves in that situation. That's why they will never be entrepreneurs. It's just not up their alley and that is fine. There are different requirements for entrepreneurs than for somebody who isn't."

You can also learn more about Carolin and connect on her bio page.

The Golf Pitch Challenge & Mastermind Event
Do you have a new golf product or service venture that you want to take to the next level, even if it's only at the idea phase? If you do, we encourage you to apply for and attend the next Golf Pitch Challenge October 7-9 2024 in Miami Florida. Register now at https://golfpitchchallenge.com or email Carolin at c.pinegger90@gmail.com

At The 2024 PGA Show host Colin Weston recorded six conversations with golf industry innovators on the Show Floor Media Stage. First up was Carolin Pinegger, CEO at David Leadbetter Enterprises.

Carolin discusses the Golf Pitch Challenge that took place at the show, where six golf startups pitched to a panel of judges that included David Leadbetter and Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington.

The winning venture was The Grip Caddie https://gripcaddie.com who won $10,000 in consulting and partnership services.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Carolin Pinegger - CEO of David Leadbetter Entrerprises / The Golf Pitch Challenge / Online Golf Coach.

Learn By Doing And Just Keep Moving Forward - Jared Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Five Iron Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0700

"We made a million-dollar mistake on the build-out. We thought plumbing could work one way. It couldn't. It's tough for a company that was started with the money that we had at the time, but you make those mistakes and move on, learn from it and don't dwell on it."

Jared's Five Iron Golf story begins in early 2015 with Mike Doyle teaching simulator lessons in the back of a men’s clothing store in midtown Manhattan. As the demand for Mike’s lessons grew throughout 2015 and 2016, Mike and student Jared started dreaming about an indoor facility where Mike could teach more lessons and golfers could work to improve their games — all while flipping standard golf culture on its head and appealing to everyone.

We want to welcome our new Episode Presenting Partner Synthetic Turf International!

I have collaborated on projects and ventures with STI for over 10 years through my Sport Entertainment company, so I have seen first hand how innovative, passionate, and creative they are.

Speaking of Synthetic Turf International clients, Five Iron Golf has installed their turf products in the majority of their venues.

To learn more about the endless synthetic turf application and installation possibilities that Synthetic Turf International has to offer, contact them at synthetic-turf.com.

"At our Las Vegas location we originally had a putting green in the center. We realized that nobody wanted a putting green. And so we put in shuffleboard. Nobody wanted shuffleboard and we put in the high top tables where people could just drink and were like, "Okay, this is what people want". And I like to believe that I've cultivated the spirit with the other Founders that it doesn't matter what happened, let's move forward. We're literally inventing a concept over here. The best thing that we can do is test and fail, test and fail and move forward and take everything that we've learned and hopefully use those for the franchises and our own future corporate stores and do the best that we can."

Episode Chapters
03:20: How and when Jared was introduced to golf
04:40: The Five Iron Golf origin story. Spoiler: it involves hitting balls in the back of a Manhattan men's clothing store!
07:15: Jared explains how he and the three other co-founders mustered up the courage to launch Five Iron Golf
10:10: The story behind the first Five Iron Golf location opening in mid-town Manhattan
12:50: How Five Iron creates experiences for both the casual and passionate golfer without alienating either one of the groups
16:15: "We want our Five Iron locations to look like modern art museums". Jared discusses their design guidelines and how grafitti art became the focal point for their brand vision
19:10: How Five Iron finds and hires artists to collaborate at each of their venue around the US
20:45: Selection of the Five Iron Golf name and logo design
23:40: How Five Iron scaled from one location to 25 and counting
26:50: Jared's thoughts on starting a company and when to bring in outside investment
28:10: Franchising vs the owership model for venue locations
29:30: Mistakes made along the way and what the leadership team has learned from them
32:50: The power of partnerships and collaborating with golf brands and influencers
34:10: What the future has in store for Five Iron Golf

You can also learn more about Jared on his bio page.

Want to learn more about Five Iron Golf, find out if there's a location near you and to book a fun experience for you and your friends? Have a look at the Five Iron Golf website or email Jared Solomon at jared@fiveirongolf.com

With Mike and Jared clueless as to how to actually execute their grand idea, the final two co-founders, summer camp friends Nora Dunnan and Katherine Solomon (also Jared’s wife) entered the scene. With Nora operating the ship and Katherine navigating through some early legal storms, Five Iron Golf was launched and open for business in mid-2017.

Five Iron has quickly re-shaped Manhattan's golf culture, growing from Mike’s original lesson crew to a re-imagined, high-tech, inclusive urban golf experience for golfers and non-golfers alike. Five Iron is for everyone.

For the serious golfer, Five Iron hosts ten Full Swing simulators, a Trackman lesson studio, four teaching professionals, lessons, club storage, showers, practice time, leagues, 100% top-of-the line clubs to use (complimentary), and in-house club fitting specialists Club Champion.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Jared Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Five Iron Golf.

A Non-Profit On a Mission To Revolutionize The Golfing Experience - Nick Darby with Get Golfing

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 22:30:00 -0700

It's funny how random, accidental conversations morph into something special. While returning from The 2024 PGA Show Demo Day in Orlardo on a shuttle bus, host Colin Weston sat beside someone and asked how his day went. That young man was Nick Darby, who was attending on behalf of Get Golfing which is a UK non-profit that acquires and revitalizes distressed golf properties. After an engaging bus ride conversation, Colin asked Nick if he would tell the Get Golfing story on The ModGolf Podcast. Fast forward and here we are. We hope you like this inspiring episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

"Here in the UK we have this issue which I don't see too much globally, where lots of our golf courses are either financially suffering while the land value is increasing. So many golf courses are being bought up, slabbed over with cement and housing estates are being built on them. We are on a mission to change this trend."

"So on the charity side of it, we reinvest and try to acquire golf courses that are going under and put money back into them, back into the communities and really get that golf course to prosper."

Big thanks to Golf Genius Software who have supported 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.

"We took over these seven golf courses and we just looked at ourselves and said "Can we actually do this?" We thought "If we don't do this, these golf courses are going to be given to somebody else not necessarily to grow the game of golf." Then we just put our hearts and souls into it."

"It sounds like it's an impossible task because we've only ever operated one golf course to then knowing that we had another golf course that was 300 miles away. It was exhilarating. It was fantastic to go into these golf clubs and say to the staff "You've still got a job, come and work for us. It's going to be fantastic." And then also tell the members of the golf club. "Hey, you're not going anywhere. You're going to stay right here. Your golf course is going to stay open". And that feeling is just incredible and that's why we do what we do. It's because golf is just so important and we owe so much to the game of golf and this is how we give it back".... Nick Darby / Get Golfing

Episode Chapters
03:40: Nick provides an overview of what Get Golfing does and why they do it
05:15: How and when Nick was introduced to golf and who invited him
06:25: The story of the "AHA Moment" and launch of Get Golfing
08:20: How Get Golfing Founder Edward Richardson acquired Redlibbets Golf Club in Kent England
10:15: How during the pandemic Get Golfing went from operating one golf course to seven
13:10: Using Redlibbets GC and the non-profit test case that led to tripling the club membership
30:50: The Festival of Golf... August 2024... 3 day Ladies European Tour Access Series event... includes Night Golf, a Golf Sixes event
32:00: Hosting the first global Ladies Disabled Golf Tournament
39:40: Nick discusses the future of Get Golfing, that includes partnering with innovative technology companies like our show sponsor Golf Genius Software!

FREE membership for ALL junior golfers...2,500 and counting!

You can also learn more about Nick on his bio page.

On this episode Nick shared that their August 2024 "Festival of Golf" weeklong activation will feature a Golf Sixes event. One second ever ModGolf Podcast episode back in 2017 was with then DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, who talked about their first Golf Sixes event. Click on the image below to listen to this engaging episode.

Want to learn more about the impactful non-profit work Get Golfing takes on, perhaps book a tee time or just hang out at one of their welcoming clubhouses? Have a look at the Go Golfing website or email Nick Darby at nick@getgolfing.org

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

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

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

Special Guest: Nick Darby - Golf Retail Sales Manager at Get Golfing.

Turning a Homemade Golf Game Into a Global Business Venture - Tyler Simmons, Founder of BucketGolf

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:00:00 -0700

At the annual PGA Show late January in Orlando I always make a point of taking the 30 minute bus shuttle out to Demo Day to kick the tires of the golf industry's latest equipment at the 360º range facility. The product that really caught my attention had nothing to do with hitting balls across the 400 yard diameter driving range. Off to the side was a compact setup that exuded a fun vibe where people were hitting oversized plastic whiffle balls with an oversized plastic club.... at buckets with flags in them.

This was my introduction to BucketGolf. After playing a quick round I struck up a conversation with Founder and CEO Tyler Simmons to learn about how BucketGolf came to be. Tyler's entrepreneurial journey aligns nicely with the stories we showcase on The ModGolf Podcast, so I had no choice but to invite him to share it with all of us.

"I figured out after looking at my roommate throw his clothes into his pop-up laundry hamper that I should just make pop-up buckets which solved a ton of issues for us. The game became cheaper because the box is much smaller and it cut the price in half. Two years in is when the snowball started rolling down the hill. Once I figured out the social media side, marketing strategy and of how to get the game out there, it all clicked at the same time."... BucketGolf CEO and Founder Tyler Simmons

I discovered BucketGolf and Tyler at the 2024 PGA Show Demo Day, where we created a couple of videos for our ModGolf Instragram. Click on the image to watch and give it a 'Like' and follow us while you're there!

You can also learn more about Tyler on his bio page and purchase your own BucketGolf set from their website.

"The hardest part in the beginning was how long it took me to learn how things work. We really didn't see any success for the first two years. I was trying as hard as I could and put everything I had into BucketGolf outside of my regular day job. The biggest insight for me was learning that shipping is very expensive. You need your box to be small. The light bulb moment that took us from "not doing too much in sales for the first couple years to starting to go upward" was the buckets used to be a soft flexible plastic and the box they shipped in was too big."... Tyler Simmons

Episode Chapters
[03:10] How and when Tyler was introduced to golf and who invited him
[04:20] The "AHA moment" that led to the creation of BucketGolf
[06:50] What it's like to play BucketGolf and set up a course
[09:55] Tyler shares stories of the most amazing BucketGolf shots he has seen
[10:50] We learn about the BucketGolf ball and clubs
[12:45] How BucketGolf opens the game up to people who have never played before
[13:40] The story behind coming up with the brand name "BucketGolf"
[14:40] How "BucketGolf Glow" allows people to play at night
[16:30] Tyler discusses why they decided to attend The PGA Show and value it provided
[18:50] BucketGolf's B2B marketing strategy to sell to businesses, schools and organizations
[20:20] Tyler's background and experience before launchnig BucketGolf (hint: he had a lot to learn!)
[21:10] Steps and sequencing Tyler took to design and manufacture the orginal BucketGolf product
[23:00] The design pivot Tyler took that changed the pricing and sales volume for BucketGolf
[25:50] The BucketGolf manufacturing process
[29:00] The Power of Partnerships to accelerate BucketGolf's growth
[31:00] BucketGolf tournaments, events and social media content creation
[32:40] The best user-created BucketGolf courses that Tyler has seen

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

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

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

Special Guest: Tyler Simmons - CEO and Founder of BucketGolf.

The Rise of Golf in Uganda - Isaiah Mwesige, CEO of AFRIYEA Golf Academy

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 12:30:00 -0700

"I was trying to use my real life experience and what I went through when I was younger. I used some strategies of being in the same position as all those kids who come from families who do not have access into the game of golf. I did some research and discovered that there was a need for a golf academy to create a pathway for these kids to learn and play the game."... Isaiah Mwesige, CEO of The AFRIYEA Golf Academy

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

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

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

"If we are to make a difference in our communities in Uganda we need to build something that is going to create opportunities for anyone to take up golf. No matter the background or gender of these individuals, everyone must be in position to have a chance because golf is still a game that is dominated by older men."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Isaiah on our Youtube Channel!

Episode Chapters
[02:50] Isaiah shares when he was first introduced to golf and the person who invited him.
[04:50] How Isaiah transitioned from caddying to playing at the Toro Club in western Uganda.
[06:00] The "AHA moment" that led to the creation of The AFRIYEA Golf Academy.
[08:20] The current state of golf in Uganda and how Isaiah is working to change it.
[10:50] Early days of The AFRIYEA Golf Academy and how they attracted kids to join the program.
[14:20] Growth of The AFRIYEA Golf Academy since launching in 2020.
[16:45] Fundraising, partnerships, donations and equipment needs to make the academy sustainable.
[18:40] How The AFRIYEA Golf Academy is scaling across Uganda and into other African countries.
[20:10] Outreach programs, demonstrations and clinics that introduce golf to rural communities.
[22:15] The future for Ugandan golf: more courses, elite level players and career opportunites.
[23:40] Success stories from The AFRIYEA Golf Academy.
[25:15] Isaiah's thoughts and hopes for the future of Ugandan golf in 5/10/20 years time.

To learn more about the impact Isaiah has made positively impacting the lives of Ungandan kids, check out the AFRIYEA Golf Academy website.

You can also connect with Isaiah on his bio page.

"I was trying to use my real life experience, what I went personally through. I used some strategies to see if I was in the same position as all those kids from families who can't have access into the game of golf. I discovered there was a need to create a golf academy, create a pathway for these kids to play the game of golf. So if we are to make a difference in our community in Uganda, we need something that is going to create opportunity for everyone to play the game of golf. No matter their background, no matter the gender of these individuals everyone must be in position to have an opportunity. However, with creating the AFRIYEA Golf Academy we have been able to change the status quo and make a difference. It's now not only just bringing the people on the golf course, but for us we believe we can be in position to take the game where people are instead of bringing people where golf is."

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We want to thank our new partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.

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We also want to thank Golf Genius Software for supporting The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!

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.

Special Guest: Isaiah Mwesige, CEO of AFRIYEA Golf Academy.

You Are The CEO of Your Life - Claude Brousseau, Director of Player Development at Wailea Golf Academy

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0700

"I live by investing 86,400 seconds per day to obtain the highest ROI possible on fulfillment and mindfulness. My purpose in this life is to make a difference in other people's lives". Claude Brousseau, PGA Master Professional and Director of Player Development at The Wailea Golf Academy joins host Colin Weston for an inspirational 40 minutes of conversation.

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

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

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

"I can accomplish goals by avoiding negative thoughts. When things are not going well in golf or life, take the time to look at yourself in the mirror and say okay, you are the CEO of your life. You need to assume those responsibilities with the decision, and there is a price to be outside of your comfort zone, but that's where you realize your potential."

"I was able to go to the Dunhill tournaments and walk on both St. Andrews and Carnoustie the same day. So you can see why I'm so grateful and full of appreciation."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Claude on our Youtube Channel!

Episode Chapters
[02:30] Claude shares his first golf experience and the person who invited him to put a club in his hands.
[04:30] Claude discusses his days growing up in a small rural town in Quebec Canada and "First Life" as an ICU nurse in Florida.
[06:40] Claude's golf mini tour experience in Florida and how that lead to his teaching career.
[09:45] How Claude ended up in Maui and the supportive people who helped shape his approach to teaching.
[14:30] The lessons learned and experience acquired as a nurse that Claude applies to teaching his diverse group of students.
[16:50] Claude to elaborates on his approach to spending the 86,400 seconds that each day gifts us.
[19:30] We learn about a "Day in The Life" of Claude Brousseau.
[27:00] Claude talks about the influence that mentors such as business tycoon Anthony von Mandl have on his outlook on life.
[30:00] "Learn to listen, as opportunity sometimes knocks very softly"... Jackson Brown
[22:15] Claude's teaching philosophy and approach to golf learning, training and improvement.
[36:30] We learn what a personal teaching experience with Claude would look like.

To learn more about the impact Claude has made in 25+ years of teaching, check out the "Claude 4 Best Golf website.

You can also connect with Claude on his bio page.

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We want to thank our sponsor partner Golf Genius Software for helping support The ModGolf Podcast

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.

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If you love golf, we have exclusive deals on golf gear and services that we use and support! We launched The ModGolf Pro Shop to offer you - our ModGolfers - 10-20% OFF exclusive discounts using promo code MODGOLF. We have curated a diverse selection of awesome brands like KINONA, deWiz Golf, ODIN Golf, Back2Basics Golf, Deuce and Project72Golf to help you play better and look great while doing it. CLICK TO SHOP AND SAVE.

Creating an Engaging Space For Like-minded Golfers - Paul McEldon, CEO at ClubFace-Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 09:45:00 -0700

Paul McEldon is the CEO of Clubface-golf.com which is a social network just about golf, for golf and only golf.

"I turned up at the golf club and I spoke to the general manager Steve and I said "how do I connect with other golfers in the golf club to arrange a game?" And his answer was perfect - perfectly bad but perfectly good. He said "Paul, take yourself in the car park. When you see somebody putting their bag in the car, don't speak to them because they finished. When you see them taking it out, go and have a word with them and ask if you can join them." I thought, "Wow, okay we're paying 3,000 pounds a year to be a member of a golf club. There has to be a better way for this to happen."... Paul McEldon

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

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

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

So I sat down with Steve and said to him, "how do you communicate with your members of the golf club" and he said "we send out weekly newsletters, we've got the notice boards everywhere, I walk through the bar two or three times".

I replied "that's all communicating AT". The question I asked was "how do you communicate WITH?" And as soon as I said, "how do you function with social media?" you could see his eyes glaze over. What dawned on me was that if the whole golf community of diverse yet like-minded people, could come to a place that was safe and relevant, would there be space for them? So that's when we created the first version of ClubFace-Golf.

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Paul on our Youtube Channel!

Episode Chapters
[03:00] Paul and Colin open the show talking about when they met up in person for the first time in London two weeks before recording the episode.
[04:10] Paul shares his first golf experience, which curiously involves a dog.
[06:10] Paul provides us with his professional background and experience that led up to the start of his entrepreneurial journey and the launch of ClubFace-Golf.
[08:40] Paul describes what ClubFace-Golf is, the value it creates for the users and why he is so passionate about this venture.
[13:30] Paul talks about the value of aligning yourself with investors and partners that embrace the vision of what you are creating.
[18:20] Paul shares the ClubFace-Golf growth and monetization strategy.
[20:20] Colin asks Paul how ClubFace-Golf strikes the balance between moderating the conversations and posts while not influencing the narative of the content.
[21:20] We learn about the size of the ClubFace-Golf community and the global breakdown on where users are.
[23:30] Paul shares the plan to scale the business model with the launch of ClubFace-Cricket, ClubFace-Football, ClubFace-Gyms and others.
[27:50] We hear about the importance of ensuring that ClubFace-Golf is a safe space with zero tolerance for abuse, bullying or derogatory behaviour.

To learn more about the impact Paul makes to support the golf-loving community, check out the ClubFace-Golf website.

You can also connect with Paul on his bio page.
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We want to thank Golf Genius Software for helping support The ModGolf Podcast!

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.

                                        ______________________________________________

Special Guest: Paul McEldon, CEO at ClubFace-Golf.

The Quest to Amplify Fan Engagement - Preston Phillips, Sport & Entertainment Entrepreneur, Investor & Advisor

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0700

Colin met Preston Phillips on a HYPE Sports Innovation "Ask Me Anything" webinar and was so impressed with his genuine desire to help entrepreneurs and their companies that we had to invite him on the show to share his experiences with you.

"Through an investment bank that we created, we had the opportunity to work with some different leagues that helped them grow in various ways. I think it's great what cricket has been able to do to progress the sport and position the product to reach a larger, more diverse fan base. I would argue the same with rugby and how they changed their game over the course of the last 10-12 years with Rugby Sevens and brought it to The States. And we're seeing this in a number of other sports as well and golf is now learning from them."

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

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

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

"It goes back to the technology piece of what's happening next to elevate sport experience, creating the space for us to work with bite-size data to build, measure, analyse and decide what to lean into next. We can see things up close and really understand who the athletes are - get under the helmet, if you will. From a content creation side and ultimately where the media dollars are moving, AI, augmented reality and web3 allow for all these future opportunities to present themselves.

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Preston on our Youtube Channel!

Episode Chapters
[03:00] Preston shares his connection to playing golf and who introduced him to the game. Spoiler alert - his handicap is waaaay lower than Colin's. 😂
[04:40] Preston gives us an overview of what he does in the sport technology and fan experience space with WhiteRock and Cerro Capital.
[08:30] Colin asks Preston to share his thoughts on the LIV Golf / PGA Tour / PIF merger and what opportunities are there to enhance the fan experience.
[13:00] Preston and Colin discuss the value of team golf events, using the success of both cricket and rugby as validators of where pro golf should expand into.
[14:50] Preston tells us about a couple of ventures in the sport space that Cerro Capital has invested in, including Religion of Sports.
[18:30] Preston shares his thoughts on the future of "location-based sports", such at Rory and Tiger's TGL golf league created by TMRW Sports and The PGA Tour.
[20:40] Colin asks Preston how he believes golf can innovate more and which sports can golf learn from.
[27:00] We talk about the acsending value of women's sport leagues and franchises, along with the women-led companies that Preston supports.
[30:00] Preston and Colin talk about the popularity of mixed pro sport events with women and men competing together and the opportunity for pro golf to do more of it.
[31:30] We finish up asking Preston about where he seeing sport experience heading in 10-15 years time.

To learn more about the impact Preston makes to support Sport Tech startups, check out the Cerro Capital website.

You can also connect with Preston on his bio page.

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Special Guest: Preston Phillips - Entrepreneur/Investor/Advisor with Whiterock and Cerro Capital.

Find Clarity Through Action - Steve Madden, Co-Founder of Swingtweaks

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 09:15:00 -0700

Colin met Steve Madden at The 2023 PGA Show in Orlando and after hearing his entrepreneurial story over a couple of pints of Guinness we had to invite him on the show to share his experiences with you.

"Five years ago my ex-girlfriend's dad invited me for a round, so I played an 18 hole round at Mountainside golf course. The next day I went and played the par 3 course there which had the massive holes and I became addicted to golf that weekend. When I got back to Calgary, I played three or four rounds next week and then I joined a golf course for the remainder of the season. Once new golfers feel that awesome shot or they hit that really close approach, smash that driver or make a long putt, that addiction really hits you. I made a decision a few years ago that I wanted to create a lifestyle, or a job where I could golf and do my own thing tech-wise. I've had two apps now that revolve around golf and Swingtweaks is the second one."... Steve Madden, Co-Founder of Swingtweaks

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Episode Chapters
[03:00] Steve opens the show by sharing his level of play after picking up golf only a couple of years ago. Spoiler alert - his handicap is waaaay lower than Colin's. 😂
[04:20] Steve tells us how a rugby-playing lad from Ireland ended up becoming a tech entrepreneur in Calgary Canada by way of Vietnam.
[05:20] Colin asks Steve to share his first golf experience five years ago and who invited him to try the game.
[06:50] Steve gives us the "Elevator Pitch" for his latest golf venture Swingtweaks.
[09:10] Steve talks about the rise in popularity of golf lesson and training technology ventures such as Sportsbox.ai
[10:05] We learn the back story and AHA moment of Swingtweaks
[12:45] Steve shares business model, user experience, value proposition and customer profiles for Swingtweaks.
[16:40] Colin asks Steve to share how they came up with the name Swingtweaks and the concept of users purchasing "Tweaks".
[18:45] Steve talks about how Swingtweaks generates revenue and how they developed the pricing model cost per "Tweak".
[22:00] Colin asks about the Swingtweaks strategy to acquire new users, retain/engage existing ones and how they incentivize PGA teaching pros to join the platform.
[27:00] Steve shares some stories from satisfied users and the most unexpected places around the world that golfers are using Swingtweaks.
[28:30] We learn about the future plans for Swingtweaks and which markets, countries and languages they look to expand into next.
[30:50] Steve shares some positive user experiences and how they are building community on Instagram and Reddit.
[33:00] Steve offers you - our ModGolfers - 20% OFF your first Swingtweak using promo code MODGOLF.*
*(FYI we don't receive a commision if you buy one! 😎)

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Steve on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more and get 20% OFF your first Swingtweak using promo code MODGOLF, check out the Swingtweaks website.

You can also connect with Steve on his bio page.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Steve Madden - Co-Founder of Swingtweaks.

You Don't Know What It's Like To Work For You - Scott Stratten, Creator of UnMarketing

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:30:00 -0700

"UnMarketing is my attempt to reduce hypocritical marketing, because I saw twenty years ago that people were interuptively marketing in a way they hated to be marketed to. I realized there had to be better ways than this "push and prey" mentality and instead choose a "pull and stay" mindset to authentically build community so that when people need your product or service they will unconditionally choose you."

Scott Stratten is the Creator of UnMarketing. He is one of the leading speakers/authors in the world when it comes to helping audiences embrace the age of disruption and look at business differently using the pillars of integrity, authenticity and community.

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

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

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

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Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Scott on our Youtube Channel!

🥊 COMPETE or ☮️ COEXIST. What should LIV Golf and The PGA Tour do?
Scott and host Colin Weston dig into the bitter rivalry between The PGA Tour and LIV Golf and explore the messaging behind their actions one year into the emergence of the upstart tour.

"So what is a stereotype in business and how can we be the opposite of it? Is it snooty? Is it privileged? Is it elitist? These are all the things have been said about golf. Is it white? Is it male? We either look at it and can deny this stuff or we can say, "okay so how do we break through that?" We look at who we are hiring and say, "how do we make the experience different?" You're not going to change the course for the most part. I'm not talking about changing how high or low you mow the grass or the pin position on the greens. I'm talking about the human experience and human-centric design. When you come to my golf course, when you walk into my Pro Shop, when you walk into the club and grab a bite on the turn, we're going to be so fricking happy to see you. We're going to be so into you for choosing our course over the nineteen thousand four hundred twenty five other ones, you're never going to look at another course again."

You can also connect with Scott on his bio page, along with checking out the UnMarketing website.

How do you create a marketing buzz that authentically represents your brand? Scott accomplished this 15 years ago when he shared his break up with long time relationship partner... The Toronto Maple Leafs. Check out Scott's fun, self-deprecating and poignant >> YouTube video.

Special Guest: Scott Stratten - The Creator of UnMarketing.

Breaking Down Barriers To Create The Next Generation of Golf Legends - Jewel Love / Society 61

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 08:45:00 -0800

"We are very clear and incredibly focused. We're not playing around because this is not a little thing. This is big in our minds and we are giving everything we have because we believe in and know that these young people, they deserve to see this industry in a way that we have not."... Jewel Love, Board Member and Advisor for Society 61 and The Society 61 Foundation

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

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

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

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"We know the golf industry has to be updated, the culture of it. When saying they want to diversify, then that means that you're willing to make changes that you not ever thought of making. You're willing to think differently and open up your mind in different ways. We tend to be pretty straight at it and transparent. We're here to say this is about the next generation of Legends. We made a commitment to be in the game in that way. Not half in it, but all the way in it."

About Society 61...
Through the year 1960, a clause in the Pro Golfers Association (PGA) guidelines - Article III Section I - stated only Caucasian males 18 and older were eligible to receive their tour card. There were amazing men and women golfers from all cultures whose talents went unrecognized nationally until 1961, when African American golfer Charlie Sifford broke that color barrier by receiving his PGA card and opened the door for golfers of all ethnicities to officially compete on the tour.

THEIR MISSION
Society 61 is a clothing brand for golfers designed to honor the pioneers from the past who paved the way for the culturally diverse sport that golf is today. Society 61 was cultivated not only from a love of golf but also a love for our culture. Our company was named in homage to that barrier breaking year, 1961, and we launched our business in 2021 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of that historic moment. We combine traditional style with the modern look and feel of today's best sports materials and fabrics. We look forward to being your go-to clothier for everything golf and more.

I want more women out doing business on the golf course. I was in sales and calling on all these large organizations to find that there were hardly any female CEOs. I thought, "what can we do to continue to lift up women towards leadership through golf?" Because I think the world would be a better place, but my natural tendency is towards fun. So my goal: why don't we try and do this and accomplish this mission but have some fun while we're at it.

You can also connect with Jewel on her bio page, along with checking out the Society 61 website.

Special Guest: Jewel Love - Board Member and Advisor with Society 61 and The Society 61 Foundation.

NO RISK = NO FUN - Jillian Johnson, Founder of #LEGS, The Ladies Executive Golf Society

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0800

"Perfection is the opposite of GO!"... Jillian Johnson - #LEGS Ladies Executive Golf Society

My first job in Jacksonville was caddying at Sawgrass and woman I met at the club said, "I really want to learn how to golf". But you're not going to go out on your own and practice putting. You wouldn't go out on a range if you have no idea what you're doing and no clubs. So figured I might as well start something for all levels. Whether you are a Collegiate golfer or someone who has never touched a club before, the vision was to create an experience where women could really experience the magic that happens on the golf course in a female friendly way.
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

______________________________________________

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Jillian on our Youtube Channel!

"If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen"

"How do I want to be remembered? As the insurance lady or for doing something cool and different that makes a positive impact in women's lives?"

"I want more women out doing business on the golf course. I was in sales and calling on all these large organizations to find that there were hardly any female CEOs. I thought, "what can we do to continue to lift up women towards leadership through golf?" Because I think the world would be a better place, but my natural tendency is towards fun. So my goal: why don't we try and do this and accomplish this mission but have some fun while we're at it."

You can also connect with Jillian on her bio page, along with checking out the #LEGS website.

Episode Chapters
[04:00] Jillian provides us with an overview of #LEGS Ladies Executive Golf Society.
[06:20] Jillian shares the "AHA moment" that led to the creation of #LEGS.
[07:30] We learn about the people that encouraged Jillian to take the entrepreneurial leap.
[10:00] "It all started with a flyer and a sticker!" We hear about the first #LEGS pilot event in South Florida that helped inform the business model.
[12:50] "Perfection is the opposite of GO." Jillian shares how she applied The Lean Startup approach to #LEGS.
[15:30] Jillian talks about getting over the fear of failure and embracing a mindset of growth and curiousity as an entrepreneur.
[17:00] "So what do women really want from golf?" We learn where Jillian drew inspiration from to create the #LEGS experience.
[21:40] Colin asks Jillian how #LEGS attracts and onboards non-golfing women like his wife.
[28:40] Jillian discusses the #LEGS growth plan for creating chapters in every state of the US.
[31:30] Jillian shares some inspiring #LEGS member success stories.
[34:00] Colin asks how women listening can learn about starting a #LEGS chapter in their community.
[36:10] Jillian talks about the future for #LEGS and the launch of thier upcoming "Swinging To Success" series.
[38:30] Jillian explains the benefits #LEGS offers for golf courses, women golfers and sponsor partners.

Special Guest: Jillian Johnson - Founder of #LEGS - The Ladies Executive Golf Society ⛳️.

LIVE From The 2023 PGA Show!

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 09:00:00 -0800

Wow, what a week in Orlando at The PGA Show! Colin met up with old friends, met plenty of new ones and found some time to squeeze in a couple of ModGolf Podcast recording sessions. It was great to see the golf industry back in full force! 💥⛳️💥

What do you do when you get stood up for a live podcast recording session? Rather than pack up and move on, Colin walked out on the exhibitor floor that resulted in an accidental collision with previous show guest Lydia Davies. This encounter led to a spontaneous, fun conversation about how Lydia's startup Teemates has expanded into Teamates and the rise of pickleball. They also talked about entrepreneurship and the innovation ecosystem/sport tech scene in Houston Texas, along with what they saw as the most interesting products/companies from the over 800 exhibitors at The PGA Show.

But that's not all! Billy Brown - previous guest and Founder of The Golf Sanctuary - suddenly drops by to talk some nonsense with Lydia and Colin.

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

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

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

                                        ______________________________________________

Find out more about Billy Brown and The Golf Sanctuary by listening to his full ModGolf Podcast episode.

Want to learn more about Lydia and Teamates? You can also connect through her bio page, along with watching our previous conversation on The ModGolf YouTube channel.

We had a full four days at The PGA Show attending Demo Day on the Tuesday, followed by three days at The Orange County Convention Center. Tons of golf industry conversations, relevations, inspirations and validations is what The PGA Show is all about!

Special Guests: Billy Brown - Founder and CEO The Golf Sanctuary LLC. 2x Amazon Best Selling Author, Real Estate Investor, and Entrepreneur and Lydia Davies - Founder of The Osprey Collective and TeeMates Golf.

Perseverance, Pivoting and The Ability to Continuously Adapt - Ryan Engle, Founder and CEO of GOLF+

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 17:15:00 -0800

Ryan Engle's love for golf started at age 11 after watching the movie Happy Gilmore. Fast forward almost two decades later finds Ryan combining his love for computer science, writing code and golf to become the Founder and CEO of GOLF+, who are leaders in VR golf with a mission to grow the game by making it more accessible.

"My first virtual reality putt was 20-footer uphill with a left-to-right break. I hit it and put it 6 inches past the hole, burning the edge on the left. I thought, "Wow that felt exactly like hitting a putt." After that magical moment I said to the team "okay you know what, we're going to pivot 100% into VR."

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

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

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

______________________________________________

"I spent a lot of time building out this putting physics model that felt very accurate. I ended up having a 3D model of hole seven at Pebble Beach, so I took Tiger's four putts from the US Open, set them up so the flag and his starting point were in the same spots. This made you think, "I'm going to stand in the shoes of Tiger and hit his putts!" I took the handheld controller that weighs a couple of ounces and I found a bike clamp and I clamped it to my putter. I'm holding my putter in virtual reality and when I move it I see the virtual putter moving exactly the same way."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Ryan on our Youtube Channel!

"The Oculus Quest VR headset was a gamechanger as it was a standalone product that didn't need to be connected to a computer".

To learn more, check out GOLF+ for the Meta Quest. https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2412327085529357/

You can also connect with Ryan on his bio page, along with checking out the GOLF+ VR website.

Episode Chapters
[02:40] Ryan shares his first golf experience and the movie that made his fall in love with the game.
[06:20] Ryan talks about the WORST job he ever had and what he positively learned from it.
[09:00] Ryan tells us how he got into the golf business and his first golf startup venture.
[15:00] Ryan and Colin discuss the challenges that entrepreneurship presents, and the difficult decisions one has to make when deciding whether to continue grinding on what you are creating or to pivot and build something else.
[17:45] Ryan describes the Oculus Quest headset that redefined the virtual reality landscape and how it is a gamechanger for GOLF+.
[23:00] Colin and Ryan talk about the importance of timing when launching a product, along with the other factors that make for a successful startup venture.
[25:30] Ryan shares the power of partnerships and how they added value to their collaboration with Topgolf.
[31:00] Colin puts on his investor hat to ask Ryan about the GOLF+ revenue model and who their users are.
[35:40] Ryan talks about the size of the VR gaming market, the projected future growth and the demographics of their users.
[39:00] Ryan shares how GOLF+ incorporates various player modes so that the experience applies to both beginner and accomplished golfers.

Special Guest: Ryan Engle, Founder and CEO of GOLF+.

Scaling a Golf Startup With Partnerships - Nick Conrad, Founder of Twilight Golf Association

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 15:15:00 -0800

"I quickly realized that golf is a great equalizer sport where people with different ages and skill levels can all coexist on the course at the same time. No matter if you're a really skilled player or a new beginner, everyone's always working on something and has that common thread of constant improvement."... Twilight Golf Association Founder Nick Conrad

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

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

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

______________________________________________

"I thought it wasn't crazy that you could pull together lots of strangers and create a league out of it. That it didn't have to always be based on gender or senior groups or for players of a certain skill level, which is how fragmented most leagues are. That it really can work just like public golf. If could you allow those people that regularly fill out the tee sheet to create organized games, that really would resonate. At the most fundamental level Twilight Golf is taking the folks who normally want to play during their available hours and trying to structure it where there can be a reason to keep them coming back."

Episode Chapters
[02:16] Nick shares how he was introduced to the game and describes his first golf experience.
[06:48] Colin asks Nick "what was the WORST job you ever had and what positives did you take away from it?"
[09:50] Nick' gives us the "elevator pitch" for Twilight Golf Association of what they do and why they do it.
[15:00] Nick shares the origin story of Twilight Golf Association and the "AHA moment" that led to creating their first pilot program.
[20:50] We learn how Nick got buy-in from golf courses to partner with Twilight Golf and the value proposition he offered them.
[23:48] Nick tells us about their pricing model and the befenits Twilight Golf members receive by being part of their community.
[28:32] Nick shares how and why Twilight Golf Association became part of Golf Genius Software and the value of this partnership.

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Nick on our Youtube Channel!
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You can also connect with Nick on his bio page, along with checking out the Twilight Golf Association website.

Special Guest: Nick Conrad - Founder and General Manager of Twilight Golf Association.

Do a Common Thing In an Uncommon Way - Bob Winskowicz, Founder of SQAIRZ

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 17:30:00 -0800

"When Ely Callaway created the Big Bertha and Karsten Solheim created the Ping irons, they went to work on a driver and an iron that had perimeter weighting. And when they got done, the club looked the way it did because that's the way perimeter weighting looked. It wasn't the other way around. They didn't worry about the fact that this Big Bertha was an oversized metal wood that looked like a snow shovel with no hosel and then the iron looked like something that an alien designed. They had something that was radically different, but they could back it up with performance and they didn't worry about the looks. The looks was secondary to performance. Match it up with a quote from Booker T Washington, which is to "Do a common thing in an uncommon way". So when you mix those two things together and that's where SQAIRZ came from." - Bob Winskowicz, Founder of SQAIRZ
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

______________________________________________

"A gentlemen I once worked for called me up and said "Bob I want you to work with me in the golf industry". He invited me to attend The PGA Show in 1995 and once I walked in it was like entering golf heaven. I was overwhelmed. I left there and said to him " I don't care what you pay me - I'm in! I want to work for you!". From that day on I never looked back."

Episode Chapters
[02:18] Bob shares being introduced to the game and his first golf experience.
[04:50] Colin asks Bob "what was the WORST job you ever had and what positives did you take away from it?"
[06:35] Bob's early professional work expience in the consumer goods sector and how that set the stage for a career shift into the golf industry.
[10:40] Bob tells the story of joining The Arnold Palmer Golf Company and the impact that "The King" had on his entrepreneurial endeavours.
[15:30] We learn about how outside influences like the creation of the Callaway Big Bertha driver shaped Bob's design philosophy for SQAIRZ.
[21:30] Bob tells us the exciting news about the next sport outside of golf that SQAIRZ is entering the high-performance shoe market.
[30:30] Bob shares his approach to empowering his team to embrace a culture of continuous learning, experimentation and innovation.

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Bob on our Youtube Channel!

"I have the privledge of being around Arnold Palmer and one time I presented a new set of irons we were ready to launch and The King said to me "what is in it for the consumer?" I stumbled because I focused on the look of the clubs. We lost sight of how they benefited the golfer. So once I launched a shoe company I always asked the question "What's in it for the consumer?"

You can also connect with Bob on his bio page, along with checking out the SQAIRZ website.

Special Guest: Bob Winskowicz - Founder of SQAIRZ.

Connecting Golfers With Likeminded Playing Partners - Kat Ramirez, Founder of Golfing Buddy

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:30:00 -0800

"They did not make me feel like I was part of our foursome. I felt like the outsider who wasn't good enough. It's bad enough that women already feel like they're not worthy in the golf world. If you have one bad experience, you're never gonna go back. You're not." - Kat Ramirez, Founder of Golfing Buddy
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

______________________________________________

"Why would you allow yourself to be compromised or up against something like that? Golf is a great game to get to know people. That's why people go on the golf course and get to know other people and spend four hours with that person. It's because they want to get to know them and really have a good time, not to be feeling like you're not good enough. So Golfing Buddy was created to empower people to find other people just like them to go play golf with."

Golfing Buddy was created for a couple of reasons:

• to help Women, Minorities, Veterans and Juniors play more golf without feeling intimidated at the course by being uncomfortably paired with people they don’t want to play with.
• to help people like Kat's boyfriend find other golfers to play golf with so they can play more golf with fun, likeminded people.
• to help golf facilities get more people paired up to play at their course with the type of people they want to play with.

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Kat on our Youtube Channel!

"It was a summer weekend in Midwest Milwaukee and fabulous outside, but I had to get a project done I couldn't get out and play. My boyfriend wanted to get out and play so badly. He called all of his buddies but no one could get out to join him for a round. He was pouting and moping around the house and I felt really bad for him so I said, "hey wouldn’t it be awesome if we had an app or website where you could find a golfing buddy?" And BING BING BING Golfing Buddy was born!"

You can also connect with Kat on her bio page, along with checking out the Golfing Buddy website.

Special Guest: Kat Ramirez, Founder of Golfing Buddy.

Making a Difference: Supporting The Recovery of Injured Veterans Through Golf - John Simpson, Founder of On Course Foundation

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0800

"I was golfing and one of the chaps I was playing with asked me if I'd come and speak to some of his people. He worked at Headley Court which is the British Military Rehabilitation Center. This was in 2009, at the height of what was going on in Afghanistan. When I went in there and saw how many young people - some with horrendous injuries - I just thought "I'm in a great position working in the game and can help in some way". - John Simpson, Founder - On Course Foundation

The On Course Foundation supports the recovery of wounded, injured and sick Service Personnel and veterans through golf. The Foundation's mission is to build confidence and self-belief in their members through golf skills and employment events, and set them on the path to meaningful full-time employment opportunities in the golf industry.
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

______________________________________________

"Being disabled myself, I had a chat with a few of the injured veterans there and described what had happened to me. I saw some of them looking back at me and I realized that golf was something they could do. And that's when I thought, "if we could start a charity which teaches golf on a long-term basis, with the idea of then getting them in some form of employment within the golf and related industries, that if we could do that, that would be quite something". And that's where it all started."

At the 18 minute mark John shares two inspirational stories of how On Course Foundation has positively impacted the lives of injured servicepeople.

‘’It initially gave me confidence that I can achieve again, taught me a new skill and has given me the drive and motivation back that I had lost following my illness. It has given me competition back that I thrive for and also a continual aim. I feel comfortable around OCF members and the worries of disfigurement and scarring disappear along with any apprehension of being judged by others."
Kate Surman - On Course Foundation beneficiary

"The most important thing is when a woman or man looks you in the eye and says 'The On Course Foundation saved me", it's very powerful stuff".

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with John on our Youtube Channel!

"And this is what On Course Foundation is all about. We give them the joy of playing golf and all that goes with it, but then to work in the industry and rediscover a sense of purpose and to show your family that you can meaningfully contribute by providing a salary, that's how these heroes reintegrate back into society."

At the 22 minute mark John tells us about The Simpson Cup, their flagship event where the competitors involved in the are all beneficiaries of On Course Foundation UK and their sister Foundation in the USA. It is an annual tournament and fundraiser between teams of 13 injured Service personnel and veterans from the UK and their American counterparts.

The Ryder Cup style tournament showcases the unique position of golf as one of the few sports where players of all skills and abilities can play together on a level playing field, because of the official golf handicap system.

You can also connect with John on his bio page, along with checking out the On Course Foundation US or On Course Foundation UK websites.

Special Guest: John Simpson - Founder of On Course Foundation.

SEASON 12 WRAP-UP / SEASON 13 PREVIEW

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 12:15:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 12 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our team is currently working on your next twelve episodes for Season 13, which launches early December 2022. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how inclusion, technology, entertainment, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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

______________________________________________

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 12 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below. Let us know which ones you enjoyed the most and why you liked them!

Our Season 12 guests were:

Episode 1
Jordan Lunetta - Co-Founder of ODIN Golf
"We have big ambitions to take ODIN to golfers across the globe. We have a vision of building a platform for the everyday golfer." Jordan Lunetta, Co-Founder of ODIN Golf opens Season 12 to share how they are creating a golf-loving tribe by living their company tagline: "Go Balls Out. Always!"
Click to listen >> BUILDING AN ENGAGING PLATFORM FOR THE EVERYDAY GOLFER

Episode 2
Donnie Dotson - Founder and CEO at Carry Golf Investments
"These potential investors didn't know the players 48 hours earlier and were high fiving them saying "we'll be following along and cheering for you guys!" My goal now is to be able to bottle up that experience and scale it, so we can help a lot more golfers but also bring a lot more fans closer to the game." Donnie Dotson joins us to share how he's applying tech startup lessons learned to elite athletes.
Click to listen >> APPLYING A TECH INVESTOR MINDSET TO SUPPORT "EARLY STAGE" GOLF ATHLETES

Episode 3
Cooper Sherwin - Co-Founder and Head of Community at LinksDAO
"We knew right off the bat that we wanted to bring value to NFT holders, not where it was lottery based where maybe five folks would get a trip to The Masters. We wanted to make sure that we had benefits across the board in an equitable way. Cooper Sherwin shares how LinksDAO uses web3 and the value of NFTs to reimagine the golf club membership experience.
Click to listen >> HARNESSING WEB3 TO REIMAGINE THE MODERN GOLF CLUB EXPERIENCE

Episode 4
Matt Reagan - Founder and CEO at Operation 36 Golf Co-Founder
"We created this cool environment to test group programming with kids and try to figure out what works to make it fun, but also make sure they are getting better and turning into golfers." Matt Reagan shares how they looked at youth sports like martial arts to create a multi-levelled teaching program that is both effective and fun.
Click to listen >> BUILDING A SCALABLE BUSINESS THAT INTRODUCES 1,000,000 NEW GOLFERS TO THE GAME

Episode 5
Jess McAlister - Co-Founder of Digital Golf Collective
"With where technology and society is going, it's an adapt or die situation as we are currently seeing in the golf industry today. As severe crazy golf fans and experts in our professional space, we felt we can positively disrupt while loving and respecting the industry and sport we love so much." - Jess McAlister joins us to share how they passionately created the golf influencer space.
Click to listen >> BUILDING A WOMEN-LED COMPANY THAT POSITIVELY DISRUPTS THE GOLF INDUSTRY

Episode 6
Ty DeLavallade - Founder and President of Deuce
"I realized that when building a company, you're really building a tribe. Creating a support group of people around you who are proud to wear the hat because it's cool brand. They wear it because of the quality and how it makes them feel. Whatever their motivation, I'm okay with that." Ty DeLavallade joins us to share the wins and the setbacks that define his entrepreneurial journey.
Click to listen >> RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE NEW CURRENCY

Episode 7
Nick Longley - Co-Founder of Inrange Golf
"Once we understood that our business is helping other businesses succeed, things really took off" - Nick Longley joins us to share their design process that led to creating engaging digital games to heighten the traditional driving range experience for both customers and owners.
Click to listen >> USING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK TO DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL VALUE

Episode 8
Billy Brown - Founder and CEO of The Golf Sanctuary
"November of 2019, I was in a pain med coma from a shoulder surgery wiping drool off my face from the codeine and thought... Golf Sanctuary. If I could go marry real estate and golf, how cool would that be?" Billy Brown joins us to share how he harnessed the Law of Supply and Demand to create a members-only off-course experience that appeals to his love for food, drinks and golf.
Click to listen >> REDEFINING THE GOLF CLUB MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Episode 9
Eileen Jurczak - Founder and CEO of Xonic Golf
"All of my personal and professional experiences in finance, engineering and golf have come together. It's quite fantastic that they culminate into what I'm doing in the Sport Tech startup space today." Eileen Jurczak joins us to share what she learned about entrepreneurship on the stock exchange trading floor and so much more on this episode of The ModGolf Podcast.
Click to listen >> ENTREPRENEURIAL LESSONS LEARNED ON THE TRADING FLOOR

Episode 10
Markus Westerberg - Co-Founder of deWiz
"Golf provides a North Star to define what success means to you and to appreciate the journey. You have to truly love the game, whether it's the game of entrepreneurship or the game of golf. And when you do that, I believe you will end up in good places." Markus Westerberg joins host Colin Weston to share the value of doing uncomfortable things, the power in collaborating with curious, positive people and so much more on this engaging episode of The ModGolf Podcast.
Click to listen >> COMBINING HIS LOVE OF GOLF AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Episode 11
Brett Jaffee - Caddy Time Co-Founder
"Sometimes golfers need a competitive caddy, but also for senior play, junior play, woman's play. Caddies are a terrific bridge to the golf facility." Brett Jaffee joins us to share how a lifetime in entrepreneurship led to the successful creation of their startup.
Click to listen >> BUILDING A BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS GOLFERS, CADDIES AND CLUBS

Episode 12
Laura Diaz - The LPGA's Sr. Director of Community & Inclusion (with guest host Dr. Greta Anderson)
"If you can see it, you can be it". If I can see somebody that looks like me, if there is that representation then I know I can get into this sport, or I can see a career in it." Our guest host Dr. Greta Anderson sits down with Laura Diaz who shares insights gathered starting from her first swing growing up in Puerto Rico.
Click to listen >> HOW A SIMPLE INVITATION BECOMES A POWERFUL WAY TO GROW GOLF

Special Guests: Billy Brown - Founder and CEO The Golf Sanctuary LLC. 2x Amazon Best Selling Author, Real Estate Investor, and Entrepreneur, Brett Jaffee - Co-Founder of Caddy Time, Cooper Sherwin - Co-Founder and Head of Community at LinksDAO, Donnie Dotson - Founder and CEO of Carry Golf Investments, Eileen Jurczak - Founder and CEO of Xonic Golf, Guillermo Heredia, Managing Director Global Brands, Metaverse & Blockchain at HYPE Sports Innovation, Jess McAlister - Founder of Digital Golf Collective, Jordan Lunetta - Co-Founder of ODIN Golf, Laura Diaz, Sr. Director of Community & Inclusion at The LPGA, Markus Westerberg, Co-Founder of deWiz, Matt Reagan, Co-Founder at Operation 36 Golf, Nick Longley - Co-Founder at Inrange® Golf, and Ty DeLavallade - Founder and President of Deuce.

How a Simple Invitation Becomes a Powerful Way To Grow Golf - Laura Diaz, Sr. Director of Community & Inclusion With The LPGA

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 11:15:00 -0700

"If we go back in history, systemically with PGA of America's "Caucasian Only Clause" that was in effect till 1960, which was not that long ago. So if you look at that, you really didn't see that many black, brown, Hispanic people in the game. Fast forward to me growing up, people still didn't have that representation. I'm a big believer in "If you can see it, you can be it" right. If I can see somebody that looks like me, if I have that representation that I can get into this sport, or I can see a career in it." - Laura Diaz, Sr. Director of Community & Inclusion With The LPGA
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"I've always thought of golf as a game of invitation, because when I hear stories of whether it's women, or colleagues who've taken up the game it's always like, "oh, my husband plays. So, I eventually played". Or my dad played, which is my case and we played golf. I asked my mom a couple years ago. "Why don't you play golf"? And she said, because nobody ever invited me. To me that was heartbreaking because my mom was an athlete, but she let golf be something that my dad and my brother and I did separately."

"I have become a lot more self-aware about being that person that invites others because we do get clicky. You have your foursome that you play with on the weekends. You like it because you all play fast, you know everybody's game. Which is great. I love that about golf. But if we can be more self-aware and intentional about inviting someone that doesn't look like you or inviting someone that you might think, "Hey this person might not want to go". This person might be looking for an invitation. The invite part I think is important."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Laura and Greta on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Laura on her bio page, along with checking out the LPGA Foundation website.

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Attention all you fabulous women golfers - we are partnering with our good friends at KINONA Sport to offer 20% OFF your purchase using promo code MODGOLF! CLICK TO SAVE on tops, shorts, pants, skirts, dresses, skorts, jackets, vests and accessories!

Special Guest: Laura Diaz, Sr. Director of Community & Inclusion at The LPGA.

Building a Bridge That Connects Golfers, Caddies and Clubs - Brett Jaffee, Co-Founder of Caddy Time

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:45:00 -0700

"Caddies are wonderful for golf and yet only available one percent or less of the time. To the everyday golfer like myself, caddies were never offered to me. No matter what your reason for playing golf, a caddy enhances it." - Caddy Time Co-Founder Brett Jaffee
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"Sometimes golfers need a competitive caddy, but also there are huge benefits to enhance the experience for senior's play, junior play, woman's play and beginner golfers. Caddies are a terrific bridge to the golf facility."

"Talking to golfers, course operators and caddies led us to create an instrument where people could connect with the golf-savvy community. Professional and recreational golfers would be able to add a caddy to any golf outing that they chose and that's where Caddy Time came from. Where Caddy Time adds value is as an on-demand caddy platform that delivers the highest quality caddy to whatever that golfer needs."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Brett on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Brett on his bio page, along with checking out the Caddy Time website.

Special Guest: Brett Jaffee - Co-Founder of Caddy Time.

Combining His Love of Golf and Entrepreneurship - Markus Westerberg, Co-Founder of deWiz

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:30:00 -0700

"I can only do so much and I am happy to let in anyone who can help us and who knows their area of expertise better than me. There's no ego motivation here. We just want to help golfers get better, grow the company and reach out to more golfers. We have the love of the game and that's our driving force. I think that's a strength that we have, the strength to know what we don't know and not have the vanity of trying to show something else." - deWiz Co-Founder Markus Westerberg
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"I started that round with an incredible start and have learned through experience not to then play conservatively in order to protect a good score. Hitting "pause" and trying to get off the golf course by making pars is the wrong mindset. If you do that you are sure to make bogeys so I knew I had to push myself. So I kept pushing and pushing into that "Zone of Discomfort", didn't bail on myself throughout the round and gave myself a chance to shoot 59 with a putt on 18. I'm really proud of that round as it was a magically exhilarating experience."

Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Markus on our Youtube Channel!

"We launched about a year ago and today and we are now 14 employees in the company. I'm not saying that we built deWiz all by ourselves. We are team players. I know some things and I don't know a lot of other things". I know golf and I've learned a lot about tech. I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology, which ties in very good to deWiz."

You can also connect with Markus on his bio page, along with checking out the deWiz website.

"Golf is an individual sport but no single tour golfer is out there alone. There is a family behind them, friends, a manager and multiple coaches that make up the team. So to suceed, you have to be able to handle your team regarding the physical, mental, financial and logistical challenges that arise. Golf is a brutal game and it's a game about managing mistakes. Looking at a professional golf career, you have more failures than successes and that gives you a thick skin that builds up your resilience. Golf gives you a North Star to define what success means to you and to appreciate the journey. You have to truly love the game, whether it's the game of entrepreneurship or the game of golf. And when you do that, I believe you will end up in good places."

Special Guest: Markus Westerberg, Co-Founder of deWiz.

Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned on The Trading Floor - Eileen Jurczak, Founder and CEO of Xonic Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 11:30:00 -0700

"At that point in my life I was working on the trading floor for many years with BMO and had been introduced to artificial intelligence in the financial realm. Not in sports but AI nonetheless. The two came together and I said "wait a second, I wonder if there's a product here? I wonder if we can bring together AI and this passion for golf? That would be a dream come true if I could start a golf related business!". That's where the seed of the idea came. There has been a lot of work and learning since then, but that was the AHA moment for Xonic Golf." - Eileen Jurczak, Founder and CEO of Xonic Golf
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Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Eileen on our Youtube Channel!

"A lot of people don't know this about the scock exchange trading floor. While it's in a large financial institution, it's a very entrepreneurial atmosphere with dozens of small businesses being run by a handful of people. We're responsible for wearing multiple hats in each of these businesses to market it, to grow it, to manage the finances. You're doing everything and you're working hard! The idea of "Hey, we want your ideas, bring them to the table" fosters that innovative entrepreneurial mindset. I'm using all the skills and experience that I've built up my entire life and career. It's incredible."

You can also connect with Eileen on her bio page, along with checking out the Xonic Golf website.

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Eileen is passionate about giving back to the community and has founded and built a successful not-for-profit company that addresses the need for youth financial services education. Established in 2015, the Bay Street Deconstructed workshops have now reached over 10,000 Grade 10 students across Canada, with a priority of reaching students with diverse cultural backgrounds in less affluent areas, helping all students to be better prepared for their futures.

Special Guest: Eileen Jurczak - Founder and CEO of Xonic Golf.

Redefining The Golf Club Membership Experience - Billy Brown, Founder and CEO of The Golf Sanctuary

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0700

"When demand is greater than supply, there is a business opportunity. I found one in The Golf Sanctuary".

"So the idea has been floating around my head for six or seven years. What got me with the simulators when I played Hilton Head or one of those courses it's like, "oh this is cool". But what they did was they threw me into this imaginary world. I went, "oh my God, you've got to be kidding me. We're playing like Machu Picchu, and all sorts of crazy stuff is happening". That I got my juices flowing because I don't know how to hit this shot over a dragon. I've never practiced that shot! We're on top of a thousand foot cliff, never done that before but now I'm interested. I bet other people like this." - Billy Brown, Founder and CEO of The Golf Sanctuary in Nashville Tennessee
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"November of 2019, I was in a pain med coma from a shoulder surgery wiping drool off my face from the codeine and thought... Golf Sanctuary. If I could go marry real estate and golf, how cool would that be?"

"People that play golf, they don't have time anymore because it takes too damn long. What if I could use the enhanced simulator experience in a business? How do I execute this, how do you monetize it?"

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Billy on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Billy on his bio page, along with checking out the Golf Sanctuary website.

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On this episode Billy references two books that have influenced and helped shape his entrepreneurial "Give First" mindset: "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann, and "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell.

Special Guest: Billy Brown - Founder and CEO The Golf Sanctuary LLC. 2x Amazon Best Selling Author, Real Estate Investor, and Entrepreneur.

Using Customer Feedback To Deliver Exceptional Value - Nick Longley, Co-Founder at Inrange

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 09:15:00 -0700

"Within 15 minutes of showing a driving range owner a video of what it could be they said, "Right, yeah, we're in. We'll happily be your early adopter". And once they came on as early adopters we spent hours and hours of time on the range, interviewing people showing them designs, showing them prototypes and getting push back." - Nick Longley, Co-Founder at Inrange Golf
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"We got to the point with our first mobile implementation that we had to run competitions just to get people to even log in and play it. But what Declan the owner of Greenwich said to me early on was, "I'm not interested in this mobile thing. I want screens and I want games". And over time we realized that people don't like paying for apps, but put a beautiful touchscreen in their bay with this fantastic augmented training experience and they will happily pay a premium to play and they'll feel like it's for free."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Nick on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Nick on his bio page, along with checking out the Inrange website.

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On this episode Colin and Nick discuss the concept of the Technology Adoption Curve and where Inrange Golf currently sits on it.

Nick also references "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal, which is a book that has helped Inrange develop their game and experience design strategy.

Special Guest: Nick Longley - Co-Founder at Inrange® Golf.

Relationships Are The New Currency - Ty DeLavallade - Founder and President of Deuce

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 13:00:00 -0700

"I challenged myself and said, "I may not have all the financial capital to do it, but I have teeth to cut in the steak and I have the resources and access to the golf industry because I've been in golf for twelve years now". I can figure something out." - Ty DeLavallade - Founder and President of Deuce
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"I did some research to find out what other black-owned businesses are there out there. To be fair, I didn't find any. I decided that night was I going to call it Deuce and did not know what the logo was going to look like, but I wanted to somehow leave a legacy for my son. I've called him Deuce since he was three. It's a cool name. What I realized was that when you're building a company, you're really building a tribe. You're really building a support group around you of people who are proud to wear the hat because it's cool brand. They wear it because of the quality. Whatever it is, I'm okay with that."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Ty on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Ty on his bio page, along with checking out The Deuce Am Tour (which I hope to be at mid-September for the LA stop!) and Deuce Cares https://deuceamtour.com/deuce-cares/

Special Guest: Ty DeLavallade - Founder and President of Deuce.

Sponsored By:

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Building a Women-Led Company That Positively Disrupts The Golf Industry - Jess McAlister, Founder of Digital Golf Collective

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 22:15:00 -0700

"When we say positively disrupt, we want to show that there are alternative ways of doing things when it comes to being creative and marketing to today's consumer, fan, as well as the industry. And with both of us being experts in our space, we knew that our brains coming together could ultimately do that."
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"Especially coming into a space that is truly based on tradition, we wanted to respect that. So we use positively disrupt because we're both severe crazy golf fans, love what is there and what it's based on. But with where technology and society are going, it's kind of an adapt or die situation as we are currently seeing in the industry today. And we felt we can positively disrupt while loving and respecting the sport we love so much and fighting to ensure women athletes get what they truly deserve."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Jess on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Jess and Digital Golf Collective? Visit their website to learn how they are creating effective developmental programs and technology to introduce and guide anyone in playing the game of golf.

You can also connect with Jess on her bio page.

Special Guest: Jess McAlister - Founder of Digital Golf Collective.

Sponsored By:

Zencastr: Connect your business to a new audience with Zencastr’s Podcast Marketplace!

Building a Scalable Business That Introduces 1,000,000 New Golfers to The Game - Matt Reagan, Co-Founder at Operation 36 Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 14:00:00 -0700

Getting good at golf is hard. Figuring out how to make it fun and engaging for kids is even harder. As Matt Reagan and his Operation 36 Co-Founder Ryan Dailey looked to solve this problem over 12 years ago, they saw how other sports - especially martial arts like Taekwondo and Karate - would progress through levels of mastery by testing students once they had acquired the necessary skills. The result was creating a 10 Division, variable distance gameplay format where students need to shoot 36 over nine holes in order to graduate up to the next level. Listen in as Matt shares the startup journey of Operation 36 Golf.
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"We got three kids to sign up and join the program and that was how the concept started. And then we'd say "oh crap, what do we do with them every week? How do we show they're improving, what do we teach? How should we be testing them and show parents they're getting better? How do we make it fun every step of the way?"

"The first five years of our existence we worked on building the program and trying to figure that out. We'd sit down before class, plan for an hour and a half and then kids would show up. We'd run it and say "well that sucked, let's try it again!" and then we would experiment with different ideas. So we had this pretty cool environment where we were just testing group programming with kids and trying to figure out what works to make it fun, but also make sure they are getting better and turning into golfers. And then showing parents, who are the ones signing the kids up for the program, that this is working."

Want to learn more about Matt and Operation 36 Golf? Visit their website to learn how they are creating effective developmental programs and technology to introduce and guide anyone in playing the game of golf.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Matt on our Youtube Channel!

You can also connect with Matt on his bio page.

Operation 36 takes the traditional model and flips it on its head. All new players begin on the course. Instead of starting at the tee box, they play from 25 yards away from the hole. Once the player shoots par (36) from 25 yards, they back up to 50 yards, and so on, until they are shooting even par (36) from the full tee box. It’s timely, it’s fun, and it provides step by step improvement.

Special Guest: Matt Reagan, Co-Founder at Operation 36 Golf.

Harnessing web3 To Reimagine The Modern Golf Club Experience - Cooper Sherwin, Co-Founder and Head of Community at LinksDAO

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 12:45:00 -0700

"Being an NFT member of this community automatically and from the beginning has brought value, even before we acquire the golf course, That's our North Star. We're still heading there. But the team is working really hard to continue forging these partnerships because everyone we talked to in the golf world is really excited about what we're doing".... Cooper Sherwin, Co-Founder and Head of Community at LinksDAO
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"It's been really positive the responses we've gotten. Folks who are excited about new technology, about new approaches to the game and about building the sport of golf have been very receptive to what we're creating."

So what does the DAO is LinksDAO mean? It stands for a "Decentralized Autonomous Organization" and Cooper nicely explains it around the 10 minute mark of this episode.

Want to learn more about Cooper and LinksDAO? Visit their website to see how LinksDAO is engaging a global community of thousands of golf enthusiasts to create the modern golf and leisure club.

You can learn more about and connect with Cooper on his bio page. Cooper just attended the 2022 NFT NYC conference, which you can check out at https://www.nft.nyc

Special Guest: Cooper Sherwin - Co-Founder and Head of Community at LinksDAO.

Sponsored By:

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Applying a Tech Investor Mindset to Support "Early Stage" Golf Athletes - Donnie Dotson, Founder and CEO of Carry

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:15:00 -0700

"I was thrilled and inspired to see that we had people going from almost complete strangers to forming meaningful bonds over golf. And my goal is to be able to somehow bottle up that experience and scale it, so we can help a lot more golfers but also bring a lot more fans closer to the game."
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I look forward to seeing you during an upcoming live show!... Colin

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"We played The Cradle and Number Two at Pinehurst, we played, followed by a wonderful dinner in Donald Ross' backyard for the Monday night closing event. There was a moment where two of our players who are on the Korn Ferry Tour had to leave as dinner was wrapping up because they had an early flight to their next event. Potential investors were standing up, clapping, a bit of a standing ovation, high fives and saying "hey, we're rooting for you guys, we're cheering you on, will be following along!" They didn't know who these players were other than by name 48 hours earlier and that was cool to see.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Donnie on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Donnie and Carry Golf Investments? Visit their website to see how Carry Golf Investments is taking a tech startup venture capitalist approach to funding and supporting elite athletes.

You can learn more about and connect with Donnie on his bio page.

Special Guest: Donnie Dotson - Founder and CEO of Carry Golf Investments.

Building an Engaging Platform For The Everyday Golfer - Jordan Lunetta, Co-Founder of ODIN Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 17 May 2022 16:45:00 -0700

"We're on the course one day and we're not having a great round. We're donating to the lake and the forest. We look at each other and say, "Why aren't we losing our own golf balls? Why are we losing golf balls of brands that are old?" They're stuffy and they don't speak to us as digital natives. We are the next generation of golfers who are the rebel rousers in a good way, who are consuming things in much different ways. And given the four of us built and scaled tech companies we said "before we do anything, what are our ambitions?" And we have big ambitions to take ODIN to golfers across the globe. We have a vision of building a platform for the everyday golfer."
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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"Why are we using expensive gear from old, stuffy brands that don’t really speak to us? So what the old stuffy incumbent brands are doing for the PGA Tour, we're doing for everyone else. That's our sweet spot in the market, which is really exciting." Jordan shares how they apply a tech startup approach to disrupt the traditional golf product space, are early adopters experimenting with NFTs and much more.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Jordan on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Jordan and ODIN Golf? Visit their website to see how ODIN is putting their fun, irreverent spin on golf balls, apparel and community building experiences. You can also learn more about the ODIN Founding Membership NFTs at https://futureofgolf.co.

You can learn more about and connect with Jordan on his bio page.

Special Guest: Jordan Lunetta - Co-Founder of ODIN Golf.

SEASON 11 WRAP-UP / SEASON 12 PREVIEW

The ModGolf Podcast — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 13:30:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 11 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our team is currently working on your next twelve episodes for Season 12, which launches early June 2022. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how inclusion, technology, entertainment, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.
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Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear!

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

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If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 11 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below. Let us know which ones you enjoyed the most and why you liked them!

Our Season 11 guests were:

Episode 1
Deborah Smith - Prosthetics Entrepreneur and Adaptive Athlete (with guest host Dr. Greta Anderson)
Click to listen >> EMPOWERING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH ADAPTIVE GOLF

Episode 2
Chris Kallmayer - Co-CEO at Golf Genius Software
Click to listen >> FOSTER INNOVATION AND GROWTH BY LISTENING TO CUSTOMER NEEDS

Episode 3
Jeremy Callahan - aka "The App Man", Co-Founder and CTO at Golf BPM
Click to listen >> THE 2022 GOLF APP REVIEW EPISODE

Episode 4
Lydia Davies - Founder and CEO at TeeMates Golf
Click to listen >> CREATING THE "LINKEDIN FOR GOLFERS"

Episode 5
Mark Mattingly - EVP at Landscapes Golf Management
Click to listen >> WHAT YOU WANT SITS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HARD

Episode 6
Charlie Klaus (SPARK Golf) and Patrick Farris (EUFOREIA Golf)
Click to listen >> CONVERSATIONS FROM THE 2022 PGA SHOW

Episode 7
Jim Beatty - Executive Director, African American Golfer's Digest
Click to listen >> TAKING A POSITION TO HELP CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE

Episode 8
Guillermo Heredia - Managing Director with HYPE Sports Innovation
Click to listen >> HOW THE METAVERSE AND NFTS WILL AMPLIFY GOLF FAN ENGAGEMENT

Episode 9
Alyson Ramsey Johnson - CEO at Gilly Group and Co-Founder at White Tee Partners
Click to listen >> CREATING PHENOMENAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES THROUGH GOLF

Episode 10
Jim Plumb - Co-Founder and FORE! SIXTY
Click to listen >> BUILDING COMMUNITY AS A "SENIOR-PRENEUR"

Episode 11
Tom Naramore - CEO at D3Golf.com
Click to listen >> TURNING A $3 WEEKLY GOLF BUDDY BET INTO A SCALEABLE BUSINESS VENTURE

Episode 12
Steve Tooshkenig - Golf Teaching Professional and Inspirational Indigenous Speaker
Click to listen >> CREATING A SUSTAINABLE GOLF FUTURE THROUGH THE "SEVENTH GENERATION PRINCIPLE"

Special Guests: Alyson Ramsey Johnson - CEO at Gilly Group, Co-Founder of White Tee Partners, Charlie Klaus - Co- Founder and CEO at Spark Golf, Chris Kallmeyer, CEO at Golf Genius Software, Deborah Smith - Adaptive Athlete and Prosthetic Resources Consultant, Guillermo Heredia, Managing Director Global Brands, Metaverse & Blockchain at HYPE Sports Innovation, Jeremy Callahan - a.k.a. The App Man, Jim Beatty, Executive Editor with African American Golfer’s Digest, Jim Plumb, Co-Founder of FORE! SIXTY, Lydia Davies - Founder of The Osprey Collective and TeeMates Golf, Mark Mattingly - Executive Vice President at Landscapes Golf Management, Patrick Farris - Euforeia Golf Co. Founder / CEO, Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and Inspirational Indigenous Speaker, and Tom Naramore - CEO at D3Golf.com.

Creating a Sustainable Golf Future Through The "Seventh Generation Principle" - Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and Inspirational Indigenous Speaker

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 12:00:00 -0700

"Walk in that good way, helping and sharing your journey so those before you can smile."
Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and Inspirational Indigenous Speaker
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"The opportunity that we have right now is to understand the importance in what we do in life collectively. When we see something and want to see it succeed, we know that those people that are supposed to be sitting in that Circle will come and sit down. They may just listen for a little while and they made you say, "Hey, you know what? I feel a little awkward sitting here" and that's okay. We've been sitting like that for the last 150 years."

Visit Steve's website to learn more about the impactful work he does to support Indigenous youth through golf.

"Walking in a good way is following our seven sacred teachings: wisdom, honesty, courage, bravery, love, respect and humility. We are given a responsibility to share our talents to help others".

You can learn more about and connect with Steve on his bio page and by emailing him at steve@stgolf.com

Walking in a Good Way
I want to thank Curtis Gillespie for introducing me to Steve after I read his July 2021 SCOREGolf article "Walking in a Gold Way". This inspiring article featuring Stephen W. Tooshkenig, Jesse Smith and Steve Styres was selected as the FIRST Indigenous cover story in the history of SCOREGolf magazine. This Issue can be found at www.scoregolf.com to learn why golf is more than a pastime for Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Special Guest: Steve Tooshkenig, CPGA Golf Professional and Inspirational Indigenous Speaker.

Turning a $3 weekly golf buddy bet into a scaleable business venture - Tom Naramore, CEO at D3Golf.com

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:00:00 -0700

"There is a standard side game that many people play called the Nassau bet. There's a wager on the front nine, a separate wager on the back nine and then you add them both together in match play and whoever wins the most holes wins the overall. So it's three separate bets. Craig and I used to play a dollar-dollar-dollar game. That's what we would call it on the first hole. He'd walk up, look at me and say "dollar-dollar-dollar?" and I'd respond "Absolutely!"
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"I had software clients out golfing at the same time that (my now Co-Founder) Craig had financial clients out and we serendipitously wound up at the same restaurant. He saw me, walked up and said, "hey, we should have been able to play our dollar-dollar-dollar game on two different courses" and I snap answered him and said, "Man, I can build that, that's a mobile app. No problem!" ...Tom Naramore, CEO at D3Golf.com

"I met a gentleman by the name of Peter Meng and he spent half an hour showing me his tech. Afterwards all I said to him was, "What do you think about a virtual wallet in a mobile app, two guys playing golf either on the same or different courses? They play, the app does all the math and then the app sends the money to the winner." And that's all I said to him. 24 hours later he called me back. He wrote a business plan, a technical road map for me, a basic marketing plan and voila, the company was started."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Tom on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Tom and D3Golf? Visit their website to see how D3Golf has created the mobile app for monetary side games on your local golf course or remotely with players around the country.

You can learn more about and connect with Tom on his bio page.

We want to thank our sponsor partner Golf Genius Software for helping support The ModGolf Podcast

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.

Special Guest: Tom Naramore - CEO at D3Golf.com.

Building Community as a "Senior-preneur" - Jim Plumb, Co-Founder of FORE! SIXTY

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:15:00 -0700

"We were going to call the company FORE! FIFTY, but we did a lot of surveys and 50 year olds still think they're 20, but 60 year olds are realistic. That's why we want to cater to that crowd of 60 and over."... Jim Plumb, Co-Founder of FORE! SIXTY

FORE! SIXTY is a unique online community dedicated to enhancing the game for golfers sixty and over with age-relevant information, videos and a wide selection of curated value offerings on golf equipment, natural, anti-inflammatory pain relief and Sun Smart UPF50 sun protection apparel.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Jim on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Jim and FORE! SIXTY? Visit their website to see how they are creating an engaging community for senior golfers.

"We've all failed at times and built up businesses. We understand the economics behind it so we're not afraid to go after new products, investigate new areas. I love the entrepreneurial world and am looking at other things that I want to do beyond this business. You never know what's going to come up next, but you always got to keep your doors open and keep looking for that good opportunity."

You can learn more about and connect with Jim on his bio page.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Jim Plumb, Co-Founder of FORE! SIXTY.

Sponsored By:

Zencastr: Click on the discount link for 30% off a Zencastr Professional account using the promo code THEMODGOLFPOD. Promo Code: THEMODGOLFPOD

Creating Phenomenal Customer Experiences Through Golf - Alyson Ramsey Johnson, CEO at Gilly Group and Co-Founder at White Tee Partners

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 18:00:00 -0700

"I always knew I wanted to be a boss. I didn't know of what but I had that calling to want to help brands and businesses, create these phenomenal experiences for their customers through golf, whether that was sponsorship activation, hospitality or promoting their brands. So I knew I needed to get more of a differentiator for myself in the golf industry, especially as a woman."

"I knew I had the itch to do it. I just needed to get more experience under my belt. So when I launched Gilly Group I took all my favorite experiences, I left behind HR Communications, the ice cream socials, the investor relations and never looked back. Honestly it's really been my greatest joy to do this because I love working in golf. I love the people that I know and it's just a lot of fun to bring that to the end consumer."

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

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

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

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Alyson on our Youtube Channel!

We're excited to announce that our very own podcasting platform, Zencastr has become a new sponsor of the show! Click on the discount link for 30% off a Zencastr Professional account using the promo code THEMODGOLFPOD.

Zencastr is an all-in-one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how. It records each guest locally, then uploads the crystal clear audio and video right into the suite so you have high-quality raw materials to work with.
Zencastr: It’s time to share your story!

Want to learn more about Alyson and Gilly Group? Visit their website to see how Alyson and her team deliver marketing strategy, business development, sports marketing and sponsorship activation solutions for their golf industry clients.

On the podcast Alyson discussed the value of finding a likeminded partner with a complimentry skill set when starting a new business venture. She co-founded White Tee Partners with good friend LeslieAnne Wade, where they deliver awareness and exposure to products, brands, leagues, and talent within the golf space using rich storytelling and engaging content while utilizing their extensive network within the golf industry.

Click on the image below to learn more about White Tee Partners.

You can learn more about and connect with Alyson on her bio page.

Special Guest: Alyson Ramsey Johnson - CEO at Gilly Group, Co-Founder of White Tee Partners.

Sponsored By:

Zencastr: Click on the discount link for 30% off a Zencastr Professional account using the promo code THEMODGOLFPOD. Promo Code: THEMODGOLFPOD

How The Metaverse and NFTs Will Amplify Golf Fan Engagement - Guillermo Heredia, Managing Director at HYPE Sports Innovation

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0800

The Metaverse. NFTs. Blockchain. Cryptocurrency. Web 3.0
You have probably heard some or all of these terms over the past couple of years and may scratch your head in bewilderment as one of your friends tries to explain them to you. After listening to this episode you will be enlightened by the insights from our guest Guillermo Heredia, who is the Global Brands, Metaverse & Blockchain Managing Director at HYPE Sports Innovation.

"The Metaverse. It's not like different Metaverses, it is one Metaverse like there is one internet and then you have different platforms. The Australian Open replicated the grounds in Decentraland and you could see and enter the Rod Laver Arena and see all the sponsors. You could go to the shop, you had some gamification around but they were not the only ones. The NFL did it for the Super Bowl and they created an area in Roblox wherre they had a store. They again have ramification, you could see all the brands and the clubs that are in the NFL. So it is a new way for fans to interact with the brands and with the sport properties. So you have endless opportunities."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Guillermo on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Guillermo and HYPE Sports Innovation? Visit their website to see how HYPE has become the Global Sports Tech Arena with over 100 top sports brands, clubs, and federations as partners.

One example of golf entering the Metaverse is GOLF+, where you can play an immersive round of 18 holes, putting competitions or experience TopGolf in a virtual reality environment. Click on the image below to learn more about GOLF+.

Web 3.0 represents the next iteration or phase of the evolution of the web/Internet and potentially could be as disruptive and represent as big a paradigm shift as Web 2.0. Web 3.0 is built upon the core concepts of decentralization, openness, and greater user utility.

You can learn more about and connect with Guillermo on his bio page.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Guillermo Heredia, Managing Director Global Brands, Metaverse & Blockchain at HYPE Sports Innovation.

Taking a Position To Help Create Positive Change - Jim Beatty, Executive Editor with African American Golfer’s Digest

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:30:00 -0800

At The 2022 PGA Show in Orlando I had the opportunity to reconnect with Jim Beatty at The Diversity and Inclusion Forum, which he was co-hosting. Jim Beatty wears several hats, including Executive Editor for the African American Golfer’s Digest (www.africanamericangolfersdigest.com), President of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures (www.jimbeattygolfventures.com) and Chair of The We Are Golf, Recreational Play Subcommittee, Diversity Task Force (www.wearegolf.org).

"I'm fueled by the fact that so many people came before me like Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, Althea Gibson, Teddy Rhodes, Renée Powell. What they had to endure makes what I'm doing just not that hard. It's time consuming true, but I have to take the next steps and recognize the great people. People that came before me - both black and white - that stood up, took a position, maintained it and created change."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Jim on our Youtube Channel!

Jim is also the founder and organizer of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum. This is a multi-day event held to promote the business and economic opportunities for African Americans in the $84 Billion Golf Industry.

To learn more about and to register for the 2nd annual EXPO August 27-31 2022 in Charlotte NC, visit their website.

You can also learn more about Jim on his bio page.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Jim Beatty, Executive Editor with African American Golfer’s Digest.

Conversations From The 2022 PGA Show - Charlie Klaus (Spark Golf) and Patrick Farris (Euforeia Golf)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:30:00 -0800

It's been two long years since I last attended The PGA Show in Orlando and although I was apprehensive about getting on a plane from Vancouver with the Omicron variant still swirling around us, I'm glad I made the decision to go. After hundreds of Zoom video calls over the past 24 months has pushed me to the point of burnout, reconnecting with old golf industry friends and meeting some new ones face to face was exactly the medicine my spirit needed.

While I was there I was granted access to The PGA Golf Shows Media Center to record a pair of podcast conversations with Euforeia Golf Co. Founder Patrick Farris and Spark Golf CEO Charlie Klaus. Rather than release these as separate episodes, I decided to give you two engaging conversations for the price of one!

Want to read about the recap of my eight days in Orlando and takeaways from golf's biggest industry event?
Then check out my blog post!

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Charlie Klaus on our Youtube Channel!

Spark Golf is a network of 9-hole, social golf leagues organized to be casual and fun. They make it easy for co-ed players of all skill levels to play golf. They’re showing the world that life is better with golf, and golf is better when it lightens up. Their mission is to invite everyone, regardless of skill, to play a more social and relaxed version of golf in their local communities. And believe in growing golf where many before have failed. First played in 2018, they've built the Spark app which automates all league operations including: registration, payment, handicaps, live scoring, player-to-player messaging and more. In 2022 more than 1,000 courses will host Spark Golf across North America. Find a league and play Spark Golf at a course near you!

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Patrick Farris on our Youtube Channel!

Euforeia was formed as a paradise for freethinkers, outsiders, and good-time subscribers. This convergence of minds created a culture rooted in self-expression, adventure, and the endless journey that is golf. It is this culture and passion that is the soul of who we are, fueling the ingenuity and creativity that goes into every detail of what we make. Their mission is to usher in a new era of golf by obliterating boundaries in order to pave a way for youth culture to rise and expand the game.

To learn more about Euforeia Golf, visit their website to see how a brand based in action sports that was created for the underground golfers of the world aims to grow the game from the outside.

Special Guests: Charlie Klaus - Co- Founder and CEO at Spark Golf and Patrick Farris - Euforeia Golf Co. Founder / CEO.

Harnessing The Power of Design to Reinvent Golf Experiences - Agustín Pizá, Founder and Architect at Pizá Golf Design

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 11:30:00 -0800

For more than two decades, Agustin (Augie) Pizá, the Director and Founder of Pizá Golf, has challenged golf norms and redefined golf facilities with award-winning designs. He has worked with legends of the game and his world class developments attracted interest to design a total indoor golf entertainment experience.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Augie on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Pizá Golf Design? Visit their website to see how they are passionately generating successful and profitable golf architecture projects.

You can learn more about Agustín on his bio page.

Show Notes and Augie Quotes
"Eventually when I graduated from architecture, I said "why can't I mix in golf?" So every afternoon I went to practice golf and then I got it. Now I understood the nature of it and the patience of it. I got the 360° of the golf course - the trees, the atmosphere, the freshly cut grass. I started to feel it and that was my sign to fuse my two passions: architecture and sports through golf architecture. And since then, I haven't looked back."

Special Guest: Agustín Pizá - Founder and Architect with Pizá Golf Design.

The Journey From Pro Athlete To Sport Tech Entrepreneur - Jeehae Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Sportsbox.ai

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 09:30:00 -0700

"Along the way there have been a lot of ups and downs. Being a professional athlete is not easy and especially in an individual sport like golf where you are forced to be entrepreneurial. You have to pay for all of your travel, your caddies, all the expenses and try to earn a living net positive at the end of the year."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Jeehae on our Youtube Channel!

Want to give Sportsbox.ai a try? Check it out on their website. Contact them for an invite to download the app (iOS only for now, Android version coming soon). An account is accessible if you receive an invite from them or one of their coaches.

You can learn more about Jeehae on her bio page.

Show Notes and Jeehae Quotes
"But in the end I decided hey, I had this great experience on The LPGA and LET Tours, made some great friends out there, but don't think this is where I want to end up. I decided to take what I learned and apply it to a business venture."

"I'm the kind of person who for better or worse doesn't think too hard about whether it's all going to be a perfect outcome. I just trust myself enough to say I'll dive in and if it works great, if it doesn't, it'll still be a great experience and I'll figure it out. Hopefully, it set me up for success in what I'm doing now."

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

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

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

Special Guest: Jeehae Lee - Co-Founder and CEO at Sportsbox.ai.

Transforming The Golf Event Business During Tumultuous Times - Marc Simon, Event Vice President at PGA Golf Exhibitions

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:30:00 -0700

"Often at a big company there's not that culture of trying new ideas. But if you imbrace innovation, fail fast during the effort and you learn from it, that could be the next great big success. So it's really, really important from a cultural perspective to think more entrepreneurial, to take more risks and then to celebrate those successes along with those failures.".... Marc Simon on The ModGolf Podcast

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Marc on our Youtube Channel!
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Want to learn more about The PGA Show and RX Global? Visit their websites for information and pre-registration for The 2022 PGA Merchandise Show in January 25-28 2022 in Orlando.

You can learn more about Marc on his bio page.

Show Notes and Marc Quotes
"The PGA Merchandise Show really focuses on three different areas: The one to one connections, some kind of marketplace for exhibitors, being able to showcase their goods and services and then the educational piece and then trying to improve those elements through time, while also offering something experiential to keep people connected and engaged."

"COVIID forced us to be more entrepreneurial while a lot of times big corporations are not. We definitely had to think fast and we definitely had to take a lot more risk and not be afraid to fail."

PGA of America and PGA Golf Exhibitions Provide Update on 2022 In-Person PGA Show Enhancements
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (August 19, 2021)
PGA Golf Exhibitions, in partnership with the PGA of America, is progressing with previously announced PGA Show initiatives to refresh and grow the 69th annual flagship event, January 25-28 2022 in Orlando. Event and programming enhancements focus specifically on powering face-to-face business connections, spotlighting innovations and prioritizing product experiential education, sourcing and transactions. PGA Golf Exhibitions and the PGA of America will continue to closely monitor and implement health and safety standards, based on CDC guidelines, local public health guidance and host venue protocols, to support a safe and comfortable experience at the 2022 PGA Show.

“With feedback from industry stakeholders, we are reimagining various aspects of the PGA Show to build the businesses of exhibitors and attendees through programs which will enhance product experiences and learning, buying opportunities and face-to-face connections,” said PGA Golf Exhibitions Vice President Marc Simon. “Following the successful conclusion of the recent in-person buying and education summit held Aug. 9-10 in Las Vegas, we are optimistic about providing an elevated PGA Show experience while prioritizing the health and well-being of our guests. We look forward to an exciting 2022 PGA Show where the golf industry reunites, celebrates rising consumer engagement and works together for the continued growth of golf.”

Current enhancements planned for the 2022 PGA Show include:

• Creating a new PGA of America Hub on the Show Floor inside the main Central Lobby entrance of the Orange County Convention Center. Attendees will enter to a full-scale golf activation area featuring a PGA Frisco 2022 Opening preview; “Make Golf Your Thing” campaign programming; PGA Professional coaching demonstrations; golf industry programs; a PGA Professional lounge; PGA Career Services and activations for Association initiatives and business partners.

• Reimagining the Equipment Test Center to feature technology enhancements on the indoor driving range, while relocating the practice putting green and the former short game test area nearby the Equipment Test Center to create one centralized golf product testing and experiential space.

• Emphasizing clubfitting education during the event’s traditional demo day, in partnership with PGA Magazine. Clubfitting programming, education, vendors and range-side content will be added, and the event will move forward with the new name of PGA Show Demo and Fitting Day, the world’s largest professional demo and fitting education event.

• Re-organizing educational offerings, in partnership with the PGA of America and the Association of Golf Merchandisers, to prioritize PGA Professional and golf buyer time with exhibitors during Show floor hours. The 2022 educational programs will be scheduled with less overlap during Show Floor hours, and most Show Week education programs will be available virtually after the event.

• Implementing enhanced sustainability measures with the host facility and service vendors, reducing the Show’s carbon footprint, and highlighting industry and exhibitor sustainability initiatives.

Relocating the fashion buyer lounge, and the annual fashion show, to a more prominent Apparel Hall setting for easy access to peer meetings and networking.

• Enhancing technology access on site and integrating digital platforms to positively impact product discovery, testing and purchasing, educational access, registration and planning/logistics.

• Continuing the focus on health and well-being practices during all PGA Show Week events.
Exhibitor participation is on track with the 2020 in-person PGA Show and media partners of the PGA Show and the PGA of America are set to return to the PGA Show Floor. Additionally, attendees can expect a return of popular PGA Show partners, pavilions, and programming, including the AGM Golf Retail Conference, NGCOA Golf Business Conference, PGA Member Business Center, New Product Zone, Inventors Spotlight exhibitor pavilion, live fashion show, golf travel pavilion, Adaptive Golf Center and the TPI Golf Fitness, Wellness & Instruction pavilion and stage.

Additional details on enhancements will continue to be announced leading up to the 2022 PGA Show. Event details and early registration information is available at www.PGAShow.com.

About PGA Golf Exhibitions
The PGA Show, PGA Buying & Education Summit and PGA Show Connects are organized in partnership by PGA Golf Exhibitions and the PGA of America. Since its inception in 1954, the PGA Show has grown into the largest annual business event for the global golf industry. Regional PGA Show Buying & Education Summits and the PGA Show Connects digital platform connect the industry year-round and drive business leading up to the annual PGA Show. Learn more at PGAShow.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Contacts:
PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions/Media: Sherry Major, smajor@reedexpo.com
PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitions/Exhibitors: Greg Scott, gscott@reedexpo.com
PGA of America/Media: Michael Abramowitz, mabramowitz@pgahq.com

Special Guest: Marc Simon - Event Vice President for PGA Golf Exhibitions / RX Reed Exhibitions.

Swing Your Swing and Play Your Game - Chris Noble, PGA of America Manager for NextGenGolf's National High School Golf Association

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 17:00:00 -0700

"We love the fact that there are players who are different races, different nationalities, different cultures, backgrounds, sexual orientation, and gender identities too. I identify as a gay male, but I'm much more than that. Being able to be myself and have some of that awareness because I know when I was in high school, I would have loved to see anybody, whether it's somebody running a tournament I was playing in or a PGA or LPGA Tour player, who is out, living their life and being who they truly are. So we're able to let these teens know that it's okay to be yourself and swing your swing and play your game."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Chris on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about NexGenGolf and The National High School Golf Association? Visit their website to see how they are creating community for young golfers - both competitively and just for fun.

You can learn more about Chris on his bio page.

Special Guest: Chris Noble - Nextgengolf’s National High School Golf Association Manager.

Mastering The Art of "Nimble Amnesia" - Ron Powers, Head of Swing Suite Division at Full Swing Simulators

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 23:15:00 -0700

“Out of adversity comes opportunity”... Benjamin Franklin
"A virtue never tested is no virtue at all"... Billy Bragg

What do the photocopier and golf simulator business have in common? Guest Ron Powers connects the dots on this episode of The ModGolf Podcast.

Our very first ModGolf Podcast episode guest back in May 2017 was Ron Powers, who was at the time Chief Digital Officer at Topgolf. Ron joins host Colin Weston again to update us on the last four years of his entrepreneurial journey - from the euphoric high of scaling a new business unit to the crushing low of having it completely shut down by a global pandemic - and how they successfully reimagined a business in order to save it.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Ron on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about Full Swing Simulators and Topgolf Swing Suite? Visit their website to see their portfolio of golf entertainment and training products.

You can learn more about Ron on his bio page.

Show Notes and Ron Quotes
"The future of gambling is Skills-Based Gaming, where you can place a bet on the outcome of your own golf shot performance. I see the evolution of skill gaming and the power of multiple networks coming into play where the user profile, the interconnectivity and the skill gaming components will change the dynamic dramatically."

"I don't think that I'm a particularly patient person but instead have a case of "Nimble Amnesia". I try a lot of things, set certain expectations on what I'm looking to achieve and if it fails I forget about it. Then I move on to the next one."

"So about the middle of July after a lot of sleepless nights, I woke up on a Friday evening just in a cold sweat panic. What is going on? How do I save the business? And I thought, "Gosh, if I could bundle this up and get it out from underneath Topgolf. Is there a way that I could sell this business perhaps to Ryan and allow him to operate it?" He's got the resources. He's got the expertise. He certainly knows the simulator space. It's his technology after all. So I called Ryan that Saturday morning and we crafted a wacky plan to sell the business to Full Swing and let them operate it and then we shared in the revenue that was generated from the current installations. Then we share in the revenue of any new installs. Topgolf liked the fact that we could keep the brand alive, maintain the same level of service and there would be a healthy revenue stream coming out of it and that's what we ended up doing."

Special Guest: Ron Powers - Head of Swing Suite Division at Full Swing Simulators.

Pivoting Your Business Model To Unlock New Customer Value - Tommy Southworth, President and COO of Southworth Development

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 10:45:00 -0700

"My childhood friend and I came back together into the company two years ago, with this generational change in mind and have been able to partner together to take this portfolio of communities, this incredible company and the values it represents and shine a new lens on it with significantly different backgrounds than traditional golf course developers."

Want to learn more about Southworth Development and the communities they create? Visit their website to see the portfolio of properties.

You can learn more about Tommy on his bio page.

Show Notes and Tommy Quotes
"We're familiar with the business, I grew up in it. We waited tables here and cut the greens here growing up, but to be able to go spend our time in consulting and finance and come back and look at this portfolio and try to think about where we want to move it to, that's been the challenge and the opportunity. That's what I live and breathe right now. Experiencing a magical memory, something very social, something new. The direction we're trying to steer the ship in is creating great memories and new experiences."

Special Guest: Tommy Southworth - President and COO of Southworth Development.

Looking Outside The Golf Box To Build A Premium Golf Brand - Lisa O'Hurley, CEO and Founder of LOHLA SPORT

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 10:00:00 -0700

"When COVID hit, GOLFINO hit on some hard times because they had 30 freestanding stores that all of a sudden closed down. They ended up selling the brand and it affected all of us, I was getting phone calls like crazy from the country clubs from the members asking "What's going on with GOLFINO and how can we get it?" Sitting over dinners with my husband it dawned on me that you know, what, if you were ever going to create a lady's premium golf brand, now is the time, because there was all of a sudden a hole in the marketplace. And that hole is what I created! I was fortunate that I still had the sales team and customers who trusted me. So I had a lot of pieces to the puzzle that I had unknowingly been working on for seven years not knowing exactly that it would translate into LOHLA SPORT."

Want to learn more about LOHLA SPORT? Check out their website to see how Lisa and her team bring premium European-designed sporting fashion to North American women.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Lisa on our Youtube Channel!

You can learn more about Lisa on her bio page.

Show Notes and Lisa Quotes
In one of the most unique sponsorships in sports marketing history, LOHLA SPORT partnered with Stefan Wilson and Andretti Autosport for the 2021 Indianapolis 500. Lisa shares how one of her race car loving investors made this valuable marketing opportunity happen.

After a 10 year career at GOLF CHANNEL, Lisa began the US business of GOLFINO, turning her love for golf fashion into her profession. After 7 years with GOLFINO, Lisa began LOHLA SPORT in June 2020 to continue to bring premium European-designed sporting fashion to the United States. Lisa strives to bring on-trend designs (with a touch of LA flair) to those who live a country club, resort or traveling lifestyle. Lisa lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, John (Seinfeld's J. Peterman), their son Will and two dogs, Lucy and Charlotte.
Lisa@LohlaSport.com

How To Turn Your "AHA Moment" Into A Scaleable Business Venture - Tom Cox, Co-Founder & CEO of Golfballs.com

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 18:15:00 -0700

"My AHA moment came when I met with the guys diving for lost golf balls in the lakes at the course I was managing, followed by our website developer for the golf club. I thought "what if I combine the divers to provide the product and the web developers to build an e-commerce platform to start selling used golf balls online?" That was the launch in 1995 that set the foundation for golfballs.com. We took our hobby and turned it into a minimum viable business and it has continued to grow annually since then."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Tom on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about GolfBalls.com customization capabilities?
Check out their website.

You can learn more about Tom on his bio page.

Show Notes and Tom Quotes
"I'm an unlikely entrepreneur as my parents worked in government so I thought that was my destiny. A friend got me a job at a country club, giving me the opportunity to hang out with and learn from business owners and entrepreneurs which activated this dormant entrepreneurial gene inside of me. Those encounters gave me the confidence and inspiration that led to embracing an entrepreneurial mindset."

This episode is brought to you by Golf Canada and the Golf Canada App - connecting you with an engaging digital platform from coast to coast. The Golf Canada app allows golfers to track their scores, manage their on-course experience and identify areas to improve their game. The app is a powerful tool that goes well beyond the handicap reporting and score posting system, as it connects golfers to their friends as well as over 1,400 golf courses across Canada. Download the app for free on either The App Store or Google Play. and visit their website at golfcanada.ca to become a member of our national golf community.

Special Guest: Tom Cox - Founder & CEO of Golfballs.com.

The courage to innovate during tumultuous times - Bryan Crawford, RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 22:30:00 -0700

"I've always been in the camp of we'll return to pre-pandemic conditions because as humans we crave that interaction of shared experiences. That is what we strive to deliver with The RBC Canadian Open."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Bryan on our Youtube Channel!

Want learn more about the positive impact Golf Canada and The RBC Canadian Open generate? Check out their websites to learn more.
https://www.golfcanada.ca
https://rbccanadianopen.com

Want to download The Golf Canada app to track your handicap and for a chance to win an invite to the Audi Night Golf event? Download it from the Apple App Store for free. Android version is also available.

You can learn more about Bryan on his bio page.

Show Notes and Bryan Quotes
"We have created something that we feel really strongly about once we have the opportunity to come back in 2022 we are excited to be able to run with it. We drive over 82 million dollars of economic activity, never mind the two million that we give to charity and community organizations that we work with. So there's recognition of how important those are in providing support to organizations like ourselves to invest in new enhancements, which is wildly beneficial to an organization like ours that would otherwise have to do it much more slowly or perhaps not at all."

Special Guest: Bryan Crawford - RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director with Golf Canada.

Embracing A “Give First” Attitude To Build A Successful Business - Matt Fisher, The Mr. Short Game YouTube channel

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 08:00:00 -0700

"There was a point where I had to turn down freelance jobs. My last job was with Disney where I was making YouTube videos and that's when I realized this is what I need to be doing when I'm not working. About a year and a half later I'm at a point where I was thinking I need to let the other work go so I can this can grow. That was really tough because financially we were scraping by. Finally my YouTube channel was right on the cusp and I told my wife Jenny "here's the numbers showing where it's gone the last couple of months. If I let go of all my freelance work this could really take off". So that was a scary point but I had to go for it."

Golf YouTuber Matt Fisher, creator of Mr. Short Game

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Matt on our Youtube Channel!

Looking to improve your game around the green? Check out Matt's Mr. Short Game YouTube channel to experience his unfiltered energy and helpful tips.

You can learn more about Matt on his bio page.

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

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

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

Show Notes and Matt Quotes
"My approach to video creation has three components: I want to give something for free, whether it be a tip or a drill. I want it to be entertaining because I hate to be bored. Lastly I want people to connect and get to know me so we can build a community together."

"I'm not not going to mention somebody just because they don't pay me. I'll showcase good people and products all the time. Something I've learned along the way is just be giving first. Do expect or try to get stuff because the right things will come along. The universe has a way of giving back if you're a giving person. But if you're greedy or stingy, forget it. Nothing good is going to happen"

"I had to do stuff at my house and put a big net in my backyard. I just did what I had to do, which is the entrepreneurial mindset. I had no money and had sold all my camera equipment and was shooting videos on my iPhone. I'm in my yard, it's LA in the valley, 100 degrees outside and my phone is overheating so much that I had to put it in the freezer every 20 minutes, come back and finish the shot. That's how I started so I know what it takes to grind it out. Believe me, I want to be best golf YouTuber out there but I'm not going to build it at all costs. That's not part of the equation. What is part of the equation is how many friends and positive community can we build along the way."

Special Guest: Matt Fisher, Creator of The Mr. Short Game YouTube channel.

Inspiring Women To Build a Career In The Golf Industry - Kelly Hunt, Founder of GolfHers

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 14:30:00 -0700

To open Season 10 of The ModGolf Podcast we are shaking things up by doing something we've been planning for awhile. And that thing is to have Colin step aside from the microphone so that a guest host can take over the controls of the ship. On this episode former guest Dr. Greta Anderson takes over the hosting duties for an engaging conversation with GolfHers Founder Kelly Hunt to learn about her golf entrepreneurship journey to inspire women to build a career in the golf industry.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Kelly on our Youtube Channel!

Want to learn more about GolfHers or apply for their scholarship that helps women transition into the golf industry? Visit their website for more information. https://www.golfhers.net/

You can learn more about Kelly on her bio page.

Show Notes and Kelly Quotes
"When you're starting out, it's not the most lucrative job as you probably know, but it is the most rewarding career I think I could have. The fact that you can change lives with the game of golf and you need to pursue that. This is your calling and you're going to make a really big difference, so believe in yourself have confidence and go after it as much as you can because that's where I find myself. I have no regrets about my journey so far and I'm just so excited to be at a young age and know that GolfHers will help grow the game through more women participating. Being in the golf industry is exactly what I was meant to do."

Special Guest: Kelly Hunt - Founder of GolfHers.

Lessons Learned On The PGA Tour To Raise Your Mental Performance - Dick Zokol, CEO and Founder of MindTRAK Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 08:30:00 -0700

"For the first six months during my PGA Tour rookie year I couldn't make a cut and I'm getting all wound up. I knew I was playing well but my hyperactive mind was causing so much anxiety. I listened to music to calm down with a Sony Walkman so I thought "why don't I listen to it on the golf course?" Nicknamed "Disco Dick" after playing a 1982 PGA Tour event wearing a Sony Walkman, two-time tour winner Dick Zokol joins us to share how listening to music on course to calm his hyperactive mind were the seeds that led to the creation of MindTRAK Golf.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Dick on our Youtube Channel!

Want to give MindTRAK Golf a try? Download it from the Apple App Store for free. Android version coming soon.

You can learn more about Dick on his bio page.

Show Notes and Dick Quotes
"My first year on the PGA Tour, like most rookies I felt really uncomfortable. I got there thinking "oh my God, I have my PGA Tour card but now what am I going to do?" I'm amongst Jack Nicklaus and Freddie Couples, Arnold Palmer and there's Lee Trevino. For six months I couldn't make a cut and I'm getting all wound up. I knew I was playing well but my hyperactive mind was causing so much anxiety. I listened to music to calm down with a Sony Walkman so I thought "why don't I listen to it on the golf course?" which was a dangerous proposition.

The next week was Milwaukee so I put the Walkman in my bag and was playing with Larry Mize. 100 yards from the clubhouse I put the headphones on and Larry yells "Look at Disco Dick!" So I've got the rock and roll going and I'm coming down the 18th fairway seven under par and I'm so comfortable. I'm in my own little world listening to music and it's effortless. I led the tournament after the first round all the way up to the last hole on Sunday. This was a monumental discovery learning what music did to me.

At that moment I realized "Wow, this game is psychological because the only thing that has changed is how I thought". I can't physically compete with Fred Couples, but from a mindfulness perspective I can compete if I perform mentally. Now looking back at it, those were the seeds that led to the creation of MindTRAK Golf."

Special Guest: Dick Zokol - CEO and Founder of MindLink Golf.

The PGA Professional Who Became The “Director of Fun” - Keith Stewart, ESPN Radio Show Host

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:15:00 -0700

Want to learn how to master the art of saying NO, along with the value of focusing on your strengths rather than weakness? ESPN 920 Radio Show Host, Writer and Media Personality Keith Stewart joins us for a high-energy conversation that spans the spectrum from humourous storytelling and community building to an approach to life that shapes his business methodology.

Want to hear Keith in action on The ProShow With Keith Stewart? Listen in every Friday at 3pm ET at https://920espnnewjersey.com/listen-live/

You can learn more about Keith on his bio page.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Keith on our Youtube Channel!

Show Notes and Keith Quotes
"The WHY statement I developed was " I want to change the way people view the game of golf". Sounds like a lot, but as a PGA Pro I started local at my club and I took on the title of The Director of Fun. I didn't want to be stuffy as the Director of Golf. People need to show up at the club to enjoy themselves, relax and have a good time. Next thing you know, I'm on the board of The New Jersey PGA and I'm growing a national network of PGA golf professionals and I'm writing and making presentations."

"The natural progression of things is that I went to a larger medium as I got better and better at my craft. So here I am today hosting a radio show for over three years where we talk about the pop culture of golf, the innovators and all the cool things going on in the sport. The golf world is really growing and is becoming so much more engaging. It reminds me of when I was a kid just getting involved with golf, knowing nothing about it and everything was new to me. Now it feels new all over again and it's a lot of fun."

Special Guest: Keith Stewart - Golf Radio Show Host, Writer and Media Personality.

The "Accidental Agronomist" Who Became A Golf Industry Connector - Shelia Finney, Senior Director of Member Programs at The GCSAA

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 19 May 2021 22:00:00 -0700

Shelia Finney, Senior Director of Member Programs at The GCSAA joins us to share the engaging programs they are leading that encourage more women and young people to consider careers in the golf industry.

"The First Green Program is a fantastic way to get kids out on a golf course, show them the game, show them the career opportunities and show them that golf courses are not evil places. They are actually really great places with environmental integrity and loads of wildlife all around the course. So one, you're introducing them to the game and two, you're introducing them to the career path and if nothing else you're at least informing them that golf courses are great environment custodians and positive community members".

You can learn more about The GCSAA and connect with Shelia on her bio page.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Shelia on our Youtube Channel!

Special Guest: Shelia Finney - Senior Director of Member Programs at The GCSAA.

Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned Over 25 Years Of Constantly Innovating - Martin Wyeth, Founder & CEO at Power Tee

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 13 May 2021 13:00:00 -0700

"The first 15 or 20 times I thought of the concept behind Power Tee while learning to play golf, I did some base calculations on cost of fabrication, installation and maintenance. I looked at the driving ranges in my area and thought Power Tee would be an expensive piece of equipment that wouldn't work financially. So I kept pushing the idea away until I came up with the revenue model of charging a penny a ball and instal the system free of charge that I started to like it."

Founder & CEO Martin Wyeth joins us to share his three decades long entrepreneurial journey that led to the creation of Power Tee.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Martin on our Youtube Channel!

Want to see Power Tee in action? Check out their website and short demo video:

Special Guest: Martin Wyeth - Founder & CEO at Power Tee.

Innovating In The Golf Nonprofit Space To Help Charities Flourish - Eric Sedransk, Founder of Member For A Day

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 05 May 2021 20:00:00 -0700

In May of 2020 Eric Sedransk created a charity golf auction in support of New York City Local Restaurants and Hospital Workers effected by COVID-19. What started out as a way to give back, resulted in over $100,000 raised in seven days, equating to over 10,000 meals for frontline workers.

This overwhelmingly positive response inspired Eric to launch Member for A Day; the world’s leading golf nonprofit fundraising platform. Their clients include the American Cancer Society, Various First Tee chapters, The Ray Bourque Foundation, The Steve Smith Family Foundation, Amanda Balionis / Puppies & Golf, and many more.

They've since raised over $1,000,000 for a variety of amazing nonprofits through once in a lifetime rounds of golf in less than a year.

You can learn more about Member For A Day and connect with Eric on his bio page.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Eric on our Youtube Channel!

Show Notes and Eric Quotes
"I received hundreds of messages from people from all around the world thanking me and wanting to donate additional rounds. It was a movement. It was less the total number and more the response from people that made me realize that something is here. I've hit on an emotional element within human beings that works. Then very fortuitously - which a lot of the past eight months have been - a couple of golf industry writers had been following our story on social media and asked if they could interview me.

Next thing you know I was written up in bunch of golf magazines and The New York Post did an article on our story and we got a decent amount of press. After that over 20 non-profits reached out saying "you were so successful doing this for COVID, can you help us with cancer, social services and youth golf?" and on and on and on. I said "I think so!" and we figured out a scalable model that could work and spun it up into a platform called Member For a Day".

Special Guest: Eric Sedransk - Founder and CEO at Member For A Day.

Creating North America's First Esports Golf Competition Event - Charlie Watson, CEO of Tiidal Gaming & Lazarus Esports

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Competitive Esports tournaments for baseball, hockey, basketball and football have been rising in popularity but golf has yet to join the party. Until now. Charlie Watson, CEO of Tiidal Gaming and Lazarus Esports join us to discuss The #VIRLShowdown, which is North America's first competitive Esports Golf Event.

Want to enter but don't live on Vancouver Island? The #VIRLShowdown is the first of what will be many larger scale tournaments that Lazarus Esports will be rolling out, so your chance to participate will be coming soon!

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Charlie on our Youtube Channel!

You can learn more about Lazarus Esports and connect with Charlie on his bio page.

The #VIRLShowdown finals took place on May 3rd 2021 and we are excited to be part of future Golf Esports tournaments!

You can find out more about Lazarus Esports by visiting their website

Show Notes and Charlie Quotes
"Gaming has that massive ability to heal and to bring people together. That is what this event and eSports is all about. There are no limits, there is no bounds. I can play with someone in Asia, Africa, South America or someone that is just down the road from me and that's the power of gaming and eSports.'

"You see livestreams that have 700,000 viewers just for their three hour broadcasts, so it's just phenomenal to see what's happening in our industry. I've been in this industry for twelve years now and in many ways I feel like I'm late to it, but the great thing is there's so much creation and innovation happening so you're absolutely not late joining the party. We have a lot of room in the sandbox for people to come in and play."

"Adopting the creative play and the freedom of expression of eSports will take an older demographic game like golf and bring it towards a younger audience. That will increase the user base, viewership, content creation, social marketing, the word of mouth and really start to get kids excited about golf again."

About Lazarus
Lazarus Esports “LZR” is Canada’s first established esports team in 2010. They are a professional esports and entertainment organization dedicated to industry growth, developing the Canadian market, fostering amateurs to compete at the highest level & supporting professional gamers and content creators at the highest level for greater success.

LZR is currently ranked 1st in Canada, 10th in North America and 29th in the world for esports earnings and was also the highest earning team at the Fortnite World Cup in New York winning $3.45M USD and holds two Guinness World Records.

For more information, please visit lazarus.gg or it’s parent company, tiidal.gg

Special Guest: Charlie Watson, CEO at Tiidal Gaming & Lazarus Esports.

Disrupting The Market By Solving Customer Pains and Problems - Bodo Sieber, CEO of Tagmarshal

The ModGolf Podcast — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 10:00:00 -0700

"We are tackling a huge traffic problem on golf courses that impacts both the player experience and revenue opportunities for owners and operators." Tagmarshal Co-Founder and CEO Bodo Sieber joins us to share his entrepreneurial journey and how they create innovative solutions to reduce on-course traffic jams.

A German national with an extensive understanding of design thinking, user experience and process optimization, Bodo has honed his applied data science expertise during more than a decade in the field.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Bodo on our Youtube Channel!

Learn more about Bodo on his bio page.

You can learn more about Tagmarshal by visiting their website

Show Notes and Bodo Quotes
"Because golf is so traditional, we realized that if we can really make a mark, prove ourselves and provide a solution that works, the sky is the limit. The market is ready for disruption and it's asking for and needing to do things differently than the way they've been done for decades. After launching in 2014 we realized our home markets of Europe and South Africa were too small, so we decided that if we were really going to do this let's jump in the deep end. So we showed up at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show with our MVP product to learn what are people saying, what are they asking, what are their needs and what is their response to the system we are building. Two months later we received a call from an American golf club called Erin Hills and the rest is history".

"Slow pace of play continued to be a key negative experience factor for golfers and course operators. No one was building technology-led solutions to relieve this pain point, so we did."

Special Guest: Bodo Sieber, Co-Founder and CEO of Tagmarshal.

Building The Wakanda For Young Black Golfers - Andy Walker, Director of The UGA Academy & Player Development

The ModGolf Podcast — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 18:00:00 -0700

Former PGA Tour player Andy Walker is now passionately giving back to the game he loves. As Director of The United Golfers Association (or UGA) Academy and Player Development, Andy is committed to giving young black men and women the opportunity to flourish both as professional players and industry leaders.
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Established almost 100 years ago in 1925, the UGA is still pushing to prepare young Black Golfers to achieve success on the many Professional Tours. The UGA Golf Academy is designed to prepare them mentally, physically and professionally to compete as Future Tour Players and Golf Professionals throughout the world.

The United Golfers Association (UGA) was a group of African American golfers who operated a separate series of professional golf tournaments for Blacks during the era of racial segregation in the United States. It was started in 1925 with the collaboration of several golfers who saw the need for a organized effort to increase golf amongst themselves. Many talented golfers such as Ted Rhodes, Bill Spiller, Pete Brown, Renee Powell, Lee Elder, Charlie Sifford, Willie Brown Jr, Althea Gibson, Jim Thorpe, Jim Dent, Ann Gregory, and Howard Wheeler started their careers as members of UGA.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Andy on our Youtube Channel!

Learn more about Andy on his bio page.

You can learn more about The United Golfers Association by visiting their website

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Show Notes and Andy Quotes
"I don't know if it's been thrust upon me, but a it's a great privilege of mine to work with the young black players behind me. There's been a few of us inside the ropes so now it's time for us to lift those ropes up and help the others behind us. We're going to train these players at a bricks and mortar facility in Florida that I call The Wakanda For Golf that will be the most state-of-the-art facility in the world to learn this game at the highest level. Resources that include biomechanics and short game area to learn how to score develop emotionally, physically and mentally."

"As well we will introduce players of African decent to the industry because not all of them are going to play on tour. We want to flood the industry with qualified professionals that go into the management side of the game, or golf architecture, club design, agronomy. All the different opportunities with the PGA and on The PGA Tour."

"At an early age you don't know any different. You don't learn about race and colour until it's told to you. As I got a bit older, when I'm 14, 15 years old and I'm one of the best players in the country, the questions started to come. "Pop, why didn't I get picked to be on that team when I won the scoring title and more tournaments than anyone else?" This is where my dad started talking to my about race, privilege, inequities and equality. I remember playing in a qualifier tournament in Houston, I shoot 69 or 70 and I'm 14 years old and while I wait for my dad to pick me up. Some members of the club walk by a guy hands me his bag thinking I was a caddie. That was one of the first times where I faced it blatantly and I started to get pissed off. I always used that as motivation, not as a discouragement or a reason to quit. I was always like "you know what, I'm going to take these clubs and beat your ass with them!" I used it as encouragement to push forward."

Special Guest: Andy Walker - Director, UGA Academy & Player Development.

The Journey To Create The World’s First 3D Printed Putter - Mike Yagley, VP of Innovation at COBRA PUMA Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Sat, 27 Mar 2021 10:00:00 -0700

"As we started printing prototypes around eight years ago we really believed it would be 10-15 years before we could print a commercially viable iron, driver or hybrid head primarily due to cost. The cost of those prototypes eight years ago was $500-600 a piece, and those were the cheap ones. So we didn't go to our marketing people or developers at that time to claim that we had something here. But true to form like with most technologies, the advancement of that technology far outstripped what we predicted. It's not just applicable to golf. It's also about printing rocket engines, fuel mixers, very complex automobile parts, medical devices or implants. So the desire the desire to print a 3D metal object was super-high and we benefited from that."

We sit down with COBRA PUMA Golf VP of Innovation Mike Yagley to learn the how and why behind the creation of the 3D printed Supersport-35 putter and to also explore other disruptive initiatives such as their "Machine Learning / The Internet of Things" collaboration with Arccos Golf.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Mike on our Youtube Channel!

Learn more about Mike on his bio page.

COBRA PUMA Golf collaborated with Hewlett Packard and sik GOLF to design and fabricate their Supersport-35 3D printed putter. Want to see how the HP Metal Jet Technology works? Check out this short YouTube video to find out!

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

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

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

Show Notes and Mike Quotes
"The cost of the machines came down. The cost of the alloys came down, The throughput went up. The quality went up. To the point where four or five years later we believed we could print an iron and this would be a great entry into the putter business. So my innovation team did something that we don't normally do - we commercialized a product. Most of the time we invent, we engineer and we do a little bit of design work. But in this case Ryan Roach and Cameron Day on the innovation team said "ok, if this is going to happen, let's make this happen". And in the conversations with Hewlett Packard around polymer printing we had a great moment with them around metal jet printing. And now you have a solid metal object that you printed. It was just a phenomenal project. And it's a great putter!"

"3D printing has been around for decades and we were using it to 3D print polymer prototype heads. Heads that our designers and engineers could look at. They couldn't hit them but they could look at them and say "do I like the shape, the dimensions, the curves on this". It's nice to be able to look at a 3D CAD file or rendering, but being able to see and touch a physical object is massive in our world. And at some point in that process 3D printing metal prototypes became available. So we started dreaming about how we could make our prototypes out of metal and someday, if the costs came down enough, if the alloys available we correct, we could actually print a commercial head."

"This HP printer we are talking about is rather large. The print bed area is about two feet by two feet. With putter heads or a component of a golf club, you can print at the same time several variants of that object. Which means you can prototype 15 different putters to look at let's say the different internal lattice structures like on the Supersport-35 to investigate whether or not if it has an impact on feel, moment of inertia, the roll characteristics because of the CG location. So you're testing all these variables at the same time, where if you were doing conventional casting, machining or forging it would take you months if not years to produce that number of variants. But you're making them in once print which is a massive advantage."

Creating a Business Model That Makes Golf Accessible to Everyone - Kathy Erikson, The Short Game Place

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 06:00:00 -0700

After the sudden passing of her beloved husband Mike three years ago, Kathy Erikson made a life-changing decision: dedicate her energy to crate a golf experience that appeals to everyone, year round, 24 hours a day. We sit down with Kathy Erikson to learn about the passion that drives her to create an indoor golf arena that started with an AHA moment almost thirty years ago.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Kathy on our Youtube Channel!

Learn more about Kathy on her bio page.

Want to learn more about The Short Game Place? Check them out at https://theshortgameplace.com

Are you a golf course owner or operator struggling with the complexities of running tournaments? Do you want to spend less more running them while increasing revenue and profit margins? Check out our friends at Golf Genius to learn how they can help make the magic happen. >> https://www.golfgenius.com/

Special Guest: Kathy Erikson, Owner/Creator/Designer of The Short Game Place.

Understanding Customer Needs To Create Value For The Golf Industry - James Cronk, Co-Founder of Golf Industry Guru

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 22:00:00 -0800

"I'm pretty good at dreaming stuff up, but more importantly you need to be able to execute, to make stuff happen." We sit down with Golf Industry Guru Co-Founder James Cronk to learn how his team puts the customer first to create new value in a traditional market space.

Want to learn more about Golf Industry Guru? Check them out at https://www.golfindustryguru.com/

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with James on our Youtube Channel!

Show Notes and James Quotes...
After trying out of the University of British Columbia golf team (and unfortunately not making it), James met legendary Canadian golf icon Jack McLaughlin who helped jumpstart his golf industry career. After university James focused on acting, theatre and managing restaurants before deciding he wanted to apply the skills and knowledge gained in these professions to the golf industry.

James relied on the book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" by Richard N. Bolles https://www.parachutebook.com/ to help shape his golf career path, which led him to seek employment with one of the best industry people in Canada: Tim Tait, who is the Head Professional at The Marine Drive Golf Club.

"I was attracted to the culture of golf. I was attracted to being outside and the fact that the golf industry has so many facets that make every day different."

"I came to the conclusion that a lot of people are in the golf industry because they love to play golf. Not many people are in it because they want to run it like a business. I saw this as an opportunity to fill that gap."

Special Guest: James Cronk - Co-Founder & President, Golf Industry Guru.

Building a Business That Helps People Fall In Love With Golf - Dr. Greta Anderson, Founder of Dr. Greta Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 07:00:00 -0800

"We are making progress but there definitely are a lot of areas that we need to do more work. It's implied bias. I'm continuously saddened by the number of people - especially women of colour - who land at my lesson tee. Often times it is a return to golf after a bad experience that happened a decade or two ago and for whatever reason they have decided to give it one more shot and they found me".

To open Season 9, host Colin Weston is joined by LPGA Teaching Professional Dr. Greta Anderson - Founder of Dr. Greta Golf - to learn how she applies her PhD in Higher Learning and voracious curiosity to help students understand the WHY.

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To learn more about Dr. Greta, check out her bio page and Instagram @drgretagolf

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Dr. Greta on our Youtube Channel!

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Show Notes and Greta Quotes...
"Apart from the collateral damage of the pandemic itself, it was a great year from my perspective to focus on the client. Because golf served as an outlet, as a stress reliever for a new adventure when other adventures weren't available, it serves as so many things for so many people last year that i really felt that it forced me to up my game. So this past season was one of my best ever. It was exciting to introduce so many people to golf, to reintroduce so many people to golf and for so many people who decided that golf was going to be their jam. They really want to get good at it and learn more about it beyond just hitting the ball. That's exciting to me. I love when people want to learn golf. I feel like a big part of my job is kind of like Love Connection. It's my job to help people fall in love with golf."

"Golf is a beautiful sport in many ways but I also saw how difficult it is to learn golf. The interesting things that really fortified my desire to build this business as a very good golfer from the right side of the ball, was when I began this journey and committed to learning and starting all over again as a left handed golfer. I had to forget what I knew and start over. I got rid of all my right handed equipment and went to a golf store with my dad and bought beginner clubs and started from scratch. I was shocked by the lack of enthusiasm that several instructors who I visited with had. I was told a couple of times "you're probably not going to be that good anymore!". Like who says that? It was once I met an unbelievable instructor that things changed. I was struggling to get consistent ball-first contact and get the ball into the air. I told her my intentions and she didn't bat an eye and said "yeah, we can make that happen!".

"We are making progress but there definitely are a lot of areas that we need to do more work. It's implied bias. I'm continuously saddened by the number of people - especially women of colour - who land at my lesson tee. I always like to learn their history. Everyone's story is so interesting to me. I think that's the social scientist in me. I just love the human stories. But I also like to narrow in and understand where they are coming from in golf. Often times it is a return to golf after a bad experience that happened a decade or two ago and for whatever reason they have decided to give it one more shot and they found me. That makes me so happy but I'm always so sad hearing these stories because they could have been enjoying this great game for twenty years! But because you ran into a jerk, had a bad experience or you were purposely excluded from the golf network at the law firm or wherever they work. There are so many forces in place that have discouraged people of colour from getting involved in the game. It works on many people. Fortunately there are increasing numbers who are saying "no, that looks like fun and like something I want to try". Whether it's purely for fun or they realize that golf is a great business tool. Any number of those factors but that's really one of the driving forces that gets on my nerves. I don't like being the exception on the course.

"What I saw was a lot of people really wanting to move the golf needle, but many people want to understand how to move their needle. Most golfers that I work with now know that I'm very big on the WHY. It's not just what and how I say, but why I say it. I want to create an informed student who is a great golf citizen. I do not want you be dependent on me although yes, that's what I'm here for as a professional to help you refine and build your skill set but I want you to most importantly be an informed golfer. So as a passionate educator, just an if I was coaching at the collegiate level or teaching first grade, I'm the same way on the lesson tee. Excellence in education is significant because I am passionate about growing the game. Here's what I know: golf is way more fun and you're more likely to stay engaged in this great sport if you have some skills".

"I sensed that I was missing the breakthrough because often times, teachers and coaches it's more about what they're telling you to do and not questioning and not searching for the WHY. I always need to understand the why. I'll walk to the ends of the earth for you if I understand why. Every learner does not require that, but many do and many don't realize how helpful the why is. That's just my philosophy and my approach. I probably say that a hundred times every day on the lesson tee, but I feel it's so important that I want you to understand why. Why is the ball flying like that? Why is the ball hooking to the left or right? Not just "It is and that's disappointing for you", let me help you make the connection of the laws of ball flight. It's physics, it's nothing personal. The club just isn't doing what it needs to do".

Special Guest: Dr. Greta Anderson - Founder of Dr. Greta Golf and LPGA Teaching Professional.

Season 8 Wrap-up / Season 9 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0800

That's a wrap for Season 8 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our passionate team of content creators are currently working on your next twelve episodes for Season 9, which launches February 19 2021. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how inclusion, technology, entertainment, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our ten Season 8 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below.

Our Season 8 guests were:

Episode 1
Terry Koehler - Edison Golf Chairman and Director of Innovation
Applying 40 Years of Golf Entrepreneurship to Innovate Wedge Design

Episode 2
Malcolm Scovil - Founder of Imagine Golf
Building Educational and Entertaining Content For Passionate Consumers

Episode 3
Kat and Is Shee - "The Shee Sisters" Social Media Golf Influencers
Harnessing a Love For Golf To Fuel Their Entrepreneurial Hustle

Episode 4
Robert Sereci - GM/COO at Medinah Country Club
Applying a Startup Mindset To Innovate Club Experiences

Episode 5
Reid Fowler - PGA Fantasy & Betting Analyst for DraftKings
Powering PGA Tour Fan Engagement To Expand Tournament Viewership

Episode 6
Scott Moore - Golf Product Manager for Garmin International
How a Human-Centered Design Approach Leads To Innovate Golf Products

Episode 7
David Grieshaber - Chief Information Officer at Gamerz Golf
Creating The Next Generation of Golf Entertainment Experiences

Episode 8
Charles Dillahunt - The PGA of America's Strategic Adjunct to the Chief Executive and Chief People Officers
Breaking Down Barriers in Golf by Engaging The Unengaged

Episode 9
Nick Steiner - Founder, Back2Basics Golf
Building Resiliency by Expressing Gratitude and Celebrating The Small Wins

Episode 10
Alissa Kacar - Social Media Host @NewLadyGolfer
Sharing Stories From Her Journey as a New Golfer

Episode 11
Broderick Higby - Creator of Golf AI and The Golf AI App
How Artificial Intelligence Makes Golf Improvement Accessible For Everyone

Episode 12
Tadd Fujikawa - Pro Golfer and LGBTQ+ Spokesperson
Finding Happiness and Balance in Both Golf and Life

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

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

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

Special Guests: Alissa Kacar - Instagram Golf Influencer @newladygolfer and beginner golfer, Broderick Higby - Creator of Golf AI, Charles Dillahunt - PGA of America’s Strategic Adjunct To The CEO and CPO / VenderMatch / JobMatch, David Grieshaber - CIO at Gamerz Golf, Is Shee - Golf Entrepreneur and YouTube/Instagram Influencer, Malcolm Scovil - Founder, TLDR and Imagine Golf, Nick Steiner - Founder, Back2Basics Golf, Reid Fowler - DraftKings PGA Fantasy Sports & Betting Analyst, Robert Sereci - GM / COO at Medinah Country Club, Scott Moore - Product Manager at Garmin International, Tadd Fujikawa, Pro Golfer and LGBTQ+ Spokesperson, and Terry Koehler - Chairman / Director of Innovation at Edison Golf Company.

Finding Happiness and Balance in Both Life and Golf - Tadd Fujikawa, Pro Golfer and LGBTQ+ Spokesperson

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:00:00 -0800

“I had to relearn how to live and now I feel like I can be myself again. If was different, it was a learning curve which I didn’t expect and it was confusing at first. As far as golf went, I separated the two but in my life I had to relearn so many things. It was great because along the way I found pieces of myself again and I felt like I could be more authentic. The journey I’ve been on since coming out has been very good. Honestly, my golf game isn’t quite where I want it to be but I can say that I’ve never been happier and my mental health has never been better. I have a lot of aspirations that I do want to continue striving for but as of right now I’m happy and pleased with the person that I am and who I have become."
... Tadd Fujikawa, Pro Golfer and LGBTQ+ Spokesperson

Since coming out on Instagram in September 2018, Tadd has been a strong voice in the LGBTQ+ community, supporting impactful organizations like:

The Trevor Project https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Human Rights Campaign / LGBTQ Youth Group https://www.hrc.org/

The Get Real Movement https://www.thegetrealmovement.com/

To learn more about Tadd, check out his bio page and Instagram @taddy808

Special Guest: Tadd Fujikawa, Pro Golfer and LGBTQ+ Spokesperson.

How Artificial Intelligence Makes Golf Improvement Accessible For Everyone - Broderick Higby, Creator of Golf AI

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 21:30:00 -0800

"There are so many people in golf in San Diego and everyone is out here trying to grow the game. We're all working together in golf to make others able to see what the game is really about, how much fun it is and how much you grow as a person. Talking about the golf feedback loop, imagine what you think the shot is going to do, take it then see where it actually went and then reflect on why it went that way. This applies to life and I think if people were to adopt golf as a widespread sport and continue to grow it, it would be better for humanity."

We sit down with Golf AI Creator Broderick Higby to learn how Artificial Intelligence is making golf improvement and swing analysis accessible for everyone.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Broderick on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more about Golf AI and to download the Golf AI app on your iPhone (Android version coming soon!), visit their website at https://www.golfaiapp.com

To learn more about Broderick check out his bio page and LinkedIn profile.

Special Guest: Broderick Higby - Creator of Golf AI.

Sharing Stories From Her Journey As A New Golfer - Alissa Kacar @newladygolfer

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:00:00 -0800

“Whether you can hit the ball a mile or if you can barely hit it off the tee, you need to create an environment for newcomers to the game that is relaxed and fun. Otherwise it’s not going to keep people coming back. New golfer and social media host Alissa Kacar @newladygolfer joins us to share her journey and thoughts on how to make the game more welcoming for everyone.

“If someone is spending their day off on the golf course, they’re not going to dedicate their time doing something that isn’t enjoyable and fun. When I’m there playing with someone that’s new to the game, I always remember back to me being brand new and I always conduct myself the way that I was treated because it way very helped and built my confidence the way people were encouraging and patient with me. Golf is so humbling that you can duff one off the tee - she’s brand new to the game so she could miss the ball - I’m just as capable of doing the same thing two and a half years in! Golf is very humbling that way, just when you think you’ve got it figured out it will remind you that you do not.”

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Alissa on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more about Alissa check out her bio page and her @newladygolf Instagram.

Special Guest: Alissa Kacar - Instagram Golf Influencer @newladygolfer and beginner golfer.

Building Resiliency By Expressing Gratitude and Celebrating The Small Wins - Nick Steiner, Founder of Back2Basics Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:00:00 -0800

On this episode host Colin Weston speaks with Back2Basics Golf Founder Nick Steiner to learn insights from his entrepreneurial journey that has taken him from San Diego scooter culture to Australia's Gold Coast.

“The satisfaction that you get once things grow is really rewarding. Something else that I’ve come back to a lot lately is to really enjoy the process, taking each day just to be happy in the moment and have fun. It’s the little things overall that do bring the most happiness to me like the product being enhanced or an email of how we’ve helped improve someone’s game. All these things define the success that I continue to look at more and more. Acquisition and other milestones down the road, those are great and what we are striving for but when we look back and connect the dots, it’s the little moments that led you there, it’s the breakthroughs that you had, it’s the hard things that you got over that make the entire process worth it.".... Nick Steiner, Founder of Back2Basics Golf

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Nick on our Youtube Channel!

To learn more about Back2Basics Golf and The Pro Path Putting Mirror
visit their website at https://back2basics.golf/.

Special Guest: Nick Steiner - Founder, Back2Basics Golf.

Breaking Down Barriers In Golf By Engaging The Unengaged - Charles Dillahunt, The PGA of America

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 10:30:00 -0800

"My biggest hope for the golf industry is that it one day grows to be more representative of the population of the world, and that it openly welcomes and serves members of all communities and from all walks of life equally and inclusively."

Charles Dillahunt joins us to share how The PGA of America is working to break down barriers to entry for not only playing golf but to participate as a business supplier within the golf industry. “That’s something that I don’t think a lot of people have and if more people took the time to be a mentor, be more than just a manager or a boss. Be a friend and care for people, specifically minorities and under-represented audiences in the business world. I think that is one of the best ways to break down barriers. Share the knowledge and influence that you’ve gained over 30+ years and once the older generation does that, younger people like me are going to be ahead of the game. I believe that will only lead to much more innovation in the game of golf."

Are you part of a minority / veteran / women / disabled peoples owned business that would like to participate in PGA Championship events? Go to https://pgaimpact.org/vendor-inclusion/ to see the qualification requirements and apply. You can also email them at inclusion@pgahq.com to start the conversation.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Charles on our Youtube Channel!

During this episode Charles mentioned his connection to both Sandy Cross - The PGA of America’s Chief People Officer - and Radius Sports Founder Gina Rizzi. I had the pleasure of speaking to both Sandy and Gina on previous episodes, so I also included the links for those if you’d like to hear about the impactful work these dynamic women are spearheading in the golf space.

Gina Rizzi's episode >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/066-gina-rizzi
Sandy Cross' episode >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/030-sandy-cross

Special Guest: Charles Dillahunt - PGA of America’s Strategic Adjunct To The CEO and CPO / VenderMatch / JobMatch.

Creating The Next Generation of Golf Entertainment Experiences - David Grieshaber, Gamerz Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0800

How do you create new value in the expanding $10 billion golf entertainment sector? Our host Colin Weston sits down with entrepreneur, investor and Gamerz Golf CIO David Grieshaber to learn they are combining mobile gaming, user experience design, augmented reality, environmental sustainability, eSports and architectural design to create the next generation of Golf Entertainment Centers.

"Where I see this market going is the games will become more video game-like, they’ll become episodal, iterative, level based and more addictive. All the venues currently in market have taken the model of a driving range or golf game and tried to create a video game built upon that. Where we differ is that we’re in the heart of Xbox, PlayStation and mobile game land. We’re going with that direction. We’re going to take video game quality, PS4, PS5 type of games and downgrade them to become driving range games. That will be a major differentiator in what we are doing with the technology."

"You can hit the ball and look up as the ball is flying through the air you’d see a tracer following it as it lands in a target and you see explosions everywhere with points flying up in the air. So that is what’s called a “Glasses-less AR (augmented reality) experience”. That’s the direction I think is coming to this scenario in the future and what we’ve been working on as a solution for several years."

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with David on our Youtube Channel!
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To learn more about Gamerz Golf, visit their website >> http://Gamerz.Golf

Enter our latest #ModGolfGiveaway Contest to win an Edison Wedge!

Sign up to our newsletter (https://modgolf.fireside.fm/subscribe) to enter for a chance to win an Edison Wedge. You choose the loft, shaft type and grip to customize it to your liking!

You can also enter the contest by subscribing to The ModGolf YouTube channel and leaving the comment "Enter me in The #ModGolfGiveaway Contest!" for the Edison Wedges ModGolf Product Review video.
Contest closes at 11pm ET Friday December 11 2020.

Special Guest: David Grieshaber - CIO at Gamerz Golf.

How A Human-Centered Design Approach Leads To Innovative Golf Products - Scott Moore / Garmin International

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 09:30:00 -0800

"If you don’t have a “Why Garmin?” then why are we even proposing to make this? So when I go to pitch any product idea, for say the next generation golf watch, I can’t just state “let's make this just because we’re Garmin and we have a lot of success with the last one”. I have to propose some benefit for the customer which is why they will be compelled to buy this. Our host Colin Weston sits down with Golf Product Manager Scott Moore to learn how Garmin approaches their design process through rapid prototyping, user experience feedback and a passionate desire to continually innovate.

"Why will the customer go from the previous version or a competitor’s product to this one? That mentality that we have of always trying to add benefit to our products and not just churn out a bunch of similar products and put lipstick on it and say it’s good now, we are looking to add value every time we create a new product. It’s not just something our leadership says, at every level we always ask that question “Why Garmin?”.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Scott on our Youtube Channel!

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

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

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

Special Guest: Scott Moore - Product Manager at Garmin International.

Powering PGA Tour Fan Engagement To Expand Tournament Viewership - Reid Fowler / DraftKings PGA Analyst

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:30:00 -0800

What can golf learn from other pro sport leagues when it comes to how content is consumed, fan engagement is amplified, and collective experiences are heightened? Host Colin Weston speaks with DraftKings PGA Fantasy Sports & Betting Analyst Reid Fowler as he shares how they create fun, memorable experiences for every demographic of sports fan.

Want to see what all the fuss is about with the DraftKings One Million Dollar Masters Contest? Or like me, you want to dip your toe in the sports betting pool and place $20 on a six player Masters "team"? Then check out the DraftKings website or mobile app to put some skin in the game and have some fun!

DraftKings’ has launched the first ever multi-sport $100K free-to-play pool combining The Masters and NFL Sunday. Also, in a study of over 1,000 fans of both football and golf, DraftKings found 77% are interested in engaging with multisport gaming.

Click on the image below to check out our extended conversation with Reid on our Youtube Channel!

Our Top 3 Reid Fowler Quotes From This Episode

Number 3
“How do you capture pro golf coverage without spending a ton of money on infrastructure and technology? The logistics of how you film golf at a PGA tournament, you’re talking about acres and acres of land. It’s just not feasible. How do you increase engagement on a Thursday and Friday at a golf tournament? Well there has to be a push on how golf is being consumed. When I was at Sawgrass for The PLAYERS Championship, they were pushing the technology so that you could see every single shot from every player, whether it be live or you click on the player to see that shot. Now at The Masters, they’re introducing an app so you can choose your favourite golfers and follow them and see every shot. That is going to increase viewership and the ability to engage. When looking to monetize golf tournament viewing, there are a lot of opportunities with this. That is where golf needs to progress. While the tournament is being played, how do get golf on TV and digital platforms sooner rather than later."

Number 2
"When you're watching sports - and maybe it’s just bragging rights with your buddies - but when you have a stake in the game it makes it way more engaging and entertaining. DraftKings has created a platform to amplify the fan engagement around the PGA Tour, especially during those early rounds of a tournament."

Number 1
"Golf is the closest to NFL football when you talk about how fans interaction with fantasy games. The cadence on how someone builds a fantasy football lineup is so similar to golf because it is week-to-week. I saw this correlation and said this is something we should really focus on because engagement heavily increased in the 18 to 35 year old demographic, especially on the Thursday and Friday of a PGA event when viewership is historically the lowest over the four days of a tournament."

At the end of this episode I ask Reid about DraftKings' role as an ethical corporate citizen regarding gambling addiction. I was pleased to hear that DraftKings takes this seriously and continues to expand their education and support for people struggling with with a gambling problem. While the vast majority of people enjoy gambling without falling into addiction, the prevalence rate for persons who veer into pathological gambling and potential life-ruining consequences is about 2.2 percent in the U.S., per 2014 findings by the National Council on Problem Gambling.

With an expansion of legal sports wagering in the U.S., a new cohort of citizens, however small, will get introduced to sports betting and struggle to find the line between entertainment and addiction. If you or someone you love struggle with their relationship with gambling, please reach out to Gamblers Anonymous

Special Guest: Reid Fowler - DraftKings PGA Fantasy Sports & Betting Analyst.

Applying a Startup Mindset To Innovate Club Experiences - Robert Sereci, Medinah Country Club

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 13:00:00 -0700

“In any industry, especially in our industry one needs to have an entrepreneurial mindset. But the challenge is this: in most clubs it’s not that my fellow club managers lack imagination or innovation. They are pretty bright folks. It’s through no fault of their own but the challenge is that we work in an environment where we change boards frequently, presidents every couple of years and the fear of failure in most clubs is so high that it prevents the management team from experimenting and innovating because the tolerance for failure is very small. Fortunately for us at Medinah we have educated and have the support of the board so that I have a pretty large safely net. So for as many ideas that have succeeded we have an equal amount that have failed. But you know what, it’s okay. We want our employees and our team to think outside the box because just like I have a safety net, I want to provide them with a safety net as well.”

Host Colin Weston speaks with Medinah Country Club GM/COO Robert Sereci to learn how he took an innovator's mindset to transform the iconic golf venue to become a vibrant, welcoming, experience-based community.

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Hired at Medinah in 2015, Robert is a strong collaborator and team builder, and has worked to strengthen and empower the Medinah brand. In 2016, Robert worked with his board, management, and membership to roll out “Medinah 2020,” a comprehensive $25 million phased club improvement plan. All of these investments will move Medinah Country Club into a more modern era of membership enhancements and strengthens its community.

Prior to Medinah Country Club, Robert was GM of The American Club in Hong Kong, a 3000-member club founded in 1925. He has been COO of Northwood Club in Dallas and Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. In addition to being a Certified Club Manager, Robert holds a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Cal Poly Pomona and an MBA from Georgia State University.

Check out our extended conversation with Robert on our Youtube Channel!

Special Guest: Robert Sereci - GM / COO at Medinah Country Club.

Harnessing A Love For Golf To Fuel Their Entrepreneurial Hustle - Is and Kat Shee / Shee Golfs

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:00:00 -0700

“When you’re in it every single day you don’t lift your head up to see the progress that you’ve made. That’s something that we're trying to do more, try to step away from it to acknowledge that “actually we’ve created something pretty cool from the ground up starting from nothing”. And the most exciting thing is this is only the beginning.” On this fun and fast-paced episode, Colin sits down with Is and Kat Shee - aka The Shee Sisters - to talk about the creation of their Shee Golfs YouTube channel, building sock and apparel brands from scratch and the connection between entrepreneurship, golf, yoga and friendship.

Isabelle (Is) Shee is the girl next door known for her unique fashion and mission to spread positivity through the game of golf.
Isabelle showcases her love for travel, luxury brands and premium golf courses to her millennial audience.

“I think something that every entrepreneur can relate to is there’s always more to do. It never ends as it’s a constant cycle where we are always working. It’s the only profession where you go into the shower and think about how to improve something. Your business is the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing before you go to sleep."... Is Shee

Check out our extended conversation with Kat and Is on our Youtube Channel!

Since launching her sock brand, IS, she has increased brand loyalty with an added mission- to reduce her carbon footprint while maximizing performance. She's taken two recycled materials (plastic & coffee) and made them into the most premium sock ever made. Use the Promo Code MODGOLF15 for 15% off your purchase of comfy, fashionable, environmentally friendly men's and women's Is Golf socks!

Together they created the popular Shee Golfs YouTube channel, where they provide helpful golf tips and create fun, engaging content with their female golf friends.

Special Guest: Is Shee - Golf Entrepreneur and YouTube/Instagram Influencer.

Building Educational And Entertaining Content For Passionate Consumers - Malcolm Scovil, Imagine Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 10:00:00 -0700

“The biggest mistake I’ve made in my entrepreneurial endeavours is to have a product idea and just run at it as opposed to starting with a curiosity approach and asking open-ended questions. It also helps from a marketing standpoint. You start to write down the things that people are saying and it helps you when you’re putting together the story so that you're speaking in the voice of the customer rather than the one that’s in your head.”

Host Colin Weston sits down with Imagine Golf Founder Malcolm Scovil as he shares how embracing patience, curiosity and tenacity have helped guide him along his entrepreneurial journey. Malcolm is the Founder of TLDR which stands for “Too Long - Didn’t Read”. TLDR's first product Imagine Golf reflects this “Give it to me quick, give it to me clear” content delivery philosophy.

Imagine Golf is currently on Apple iOS but will be available on Android soon. You can follow Imagine Golf on Instagram at @imaginegolfers

Check out our extended conversation with Malcolm on our Youtube Channel!

Quotable Nuggets of Entrepreneurial Wisdom From Malcolm...

"The vision behind TLDR is to build entertaining, educational content that we deliver through mobile apps around passionate pockets of consumers. One of our first products is Imagine Golf, which is focused on “snackable audio content for golfers of all skill levels” to help golfers improve their performance and enjoy the game more."

“Im always tinkering with small products and testing things out with friends. I think there’s a natural tinkerer in us folks who are entrepreneurial. Once of the things in my endeavours I found is getting close to the student or the customer is what helps quiet that voice of doubt or insecurity in the entrepreneurial mind."

"With Imagine Golf we really spent a lot of time before we had any product talking to golfers and asking them questions - not about a product that we are thinking about building but why do you play golf, what got you into golf, what are some of your highlights in your career for amateurs. What are you working on in your golf game? Where are you trying to go in you game? What are some of the ways that you think might accelerate you in getting there? So it’s really applying a curious mindset to the product development process, which leads to all types of unexpected discoveries through the nuggets of insight that you uncover.”

“Once you have a direction the real focus is on building a quality-first product. I think the only way to do that is with simplicity. Something I’ve been guilty of in the past is trying to do too much too early in an entrepreneurial venture. With my latest venture and all my future projects, it’s how do you cut through in a very noisy, cluttered market with a consumer experience that really resonates and adds value to people’s lives. Almost always simpler is better, that focus on simplicity and what adds value.”

“I think why most companies fail is either there’s not a customer or they haven’t been able to find that customer. To big things to in the early days of a startup are can you make something people want and the other part is can you get in front of folks, can you find ways for them to discover it? This is as important as building something people want.”

“For successful new products and companies like Sarah Blakely with Spanx who had a very clear proposition for the consumer by scratching the itch of a personal pain point to create something that wasn’t on the market.”

Reid Hoffman: “if you’re not embarrassed by your first product you shipped it too late.” It takes a lot of bravery to put something out there.

“The best advice I got was to get just one customer, get one person to pay you then the next one and the next one. What it forces you to do is create something of value. That first person you ask to pay ten dollars for your product and they say no, then you need to ask why, what’s missing right now? This combination of our intuition and the data gathered both qualitative and quantitative, those are a couple of ingredients for success."

“Customers are your best partners. Folks that are using and paying for your product are the best source of ideas and ways to grow. Without question, we get the best ideas for new content or courses we should create from the current member of the Imagine Golf community and we are very grateful for that”.

"Being an entrepreneur is tough and it creates a lot of doubt. Although it can be lonely it can also be very rewarding and fulfilling."

“As in business, the biggest barrier to athletic success is our mental game. It’s what separates the Tiger Woods, the Michael Jordans, the Oprah Winfreys and the Elon Musks of the world from the rest of us.

“I recommend that new entrepreneurs do not try to reinvent the wheel or start building something from scratch. Instead create something in your own unique way, find inspiration in something that already exists and do it differently and better.”

Special Guest: Malcolm Scovil - Founder, TLDR and Imagine Golf.

Applying 40 Years Of Golf Entrepreneurship To Innovate Wedge Design - Terry Koehler, Edison Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 09:00:00 -0700

“Wedges are the most frustrating performance part of the golf bag. They are finicky and volatile. We’ve done tremendous things to improve drivers, hybrids and putters but wedge design hasn’t changed much in the past 40 years. I set out to change that.” On our first episode of Season 8, Edison Golf Chairman and Director of Innovation Terry Koehler joins us to share how he created a new standard for wedges that appeal to the massive recreational golf market.

“Whether you’re a tour player or a 20 handicapper, distance consistency with wedges is the biggest problem and it's caused by the club head design. How do I make wedges a forgiving golf club without sacrificing its precision? That is the question we set out to answer with the creation of Edison Forged Wedges”. Terry's 45 years as an entrepreneur, innovator, writer and creative driver has provided a wealth of experience that led to the creatioon of the Edison Golf Company. Accomplished brand manager, product developer, communications driver and writer, for the last two years Terry has been working on a completely new approach to wedge design and the Edison Forged wedges are now available for purchase.

Launched in April 2020, Edison Forged wedges are designed specifically for recreational players, NOT tour professionals and they are unlike anything on the market in spin, launch angle consistency and distance dispersion. Check them out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

Check out our extended conversation with Terry on our YouTube Channel and please subscribe and comment while you're there!

Want to learn more about all things wedges? Terry provides insight and advice on The Wedge Guy blog.

What is Gear Effect on the golf club face? Watch this explainer video to find out >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NceHUbLafOQ

Terry talks about the “Smash Factor” - the efficiency of energy transfer in the golf club - and how he set out to equalize Smash Factor around a bigger area around the face of the golf club compared to what every other wedge does”. Find out about what the optimum "Smash Factor Ratio" number is for each club in your bag >> https://blog.trackmangolf.com/smash-factor/

Don't know what Terry is talking about when he mentioned how they test wedge design performance on Iron Byron? This picture should help.

Special Guest: Terry Koehler - Chairman / Director of Innovation at Edison Golf Company.

Season 7 Wrap-up / Season 8 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 22:00:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 7 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our passionate team of content creators are current working on your next twelve episodes for Season 8, which launches early September 2020. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how technology, entertainment experiences, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our ten Season 7 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below.

We're proud to have Golf Genius Software as one of our show sponsor partners and look forward to telling you more about the elegant solutions they create to simplify running golf tournaments. Go to https://www.golfgenius.com/ to learn more!

Our Season 7 guests were:

Episode 1
John Kawaja - President, Honma Golf NA
Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned In The Golf Industry

Episode 2
Shella Sylla - Founder/CEO, SisterGolf
Empowering Women Through Golf

Episode 3
Matt Considine - Founder/CEO at NewClub Golf
Creating a Scalable Business Model Inspired by Traditional Golf Societies

Episode 4
Thinh Tran - Founder/CEO at Transrover
Embracing Resilience, Curiosity and Joy to Fuel The Entrepreneurial Journey

Episode 5
Shayain Gustavsp - LPGA Coach / SJG International
Teaching Golf To Welcome, Elevate and Empower Diverse Communities

Episode 6
Nick Bednar - VP of Operations, Billy Casper Golf
Creating a Launch Point to Grow Golf Participation

Episode 7
Amir Raveh - Founder and President, HYPE Sports Innovation
Building Global Sport Startup Accelerators That Help Innovate Golf

Episode 8
Peter Johnson - CEO and Co-Founder, Phat Scooters
Delivering Great Products That Customers Love

Episode 9
Ian Peterson - CEO ad Founder, Dialed In Golf Solutions
Creating Memorable Golf Experiences For Everyone

Episode 10
Sal Syed - CEO and Co-Founder, Arccos Golf
Combining Big Data and Elegant Design to Create Memorable Golf Moments

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

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

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

Special Guests: Amir Raveh - Founder and President, HYPE Sports Innovation, Ian Peterson - Founder & CEO of Dialed in Golf Solutions, John Kawaja - President of Honma Golf NA, Matt Considine - Founder & CEO at NewClub Golf, Nick Bednar - VP of Operations at Billy Casper Golf, Peter Johnson - Co-Founder & CEO of Phat Scooters, Sal Syed: Co-Founder and CEO, Arccos Golf, Shayain Gustavsp - Entrepreneur / LPGA Certified Coach, Shella Sylla - Founder/CEO of SisterGolf, and Thinh Tran - Co-Creator of GimmePro and Founder of Transrover.

Creating Memorable Golf Experiences For Everyone - Ian Peterson, Dialed In Golf Solutions

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 22 May 2020 10:30:00 -0700

"We eventually learned how to simplify our product and experience offering while providing even a higher level of service and customer value." Ian Peterson - Founder and CEO of Dialed In Golf Solutions joins us to share his thoughts on innovating the golf industry.

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Special Guest: Ian Peterson - Founder & CEO of Dialed in Golf Solutions.

Delivering Great Products That Customers Love - Peter Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of Phat Scooters (079)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 12 May 2020 14:00:00 -0700

On this episode our host Colin Weston chats with Peter Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of Phat Scooters who shares insights, stories and business philosophy that has guided him along his entrepreneurial journey.

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After college, Peter helped grow the family custom cabinetry business before transitioning into a hybrid world of tech, construction, sustainable product solutions and engineering. All of these experiences led up the founding of Phat Scooters in 2017.

To learn more about Phat Scooters, check out their website and this YouTube explainer video.

Special Guest: Peter Johnson - Co-Founder & CEO of Phat Scooters.

Building Global Sports Accelerators That Help Innovate Golf Amir Raveh, Founder and President of HYPE Sports Innovation

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 09:30:00 -0700

"I’ve been very fortunate at this point in my life to put together my two passions - one is sports and the other one is innovation." On this episode our host Colin Weston sits down with Amir Raveh, Founder and President of HYPE Sports Innovation who shares his thoughts on innovating the golf industry through the Global Sports Accelerator they have built.

"The sports world is going through a massive disruption in terms of innovation. There are dedicated accelerators for many sports but I don’t see one yet in golf. We have the platform with hundreds of startups that would be very happy to change that."

Amir suggests that golf should embrace technology innovations and trends in eSports, blockchain, fan engagement, artificial intelligence, Virtual/Augmented Reality and gamified experiences in order to connect with a younger, more diverse audience.

HYPE has created the first Global Virtual Accelerator with over 350 startups already registered. Do you have a technology-led sport/golf innovation product or service that is past the early prototype stage and has the potential to scale? Then we encourage you to apply to participate in the HYPE Global Virtual Accelerator!

Special Guest: Amir Raveh - Founder and President, HYPE Sports Innovation.

Creating a Launch Point to Grow Golf Participation - Nick Bednar, VP of Operations at Indigo Golf Partners (077)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:00:00 -0700

“We’ve always recognized that we are a launch point for people who are picking up the game for the first time. We hold a critical role in growing the game just by the nature of the type of facilities we manage”.

On this episode our host Colin Weston chats with Nick Bednar, VP of Operations with Indigo Golf Partners who shares his industry insights in a COVID-19 "New Normal" world.

In his current position Nick oversees the management and operations of Billy Casper Golf’s portfolio in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia and he also passionately works with The Billy Casper Golf Futures Program.

The BCG Futures Program is centered around bringing access to golf for kids around the country. The program is aligned with the PGA Jr. League. To learn more about one of the many Futures Programs being introduced across BCG’s 151 courses, click to watch this short explainer video.

Special Guest: Nick Bednar - VP of Operations at Billy Casper Golf.

Teaching Golf To Welcome, Elevate and Empower Diverse Communities - Shayain Gustavsp (076)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0700

Our host Colin Weston sits down for an engaging conversation with Shayain Gustavsp, Founder & CEO of SJG International and LPGA Certified Golf Coach. With over ten years of experience in the sports industry, Shayain specializes in corporate sponsorship, premium hospitality, customer retentions and event planning.

Shayain is an LPGA Certified Teacher with a passion for creating a safe and welcoming space for all to learn the game of golf. During her time in the corporate world Shayain recognized her ability to play golf and do business on the course was instrumental in fast tracking her career. Her motivation now lies in helping a diverse spectrum of women do the same.

Shayain also runs her own consultancy, SJG International, which services Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams and the entertainment industry. It's services include, VIP Events, Premium Sales and Service, Customer Retention and Corporate Partnership.

Check out and subscribe to Shayain’s YouTube Channel for her fun and informative take on golf, health and business. You can also follow Shayain on Instagram.

Special Guest: Shayain Gustavsp - Entrepreneur / LPGA Certified Coach.

Embracing Resilience, Curiosity and Joy to Fuel The Entrepreneurial Journey - Thinh Tran, Transrover

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0700

"Making Transrover was like going back to my childhood of creating toys out of what was lying around when I just wanted to make the coolest water gun or air compressed bamboo cannon. That’s all I wanted to do, make something cool for myself and see if I could commercialize it later when I finish college and save some money, because engineering and manufacturing are expensive. At the beginning this method was cheap, just doing it to please myself and to see if I could do this. I knew when Transrover was polished up I'd be ready to take the next step."

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On this episode our guest is Thinh Tran, who is the Founder/CEO of Transrover, The All In One Golf Cart. Thinh shares with us his entrepreneurial and personal journey starting when he joined his family in California from Vietnam at the age of 15, his first exposure to golf and the "AHA Moment" that lead to the idea and creation of Transrover.

What's a Transrover? It's a golf bag and pushcart hybrid. Transrover can transform from a cart bag into a pushcart in seconds. Yes, seconds. It also fits perfectly on any riding cart. No more lugging your golf bag over the shoulder or putting up with the cumbersome pushcarts. We invite you to think "outside the bag" and give Transrover a spin. You can learn more about Transrover and Thinh's story on their website .

Special Guest: Thinh Tran - Co-Creator of GimmePro and Founder of Transrover.

Creating a Scalable Business Model Inspired by Traditional Golf Societies - Matt Considine / NewClub Golf (074)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 08:30:00 -0800

“Living in Ireland opened my eyes to a whole different type of golf experience in golf societies, which led to the launch of NewClub Golf ten years later”.

On this episode our guest is Matt Considine, Founder and CEO at NewClub Golf. Modeled after golf societies in Great Britain and Ireland, NewClub is a society of golfers, playing the game as part of a diverse and dynamic community at a selection of compelling courses and honored clubs.

NewClub Golf Core Values

COMMUNITY We are a friendly, generous, and humble society connected by our love for the game of golf. The post-round hang.

INTEGRITY We are honest and trustworthy, unconditionally treating others well, both on and off the golf course.

REVERENCE We share a deep respect and gratitude for golf, its participants, and all those who contribute to its enjoyment.

INCLUSIVITY We cherish the perspectives and experiences of others from diverse backgrounds, living by the principle that we have far more that connects us than divides us.

MINDFULNESS We believe golf is a metaphor for life, striving to learn and improve through its journey and those we share it with.

To learn more, go to https://www.newclub.golf and find them on social media at NewClubGolf.

Special Guest: Matt Considine - Founder & CEO at NewClub Golf.

Empowering Women Through Golf - Shella Sylla / SisterGolf

The ModGolf Podcast — Sat, 22 Feb 2020 10:30:00 -0800

"One of the things entrepreneurs need to understand is that before you take the leap there are a lot of steps that you need to prepare before doing it because there will be a period of time when you are building the business with no revenues coming in. You need to sustain yourself so you’re not pressuring the business in order for it to succeed. Because what that leads to is you taking shortcuts and doing things that are detrimental to the business and do not move it forward."

On this episode our guest is Shella Sylla, who is a Career Strategist, Business Golf Professional and Founder/CEO of SisterGolf. SisterGolf specializes in showing professional women how to combine the game of golf with the art of business to gain a higher level of access to more opportunities and accelerate their career advancement.

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Mission Statement
The mission of SisterGolf is to educate male and female business professionals on how they can use golf as a tool for developing mutually beneficial business relationships, and creating connections for professional advancement in the Corporate America workplace.

Executive Summary
SisterGolf is the brainchild of Shella Sylla, ex-banking executive with over 18 years in the financial services industry. Shella experienced firsthand how golf can positively impact your career or business after taking up the sport early on in her banking career. As a result of signing up for and taking lessons, in a few short months, she went from struggling to meet her monthly goal of $500,000 to being a repeat member of the “Million dollar” club (a designation given to associates who exceeded $1 million in production in any given month).

While reaping the rewards of this new found “secret” to success, Shella noticed that very few women, if any at all were taking advantage of the business development and relationship building opportunities that golf has to offer. This prompted her to create SisterGolf as a tool for helping women to learn and leverage the game of golf for business and career success.

Shortly after launching a series of workshops, clincs and events designed to help women get in the game, Shella began getting numerous requests from male executives and professionals to provide a similar program for them. As a result, what began as a quest to empower women in the workplace, expanded to include a curriculum that will benefit both male and female professionals interested in using golf as a tool for relationship building and professional engagement.
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Special Guest: Shella Sylla - Founder/CEO of SisterGolf.

Entrepreneurial Lessons Learned In The Golf Industry - John Kawaja / Honma Golf (072)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 10:30:00 -0800

"Extraordinary can happen with a belief that you can change the world. A conviction that gives you the boldness and the creativity to imagine something better, something different We developed a division of a great brand that really had no reason for being, but we gave it one. We created purpose to our approach to golf and the result was changing “the uniform” of the game".

On our first episode of Season 7, Colin speaks with Honma Golf NA President John Kawaja about his three decade career in the golf industry. John shares his experience at TaylorMade adidas Golf where they disruptively innovated the performance apparel side of the game, along with how being part of a world champion curling team helped shape his approach to business leadership.

You can learn more about Honma Golf by visiting https://us.honmagolf.com/

Special Guest: John Kawaja - President of Honma Golf NA.

Season 6 Wrap-up / Season 7 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 15:00:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 6 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our passionate team of content creators are feverishly working on your next twelve episodes for Season 7, which launches early January 2020. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how technology, entertainment experiences, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our ten Season 6 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had over the past three months with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below.

We're excited to announce our partnership with Golf Genius Software and look forward to telling you more about the elegant solutions they've created to simplify running golf tournaments. Go to https://www.golfgenius.com/ to learn more!

Our Season 6 guests were:

Episode 1
Professor Renée Mauborgne - Blue Ocean Strategy Co-author
Creating New Golf Markets That Make The Competition Irrelevant

Episode 2
Kevin Thistle - CEO of The PGA of Canada
Building Links That Welcome Newcomers To The Game

Episode 3
Tanelle Bolt - Founder, RAD Society / Adaptive Para-golfer
Finding a New Life and Purpose Through Golf

Episode 4
Dr. Roger Hawkes - Executive Director, The Golf and Health Project
Revealing The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Golf

Episode 5
Gina Rizzi - Principal, Radius Sports Group
Connecting Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sport

Episode 6
Larry Gilhuly - USGA Agronomist with the TEE IT FORWARD program
TEE IT FORWARD To Increase Enjoyment and Participation in Golf

Episode 7
Rich Katz - Founder and Principal, buffalo.agency
Making a Positive Statement About "The State of Golf"

Episode 8
Adam Heieck - CEO of Youth On Course
Growing The Game By Providing Youth Access To Affordable Golf

Episode 9
Azucena Maldonado - Founder of Latina Golfers Association
Transforming Latina Women's Lives Through Golf

Episode 10
Dale Merritt - CEO of Golfpay
Creating Frictionless Customer Experiences For Recreational Golfers

Special Guests: Adam Heieck - CEO of Youth On Course, Azucena Maldonado, Founder of The Latina Golfers Association, Dale Merritt - CEO of Golfpay, Dr. Roger Hawkes, Executive Director for The Golf & Health Project, Gina Rizzi - President of ARCUS Marketing Group and Principal of Radius Sports Group, Kevin Thistle - CEO, The PGA of Canada, Larry Gilhuly - USGA Agronomist and TEE IT FORWARD program advocate., Renée Mauborgne - Co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift, Rich Katz - Katz Strategy, and Tanelle Bolt - Founder of The RAD Society and Adaptive Para-Golfer.

Creating Frictionless Customer Experiences For Recreational Golfers - Dale Merritt / Golfpay (071)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 08:00:00 -0700

"I focus on the behaviours of the modern consumer. It's a fascinating topic to me. How, and why golf is so far behind embracing the customer experience, how it is affecting the golf business, and how it can be solved." On our final episode of Season 6, Colin speaks with entrepreneur and Golfpay CEO Dale Merritt about harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning and experience design to create a frictionless mobile golf round check-in platform that removes pain points and frustration for both recreational golfers and the course operators.

Almost half way through their second full year in the market with Golfpay (V2), they project to increase mobile check-ins by around 42% in terms of the ratio of reservations to mobile check-ins from 2018 to 19'. This is a 750 to 800% increase in total reservations, averaging 2.41 customer files per reservation across all operators, all collected automatically without a single operator manually collecting contact data like email, mobile phone number, zip codes.

Learn more by visiting www.golfpay.co

Special Guest: Dale Merritt - CEO of Golfpay.

Transforming Latina Women's Lives Through Golf - Azucena Maldonado / Latina Golfers (070)

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 17:00:00 -0700

"We teach women how to leverage golf as a business tool so they can shatter the glass ceiling with a golf ball”. On our latest episode, Azucena Maldonado, Founder of The Latina Golfers Association joins us to share how she has built a nationally scalable business that empowers women in the Greater Los Angeles area both on and off the golf course.

Azucena Maldonado is a trailblazer on a mission to transform women’s lives through golf. She founded the Latina Golfers Association (LGA) in 2008. Introducing women of all ages to golf for their professional development, personal enjoyment, and to promote a healthy lifestyle. With over 1,200 members in Los Angeles County, Azucena has received numerous awards and recognition for making an impact on growing the game of golf in the Latino community including being inducted in the Latino Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

To learn more about The Latina Golfers Association, visit their website.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Azucena Maldonado, Founder of The Latina Golfers Association.

Growing The Game By Providing Youth Access To Affordable Golf - Adam Heieck / Youth On Course (069)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 14:30:00 -0700

"While everyone recognized the need to work together, there are still so many silos in golf. The industry is so fragmented that we decided to take a collaborative, wholistic approach in order to bring more kids to the game and to transition them through the funnel to the next progressive step”.

This week our host Colin Weston sits down for a conversation with Adam Heieck, CEO of Youth On Course. Adam joins us to share how his organization provides youth ages 6-18 with access to life-changing opportunities through golf.

Youth On Course partners with golf industry organizations such as The PGA of America, PGA Jr. League and The First Tee, which has provided the network and resourses to scale their program nationally. Youth On Course's most recent collaboration is with Golf Canada, allowing them to seamlessly access one of the biggest golf markets in the world. Check out our episode with Golf Canada CEO Laurence Appplebaum to hear about the innovative initiatives they are experimenting with to broaden golf's appeal and accessibility.

To learn more about Youth On Course, check out their website.

By The Numbers - Youth On Course Growth and Traction Data

Special Guest: Adam Heieck - CEO of Youth On Course.

Making a Positive Statement About "The State of Golf" - Rich Katz / buffalo.agency (068)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 01:00:00 -0700

Rich Katz discussing "The State of Golf" on The ModGolf Podcast

buffalo.agency Founder and Principal Rich Katz is our guest on this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, where he shares insights and stories from his nearly 30 years in the golf industry. Rich's engaging conversation with host Colin Weston started with discussing the history of buffalo.agency and covered a wide range of golf innovation topics including:

the sustainability of golf participation
the positive effects of the $84 billion/year golf industry has on the environment, the enconomy and society
growth areas in the game and industry
The Tiger Effect, both the positives and downsides on growing the game
the effective use of technology for enhancing both on-course and off-course golf experiences
the increase in Millennials/women/minorities participation
diversity and inclusion initiatives such as the WE ARE GOLF #inviterHER program
golf course closers as a good thing for the health and viability of the sport and the business of golf
environmental impact / “triple bottom line” sustainability platform - Environmental/Economic/Social
latent demand in the sport and how to unlock it

Rich talked about the influence of "Generation G", referencing the work done by Dr. Alexis Abramson to highlight the charactistics of this North American market segment who is between age 45 and 65.
Go to https://www.alexisabramson.com/ to learn more.

Special Guest: Rich Katz - Katz Strategy.

TEE IT FORWARD To Increase Enjoyment and Participation in Golf - Larry Gilhuly / USGA (067)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 22:00:00 -0700

In Larry Gilhuly’s opinion, the three biggest issues facing the game of golf are pace of play, player enjoyment and economic sustainability. Larry believes he has the solution for all three: “The answer for all of these, in my opinion, are properly placed forward tees.”

This week our host Colin Weston speaks with Larry Gilhuly, who is an Agronomist with The United States Golf Association and a passionate advocate of the TEE IT FORWARD program.

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

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

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

TEE IT FORWARD is a joint initiative between the USGA and The PGA of America that encourages players to play from a set of tees best suited to their driving distance. In addition to providing more enjoyment for golfers, teeing it forward also can be one of the most important steps that golfers take in improving pace of play.

A recent survey of TEE IT FORWARD participants found that:
56% played faster
56% are likely to play golf more often
83% hit more-lofted clubs into greens
85% had more fun
93% will TEE IT FORWARD again

New forward tees allow more golfers to play from a yardage that is appropriate for their swing speed and ability. They also help new players take up the game.

For much of his 35-year career with the United States Golf Association, Gilhuly was all about agronomy. His formal title with the USGA is Agronomist, West Region. In other words, Gilhuly is an expert on growing grass. But in recent years, Gilhuly has become passionate - very passionate - about teeing it forward. And by forward, he means way forward. “This topic that I am talking about has got me fired up,” Gilhuly told us. It was hard not to buy his argument. Gilhuly came armed with data to back up his claim that courses are too hard, even from the current forward tees, for average female golfers and senior players.

As we age, our swing speeds decline and so does the distance we hit the ball. The average female player, Gilhuly said, has a swing speed of about 60 miles per hour. She averages about 140 yards with her driver, 120 yards with her 3-wood and about 60 yards with her wedge. That makes it impossible for that player to hit greens in regulation on the vast majority of holes from the current forward tees at most courses. “There are a lot of golfers, males, who can reach the green in regulation with a lot of different clubs, but not the women,” Gilhuly said.

This isn’t a new problem. Gilhuly described an article headlined, “Women Handicapped By Men’s Courses.” It was written in 1917 by Alexa Stirling, a past U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion. “This has been a problem for a lot longer than I think we all realize,” he said.

U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Alexa Stirling, Circa 1919

Over 100 Years Ago Stirling concluded that golf courses were set up for men to the detriment of female golfers. Thankfully, golf course operators are slowly starting to get it. Gilhuly and other 'Tee it Forward' proponents have been able to convince them that in order to set up a course so it presents an equal challenge to that faced by more accomplished players playing from the regular or back tees, the forward tees need to be moved forward, on average, about 1,000 yards.

“Properly placed forward tees give all players a good experience,” Gilhuly said. “Think about it, if you started a business from scratch and wanted to be successful, would you say 'let’s make sure in our model here that half of the population tries it once and quits.' I don’t think that is what you do. You try and encompass everybody. This is not just for female players. It is for everybody.”
From most current forward tees, which average in the neighbourhood of 5,200 yards, players with slower swing speeds have no chance of hitting greens in regulation on most holes. In fact, on many courses the only greens that can be reached in regulation for those players are the par 3s.

“For (average) females a par 3 should not be longer than 140 (yards), the length of a par 4 should not be over 260 and a par 5 should not be over 380,” Gilhuly said. “There is this magic number that I find at almost every course and it’s usually between 4,000 and 4,300 yards,” he said.

Click to watch the TEE IT FORWARD YouTube explanatory video

“That’s it. It always seems to fall in that category. People look at me and blink. They thought the course was short enough at 5,000. No, not even close. And then you can do combinations with these new tees and the (former) forward tees. That’s the whole idea of this. It is happening. Golf courses are starting to do this.” Players who never stood a chance of making pars and birdies now have that opportunity. And Gilhuly said the game becomes fun for them again.

New forward tees also prompt the stubborn older guys to move up to the former front tees. And they will make it easier for kids to begin the game. “Forward tees are good for the game,” Gilhuly said. “They are. They give everybody an option. Pace of play has improved when forward tees are added. All my friends who have lost their swing speed over the last 10 years are now playing what were the old forward tees.”

Gilhuly had another message for us: “Red is dead,” he said, referring to red tees. “I hate red colours,” he said. “If we could just do this one thing, get rid of the red tees. It is amazing what happens. Gilhuly said some courses have dropped colour-coded tees all together and started simply numbering their tees. “Start with 1 being the forward tee and work your way back,” he said. “Seniors will move forward. I guarantee it. I will buy you a beer if they don’t.

“Pace of play, player enjoyment and economic sustainability all improve with forward tees,” Gilhuly said in closing. “In my opinion this century-old mistake holds the key to our game. That’s a bold comment but it is so simple. If we just add these forward tees we will get more women into the game. There’s no question in my mind.”

Special Guest: Larry Gilhuly - USGA Agronomist and TEE IT FORWARD program advocate..

Connecting Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sport - Gina Rizzi

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 17:00:00 -0700

"I showed corporate organizations how they could save money and make money, all while doing good things”.

This week our host Colin Weston sits down for a conversation with Gina Rizzi, Founder and Principal of Radius Sports Group and President of ARCUS Marketing Group. Gina joins us to share how her companies are unlocking new value between the intersection of sport, sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Gina Rizzi is the President of ARCUS Marketing Group and Principal of Radius Sports Group. Gina is a speaker and passionate advocate for helping businesses, golf, and sports industries drive financial performance while positively impacting society and the environment. She's an expert in marketing, sustainability, sports marketing, and corporate social responsibility.

You can watch Gina's inspirational "Innovate State" talk at Michigan State University here.

To learn more about Radius Sports Group, check out their website.

ARCUS is a business-to-business marketing firm which generates sustainable business growth for Fortune 500 clients nationwide with operations in San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and Reno. The firm’s focus areas include marketing strategy, sports marketing, media optimization, corporate social responsibility, and activation of diversity, inclusion, environmental sustainability, and community engagement programs.

Radius℠ provides sustainability consulting within the sports industry, partnering with sports leaders, teams, franchises, golf courses, golf management companies, facilities, industry suppliers, and governing bodies to optimize environmental and social sustainability programs, while driving revenue growth and cost reductions.

Special Guest: Gina Rizzi - President of ARCUS Marketing Group and Principal of Radius Sports Group.

Revealing The Health and Wellbeing Benefits of Golf - Dr. Roger Hawkes (065)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 23 May 2019 13:00:00 -0700

“We are changing some hearts and minds, as colleagues in the Department of Health in London who said they never believed golf would be of any health benefit see the positive impact on mental health and physical wellness".

This week our host Colin Weston sits down for a conversation with Dr. Roger Hawkes, Exective Director for The Golf & Health Project. Roger shares how his organization helps drive an increased participation in golf, improve the public image of our sport, and raise support for golf in the political arena.

The British Journal of Sports Medicine published this Golf and Health infographic to demonstrate the fitness benefits of the sport.

To learn more about The Golf and Health Project, check out their webiste.

Special Guest: Dr. Roger Hawkes, Executive Director for The Golf & Health Project.

Finding a New Life and Purpose Through Golf - Tanelle Bolt (064)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 15 May 2019 05:15:00 -0700

“My first shot of The Mallorca International Wheelchair Golf Open Championship, off the tee, in front of everyone, cameras are on, people are watching. I hit the ball, nailed it with a driver, and everybody clapped as they do in golf that you hear on TV and it was so perfect."

This week our host Colin Weston sits down for a conversation with Tanelle Bolt, an adaptive paragolfer who was paralyzed from the chest down resulting from an extreme sport accident six years ago. Tanelle shares her difficult yet personally rewarding journey of a life transformed after suffering this devastating injury.

Tanelle is a passionate advocate for universal design and accessible barrier-free rights and still maintains an active outdoor lifestyle. Her love for the outdoors combined with her entrepreneurial spirit has led to the creation of Keener, which is an outdoor adventure app that allows adaptive athletes to “connect to disconnect”. Keenr completed the beta testing phase and launched in Q4 2019.

“My goal with RAD is to provide accessibility for people outdoors who can’t afford it and provide a platform for you to build your own inventory of adaptive equipment based on your own knowledge”. Click here to learn more about the work Tanelle does with The RAD Recreation Adapted Society. All donations go directly to getting an adaptive athletic out of the house and moving with joy in nature.

Special Guest: Tanelle Bolt - Founder of The RAD Society and Adaptive Para-Golfer.

Building Links That Welcome Newcomers To The Game - Kevin Thistle / The PGA of Canada (063)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 10:15:00 -0700

“We need to link a newcomer's first golf experience to a golf course experience in a friendly, welcoming and inclusive way in order for the game to grow." This week our host Colin Weston speaks with PGA of Canada CEO Kevin Thistle to learn about the initiatives and partnerships they are launching to get a club in the hands of non-golfers in a fun and familiar group setting. Kevin also shares the work they do by taking an open and innovative educational approach to teaching the next generation of golf professionals around the world.

You can learn more about The PGA of Canada by visiting thier website.

We discuss The PGA of Canada / Golf Canada Future Links "Golf In School" Program

Kevin talks about the succes of The RBC PGA Scramble

RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company Local Qualifiers Player Registration is NOW OPEN! >> https://rbcpgascramble.com/local-qualifiers/ With more than 150 Local Qualifiers across the country, you're bound to find a venue (or a couple) to tee it up at.

Local Qualifiers provide an opportunity for you and three friends to play a fun round of golf at your club or a course that you have wanted to play but never had the chance, all in an attempt to progress through the stages to the extravagant RBC PGA Scramble National Final at Cabot Links this October.

For more information about the RBC PGA Scramble presented by The Lincoln Motor Company of Canada, please contact Brittany Mullin at brittany@pgaofcanada.com

Special Guest: Kevin Thistle - CEO, The PGA of Canada.

Creating New Golf Markets That Make The Competition Irrelevant - Renée Mauborgne / Blue Ocean Strategy

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 12:15:00 -0700

“I think those pain points in all areas of golf are tremendous opportunities to rethink the industry in many exciting ways"

To kick off Season 6 our host Colin Weston speaks to Professor Renée Mauborgne, co-author of the best-selling business books Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift. Renée provides a masterclass on how golf industry businesses and organizations can capture new demand, find new customers and make the competition irrelevant.

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

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

On this episode Renée and Colin cover a wide range of golf industry topics including:
• How non-golf oganizations like Cirque de Soleil, Airbnb and Apple have applied Blue Ocean Strategy to their success.
• How you can shift your organization from competing to creating with tools and a framework in a risk-minimizing way.
• If you want to create a blue ocean, you can’t look at what people are doing in your competitive set. You need to look outside to understand how to shift what you do to creat new value.

To learn more about how Blue Ocean Strategy has unlocked new growth in the golf industry, read Colin's blog post "Turning Green Fairways Into Blue Oceans".

Renée speaks about how successful companies have created new products/services/experiences that appeal to the ocean of "non-customers" that both Topgolf and Cirque de Soleil have captured. Rather than competing over the existing customers your industry fights over, Blue Ocean Strategy allows you to attact a much bigger audience found in the "Three tiers of non-customers".

To learn more about Blue Ocean Strategy, visit their website at https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/

Special Guest: Renée Mauborgne - Co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift.

Season 5 Wrap Up / Season 6 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 00:45:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 5 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our passionate team of content creators are feverishly working on your next twelve episodes for Season 6, which launches on April 9. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how technology, entertainment experiences, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 5 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had over the past three months with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below.

Our Season 5 guests were:

Episode 1
Joanne Cloak / Founder and CEO of JoFit
Empowering Her Team To Reach Their Creative Potential

Episode 2
Jared Williams / The Golf USA Team Coalition
Embracing Technology and Diversity to Create a Bright Future For Golf

Episode 3
Mike Zisman / CEO of Golf Genius
Sharing A Passion For Building Elegantly Simple Solutions to Solve Complex Problems

Episode 4
Dogu Taskiran / CEO of Stambol Studios
How Virtual Reality Will Influence The Future of Golf

Episode 5
Steve Rosen / General Manager of Indian Wells Golf Resort
Re-imaging Golf Experiences With "Shots In The Night"

Episode 6
Gia Bocra Liwski / Founder of Golf Experiences for Her
The Emergence of The Golf Industry "Mompreneur"

Episode 7
Dale Jackson / Canadian member of The USGA/R&A Joint Rules Committee
Revealing The Process Behind Creating The New Rules of Golf

Episode 8
Marc Simon / Event Vice President of PGA Golf Exhibitions for Reed Exhibitions
Creating The Innovation Lab For The Golf Industry

Episode 9
PGA Merchandise Show Recap - Part 1
Featuring Aimee Cho, HYPE Sports Innovation and The Global Golf Innovation Competition

Episode 10
PGA Merchandise Show Recap - Part 2
Featuring Latina Golfers Association Founder Azucena Moldenado and Tagmarshal Co-Founder/CEO Bodo Sieber

Episode 11
Matt Pringle / The USGA's Senior Director of Research, Science & Innovation
Creating a "Lean Startup" Culture At The USGA

Episode 12
Laurence Applebaum / CEO of Golf Canada
Creating Golf Moments That Matter

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

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

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

Special Guests: Azucena Maldonado, Founder of The Latina Golfers Association, Bodo Sieber, Co-Founder and CEO of Tagmarshal, Chris Månsson - Founder & CEO of Kinexit, Dale Jackson - Past Joint Rules Committee Member to rewrite of the New Rules of Golf 2019, Dave Shultz - Founder & CEO of NextLinks / REALiTEE Golf, Dogu Taskiran - CEO of Stambol Studios, Fabio Peral - Founder & CEO of GOLFBOO, Gia Bocra Liwski - Founder of Golf Experiences for Her, Ilan Hadar - Partner & CEO at HYPE Sports Innovation, Joanne Cloak - CEO and Founder, JoFit, Jon Claffey - Vice President of Marketing for Tour Edge Golf, Laurence Applebaum - CEO, Golf Canada, Marc Simon - Event Vice President for PGA Golf Exhibitions / RX Reed Exhibitions, and Mike Zisman - CEO, Golf Genius Software.

Creating Golf Moments That Matter - Laurence Applebaum, CEO of Golf Canada (061)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 08:00:00 -0700

"If your best moment is being on the golf course, we want to create more moments like that". This week our host Colin Weston speaks to Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. Since 2017 Laurence has lead the team at Golf Canada - the National Sport Federation and governing body for golf in Canada - with a mission to "have more people playing more golf and to succeed within the sport than ever before”.

On this episode Laurence and Colin cover a wide range of golf industry topics including:
• How Golf Canada is focused on bringing new people to golf: “We are here to increase Canadian participation and excellence in golf, to have more people playing more golf and to succeed within the sport than ever before”
• “As a governance body we have a responsibility to take the obstacles down and make golf more welcoming as a sport"
• Laurence talks about Golf Canada’s High Performance Centre at Bear Mountain GC in Victoria BC, which is their Longterm Player Development Program.
• “We adopted an equity and diversity policy and this policy has become so renowned that it’s being picked up by other national sport federations and golf associations and it’s really been driving the growth in female participation”.
• The Brooke Henderson Effect on young girls and boys. “What makes Brooke so special is that she’s incredibly relatable. She’s kind and thoughtful but on the course Brooke is a fierce and focused competitor”.
• They discuss National Golf Day in Canada, taking place May 1st on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
• Laurence talks about the philanthropic side of golf: "Golfers in Canada raise over half a billion dollars for charitable endeavours. That is more than the next 40 sports combined".
• The environmental, economic and social sustainability of golf and golf courses.
• Laurence talks about the new rules of golf and the fine work Diane Barabé - Golf Canada's current rules chair - does
• How Golf Canada looks to "make golf fun, fast and accessible and understandable, speeding it up and make it more relatable".
• “The platform of diversity and inclusion is going to put this sport on a trajectory that we haven’t seen before”.
•Laurence leaves us with this: "If your best moment is being on the golf course, we want to create more moments like that. Our goal is to bring joy to people’s lives in some small way".

Would you like to volunteer for Golf Canada? Recruitment for 2019 Tournament Officials (Starting, Scoring and Rules) is now open. Please click here to register and apply.

Golf Canada supports several charitable initiatives, including Golf For The Cure to raise money for breast cancer research and support. To learn more click here.

Through Golf Canada’s Future Links “Golf In Schools” program supported by Acura, children in 25% of all schools in Canada will have participated by the end of 2019.

About Laurence Applebaum
With a sports management career spanning nearly 25 years in Canada, Europe and the United States, Laurence Applebaum proudly returned home when he was named Chief Executive Officer of Golf Canada, the National Sport Federation and governing body for golf in Canada in July of 2017.

In his role as CEO, Applebaum oversees the executive management and strategic direction of Golf Canada’s multi-faceted business which includes Membership & Sport; Commercial Operations overseeing all revenue and marketing activities; fostering key relationships at the provincial, national and international level; and conducting Championships including the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open. Applebaum also represents Golf Canada on numerous committees and advisory councils including the Golf Canada Foundation, National Golf Foundation, the International Golf & Health Initiative, the PGA TOUR’s President’s Cup, the Canadian Olympic Committee and We Are Golf comprising the leadership of the Canadian golf industry.

Special Guest: Laurence Applebaum - CEO, Golf Canada.

Creating a "Lean Startup" Culture At The USGA - Matt Pringle (060)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 12:45:00 -0800

“We’re now up to a team of five and we like to think of ourselves as a scrappy startup within The USGA". This week our host Colin Weston speaks to the USGA's Senior Director of Research, Science & Innovation Matthew Pringle. Beginning in 2016, Matt has lead a new team at the USGA called Research, Science, & Innovation with a mission to "create innovative tools that help golf facilities improve the golf experience and reduce the consumption of key resources".

On this episode Matt and Colin refer to the "Lean Startup" approach to quickly experiment with and validate ideas/products/services. The USGA has embraces Lean Startup's abilitity to "Apply entrepreneurial management to drive innovation in any size organization or sector".

Matt's team also organized the 2017 North American Golf Innovation Symposium in Vancouver, BC and will be stage it again in 2019 in Tokyo.
5th Golf Innovation Symposium March 2019 in Tokyo

About Matt Pringle
Matt joined the USGA in 2000 after completing his doctoral thesis at McMaster University. He was hired to the position of Research Engineer and from 2000 to 2016, held the positions of Sr. Research Engineer, Research Manager, and Technical Director in the Equipment Standards group. Beginning in 2016, Matt has lead a new team at the USGA called Research, Science, & Innovation with a mission to create innovative tools that help golf facilities improve the golf experience and reduce the consumption of key resources. Most recently, his team organized the 2017 North American Golf Innovation Symposium in Vancouver, BC and unveiled the USGA Resource Management tool which enables golf facilities to quantify and conduct what-if scenario analysis on the resources used to maintain their course.

Some of Matt's contributions to the USGA include the invention of the pendulum test for spring effect in drivers, the USGA TruFirm turf firmness measurement system used at all USGA championships as well as many other PGA TOUR and major golf championships. Matt is also the co-inventor of the USGA’s GrooveScan portable groove measurement system and the USGA’s flagstick pace of play tool. He is also the inventor or co-inventor on seven United States patents related to golf.

In 2010 Matt was named to Sports Illustrated’s GOLF's 40 Under 40: The most influential people in golf under 40-years-old.

About The USGA
"The USGA promotes and conserves the true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions. It acts in the best interests of the game for the continued enjoyment of those who love and play it". This is the USGA Mission Statement and these core values are embraced by Matt's Research, Science and Innovation Team. Visit http://www.usga.org/ to learn more about The USGA and www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rsi.html to see the fine work Matt and his RSI team are delivering.

Special Guest: Matthew Pringle - Senior Director of Research, Science & Innovation with The USGA.

PGA Merchandise Show Recap - Part 2

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 12:00:00 -0800

On this episode we continue our recap of the PGA Merchandise Show with more engaging conversations with the innovators, entrepreneurs and community builders who are helping shape the future of golf. Host Colin Weston speaks with Latina Golfers Association Founder Azucena Moldenado, Tagmarshal Co-Founder and CEO Bodo Sieber, Tour Edge VP of Marketing Jon Claffey, Golf Scope Founder Ryan Engles and Perry Reynolds with New Balance Golf.

Latina Golfers Association

Through their participation in the Latina Golfers Association, women are able to break gender and cultural barriers through golf as well as enhance their personal lives. http://latinagolfers.com/

Tagmarshal

Tagmarshal is a golf course intelligence and pace management platform that improves efficiencies and increases revenue through actionable data and intuitive technology. https://tagmarshal.com/

Golf Scope VR putting App

Golf Scope is an iPhone app that uses your phone's camera to understand the topography and speed of a putting green. http://www.golfscope.com/

Tour Edge Golf https://www.touredge.com/

New Balance Golf Shoes

You can watch the video of Colin's conversation with Perry Reynolds from New Balance Golf on our YouTube Channel >>

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

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

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

Special Guests: Azucena Maldonado, Founder of The Latina Golfers Association, Bodo Sieber, Co-Founder and CEO of Tagmarshal, Jon Claffey - Vice President of Marketing for Tour Edge Golf, and Ryan Engle, Founder and CEO of GOLF+.

PGA Merchandise Show Recap - Part 1

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0800

On this episode we bring you golf innovation stories from the 66th annual PGA Merchandise Show that took place January 22-25 2019 in Orlando. The PGA Show is the international golf industry’s annual global gathering that welcomes over 1,000 top golf companies and more than 40,000 industry professionals from around the world to the industry’s “MAJOR of Golf Business”.

The ModGolf Podcast was very active at this year's PGA Show, as our host Colin Weston had two educational series speaking engagements, talking first about "How to make your golf business more entrepreneurial and innovative by unlocking new customer markets", followed by moderating "The Golf Innovators Panel". The ModGolf Podcast was also invited to host a live show from The PGA Show Radio Stage and we've included our interviews Aimee Cho and HYPE Sports Innovation in this episode.

Interviewing HYPE Sports Innovation Partner Ilan Hadar and Global Golf Innovation Competition winner, GolfBoo Founder/CEO Fabio Peral as part of The ModGolf Podcast live at The PGA Show

We spoke with the creators and some of the startups involved with The "Global Golf Innovation Competition", a Shark Tank-like pitch event staged by HYPE Sports Innovation. Over 100 golf startups applied for the ten finalist spots at The PGA Show, where each company had five minutes to pitch in front of a live audience and judging panel comprised of golf industry entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders.

You can find out more about Kinexit and their techology powered AI golf fitness solutions at https://kinexit.com/

CEO Chris Månsson (far right) and the Kinexit team

Colin speaks with TDJ Golf Vice President Dante Reynolds after their participation in The Global Golf Innovation Competition. TDJ Golf has created the technology platform that combines on-course play with fantasy golf to create a "Virtual Pro-Am" that increases the fun factor and awards prizes. Go to the TDJ Golf website to learn more >> http://tdjgolf.com/

HYPE Sports Innovation Partner Ilan Hadar http://www.hypesportsinnovation.com/

Colin and previous guest Aimee Cho, Golf Instruction YouTuber "Golf With Aimee"

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

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

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

Special Guests: Aimee Cho - Golf Instruction YouTube Star on "Golf With Aimee", Chris Månsson - Founder & CEO of Kinexit, Dante Reynolds - Vice President at TDJ Golf, Fabio Peral - Founder & CEO of GOLFBOO, and Ilan Hadar - Partner & CEO at HYPE Sports Innovation.

Creating The Innovation Lab For The Golf Industry - Marc Simon / Reed Exhibitions (057)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 10:15:00 -0800

Marc Simon aspired to be both a meteorologist and a PGA Tour Pro. Turns out his actual "Dream Job" is doing what he does now: running the two biggest and most innovative golf industry shows in the world. As Event Vice President of PGA Golf Exhibitions for Reed Exhibitions, Marc has a clear understanding of the golf industry trends and contributors that are evolving the game he loves.
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This week our host Colin Weston speaks to Marc before the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando to learn what it takes to put on a Business-to-Business conference of this magnitude and what industry insights has he acquired over his 20 years working on it. To learn more about The PGA Merchandise Show, check out their website and this short YouTube video.

About The PGA Merchandise Show
The 66th annual PGA Merchandise Show took place January 22-25 2019 at The Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando FL. Featuring over 1,000 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees from 80 countries The PGA Merchandise Show lives up to its tagline: “The Major of Golf Business.”

New for 2019 was The Global Golf Innovation Competition, staged by HYPE Sports Innovation. This "Shark Tank-style" event featured 10 golf startup finalists who pitched in front a distinguished judges panel comprised of golf industry entrepreneurs, investors and influencers.

HYPE Sports Innovation Partner Ilan Hadar

Main Entry To The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando

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We love and wear the premium, stylish golf accessories that Deuce offers up to take your golf look to the next level. Visit their website and use the Promo Code MODGOLF for 15% off your purchase of hats, gloves, belts, duffle bags and cigar pouches!

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About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the parent company of PGA Golf Exhibitions and a leading B2B events organizer, hosting more than 500 events in 40 countries. They manage two major PGA events, and their portfolio also includes New York Comic Con, ComplexCon and a recently launched show called POPSUGAR Play/Ground. They incorporate many innovations and best practices from those events into our events for PGA.

The first PGA Merchandise Show was in 1954, and they have been at the Orange County Convention Center each consecutive year since 1985. Reed's mission is to "Help companies drive revenue and customer loyalty through exceptional events".

The Exhibitor Floor at The PGA Merchandise Show

Special Guest: Marc Simon - Event Vice President for PGA Golf Exhibitions / RX Reed Exhibitions.

Revealing The Process Behind Creating The New Rules of Golf - Dale Jackson

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0800

"Although they hold together nicely and are really well written, there was a feeling it was time to take a fundamental look at the rules of golf". This episode we are joined by Dale Jackson, who was the Canadian member of The USGA/R&A Joint Rules Committee. Dale shares his insider's insights to reveal the collaborative, crowd-sourced process that over a five year period led to the January 1st 2019 New Rules of Golf.

Dale begins our conversation with a brief golf rules history, all starting with the first written set of rules in 1744 by The Leith Golfing Society, which evolved into what is Muirfield today. If you are - as Dale refers to himself - a "Rules Nerd", check out The Leith Society Website for in-depth discussions around the New Rules of Golf.

If you are like us and are recreational golfers, have a look at the "Player's Edition of The Rules of Golf" that provides a condensed, easy to read version of the new rules >> https://www.randa.org/en/rog/2019/pages/players-edition

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

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

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

The 20 Most Important Changes to The Rules of Golf 2019

Colin joked to Dale how he was happy to see the "double hit" penalty has been reduced from two shots to one, as he double hits a chip around once every five rounds. Dale recounted the sad story of TC (Two Chip) Chen, whose double hit during the 1985 US Open saw his 4 stroke lead and his chance to win disappear in one disastrous hole. Watch the YouTube video to witness the carnage. >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76QRludSXgo

Check out the USGA website for their written and visual explanation for Golf's New Rules.

The New Rules of Golf on Social Media
There are hundreds of YouTube videos covering the New Rules of Golf, but if we need to choose one, this effort by EXPERT GOLF is worth your time to watch.

Special Guest: Dale Jackson - Past Joint Rules Committee Member to rewrite of the New Rules of Golf 2019.

The Emergence of The Golf Industry "Mompreneur" - Gia Bocra Liwski / Golf Experiences for Her (055)

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 10:30:00 -0800

“Being a mom in the golf space has definitely been my biggest challenge and it’s really hard. I wanted to keep my career going but the golf job of being on the lession tee 8-10 hours a day, six days a week doesn’t work in my world. So that’s where the AHA moment for creating Golf Experiences For Her came from. It came out of this desire to keep my career going, combining my love of teaching and those other passions I wanted to incorporate, all while being a really great mom and putting my family first" - Gia Bocra Liwski, Founder of Golf Experiences For Her

On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, we hear Gia's inspiring story as she combines her golf instruction, broadcast journalism, event hosting and hospitality experiences to create a livestyle business that addresses the pain points and barriers most new women golfers face. Gia is one of a growing legion of "Mompreneurs": female entrepreneurs who simultaneously juggle the demands of building a business from the ground up while raising a young family.

With over 20 years industry experience, and having been recognized as one of America’s Top 40 Under 40 instructors, and most recently a Golf Digest Best of State Instructor, Gia brings a very personalized and special approach to Golf Experiences for Her.

Golf Experiences For Her are customizable, golf and lifestyle centered events providing female executives, clients, and members with an enjoyable opportunity to advance their golf game, while simultaneously incorporating sophisticated off-the-course group experiences – all in an empowering, first-class environment. We recommend going to Gia's website to learn more about Golf Experiences For Her >> https://www.golfexperiencesforher.com/

Are you a woman with an entrepreneurial idea but are overwhelmed and intimidated by where to start? There are plenty of great resources for pre-startup women-lead businesses, and SheEO is a great place to connect for support, tools and inspiration. Click here to learn more.

Special Guest: Gia Bocra Liwski - Founder of Golf Experiences for Her.

Shots In The Night at Indian Wells Golf Resort - Steve Rosen / Troon Golf (054)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 00:15:00 -0800

"I often get frustrated going to the different conferences, talking to people about what’s wrong with golf and how to grow the game. The problem is they start thinking like golfers and can’t get out of their own way."

Rather than just talk about the problem of how to deliver a more engaging golf experience that appeals to a wider audience, Steve Rosen - who is the General Manager of Indian Wells Golf Resort - did something about it. And that something is the immersive, multi-sensory experience they call "Shots In The Night".

What is Shots In The Night?
Indian Wells Golf Resort - a 36 hole golf property with a 53,000 sq. ft. clubhouse - is owned by the City of Indian Wells and operated by Troon Golf. Troon realized that to create additional value they had to become more entrepreneurial and deliver a different golf experience that would appeal to a different customer. After Steve Rosen met Nextlinks founder Dave Shultz in 2016, he realized they had found their technology partner that could deliver an unexpected, compelling, gamified and fun golf experience that first time golfers right up to professional level players would love.

Lights, music, laser projections, lit targets, glow in the dark golf balls, food trucks and drinks overlayed on both the existing putting green and 12 hitting bay driving range are the mix of ingredients that successfully create Shots In The Night.

You can listen to our engaging episode with Nextlinks Founder Dave Shultz to learn about their technology solutions that transform the golf entertainment experience by clicking here.

Images from Shots In The Night

Special Guest: Steven Rosen - General Manager, Indian Wells Golf Resort / Troon Golf.

How Virtual Reality Will Influence The Future of Golf - Dogu Taskiran / Stanbol Studios (053)

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 18:00:00 -0800

On this episode Colin sits down with Dogu Taskiran, CEO of Stambol Studios for a fascinating conversation that tapped into his expertise in military simulator design, sport-themed video games and immersive virtual reality environments. You’ll hear us exploring how the world of Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality and Augmented Reality will impact and influence the future of golf entertainment experiences, audience engagement and game performance improvement.

Dogu's professional design experience across multiple industries allows him to reference validators outide golf to see the trends and patterns that are emerging to influence the future of the game. Here are some of our favourite quotes and insights from this episode:

“From a venue perspective, a location-based entertainment standpoint, I think golf experiences are moving in a direction that falls in the lines of the movie Ready Player One. There will be worlds over worlds, overlaid on top of the real world that we are experiencing and enhancing and golf is no exception”.
“Virtual Reality in its core is not just about simulation, but to gather data to improve the overall experience as all of your body movements are being tracked".
"Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning quantifies the percentage of what we remember after two weeks based on how we experience the information. Virtual Reality creates the learning conditions that allow you retain 90% of the your experience because you are actively participating rather than passively observing".
“Virtual Reality can trigger people’s imagination and trigger intense emotions, creating a bond between the experience and yourself”.
“Volumetric Movies will be in our future, where you can engage in a first person experience and become a character within a movie, creating a real sense of empathy for the character by literally putting yourself in their shoes. Rather than watching Neo in The Matrix, you become Neo in The Matrix”.
We also discuss the impact the burgeoning eSports industry will have on all traditional sports, including golf. Dogu shares how live streaming video platforms such as Twitch and global eSport tournaments staged by Red Bull Battle Grounds are attacting millions of concurrent users.

You can learn more about how Stambol Studios is "Creating Magical Worlds in New Realities" on thier website.

Special Guest: Dogu Taskiran - CEO of Stambol Studios.

Building Elegantly Simple Solutions to Solve Complex Problems - Mike Zisman / CEO of Golf Genius (052)

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 17:00:00 -0800

Mike Zisman founded Golf Genius after a long career in information technology, starting with the creation of Soft-Switch in 1979, which was one of the very first companies to participate in the electronic mail industry. On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast we learn how Mike combines his love of golf with his passion for IT to help revolutionize the golf industry.

The number of entrepreneurial insights Mike crammed into this episode is truly phenomenal. Here's our Top 10 list of what we're calling "Mike's Nuggets of Wisdom":

“There’s a difference between building software and building software products. Software products rely on customer self-sufficiency if they want to scale and make money”.
“What I love about the cloud is the elasticity, the scalability".
“You have to listen very carefully to your customer because they usually have excellent ideas”.
“When you look in the code and there is ‘if the customer equals ‘x’ do this, that is the death of you. You end up with this mish mash of spaghetti code”.
“Great leaders always simplify” (actually a General Colin Powell quote!)
“We are constantly working on the user experience by reducing complexity”.
“Elegance is a simple solution to a complex problem. Not a complex solution to a complex problem.”
“You will never be as smart as all your customers put together”.
“We’re totally virtual, we live on Zoom and Skype for collaboration and sit on top of all these other software products. If we had to do this all this stuff alone it wouldn’t be very productive. Today you don’t have to do any of that. You can focus 100% of your energy on the business problem you are trying to solve.”
“Someone will always come up your tailpipe” referencing Clayton Christiansen’s The Innovators Dilemma of how competitors solve a simpler problem for a smaller market that you’re not interested in.

Michael referenced The Trough of Disillusionment" as one of five stages on Gartner Group's "Hype Cycle", which is a graphical representation of the stages a technology goes through from conception to maturity and widespread adoption. You can find out more about the technology Hype Cycle here.

To learn more about Golf Genius, check our their website and YouTube Channel.

Special Guest: Mike Zisman - CEO, Golf Genius Software.

Embracing Technology and Diversity to Create a Bright Future For Golf - Jared Williams

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 11:00:00 -0800

As golf course owners and managers started to transition their operations over to digital and online platforms, they signed deals with technology providers that negatively impacted their revenues and their ability to control tee time pricing. Needing to overcome the similar issues facing the hotel industry years earlier regarding online reservations, the National Golf Course Owners of America (NGCOA) and The PGA of America recognized the need to create an organization that looked after the best interests of both sides of the marketplace.

A primary purpose of the NGCOA is to support a more competitive and balanced marketplace in public golf that is both supportive of the golf course owner, operator, PGA professional and the golf consumer. They accomplish this by promoting adoption of online tee time guidelines and best practices among technology companies, online agents, marketers, golf course operators, general consumers, and the media.

Want to learn more about Jared and The NGCOA? Check out their website.

Special Guest: Jared Williams - Managing Director of the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition.

Sharing Stories From Her Entrepreneurial Journey - Joanne Cloak / Founder and CEO of JoFit (050)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 10:00:00 -0700

"Who the f••k are you and how'd you get in here?" No one told her entrepreneurship would be easy, and this response from a fabric buyer that JoFit Founder Joanne Cloak was looking for advice from proved this point. But rather than let this greeting deter her, Joanne turned the conversation around and used it as the launchpad for her incredible startup journey.

For our opening episode of Season 5, Colin speaks with Joanne about her transformation from high school gym teacher to one of The LPGA Women's Network "22 Disruptive Women who are Spearheading a Revolution in Golf".

Combining a love for golf with insights gained during her modelling career, Joanne set her ambition on creating fashionable, athletic women's golf wear that actually fits properly. Joanne's mix of audaciousness, empathy, passion and tenacity are the character traits that have led to the success of JoFit as a distinctvie golf apparel brand.

After meeting Joanne at The PGA 2018 Fashion & Demo Experience in Las Vegas for a brief yet engaging interview as part of our final episode of Season 4, many of you listeners asked to hear the extended version of the JoFit story. We happily accepted the request, as Joanne is one of the most fun and straightforward guests we've had on The ModGolf Podcast.

Joanne at The PGA 2018 Fashion & Demo Experience JoFit booth

You can find out more about JoFit and Joanne on their website.

One of the themes on this episode was the representation and funding gaps that female founders still face. This Boston Consulting Group article titled "Why Women-Owned Startups Are a Better Bet" explains the situation and the opportunity.

Special Guest: Joanne Cloak - CEO and Founder, JoFit.

BONUS Episode: Season 4 Wrap Up / Season 5 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 15:00:00 -0700

Well, that's a wrap for Season 4 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our passionate team of content creators are feverishly working on your next twelve episodes for Season 5, which launches on October 31. We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how technology, entertainment experiences, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building intersect to shape the future of golf.

We are very proud to state that we met our personal goal to have women on as at least half of our Season Four episode. We managed to achieve this goal just as our friends at WE ARE GOLF and The LPGA Women's Network announced their #inviteHER campaign to introduce new women to the game of golf. We will continue to tell golf startup and innovation stories from a women's perspective as the golf industry starts to unlock the underserved female market segment and the massive business potential it holds.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 4 episodes, this bonus show gives you a recap of the great conversations I had over the past three months with some of the golf industry's top influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Hopefullly this will inspire you to listen to a couple of the episodes listed below

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

Our Season 4 guests were:

Episode 1
National Golf Day 2018
Letting Washington Know About Golf's $84 Billion Annual Economic Impact

Episode 2
Gianna Rojas / Founder, Adaptive Golfers
Giving The Gift of Golf: Passionately Advocating For Golfers of All Abilities

Episode 3
Engage. Empower. Support. - Stories from Women's Golf Day 2018
Covering Women's Golf Day from Fraserview GC in Vancouver BC Canada

Episode 4
Jennifer Poth / Operation Military Support Golf
Reviving The Golf Courses That Revitalize Our Heroes

Episode 5
Jay Karen / CEO of The National Golf Course Owners Association
Innovating and Advocating For A Vibrant Golf Industry

Episode 6
Aimee Cho
"Golf With Aimee" YouTube Golf Instructor and Social Media Influencer

Episode 7
RISE WITH US.
Stories From The Special Olympics USA Games Golf Event

Episode 8
Rhett Evans
CEO of The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Episode 9
Michael Breed
Embracing Resilience and Gratitude to Shape His Approach to Golf and Life

Episode 10
KINONA
Shaping An Innovative Approach For Women’s Golf Apparel

Episode 11
Donna Hoffman / Founder and President, Women on Course

Episode 12
Innovation Stories From The Las Vegas PGA Fashion & Demo Experience

Special Guests: Aimee Cho - Golf Instruction YouTube Star on "Golf With Aimee", Clint Sanchez - Executive Director, The First Tee of Greater Washington, DC, Dianne Celuch - Co-Founder and CEO of KINONA women's golf apparel, Donna Hoffman - Founder and President, Women On Course, Elisa Gaudet - Founder of Women's Golf Day, Gianna Rojas, aka: The "One Handed Lady Golfer" - Founder of Adaptive Golfers, Jay Karen - CEO, The National Golf Course Owners Association, Jennifer Poth - Founder and CEO, Operation Support Military Golf, Joanne Cloak - CEO and Founder, JoFit, Lewis Myers - Commissioner of The Congressional Golf Association, Megan Coburn - Founder & CEO, ParTee Golf, Michael Breed - Host of "A New Breed of Golf" on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Rich Katz - Katz Strategy, Steve Jubb, PGA - CEO/Executive Director of The National Alliance for Accessible Golf, Steve Mona - CEO of The World Golf Foundation, Tami Fujii - Co-Founder of KINONA women's golf apparel, and Tom Monaghan - President, Monaghan Golf Group.

Innovation Stories From The Las Vegas PGA Fashion & Demo Experience (049)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:15:00 -0700

For our final episode of Season 4, Colin traveled to Las Vegas for The PGA 2018 Fashion & Demo Experience held at The Venetian Hotel, where he finds the best entrepreneurial and innovation stories on the show floor.

Although smaller in size than the January PGA Show in Orlando, this vibrant event coincides with Las Vegas International Fashion Week and is a trade-only event where PGA and Golf Industry Professionals come together in a relaxed and intimate setting. They preview the latest apparel, accessories, equipment, training aids and technology, while participating in a comprehensive education program taught by world-class industry experts.

Episode Highlights

Megan Coburn, CEO of ParTee Golf

Kevin and Jeff from RANGE BALL Golf Apparel

EeZee Golf Co-Founder and President Steve Fluke

JoFit CEO and Founder Joanne Cloak

Adaptive Golfers ambassador and MS fighter Brett Lang

Jeff and Todd from Dormie Workshop

Chris Esteves, President of P2 Golf Products

Alex DePallo, Brand Marketing Manager for Callaway Apparel

During the live fashion show

After the live fashion show

Mizzen+Main Phil Mickelson dance ad

Special Guests: Joanne Cloak - CEO and Founder, JoFit and Megan Coburn - Founder & CEO, ParTee Golf.

Creating Unique Moments For New Golfers - Donna Hoffman / Women on Course (048)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 11:30:00 -0700

This week host Colin Weston speaks with Women on Course Founder and President Donna Hoffman. Donna shares her entrepreneurial journey of building two successful businesses in different industry spaces, along with insights gained that help new entrepreneurs learn the steps and strategies necessary for their golf startup to thrive.

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

Donna was recently named by the LPGA as a 'Disrupter' and one of 22 women Spearheading a Revolution in Golf.

You can learn more about Women on Course, their previous and upcoming golf travel getaways, sign up as a member and find an upcoming local women's golf event near you on their website.

You can find Women On Course on social media here:
Twitter and Instagram: @women_oc
Facebook: Women On Course
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4106240/profile

Special Guest: Donna Hoffman - Founder and President, Women On Course.

Shaping An Innovative Approach For Women’s Golf Apparel - KINONA (047)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 15:45:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with KINONA Co-Founders Tami Fujii and Dianne Celuch to learn how they combined their career experience in the aparrel industy, enduring friendship and love for the game to reimagine golf clothing for women.

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

You can learn more about KINONA, their Champions program and have a look at their spring/summer collection on their website.

You can find KINONA on Instagram to see how they are building community online around their hashtag #MyKinonaStyle, as fans and influencers share their outfits and stories. @_kinona

Special Guests: Dianne Celuch - Co-Founder and CEO of KINONA women's golf apparel and Tami Fujii - Co-Founder of KINONA women's golf apparel.

Michael Breed - Embracing Resilience and Gratitude to Shape His Approach to Golf and Life (046)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 12:45:00 -0700

Host Colin Weston speaks with Michael Breed, star of SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio's "A New Breed of Golf", along with being Golf Digest’s Chief Digital Instructor. Michael tirelessly tours the continent as an inspirational golf instruction keynote speaker and is an entrepreneur and innovator in the truest sense of those words.

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

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

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

You can learn more about Michael on his bio page.

Michael’s story of transforming personal hurdles like Dyslexia and sport injuries into the superpowers that define him is truly inspirational. His genuine desire to embrace his shortcomings while demonstrating gratitude, patience, resilience and curiosity has helped pave the path for his entrepreneurial journey.

As promised, here are the links to the work from two of Michael's inspirational mentors and heroes: John Maxwell and Nick Vujicic.

John Maxwell's book “Thinking For A Change”

Nick Vujicic's YouTube video: "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries"

Special Guest: Michael Breed - Host of "A New Breed of Golf" on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.

Building a Culture That Gives Back - Rhett Evans / The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (045)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with Rhett Evans, CEO of The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America or GCSAA. Rhett pulls from his personal and professional experience, providing insights and inspiration on how building a culture of benevolence, empathy and giving back fuels their ability to help innovate the golf industry.

This week's episode is brought to you by FAIRWAYiQ

Turning Golf Courses into Smart Courses
FAIRWAYiQ is a technology solution connecting golf professionals to their customers and superintendents to their equipment and labor resourses. Learn more at www.FAIRWAYiQ.com.

Episode Highlights
• Rhett shares his personal and professional background, along with his first connection with golf.
• The history and mandate of The GCSAA and how they support innovation throughout the golf industry.
• Rhett and The GCSAA's connection to WE ARE GOLF.
• The philanthropic side of The GCSAA's culture of “giving back” through volunteering and community building at National Golf Day.
• GCSAA innovative initiatives to help grow the game and the golf industry, including their Best Management Practices program.
• Environmental advocacy and stewardship through innovation thought leadership and sustainability practices.

Our favorite Rhett quotes...
“We are founded on a culture of benevolence, giving back and helping one another” 11:29
"We need to form strategic partnerships in order to develop innovative ideas and achieve entrepreneurial success" 13:25
“We are much stronger when we come together and have a unified voice, which is the premise behind establishing the WE ARE GOLF coilition” 13:38
“In any business, to be able to form those alliances and add strength to your portfolio were you may not have them really bodes well for creating a recipe for success” 14:20

The GCSAA is the top professional association of golf course superintendents. Thier mission is to serve members, advance the profession and grow the game.

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America is the professional association for the men and women who manage and maintain the game’s most valuable resource — the golf course. The golf industry recognizes the association as a key contributor in elevating the game and business.

To learn more about The GCSAA, visit their website at https://www.gcsaa.org/

Special Guest: Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

RISE WITH US. Stories From The Special Olympics USA Games Golf Event (044)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 23:30:00 -0700

Colin travels to Seattle WA for The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Golf event held at The Willows Run Golf Courses, where he speaks to the athletes, parents, volunteers and coaches to experience the pure, unfiltered energy and joy that is felt with every single swing of the club.

"The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games showcased the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities, promoted the ideals of acceptance and inclusion through sport, and celebrated the transformative power of Special Olympics". - Beth Knox, President and CEO, 2018 Special Olympics USA Games

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

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

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

Episode Highlights

Colin Interviewing North Carolina Special Olympics Athlete Andro Keck

Rhode Island Level 1 Competitor Keith Wilcox Jr. and His Parents

Event Organizer Alana Brahler Spent Hours Each Day Handwriting Scores

Level 1 Competitor Tony Beauchaine From North Carolina

KPMG caddie volunteers Chris Broda and Thomas Bergamasco

Hole In One! Kentucky Level 3 Players Dennis Gaines and John Mullins

Level 4 Athlete Andro Keck and His Coach Vince Powierski

Special Guest: Steve Jubb, PGA - CEO/Executive Director of The National Alliance for Accessible Golf.

Creating Engaging Content That Attracts A Diverse Golf Audience - Aimee Cho / YouTube Golf Instructor and Social Media Influencer

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 22:00:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with Aimee Cho, star of the golf instruction YouTube Channel "Golf With Aimee".

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

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

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

Episode Highlights
• Aimee shares her early days in golf, including the first time she picked up a club with her dad growing up in Orlando and her college playing days at The University of Florida.
• Aimee's "AHA" moment which led to giving her the courage to launch the "Golf With Aimee" YouTube Channel.
• Aimee shares her thoughts on the future of golf, especially the women's game and her place in it.

Aimee and Colin meeting at The 2018 PGA Show Demo Day in Orlando

Special Guest: Aimee Cho - Golf Instruction YouTube Star on "Golf With Aimee".

Innovating and Advocating For A Vibrant Golf Industry - Jay Karen / The National Golf Course Owners Association

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 21:30:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with The National Golf Course Owners Association CEO Jay Karen, whose Non-Profit Organization is dedicated to innovatively growing the business for the golf course owners they represent.

Episode Highlights
• Jay shares his early love affair with golf, along with the purpose and mandate of The NGCOA.
• We learn the history of The NGCOA and how the organization has organically evolved over time.
• The NGCOA's involvement in the creation of Golf 20/20, WE ARE GOLF and National Golf Day, along with help removing golf from the federal government's "Sin List".
• The value of National Golf Day to help educate legislators on the importance of golf as a $84 billion / year industry.
• NGCOA's mandate to plan and stage events such as The Golf Business Golf Tech Con in Las Vegas and The Golf Industry Show.
• How The NGCOA reconciles the complexity of pursuing environmental sustainabilitiy practices with a sound golf operation business model.
• How enabling data-collecting technology helps golf course operators make better maintanence decisions.
• Jay shares how The NGCOA supports adaptive golf to enable more people with disabilities access and enjoy the game.
• Jay's look into the golf crystal ball to tell us what he thinks the game will look like twenty years from now.

Jay Karen and World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona at The 2018 National Golf Day press conference

Special Guest: Jay Karen - CEO, The National Golf Course Owners Association.

Reviving The Golf Courses That Revitalize Our Heroes - Jennifer Poth / Operation Military Support Golf (041)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:15:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with Operation Support Military Golf Founder and CEO Jennifer Poth, whose Non-Profit Organization is dedicated to "Reviving the Golf Courses that Revitalize Our Heroes". Jennifer shares her entrepreneurial and personal golf journey, along with her deep connection to the US Military through her father's service as a Vietnam War Veteren.

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

About This Episode

Operation Support Military Golf (OSMG) – the non-profit organization which exists to enhance service members’ morale, welfare, and recreation by improving golf courses and associated facilities at 145 base facilities worldwide – invites those who value all that current and former U.S. service members give their country, to back their appreciation with a donation during Military Appreciation Month (May).

As a groundbreaking, global, military supportive, 501(c)(3) non-profit, OSMG’s goal is to provide a $1 million infusion to each military golf facility. Helping increase accessibility for our wounded and aging veterans, reducing golf facilities maintenance costs through modernized equipment, and increasing overall visual enjoyment are just some of the specific benefits from the upgrades.

Click HERE to learn more about and how to donate to OSMG.

Special Guest: Jennifer Poth - Founder and CEO, Operation Support Military Golf.

Engage. Empower. Support. - Stories from Women's Golf Day 2018 (040)

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 10:00:00 -0700

On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast we bring you stories from one of the over 900 host locations for the 3rd annual Women’s Golf Day that was held globally on June 5th. Colin attended a Women’s Golf Day event at Fraserview Golf Course in Vancouver to hear from women of all ages and playing abilities to learn what this event means to them.

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

Episode Highlights
We get the Women's Golf Day 'big picture' as Colin speaks with Founder Elisa Gaudet while attending National Golf Day in Washington D.C. Elisa discusses her motivation for creating Women's Golf Day and the sense of purpose that it has created. She also talks about the power of partnerships with likeminded groups like Pinehurst and Evian Resort that provide the resources, connectivity and credibility that has allowed WGD to quickly scale around the world.

At the Women's Golf Day event at Fraserview GC in Vancouver, Colin speaks with event organizer Joan Probert and Head Teaching Professional Tom Monaghan to learn about their previous WGD hosting experience and what they have planned for the 60 women that evening.

Colin then reveals the fun, engaging stories from the women participating at the Vancouver WGD event, both during the two hour skills clinic and post-golf social time.

Like what your heard and want to hear a bit more? You can find our previous engaging conversation with Elisa Gaudet on our Season 1 Episode HERE

You can learn more about Women's Golf Day by visiting their webite.

Special Guests: Elisa Gaudet - Founder of Women's Golf Day and Tom Monaghan - President, Monaghan Golf Group.

Passionately Advocating For Golfers of All Abilities - Gianna Rojas / Adaptive Golfers (039)

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 15:30:00 -0700

On this week's episode, host Colin Weston speaks with Adaptive Golfers Founder Gianna Rojas, whose mission is to "Bring The Game of Golf To All Different Abilities". Gianna shares her entrepreneurial and personal journey through her work with The March of Dimes and defined by her discovery and love of golf, which ultimately lead to the creation of her non-profit organization.

Click to claim your exclusive ModGolf Podcast listener offer of $50 off a GOLFTEC Swing Evaluation and/or TECFIT Club Fitting ($125 value)

About This Episode
• Gianna starts her story at birth, when she was born without fingers on her left hand. She shares the pain of childhood isolation and bullying due to her physical challenge, which eventually became a source of strength once she became The March of Dimes poster child.

• We learn how the support of her husband, friends and a meeting with Arnold Palmer gave Gianna the confidence to embace her calling to create Adaptive Golfers.

• Gianna shares the touching story of David Finn, a wheelchair-bound golf nut who gets the chance to take - and make - a putt for the very first time. You can watch the video of David draining that putt here.

You can learn more about the impactful work Gianna is doing with Adaptive Golfers here along with the opportunity to donate to this life-changing initiative.

Special Guest: Gianna Rojas, aka: The "One Handed Lady Golfer" - Founder of Adaptive Golfers.

Sponsored By:

GOLFTEC Season 4 Title Sponsor: GOLFTEC, our Season 4 Title Sponsor has generously offered our ModGolf Podcast listeners a $50 credit!

Letting Washington Know About Golf's $84 Billion Annual Economic Impact - National Golf Day (038)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 29 May 2018 15:30:00 -0700

The pinnacle event of the year for WE ARE GOLF is National Golf Day. It was held on April 24-25, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Overview
A coalition of the game’s leading associations and industry partners hosted its 11th annual National Golf Day on April 24-25, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

National Golf Day celebrates the game’s nearly $84.1 billion economy, nearly $4 billion annual charitable impact and many environmental and fitness benefits. More than 300 industry leaders met with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and federal agencies across 230 meetings on April 25 to discuss golf’s 15,000-plus diverse businesses, two million jobs impacted, tax revenue creation and tourism value.

"With one in 75 U.S. jobs impacted by golf, the industry plays a significant role in stimulating our economy nationwide,” says Steve Mona, CEO of World Golf Foundation, administrator of WE ARE GOLF. “Last year, a record 2.5 million people tried golf for the first time, further cementing why it is vital to share golf’s interests with our country’s lawmakers, showcasing the game’s many economic, charitable and fitness benefits.”

2018 Recap
Golf industry leaders arrived Monday, April 23 to participate in the second annual Community Service Project on the National Mall the morning of Tuesday, April 24. The project featured 175 participants across 18 projects focused on beautification, preservation and helping the National Park Service with turf deferred maintenance.

Following the Community Service Project driven by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, WE ARE GOLF Board Members, media and other special guests headed to the National Press Club for a special release of the U.S. Golf Economy report, which reported a total economic impact of $84.1 billion for the industry and a 22% increase since the previous report five years ago.

(L to R: Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association and WE ARE GOLF Chairman; Steve Mona, CEO of World Golf Foundation)

On Wednesday, April 25, golf industry leaders participated in a record-high 230 meetings with Members of Congress representing 40 states to discuss the game's economic, social and environmental contributions to society.

Conversations with Senate, House of Representatives, Executive Branch and federal agencies’ directors coincided with Tuesday’s release of the new U.S. Golf Economy Report. It shows $84.1 billion in activity was directly driven by golf in 2016, a 22% rise from $68.8 billion in the 2011 report. The industry supported $191.9 billion in total annual activity, including 1.89 million jobs and $58.7 billion in wages and benefits. Demonstrating golfers’ and businesses’ commitments to charity, $3.94 billion was raised in 2016 through tournaments and other golf activities.

Golf social media influencer and WE ARE GOLF ambassador Paige Spiranac being interviewed during National Golf Day

Special Guests: Clint Sanchez - Executive Director, The First Tee of Greater Washington, DC, Delphine Tseng - Founder and President, Landseer Communications & Consulting, Elisa Gaudet - Founder of Women's Golf Day, Jennifer Poth - Founder and CEO, Operation Support Military Golf, Lewis Myers - Commissioner of The Congressional Golf Association, Michael Breed - Host of "A New Breed of Golf" on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, Rich Katz - Katz Strategy, Steve Jubb, PGA - CEO/Executive Director of The National Alliance for Accessible Golf, and Steve Mona - CEO of The World Golf Foundation.

Sponsored By:

GOLFTEC Season 4 Title Sponsor: GOLFTEC, our Season 4 Title Sponsor has generously offered our ModGolf Podcast listeners a $50 credit!

BONUS Episode: Season 3 Wrap Up / Season 4 Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 15 May 2018 17:30:00 -0700

We finished up Season 3 a couple of weeks ago and our team is working hard developing the next twelve episodes for Season 4, which launches on May 29. Looking back at Season 3, we consider this engaging batch of episodes to be the turning point for The ModGolf Podcast.

We heard some amazing stories from a diverse group of guests who discussed how technology, entertainment experiences, music, celebrity, hospitality and community building combine and intersect to shape the future of golf.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our 12 Season 3 episodes, here’s a recap of the great conversations I had over the past three months.

Our Season 3 guests were:

Episode 1
Sal Syed / Arccos Golf CEO and Co-Founder
Harnessing Big Data, Machine Learning and AI to Create a Paradigm Shift in Golf Game Improvement

Episode 2
Dean Reinmuth / The "Dean of Golf"
Stories From Four Decades Passionately Dedicated To Golf Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Episode 3
Dr. Michael Cooper / Chairman of the GOLF 20/20 Diversity Task Force
Transforming The Golf Industry to Align With a Changing World

Episode 4
Pete Charleston / GolfLogix Co-Founder and President
Empowering All Golfers To Read Greens Like A Pro

Episode 5
Sandy Cross, Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion for The PGA of America
"You're Invited!" Growing Golf With the Power of Diversity and Inclusion

Episode 6
Alex Myers / Golf Digest Senior Writer and Host of The Grind
Expanding Golf's Fanbase by Not Taking The Game So Seriously

Episode 7
Pascal Stolz / CEO of eGull Pay
Creating the Uber of The Golf Industry

Episode 8
YuChiang Cheng / President, Topgolf Media
Telling Impactful Stories That Build Community Beyond Golf

Episode 9
Tajma Brown and Rechel Mabee, PGA WORKS and PGA REACH
Attracting and Nurturing Diverse Talent To Ensure a Strong Future For The Golf Industry

Episode 10
Dave Cavossa / Founder & CEO of CaddieNow
Harnessing Technology to Transform One of Golf's Great Traditions

Episode 11
Dr. Christopher Cain / Director, PGA Golf Management University Program at UNLV
Creating A Golf Education Culture That Is Different, Daring and Diverse

Episode 12
Dennis Riedel / Co-Founder of Chef's Cut Real Jerky
Transforming a Golf Course Friendship Into A Deliciously Innovative Business Model

Special Guests: Alex Myers - Golf Digest Senior Writer and host of The Grind, Dave Cavossa - Founder and CEO of CaddieNow, Dean Reinmuth - The Dean of Golf / Swing Coach, Dennis Riedel - Co-Founder of Chef's Cut Real Jerky, Dr. Christopher Cain, Ph.D., PGA, CHE, Director, PGA Golf Management University Program at UNLV, Dr. Michael Cooper - Chairman of the GOLF 20/20 Diversity Task Force, Pascal Stolz - CEO of eGull Inc., Pete Charleston - GolfLogix Co-Founder and President, Rachel Melendez Mabee - PGA WORKS Program Specialist with The PGA of America, Sal Syed: Co-Founder and CEO, Arccos Golf, Sandy Cross - Chief People Officer at The PGA of America, Tajma Brown - PGA WORKS Fellowship Intern, and YuChiang Cheng - President, Topgolf Media.

Transforming a Golf Course Friendship Into A Deliciously Innovative Business Model - Dennis Riedel / Chef's Cut Real Jerky

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 23:00:00 -0700

Today’s guest is Dennis Riedel, Co-Founder of Chef's Cut Real Jerky. Our conversation is all about innovation in the food space and it's connectivity to the golfer's experience. Host Colin Weston learns how a couple of golf buddies combine their culinary and entrepreneurial talents to create a high protein, preservative-free snack line that rethinks what you eat at the turn.

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

In this episode we learn:

• The value of having a co-founder with opposing skill sets, but with an aligned passion for the sustainable culture and vision of the company.

• That without meticulous execution, attention to detail and an unrelenting focus on quality. the most innovative company will not thrive and scale.

• The challenges faced and the difficult choices to be made by all successful startups as they quickly grow, whether they're in the tech sector or the food industry.

Blair, Colin and Dennis at the Chef's Cut Real Jerky booth - 2018 PGA Show

To learn more about Chef's Cut Real Jerky...

Want to try some Chef's Cut Real Jerky? Go to their website and subscribe to save 15% on your orders.

Follow CCRJ on Instagram Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and special offers.

Click here to watch The Chef's Cut Real Jerky Story.

______________________________________________

Special Guest: Dennis Riedel - Co-Founder of Chef's Cut Real Jerky.

Creating A Golf Education Culture That Is Different, Daring and Diverse - Dr. Christopher Cain / PGA Golf Management University Program at UNLV (036)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 23:00:00 -0700

Striving for excellence and the pursuit of unending improvement is what drives Dr. Christopher Cain as Director of The PGA Golf Management University Program at UNLV. Their program is cultivating the next generation of industry leaders by connecting students to community building opportunities that benefit the business of golf.

Episode Highlights:

• How Topgolf and competitors like Drive Shack and Flying Tee have created gamified hospitality experiences that appeal to both golfers and non-golfers to help spearhead what Chris refers to as "Golf's Renaissance".

• Chris and Colin discuss Simon Sinek's TEDx talk "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action" and how golf industry leaders would benefit from aligning their organizational culture with this mindset. You can watch Simon Sinek's YouTube video >> here

• How the UNLV mantra of "Differnt. Daring. Diverse." has helped create an inclusive and purpose-driven culture at The PGA Golf Management University Program.

• Discussing the ways golf looks to innovate and maintain its long term sustainability without disrupting the traditions of the game.

• How The Major Series of Putting in Las Vegas not only levels the competitive playing field between men and women, it also serves as a test lab for the development of "skills-based gaming".

• Chris shares his excitement for the opening of their new Center for PGA Golf Management, named in honor of their golf coach Dwaine Knight.

"People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it"... Simon Sinek

If you or one of your high school age children are interested in learning more about The PGA Golf Management Program at UNLV, have a look at their Facebook page and website

Special Guest: Dr. Christopher Cain, Ph.D., PGA, CHE, Director, PGA Golf Management University Program at UNLV.

Harnessing Technology to Transform One of Golf's Great Traditions - Dave Cavossa / CaddieNow (035)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 22:45:00 -0700

Dave Cavossa could have played it safe. He had a very successful professional career that would have carried him comfortably into retirement. But Dave's unrelenting desire to create something impactful gave him the courage to step outside his comfort zone, act on an opportunity and begin his entrepreneurial journey. This journey led to the creation of CaddieNow, a technology-based "Uber for Caddying" that aligns with a largely untapped, on-demand, young, mobile labour force.

CaddieNow is dedicated to bringing caddies (loopers) back to the game and giving every golfer the option of taking a caddie at every course. CaddieNow enables everyone to "Play Like the Pros," exercise more, and help employ and grow the game with the crucial 14-20 year-old demographic.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

• Dave's love of golf and experience caddying as a young adult that have both informed and inspired the creation of CaddieNow.

• How CaddieNow has created a Blue Ocean Strategy that looks outside the golf industry for a business roadmap that opens up an uncontested market space.

• CaddieNow's ability to build a three-sided marketplace, solving problems and creating opportunities for golf course operators, golfers and on-demand caddies.

• How CaddieNow embraced The Lean Startup Methodology when they launched in 2016 by starting with a "Minimal Viable Product" in the Washington DC golf market. After their first year of using the build/test/measure/learn feedback loop of validated learning, CaddieNow refined and enhanced their product offering before scaling up to over 100 golf courses nationwide in 2017. CaddieNow will more than double the number of golf courses offering their on-demand caddie booking service in 2018, positioning themselves to scale across the 15,000 golf courses in the US.

You can watch The CaddieNow Explainer YouTube video >> here

Special Guest: Dave Cavossa - Founder and CEO of CaddieNow.

PGA WORKS - Attracting Diverse Talent To Ensure a Strong Future For The Golf Industry (034)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:00:00 -0700

Twelve months ago Tajma Brown knew nothing about golf. Now she is poised to dedicate her professional career to the game she has quickly grown to love. Through PGA REACH - which is the charitable foundation of the PGA of America - The PGA WORKS Fellowship proactively recruits and hires recent college graduates from diverse backgrounds like Tajma for one year paid internships.

Under the guidance of Program Specialist Rachel Mabee, the PGA WORKS mission is to establish a deep bench of diverse talent who are prepared to ascend to key employment industries in the game and business of golf. Starting with two Fellows in 2017, PGA WORKS looks to scale up in 2018 to place interns in at least eight of the 41 PGA Sections. Their goal is to eventually have PGA WORKS Fellowship programs in all 41 PGA Sections across the US, acting as a catalyst to start reshaping the $70 billion/year golf industry to look more like America does.

Tajma shares her story as a sports business professional who currently works for the Middle Atlantic PGA of America as their inaugural PGA WORKS Fellow. As a Fellow, she works with the junior golf department coordinating tournaments, assists with communication efforts for the office, but most importantly she engages with the community to inspire and encourage young people from diverse backgrounds to consider golf as both a recreational pursuit and career option.

As Rachel Mabee mentioned in this episode, if you are or know someone like Tajma who is a recent college graduate with a passion for sports, there is still time to apply for the 2018 PGA WORKS Fellow positions. Go to www.pgareach.org to apply now.

Links to topics we discussed in this episode:

The mission of PGA REACH is to positively impact the lives of youth, military, and diverse populations through the game of golf.

PGA WORKS, including a wonderful video showcasing Tajma's journey.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

Special Guests: Rachel Melendez Mabee - PGA WORKS Program Specialist with The PGA of America and Tajma Brown - PGA WORKS Fellowship Intern.

Telling Impactful Stories That Build Community Beyond Golf - YuChiang Cheng / President, Topgolf Media

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 21:00:00 -0700

On this week's episode of The ModGolf Podcast, host Colin Weston sits down with Topgolf Media President YuChiang Cheng to learn how his team is tasked with striking the balance between rapid physical and technological expansion while conveying the consistent message that speaks to the quality, culture and purpose of their brand.

Topgolf now has 41 US venues that served over 13 million customers in 2017...and growing. They are expanding globally, starting with Australia, Mexico, Canada and Dubai, along with bringing to market complimentary products, services and experiences.

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

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.

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

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

Topgolf Media has been entrusted to not only tell the Topgolf story, but to create innovative brand-extending content such as Topgolf Tour, Chef Showdown, The Hook and the In Focus series. Topgolf Media also helps facilitate new market growth with products such as Topgolf Swing Suites, TopTracer, TopTracer Range and Topgolf Crush.

YuChiang shares how his personal entrepreneurial journey of experimentation, curiosity and the occasional failure has shaped his leadership style that encourages staff members to embrace a startup mindset that looks for new opportunities to make things better.

Some of YuChiang's podcast picks (after The ModGolf Podcast, of course):

Freakonomics

Hidden Brain: A Conversation About Life's Unseen Patterns

This American Life

Special Guest: YuChiang Cheng - President, Topgolf Media.

Creating the "Uber of The Golf Industry" - Pascal Stolz / eGull Pay

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 23:00:00 -0700

As we met for the first time at The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, eGull Inc's CEO Pascal Stolz smiles confidently before speaking. His decades of entrepreneurial experience at both TaylorMade and Cobra Golf, combined with his tech startup efforts in Silicone Valley had prepared him for this moment. The moment when eGull Pay was about to step out of the startup shadows and offer the entire golf industry a Blue Ocean Strategy solution that solves one of the game's major pain points: TIME

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Just like Uber and Lyft - where you can see in real time where your ride is - eGull Pay is built on the same principles to optimize existing physical assets and create a more customized experience for the consumer.

Once logged-in and issued a code by the golf course, the eGull Pay App enables GPS tracking and follows the player during their round. eGull Pay overlays the golfer's path over precise geo-coordinates to know how many holes have been played. When leaving the course the golfer is billed only for what they played, with no need to go back to the pro-shop.

eGull Inc CEO Pascal Stolz (left) at The 2018 PGA Merchandise Show

To Learn More About eGull Pay:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/eGullGolf
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIo7-_ZYdQMljlfNyksPTbw
Website: http://www.egull.golf/
Product Review: https://mygolfspy.com/egull-pay/

Special Guest: Pascal Stolz - CEO of eGull Inc..

Expanding Golf's Fanbase by Not Taking The Game So Seriously - Alex Myers / Golf Digest Senior Writer

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 23:45:00 -0700

Alex combines the latest trending golf-centric news from the worlds of entertainment, sports, music, pop culture and viral videos to create his unique take on the game he loves.

Alex Myers is a senior writer for Golf Digest, where he has worked for nine years. Alex plays a wide variety of roles for GolfDigest.com, but most notably, he's the creator of The Grind, a weekly column and video series. Prior to that, he spent four years covering golf and other sports for The Journal News. In his spare time, Alex is an avid golfer with three green jackets from his annual buddies trip. But please, don't ask him if he's ever had a hole-in-one.

On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, Alex speaks with host Colin Weston about:

• His introduction to golf as a kid traveling twice a year to Florida to hang out with his grandfather

• A "week in the life" as a golf and entertainment journalist

• How Golf Digest approved the creation of both The Loop and The Grind and the entrepreneurial approach Alex took when pitching them

• The ability for golf to expand by attracting a new audience through alternative formats and experiences such as GolfBoard, MSOP The Major Series of Putting, The European Tour's Golf Sixes and Topgolf

• How influential pro athletes like Steph Curry and Kelly Slater help raise the cool factor of golf in the eyes of their huge fan base

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

Special Guest: Alex Myers - Golf Digest Senior Writer and host of The Grind.

Why Diversity and Inclusion Matters - Sandy Cross, Chief People Officer at The PGA of America

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 23:00:00 -0800

After 20 years into her career at The PGA of America with roles including player development and women's initiatives, Sandy Cross gathered the insights to realize in order to grow the game, golf needed to embrace all the dimensions of difference beyond gender. Sandy took an entrepreneurial approach to the opportunity, successfully pitching a corporate transformation that embeds diversity and inclusion along all lines of their business.

As Chief People Officer, Sandy tenaciously works to educate, train, promote and implement the need for the $85 billion/year golf industry to change its operating philosophy and the way it conducts business.

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On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, Sandy Cross speaks with host Colin Weston about:

• how The PGA of America is working to build diversity and inclusion into the fabric of the golf industry. Watch Sandy's Golf Channel interview to learn more: http://www.golfchannel.com/video/pga-americas-cross-talks-diversity-inclusion-golf/

• PGA REACH, their charitable foundation with the mission to positively impact the lives of youth, military and diverse populations by enabling access to PGA Professionals, PGA Sections and the game of golf. You can learn more at: https://pgareach.org/

• The PGA WORKS Fellowship, which aspires to be the most valuable entry-level employment opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to garner experience in all facets of the golf industry. You can learn more at: https://pgareach.org/services/pgaworks/

• PGA HOPE, which is the flagship military program of PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. The Hero video, featuring Jack Nicklaus, highlights the positive impact that PGA HOPE has on the lives of our Military Veterans: https://pgareach.org/services/pgahope/

Sandy Cross, The PGA of America and PGA REACH on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandyCross and https://twitter.com/PGAREACH
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PGAcom/ and https://www.facebook.com/PGAREACH/

Special Guest: Sandy Cross - Chief People Officer at The PGA of America.

Empowering All Golfers To Read Greens Like A Pro - Pete Charleston / GolfLogix

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 23:00:00 -0800

A lifetime entrepreneur and sports junkie, Pete Charleston has combined his love for golf with his passion to constantly innovate. Pete shares how their latest Golflogix App feature Putt Breaks now gives every golfer the ability to read greens like a pro, lower their scores and have more fun.

We also learn about the strong company culture of Pete's Scottsdale Arizona based company, along with the volunteer work he does with The Thunderbirds in help make the Waste Management Phoenix Open the charity juggernaut that it has become.

You can learn more about Golflogix and Putt Breaks here:

Website:http://www.golflogix.com/page/putt-breaks/
Twitter: @golflogix
Instagram:@golflogix
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GolfLogix/

You can download the Golflogix App for free for iPhone or Android.

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

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

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

Special Guest: Pete Charleston - GolfLogix Co-Founder and President.

Transforming The Golf Industry to Align With a Changing World - Dr. Michael Cooper / Golf 20/20 Diversity Task Force

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 00:30:00 -0800

Dr. Michael Cooper's love for golf runs deep, inspired during his youth by the support and encouragement of both his father and the small but passionate Chicago African American golf community. Dr. Cooper shares with us how as the Chairman of The Golf 20/20 Diversity Task Force, he aims to create and support meaningful and inclusive change in the $85 billion/yr golf industry.

______________________________________________

• How Golf 20/20 and The World Golf Foundation is working to build diversity and inclusion in the golf. Watch Dr. Cooper's Golf Channel interview to learn more: http://www.golfchannel.com/video/golf-2020-task-force-aims-diversity-throughout-golf-industry/

• His involvement as a Board Member with The National Black Golf Hall of Fame. Learn more about the NBGHF at http://www.nationalblackgolfhalloffame.com/

• Celebrating Black History Month by honoring the contributions of Charlie Sifford, Renee Powell, Calvin Peete and Lee Elder. This African American Golfer’s Digest article covers all four of them nicely: http://www.africanamericangolfersdigest.com/honoring-golfs-legends-during-black-history-month/ and Golf Digest wrote a strong piece on Charlie Sifford and his courageous golf journey: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/charlie-sifford-mcdaniel

• The power of partnering with existing African American Golf Community Builders to fast track the diversity mandate. The African American Golfer’s Digest http://www.africanamericangolfersdigest.com/ is a helping bring all these groups and initiatives together.

• Dr. Cooper's work as Tournament Director of The Advocates Pro Tour, which provides the platform for young African American men to play professional golf on a mini tour and connect with the inner city communities where they play. Learn more about the Advocates Pro Tour at: http://www.protour.advocatesgolf.org/

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

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

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

Special Guest: Dr. Michael Cooper - Chairman of the GOLF 20/20 Diversity Task Force.

Stories From Four Decades Dedicated To Golf Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Dean Reinmuth / The "Dean of Golf"

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 18:00:00 -0800

Dean Reinmuth is one of Golf Digest's Top 50 instructors, but his talents and passion extends way past teaching. On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, Dean shares his entrepreneurial golf journey that started in the 1970's with covering car windshields in The Buick Open parking lot to find customers for their golf instruction experiment. More than forty years later, Dean insatiable curiosity for golf innovation is still intact as he continues to turn over stones to reveal new ideas to test.

Learn more about Swing Coach by watching Dean's explainer video on our YouTube Channel >> https://youtu.be/bYi8bjNeveU
and on the Swing Coach website: https://www.swingcoachclub.com/

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

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

Special Guest: Dean Reinmuth - The Dean of Golf / Swing Coach.

How Big Data, Machine Learning and AI Innovates Golf Game Improvement - Sal Syed / Arccos Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 22:45:00 -0800

The pioneer of Connected Golf, Sal Syed is the CEO and Co-Founder of Arccos - the leading provider of big data, advanced analytics and machine learning insights for the global golf industry.

First launched in late 2014, their patented, GPS-based, hardware and software system has automatically recorded more than 60 million shots taken by golfers playing on courses worldwide.

By seamlessly analyzing each shot in real time, Arccos provides powerful, data-driven insights that help golfers of all skill levels measurably improve their performance by going beyond guesswork.

To learn more, check out our "Arccos Golf demo at The 2018 PGA Show" on The ModGolf Podcast YouTube channel.

Arccos Golf Booth at The 2018 PGA Show

Named after the inverse cosine function – an element of advanced mathematics that is featured in the Arccos algorithm – their business and system have repeatedly been honored by leading media and business organizations.

In this episode host Colin Weston speaks with Sal about his entrepreneurial journey, the creation of Arccos Golf and the passionate culture he has created that inspires their entire team to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset that constantly strives to innovate, experiment with and iterate their game improvement experience.

While Sal was earning his MBA at the Yale University School of Management, he met co-founder Clinton Grusd, who worked to develop the foundation of the business and product concepts, plans and strategies that are used by Arccos.

They realized that golf was lacking a high-performing, comprehensive tool to track and analyze a golfer’s game and improve decision-making on the course. They set out build a solution to crack this pain point that has changed the way we think about and play golf.

To learn more about Arccos Golf, go to their website https://www.arccosgolf.com/ and social media feeds:

The Arccos Golf blog
Twitter: @ArccosGolf
Facebook: @arccosgolf
Youtube: Arccos Golf: Connect to Your Game

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

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

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

Special Guest: Sal Syed: Co-Founder and CEO, Arccos Golf.

"Levelling The Playing Field" - Part 2 of The Major Series of Putting Championships

The ModGolf Podcast — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 14:00:00 -0800

So that’s a wrap for Season Two of The ModGolf Podcast. I want to thank each and everyone of my guests that have shared their unique and diverse stories on our first 25 episodes in 2017. Without you, The ModGolf Podcast wouldn’t exist. But most our all, i want to thank our listeners - our ModGolfers as we’ve grown to call you - for your support and feedback. We are closing in on 5,000 downloads and we are grateful for the positive response we’ve received since launching back in May. If you have any ideas for future episodes or a guest you’d like me to interview, DM us on Instagram @modgolfpodcast to share your thoughts.

We’re now going to take a couple of weeks off to develop Season Three, which we’ll startup up in late January. We already have some great guests with engaging stories lined up, along with the plan to finding the newest and brightest golf innovations while we attend the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.

Speaking of the PGA Show, I’ll be there moderating “The Golf Disruptors Panel” on January 24, where I sit down with five of my previous episode guests to discuss their entrepreneurial journey. If you plan on being at The PGA Show, please join us if you want to hear some inspirational stories and learn how you can transform your business approach to become more innovative and entrepreneurial.

We just launched our ModGolf Podcast YouTube channel, where we posted videos from the MSOP Championships, including a Stadium Tour and a Skills Based Gaming Putting Demonstration. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA63EnBgsW86r1jTtyHyo9w/videos

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

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

Special Guests: Dave Grant - Burke Putters and Guillaume Béland - Président & General Manager at MSOP / Lune Rouge.

#PuttForDough - Part 1 of The Major Series of Putting Las Vegas Championships

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 12:00:00 -0800

The Major Series of Putting (MSOP) 2017 inaugural season staged over 200 local North American local qualifiers, culminating with the 10 day Las Vegas Championships.

MSOP entertains, challenges and thrills people with the simplest and most important golf element – Putting. To achieve such, MSOP sanctioned the largest series of putting tournaments in history with millions of dollars in total prize money. In fabulous Las Vegas, MSOP built a temporary stadium one block off of the famous Strip, adjacent to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Participants from all walks of life had the opportunity to test their skills - and nerves - as they competed over several days in high-stakes championship putting tournaments on a 20,000 square foot putting surface created by world-leading Nicklaus Design and fabricated/installed by Southwest Greens. The fun was open to all as qualifying events were held around North America in collaboration with local golf courses.

MSOP is a subsidiary of Lune Rouge Innovation, a new creative company inspired and controlled by Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté. For more information, visit www.MSOP.com.

Take a tour of The MSOP Las Vegas Stadium with host Colin Weston and subscribe to The ModGolf Podcast YouTube channel to watch our latest video content: MSOP Vegas Stadium Tour

MSOP Stadium Las Vegas

Brad Faxon and Alex Phillips at The MSOP Las Vegas Championships

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Special Guests: Alex Phillips - MSOP and World Long Drive Competitor, Bobby Sloan - Project Manager and Designer / Senior Associate at Populous, Brad Faxon - MSOP ambassador and Fox Sports 1 golf analyst, Brent Walker - Project Manager, SMT Sports Media Technology, Guillaume Béland - Président & General Manager at MSOP / Lune Rouge, Jeff Keas - Principal in Charge for MSOP Stadium / Senior Principal at Populous, Marcia Mendonca - MSOP Las Vegas Amateur Competitor, and Melissa Mabanta - Professional Golfer.

Creating The Ultimate Indoor Golfing Experience - Jon Standing / Indoor Golf Arena

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 01:00:00 -0800

Jon Standing is the founder and creative force behind Indoor Golf Arena, a Netherlands-based startup that looks to disrupt while compliment the European golf market.

Indoor Golf Arena® plans to first build in the Netherlands at a location close to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The innovative concept has been developed by Indoor Golf Solutions International, a co-operation between Dutch companies Outstanding Enterprises and ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects.

Key Project Features:

• 12.000 m2 of undulating synthetic grass practice areas, designed by Nicklaus Design and installed by Southwest Greens
• State-of-the-art Foresight Sports golf simulators, all set in a comfortable, golf-themed Spike Bar
• Hitting bays providing facilities to practice awkward lies
• An unconventional indoor driving range, with extensive food and drink menu, served at the bays by hosts
• Wellness and golf fitness facilities
• Top quality restaurant, bar and lounge areas
• Comprehensive conference and meeting facilities
• A 200 room, four star hotel
• PGAs of Europe Training Center
• Environmentally controlled indoor facilities, allowing golf to be played and practiced all year round

According to Jon, "The concept of Indoor Golf Arena® is based on a thorough understanding of the current trends in the golf market (supported by extensive market research in cooperation with Colliers International and AECOM), and a clear vision for the future of golf which includes developing the Indoor Golf Arena® brand as a complement to traditional outdoor facilities".

To learn more about Indoor Golf Arena® and Jon Standing:

Website: Indoor Golf Arena®
Twitter: @IndoorGolfArena
Facebook: @indoorgolfarena
Jon's bio: On LinkedIn

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

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

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

Project Images

Special Guest: Jon Standing - Founder, Indoor Golf Arena.

Building An Entrepreneurial Culture of Constant Innovation And Improvement - Joe Assell / GOLFTEC

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 05:00:00 -0800

Joe Assell is the CEO and Co-Founder of GOLFTEC, the world leader in golf instruction with over 200 locations across the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

In this episode host Colin Weston speaks with Joe about his entrepreneurial journey, the creation of GOLFTEC and the passionate culture he has created that inspires their entire team to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset that constantly strives to innovate and improve their student experience.

Colin also travels to the Vancouver GOLFTEC location for a much-needed lesson with Head Teaching Pro Norman Baufeld. Afterwards he speaks with Norman to get his thoughts on innovative culture that defines GOLFTEC's success.

Founded by Assell and Mike Clinton in 1995, GOLFTEC has given over 7 million private lessons. Assell serves on the Finance Committee for Colorado PGA Section and has won Teacher of The Year. In 2008, he was named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

To learn more about GOLFTEC and Joe Assell, go to their website https://www.golftec.com/about-golftec and social media feeds:

The GOLFTEC Scramble blog: "Cup of Joe" video series
Twitter: @GOLFTEC
Facebook: @GOLFTEC
Vimeo: Joe Assell, PGA - Turning Passion into Profession (July 16, 2017)
YouTube: Cup of Joe: GolfTEC opens 200th Improvement Center

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

Special Guests: Joe Assell - Co-Founder and CEO, GOLFTEC and Norman Baufeld - Head Teaching Professional at GOLFTEC Vancouver.

Creating Positive Social Impact By Empowering Women And Girls Through Golf - Clemmie Perry / Women of Color Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:15:00 -0800

Clemmie Perry started playing golf in 2013 and is turning her passion into a national movement to make a difference in the lives of women & girls through the sport of golf. In 2014, she started Women of Color Golf (WOCG), and Girls On the Green Tee (GOTG-T), which are programs designed to increase and facilitate minority participation in the sport of golf for women and girls. In four short years, they have introduced over 350 minority women & girls to the basic fundamentals of golf in the Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida Bay area & Washington, D.C.

______________________________________________

The mission of these programs is to encourage and promote individuals to learn the benefits of golf, provide organized golf clinics, participate in recreational golf activities, fitness workshops and mentoring opportunities.

The mentoring program, Girls on the Green Tee (GOTG-T), is designed for girls ages 10 -17, answering the ever present need for strong, accomplished, and resilient female role-models. WOCG & GOTG -T seeks to create a spark of interest and inspiration in the game of golf. This inspiration is then turned into action by connecting the women and girls to our golf community through golf instruction, activities and events.

The Women of Color Golf (WOCG) and Girls on the Green Tee (GOTG-T) programs have grown into a national recognized, community-based program, with recent recognition by former President Barack Obama, as a U.S. White House Champion of Change for After School Extra Curricula Enrichment for Marginalized Girls.

WOCG has been featured in Forbes, Ebony, Black Enterprise, Golf for Her, Professional Golf Association (PGA) magazine, the African American Golfer’s Digest and several local Tampa Bay TV and radio broadcasts.

To learn more about Women Of Color Golf, go to their website http://womenofcolorgolf.org/ and social media feeds:

Twitter: @Womenofcolorglf
Facebook: @womenofcolorgolf
Instagram: womenofcolorgolf
YouTube: Making a Difference: Women of Color Golf

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

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

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

Special Guest: Clemmie Perry - Founder & Director, Women of Color Golf & Girls On the Green Tee.

Harnessing The Power of Technology To Help Grow Golf - 020: Eddy Lui / 18Birdies

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:15:00 -0800

Since their concept launch at the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show, 18Birdies has emerged as the dominant golf mobile app with over 750,000 users and growing. With their clear mission to "Inspire golfers of all generations to enhance their game, share their experiences with friends, and increase their enjoyment of golf", 18Birdies has successfully aligned the game with the lifestyle habits of a younger audience.

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!

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.

Creating The World's Most Innovative And Fun Golf Tournament - Carlos Sugich / WM Phoenix Open Tournament Chairman

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 13:00:00 -0700

When it comes to creating a golf tournament event that puts fan enjoyment at the top of its priority list, The Waste Management Phoenix Open wrote the book. From the organic evolution of the 16,000 seat 16th hole stadium to the Birds Nest nightly music festival, The WMPO continues to push the innovation envelope to place their fans at the center of the five day experience.

2018 Tournament Chairman Carlos Sugich proudly states “Each year we look to build upon the tremendous success of our tournament set by our predecessors. We have some great new things in the works for the 2018 event and we are excited to put these plans into action.”

Sugich lead the Thunderbirds in the planning and execution of every facet of the 2018 tournament, including meeting with current and potential sponsors, recruiting PGA TOUR players to the event and developing new on-course venues.

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The 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open was held at TPC Scottsdale January 29 – February 4, 2018. It is the best-attended golf tournament in the world and has gained legendary status for being the most unique stop on the PGA TOUR. The 2017 tournament broke four attendance records, including a PGA TOUR record 655,434 fans for the week. The 2018 edition will mark the 83rd playing of the event (one of the five oldest events on the PGA TOUR) and the ninth as the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports. The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 250 “life” members. In 2016 The Thunderbirds raised a record $9.3 million for charity and have eclipsed $111 million in charitable giving since its inception in 1932.

The complex four month on-course construction build results in the creation of what Carlos calls "The City", which includes the 16th hole stadium, "The Cove" at the 17th hole and 18th hole grandstand. Watch this "16th hole construction time lapse" YouTube video to experience the effort it takes to create "The Loudest Hole In Golf".

To learn more about the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open:

website: https://wmphoenixopen.com/
Twitter: @WMPhoenixOpen
Facebook: @WMPhoenixOpen
Instagram: @wmphoenixopen

The Coors Light Birds Nest at The Phoenix Open:

website: https://coorslightbirdsnest.com/
Twitter: @BirdsNestPhx
Instagram: birdsnestphx

Special Guest: Carlos Sugich - Tournament Chairman for the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Grow The Game By Taking It A Little Less Seriously - Shane Bacon / FOX Sports

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 01:00:00 -0700

Shane offers a broad base of knowledge and understanding of golf, having been involved with the game in a variety of capacities. In 2006, he spent the summer working as a caddie at the historic St. Andrews links course in Scotland and also later caddied in tournament events for LPGA tour professionals Irene Cho and the late Erica Blasberg. A low-single-digit handicap player, he also competed on the mini-tour circuit for a short time between 2007 and 2008.

Shane also hosts his weekly podcast "The Clubhouse With Shane Bacon". We highly recommend giving it a listen (after you've binge-listened to every single ModGolf Podcast episode, of course).

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

Bacon began his coverage of the sport as a writer for the AOL FanHouse website in 2008. He held that position until 2010 when he began contributing to the Yahoo Sports Devil Ball Golf blog and later accepted a full-time writing position for the CBS’ Eye on Golf blog in 2011. In 2012, he assumed editor duties for the Yahoo Devil Ball site, penning columns, conducting interviews with tour professionals, covering tournament action and producing video content, while also planning the blog’s editorial calendar and overall content strategy. In 2014, he made his first foray into television, joining DirecTV’s upstart “Back9Network,” a golf and lifestyle cable channel, as an on-air personality. During his time with Back9, he co-hosted the show, “The Turn” from the channel’s Connecticut studios.

An experienced digital scribe and former mini-tour competitor, Shane Bacon is now a golf reporter for FOX Sports. In his dynamic role, Bacon serves as an on-course contributor during the network’s digital presentations of all eight USGA Championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, and U.S. Senior Open, in addition to producing columns and videos throughout the year for FOXSports.com.

On this episode Shane and Colin talk about:
• Shane's early days as a sports blogger and his first time is front of the camera at Back9 Network.
• his 'big break' opportunity to join the FOX Sports Golf team.
• why Shane had to "had to readjust my thinking about golf" when considering the future of the game.
• European Tour CEO Keith Pelley's Golf Sixes, match play and team events.
• how other sports love the underdog but golf fans do not.
• what young people think about Tiger Woods.
• the innovative culture at FOX Sports that gives their golf staff the creative freedom to experiment.
• that people need to remind themselves golf is an escape and we play to get away from everyday life.
• Shane's desire to publish a golf game pamphlet (Shane’s Games perhaps?) as a fun, social alternative to 18 hole stroke play.

Special Guest: Shane Bacon - FOX Sports Golf Reporter.

The Links At Petco Park: Creating Fun Golf Experiences - Nate Adelman / Callaway Golf

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 16:00:00 -0700

In 2014 the San Diego Padres approached Callaway Golf with the opportunity to create a golf experience in their ball park. They had no idea what this could look like, but rather than politely dismiss the request, Callaway embraced an entrepreneurial/startup/innovation mindset to collaborate and co-create what has become "The Links at Petco Park". http://cmp.callawaygolf.com/thelinks

Now in its third year, #TheLinksAtPetco has grown in both size and sophistication. Callaway keeps raising the bar on player engagement and experience to make this a truly unique event that serves as a platform to help grow the game and give back to the community through their charity partnerships.

This YouTube video covers the 2016 #TheLinksAtPetco experience.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwkDcT_GAD0

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

Episode Highlights include:
01:52 - 03:14 Nate gives us an overview of The Links At Petco Park.
03:20 - 04:24 We learn the gameplay format and experiential qualities offered at #TheLinksAtPetco
04:51 - 08:40 Nate walks us through the player's "Day at Petco Park" experience and Callaway's "Grow The Game" initiatives.
08:52 - 10:35 The progression and growth in popularity as The Links At Petco Park enters its third year.
11:10 - 13:49 The charity platform #TheLinksAtPetco creates, which supports Callaway's desire to give back to the local San Diego community.
14:18 - 18:48 Nate tells the "AHA Moment" story of how The Links At Petco Park came to be.
18:48 - 21:48 Colin and Nate discuss Callaway's company culture that supports innovation and the startup mindset.
21:48 - 24:52 Nate's "Intrapreneur" role at Callaway and culture of trust that allows people to take risks in a safe and supportive environment.
24:53 - 28:14 How Callaway has applied "Lean Startup Methodologies" https://leanstartup.co/ over three years to eliminate or alter what hasn't worked and enhance the elements that have.
28:15 - 32:06 Callaway's dilemma to scale #TheLinksAtPetco up to a multi-stadium offering across the US or to focus on making this annual event experience the best in market.
32:07 - 34:41 Colin refers to Simon Sinek's TEDx talk "Start With Why" to explore the Callaway culture that motivates them to connect with their customer and help grow the game.
34:42 - 36:43 How The Links At Petco Park encourages beginners to participate by creating a fun, non-intimidating environment that everyone can enjoy.

Special Guest: Nate Adelman - Marketing Manager at Ogio and Callaway Golf.

Creating A Frictionless Experience That Connects Golfers To Tournaments - Eric Crawford / GolfTourney.com

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:00:00 -0700

In 2008, Eric Crawford had an "AHA" moment. He and his three brothers would regularly play in golf events around Iowa. They would play mostly four person best shots and stroke play tournaments. In order to find these golf events they would have to sift through a stack of papers. Back then golf courses would type up a bulletin that includes the events for that year and they would send those bulletins out to all of the golf courses in the area.

Eric told his brothers, “There has to be a website for this!” so he went home and checked. There were various websites that had a few golf events listed, with the biggest one having only 300 events on it! This gap in the marketplace and opportunity to connect eager golfers with unfilled tournament and charity events led to the creation of GolfTournery.com. After an exhaustive three year study and product development, GolfTourney.com found that there are an average of 8 golf tournaments per golf course per season, revealing that there are over 200,000 golf tournaments in the United States each year!

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

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

GolfTourney.com is dedicated to helping golfers find golf tournaments, by creating the seamless integration of the classic game of golf with their user-friendly technology platform. With GolfTourney.com any player, beginner to life long diehard, high handicap or low, can search and find local amateur golf tournaments in their area, state or country. GolfTourney.com is establishing itself as the brand golfers think of when seeking golf tournaments, finding tournament playing partners, course information and connecting with their golf community. GolfTourney.com is currently expanding their service offering by creating a "Vendor Marketplace", where they match event coordinators with golf courses looking to host tournaments.

So what is GolfTourmey.com? Here's their explainer video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PHiG_PlIdY

You can download GolfTourney.com and create a free account to your smart phone and mobile device for either iOS or Android. For your desktop browser, go to www.golftourney.com

Connect with GolfTourney.com on social media....
Twitter: https://twitter.com/findtournaments
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GolfTourney/

Special Guest: Eric Crawford - Founder & CEO, GolfTourney.com.

Building the Technology Engine That Powers Immersive Golf Entertainment Experiences - Dave Shultz / NextLinks

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 01:00:00 -0700

Dave Shultz, founder and visionary of NextLinks, left his 20-year corporate career with General Electric to pursue a new more purposeful life journey. States Dave: "We are going to bring golf to life in ways for all to enjoy it on their own terms...in a social, beautiful, unintimidating, and interactive way."

An accomplished product development engineer and global operations leader, Dave changed his trajectory with a sudden awareness that he had the hunger and capability to create a new global economy from his idea.

A.G.E (Alternative Golf Experiences) are setting a new standard for how people will engage with golf. These solutions will socialize the golf experience in ways previously not considered, breaking down traditional barriers to entry.

Technology will play a significant role in the success of new and innovative golf endeavors, and NextLinks (www.nextlinks.com) was formed to develop software and hardware solutions required to deliver success, both indoors and outdoors.

This YouTube video is a good place to learn more about NextLinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYVqLw8BdL4

On this episode Dave and Colin talk about:
• finding "Product Market Fit" by listening to your customers to reveal where you can add real value.
• "Pivoting" your business offering as you travel along your startup journey. Dave made the difficult but informed decision regarding which products to build and which ones to abandon, as he discusses the shift from building the entire entertainment experience with REALiTEE http://realiteegolf.com/ to focusing on the technology platform with NextLinks.
• Finding an idea that's so core to you that gives you that sense of purpose. They talk about Simon Sinek's famous TED Talk "Start With Why" and how is has influenced them both professionally and personally. If you haven't seen this YouTube video, we highly recommend it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
• Dave refers to how the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill has shaped his approach to business. Here's a link to a PDF version of the book: https://archive.org/details/ThinkAndGrowRichPDF
• The concepts of "Lean Startup Methodologies" and creating a "Minimum Viable Product" or MVP are discussed as they apply to NextLinks as a way to build better products and services. To learn more, check out https://leanstartup.co/

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

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

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

Special Guest: Dave Shultz - Founder & CEO of NextLinks / REALiTEE Golf.

"The Miracles Episode" - Golf Digest's Max Adler Shares Golf's Unexpected Stories

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 01:00:00 -0700

Golf Digest, founded in 1950 and published by Condé Nast since 2001, transformed itself in 2014 to align with a younger audience through both the look of and content contained in the magazine. Golf Digest has expanded it online and social media connectivity with their growing community through written and video content offered on their mobile app, website https://www.golfdigest.com/magazine and YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/GolfDigestMagazine

Editorial Director Max Adler is a driving force behind the re-positioning of Golf Digest, as seen here during his 2014 interview with Callaway Talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKFmvYVrPYA&t=3s

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

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

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Special Guest: Max Adler - Golf Digest Editorial Director.

"It Only Takes One" - The Innovative Evolution of World Long Drive

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 16:00:00 -0700

When The World Long Drive states "It Only Takes One", they are referring to the nature of their tension-fueled gameplay format. World Long Drive, or WLD doesn't require four days and 72 holes of competition to determine a winner. Within six minutes of competition and eight balls hit by each athlete, only the one drive hit the farthest decides who moves on and who goes home. This elegantly simple storyline often produces dramatic final shot outcomes as the clock counts down that are more like a March Madness basketball buzzer beater than an golf tournament. And that's exactly what Golf Channel and WLD are looking for.

This YouTube video gives you a feel for the Volvik World Long Drive Championship experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukVfM8XaLMo

Additional Links to WLD and our episode guests:

World Long Drive http://www.worldlongdrive.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldLongDrive @WorldLongDrive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldLongDrive/
Instagram: @worldlongdrive

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

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

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

HISTORY OF THE WORLD LONG DRIVE
The World Long Drive Championships, known under its corporate sponsored title as the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, is an annual world championship in long drive golf driving, hosted since 1975. The Long Drivers of America (LDA) took the reins in 1995 and RE/MAX became the title sponsor the same year; it evolved out of the original National Long Drive Championship, ran by Golf Digest. It used to be contested at a specially made complex in Mesquite, Nevada which is 60 yards wide and 450 yards long. It requires a three-step qualifying process and step one generally requires a drive of over 330 yards.

The finalists of the competition can often hit the ball over 400 yards, over 100 yards longer than the average professional PGA golfer, although many of the drives are in the 360-400 yard range and some have won previous competitions with drives within this range and even less in earlier years of the competition. The most prolific winner is the Canadian Jason Zuback, who has won it five times, including 4 in a row from 1996 to 1999.

In 2017, Swede Sandra Carlborg won her record fifth World Long Drive title, defeating Heather Manfredda with a 320-yard drive at Winstar World Casino & Resort in Oklahoma. In 2013, the event was held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time.

Special Guests: Andrea Starkey - VP, Strategic Programming Partnerships at Golf Channel, Dean Jarvis - ParaLong Drive Cup Founder, Jeff Crittenden - 2017 World Long Drive Masters Champion, Jon Claffey - Vice President of Marketing for Tour Edge Golf, Justin James: 2017 World Long Drive Champion - Men's Open Division, Lisa Vlooswyk - Canadian Women's Long Drive Champion, Maurice Allen - World Long Drive Tour Pro Athlete, Michelle Sheptak - World Long Drive Tour Professional, and Sandra Carlborg - 5 Time Women's World Long Drive Champion.

BONUS: Season One Wrap Up / Season Two Preview

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 15:30:00 -0700

After taking off the month of August to recharge our batteries and develop our second season, we're excited to back in mid September with a new round of compelling stories and inspirational interviews from our guests.

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

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

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

Promoting Diversity And Inclusion To Make Golf Look More Like America - Steve Mona / World Golf Foundation

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:15:00 -0700

In 2008, Steve Mona was named the World Golf Foundation's first CEO, and through his leadership the Foundation has embarked on new global initiatives to foster the growth and promotion of golf worldwide.

The mission of the World Golf Foundation is to unite the golf industry in support of initiatives that enhance the growth of and provide access to the game of golf worldwide, while preserving golf's traditional values and passing them on to others.

In support of that mission, World Golf Foundation focuses on a variety of initiatives to grow and celebrate the game of golf around the world. Through The First Tee, the WGF focuses on positively impacting the lives of young people. Under the banner of the World Golf Hall of Fame, it recognizes and celebrates golf's greatest players and contributors and serves as an inspiration to golfers and fans worldwide. The World Golf Foundation's GOLF 20/20 initiative pursues programs to ensure golf's continued growth and vitality. All World Golf Foundation initiatives work together to support the growth of the game among youth, women and minorities, while also fostering diversity within the golf industry.

The World Golf Foundation also supports the golf industry in a variety of other roles, including acting as a centralized vehicle for communicating the industry's initiatives to the media, providing a forum for golf's organizations to collaborate on initiatives of mutual importance and commissioning and disseminating to golf's stakeholders research on key aspects of the game.

http://www.worldgolffoundation.org/

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

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

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

Creating Innovative Products That Find Their Customers First - Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen / TrackMan

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 00:15:00 -0700

TrackMan is a fully wireless, easy to use, indoor/outdoor, radar-based solution for analyzing the impact conditions and resulting ball flight in golf. TrackMan provides the industry’s most accurate real-time data and graphics on ball launch, flight, and landing. Its unique combination of radar and video technology provides solutions for equipment manufacturers, teaching pros, club fitters, golf ranges, broadcasting companies, simulators, and ambitious golfers. TrackMan A/S, headquartered in Vedbæk, Denmark, is the developer and owner of TrackMan technology. TrackMan technology includes a comprehensive patent portfolio of granted patents and pending patents applications. http://trackmangolf.com/

This YouTube video demonstrates the latest TrackMan 4 Dual Radar Technology: https://www.youtube.com/user/TrackManGolf

Additional Links:

How Trackman Radar Technology is used to track Major League Baseball throwing, running and hitting, combined with the MLB Statcast graphic interface to create compelling visuals to amplify the fan broadcast experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UwLc0l68MY

To learn about Doppler Radar and how TrackMan uses The Doppler Effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_radar

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

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

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

Trackman on Social Media:

Twitter: @TrackManGolf https://twitter.com/TrackManGolf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrackManGolf
Instagram: trackmangolf https://www.instagram.com/trackmangolf/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Trackmangolf-page

Special Guest: Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen - Co-founder and CEO of TrackMan.

Growing The Game By Hosting The World's Biggest Golf Tournament - Jeff Monday / Myrtle Beach World Amateur (010)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 00:15:00 -0700

The Myrtle Beach World Amateur is the largest amateur golf tournament on the globe. Going into the 34th year, the World Am 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. Players are placed in flights based on gender, age and handicap to keep the competition fun, fair and equitable.

Interested in registering for the Aug 26 - Sept 1 event? Go to http://worldam.golfnet.com/register and use the promo code MODGOLF for a $50 discount.

This YouTube video gives you a taste of what The Myrtle Beach World Amateur is all about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shcYgqn_PfE

In this episode we learn:

• The rich three decade history of the The Myrtle Beach World Amateur "World Am" as the largest single site golf tournament in the world. http://myrtlebeachworldamateur.com/
• How Tournament Director Jeff Monday and his team continually innovate and evolve the event to offer new experiences and connect with younger golfers.
• How the tournament combines music, food and hospitality to create their massive "19th Hole" golf party each and every night at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. http://myrtlebeachworldamateur.com/what-is-the-19th-hole/
• How their partnership with NextGenGolf https://nextgengolf.org/ looks to build a healthy future for the World Am by creating experiences and formats to attract 20 and 30 year olds to the event.

Special Guest: Jeff Monday - Tournament Director, Myrtle Beach World Amateur.

"Surf The Earth" To Make Golf More Fast, Fun and Popular - Jeff Dowell / GolfBoard

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 00:15:00 -0700

Golfboard is a combination of electronic snowboard and golf cart that allows you to traverse the course by maneuvering it while standing on the deck with your clubs right in front of you.

Disruptively innovating the golf industry, GolfBoard is forever changing the way golfers experience the game. Powered by an environmentally friendly lithium-ion battery, the GolfBoard is an easy-to-ride fully electric vehicle that adds a whole new level of fun and excitement. Golfers of all ages can now "Surf the Earth" from shot-to-shot in a way that feels like snowboarding or surfing.

GolfBoarding changes the golfing experience, without changing the spirit and traditions of the game. With over 200 courses now offering GolfBoard rentals, and hundreds of thousands of GolfBoarding rounds played, the GolfBoard has a proven ability to attract new players and energize the sport.

This YouTube video demonstrates how fun, exhilarating and easy it is to ride a GolfBoard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9VuKK5sbQo

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

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

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

In this episode we discuss how since their 2013 Kickstarter campaign, GolfBoard has gone from scrappy startup to a growing company that has found their Product Market Fit. Topics include:

• The entrepreneurial inspiration and history behind GolfBoard. http://www.golfboard.com/

• Learning the technical features of GolfBoard from company President Jeff Dowell. http://www.golfboard.com/#product-details

• The importance of asking for and listening to customer feedback, allowing GolfBoard to quickly iterate, innovate and constantly improve their product.

• Learning that competition is a good thing and something GolfBoard welcomes as new players in the industry space they created serve to push them harder and innovate to add even more value for their customers.

• The critical importance of partnerships such as Billy Casper Golf https://www.billycaspergolf.com/ and Troon http://www.troon.com/index.php to help drive growth and increase the size of their Total Accessible Market.

• Jeff references Geoffery Moore's business best seller "Crossing The Chasm" to describe the challenge GolfBoard faces as they need to make the leap that brings their cutting-edge products to progressively larger markets. Here's a link to the book summary if you're curious to learn what a Technology Adoption Life Cycle is: https://ewthoff.home.xs4all.nl/Weppage%20documents/Summary%20Crossing%20the%20Chasm.pdf

• How GolfBoard follows the Blue Ocean Strategy business model that "creates uncontested market space and makes the competition irrelevant". https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/

• How GolfBoard integrates Lean Startup Methodologies https://leanstartup.co/ to create a Build/Test/Measure/Learn/Iterate feedback loop that allows them to quickly innovate, experiment (and sometimes fail).

A 'Blue Ocean Strategy' For Golf - Guillaume Béland / The Major Series of Putting (006)

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:15:00 -0700

Guillaume Béland is the President and General Manager of Lune Rouge and The Major Series of Putting. Guillaume speaks with host Colin Weston about their ambitious and exciting plans to stage over 400 putting competitions this year, culminating with a week-long finals tournament this October in a purpose-built stadium in Las Vegas.

MSOP Stadium Las Vegas

About The Major Series Of Puttng (MSOP):

Major Series of Putting (MSOP) intends to entertain, challenge and thrill people with the simplest and most important golf element - Putting. To achieve this, MSOP is sanctioning the largest series of putting tournaments in history with millions of dollars in total prize money. In fabulous Las Vegas, participants from all walks of life will have opportunity to test their skills - and nerves - as they compete over several days in high-stakes championship putting on a 20,000 Square-foot surface designed by world-leading Nicklaus Design. The fun is open to all as qualifying events will be held around North America in collaboration with local golf courses.

MSOP is a subsidiary of Lune Rouge Innovation, a new creative company inspired and controlled by Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté.

In this episode we learned about:

• The Major Series of Putting and how to register for or host a qualifying tournament: https://msop.com/en/

• The architectural firm Populous http://populous.com/ and their MSOP stadium design. You can see the animation of the stadium design here --> https://msop.com/en/venue/LasVegas

• The 20,000 sq ft putting green created by Jack Nickaus Design. http://www.nicklaus.com/design/

• The "Blue Ocean Strategy" that MSOP is pursuing to capture a new, large and uncontested audience. https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/

• "Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime of Golf" Written by Harvey Penick
https://www.amazon.ca/Harvey-Penicks-Little-Red-Book/dp/1451683219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497344682&sr=8-1&keywords=harvey+penick%27s+little+red+book

Special Guest: Guillaume Béland - Président & General Manager at MSOP / Lune Rouge.

Creating A Social Community Around Golf - Peter Kratsios and GolfMatch (005)

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 23:00:00 -0700

If you play golf often, you probably know how awkward it can be if you don't have a foursome to play with. A game of golf usually takes over five hours, and it's much more enjoyable when you're paired with people you have something in common with. To solve this, Peter Kratsios created GolfMatch, an app that uses an algorithm to match players with one another based on factors like age, location, gender, skill level, and game interest.

As passionate entrepreneur, Peter has taken GolfMatch from a conceptual idea to solve a pain point to the creation of a growing social community with over 40,000 engaged members.

"There were times where I would be matched with people who were 30 to 40 years older than me with nothing in common" remarks Kratsios. Similar to a dating app, GolfMatch's system uses behavioral data to find the best matches for you to play a round of golf with. It filters through other users with factors like location, handicap, age, courses you regularly play, and the styles that you most enjoy. "Nowadays you have mobile applications that allow for social experiences in so many areas, whether it's dating or food, and we wanted to do the same for golf," Kratsios said.

Three of the most commonly expressed frustrations with golf are that it's expensive, time-consuming, and inaccessible. On GolfMatch, people can join groups catered to their specific interests. Examples of groups include "Cheap Golf," which focuses on the best discounted rates around, or "Buy and Sell," where users can purchase or sell golf equipment.

The company's latest innovation is adding filters into its tech that can also track which groups users are involved in to recommend matches. Users will often organize events directly through groups before connecting in person. These groups essentially allow golfers to create their own community of players. "I'm communicating with people several times a day through the groups feature," Kratsios told us.

Peter's biggest insight so far: "Everyone has a unique emotional connection to golf and people crave the basic human desire to belong to something bigger than yourself".

In this episode we discuss how in only two years GolfMatch has become an influential social platform to help grow the game of golf. Topics include:

• We learn about Peter's story as a young golfer and the personal experiences that ignited his entrepreneurial passion.

• What is GolfMatch and what was Peter's motivation to create it.

• The business opportunity and gap in the golf marketplace that GolfMatch is poised to capture.

• The importance of strategic partnerships in order to propel your technology forward as a commercially successful enterprise.

• The value of a dedicated, passionate and lean team that embraces the GolfMatch vision and culture in order to build an agile business.

You can register for free by downloading the GolfMatch App from either The App Store or Google Play.
Learn more about GolfMatch at: https://golfmatchapp.com/ and @GolfMatchApp on Twitter and Instagram

Additional Links:

April 17 2015 Fox Business "Elevator Pitch featuring Peter and GolfMatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0_hJ2oWFA

"Life Without Golf" video short where Peter talks about his passion for golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NR7cYmylWo

June 5 2016 Business Insider article on GolfMatch: http://www.businessinsider.com/golfmatch-app-pairs-players-together-2016-6/?r=UK&IR=T/#-1

Special Guest: Peter Kratsios - Founder & CEO of GolfMatch.

Welcome to The ModGolf Podcast!

The ModGolf Podcast — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 01:15:00 -0700

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. Host Colin Weston explores the future of golf through conversations with the visionaries and influencers that are shaking up the sport. Thanks for joining us and please subscribe to our newsletter for your chance to win golf products we love in our latest #ModGolfGiveaway contest!

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

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.