We want to thank Golf Genius Software for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!
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.

If you didn’t get the chance to listen to all of our twelve Season 15 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. Hopefully 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 15 guests were:

Episode 1
David Hinkle and Rio Valeriano - T36 Golf Co-Founders
"We’re flipping the script on traditional golf and redefining the sport for a new generation of golfers" T36 Golf Co-Founders David Hinkle and Rio Valeriano join host Colin Weston to share how their "Double Loop" design delivers a full 18-hole game experience with a smaller environmental footprint and shorter playtime.
Click to listen >> CREATING A NEW TYPE OF GOLF

Episode 2
Tyler Simmons - CEO and Founder of BucketGolf
"Seeing my roommate throw his clothes into his pop-up laundry hamper, I realized that I should instead make retractable pop-up buckets which cut our product cost almost in half." Tyler Simmons - CEO and Founder of BucketGolf shares how they have created a portable, fun golf game that anyone can enjoy almost anywhere.
Click to listen >> TURNING A HOMEMADE GOLF GAME INTO A GLOBAL BUSINESS VENTURE

Episode 3
Nick Darby - UK non-profit Get Golfing
"It was such a shame seeing all these beautiful golf courses going downhill. So our job is to save as many courses as we can to keep golf flourishing." - Nick Darby with UK non-profit Get Golfing shares how they are on a mission to revolutionize the golfing experience.
Click to listen >> A NON-PROFIT ON A MISSION TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE GOLFING EXPERIENCE

Episode 4
Jared Solomon - CEO of Five Iron Golf
"It doesn't matter that we made a million dollar mistake, let's keep moving forward and learn as we go". Jared Solomon - CEO of Five Iron Golf joins host Colin Weston to share how four co-founders built a successful indoor golf entertainment business starting from the back room of a Manhattan men's clothing store.
Click to listen >> LEARN BY DOING AND JUST KEEP MOVING FORWARD

Episode 5
Carolin Pinegger - "The Golf Pitch Challenge"
"I felt like I was treading water and not because I wasn't working hard enough. I was doing my very best and wasn't getting where I wanted to be. I needed to pivot and change!" Golf entrepreneur and Ex-Pro Golfer Carolin Pinegger shares her personal story and latest collaborative venture: The "Shark Tank for Golf Innovators" called The Golf Pitch Challenge.
Click to listen >> EMBRACE CHANGE TO FUEL ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS

Episode 6
Ann Liguori - Author of "Life On The Green"
To celebrate her recent book "Life on the green - lessons and wisdom from legends in golf" host Colin Weston creates a game show called "Who Said That??" to test Ann's ability to recall quotes from the dozen stories told. We hope you like this fun and inspiring episode as much as we enjoyed making it!
Click to listen >> TAKING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH TO BUILD A CAREER IN SPORT JOURNALISM

Episode 7
Igor Vainshtein - Founder GolfTrak.app
Entrepreneur Igor Vainshtein joins us to share his incredible journey that started when his parents immigrated to Australia from the former USSR with $200 and no English skills whatsoever. We discuss the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and Igor's passion to constantly innovate and create products that customers want.
Click to listen >> EMBRACING LESSONS: WISDOM GAINED FROM FAILURE

Episode 8
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SYNTHETIC TURF
Known initially by names such as AstroTurf, ModSod and Artificial Turf, we explore the origins of synthetic sport surfacing with a focus on applications in the golf industry. Host Colin Weston speaks with subject matter experts Bob Johnston (Principal, JSA Sport Architecture) and Jeffery McDaniel (Synthetic Turf International) to uncover the history and explore the future of this multi-billion dollar industry.
Click to listen >> A BRIEF HISTORY OF SYNTHETIC TURF

Episode 9
Tim Briand - Foresight Sports
So how do golf launch monitors work and what is the technology behind them? Tim Briand with Foresight Sports joins host Colin Weston for an engaging and in-depth conversation about the massive growth in the launch monitor sector for both the professional player on the range and the recreational player having fun in a golf simulator.
Click to listen >> TECH-DRIVEN PRODUCTS THAT BOTH TRAIN AND ENTERTAIN

Episode 10
Kevin Carpenter - The GratiDude / Grateful 4 Golf
"I am perfectly content helping one person at a time, as every ripple makes a wave". Kevin Carpenter, aka The GratiDude joins us to share the impactful work he takes on through his Grateful 4 Golf non-profit program and his discovery of "The superpower of meditation".
Click to listen >> SHARING AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Episode 11
Jeff Nicholson - VertaCat Mobility Riders
Stand tall, roam free, and “Stand and play the VertaCat way”. Jeff Nicholson joins host Colin Weston to share how their 70 year old manufacturing company saw an opportunity to give back to the sport they love by creating the VertaCat all-terrain mobility rider for paraplegic athletes.
Click to listen >> "THIS IS GOING TO CHANGE MY LIFE!"

Episode 12
Barney Adams - Adams Golf Founder / CEO of Breakthrough Golf Technology
We are joined by golf industry icon and entrepreneurial legend Barney Adams, who shares the trials, tribulations and successes he has encountered over his career that spans more than five decades. This episode provides you with lessons learned, key takeaways and nuggets of wisdom from one of golf's most successful entrepreneurs.
Click to listen >> IF YOU DON'T LOVE IT DON'T DO IT

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

Special Guests: Ann Liguori - award-winning sport’s talk show host, Barney Adams, Founder of Adams Golf and CEO, Breakthrough Golf Technology, Bob Johnston, Principal at JSA Sport Architecture Inc., Carolin Pinegger - CEO of David Leadbetter Entrerprises / The Golf Pitch Challenge / Online Golf Coach, David Hinkle - Co-Founder and Principal at T36 Golf, Igor Vainshtein - Founder of GolfTrak.app, Jared Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Five Iron Golf, Jeffrey McDaniel - Global Director of Business Development at Synthetic Turf International, Jeffrey Nicholson - Chief Marketing Officer with VertaCat, Kevin Carpenter, Coach, Teacher and The GratiDude / Grateful 4 Golf, Nick Darby - Golf Retail Sales Manager at Get Golfing, Rio Valeriano - Co-Founder and Principal at T36 Golf, Tim Briand - Director Of Business Development at Foresight Sports, and Tyler Simmons - CEO and Founder of BucketGolf.

"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!

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

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