The ModGolf Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Golf Channel”

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

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!

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

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.

SEASON 9 WRAP-UP / SEASON 10 PREVIEW

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:30:00 -0700

That's a wrap for Season 9 of The ModGolf Podcast! Our team is currently working on your next twelve episodes for Season 10, which launches mid-August 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 twelve Season 9 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 9 guests were:

Episode 1
Dr. Greta Anderson - Founder of Dr. Greta Golf
BUILDING A BUSINESS THAT HELPS PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE WITH GOLF

Episode 2
James Cronk - Co-Founder of Golf Industry Guru
UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER NEEDS TO CREATE VALUE FOR THE GOLF INDUSTRY

Episode 3
Kathy Erikson - Creator and Owner, The Shortgame Place
CREATING A BUSINESS MODEL THAT MAKES GOLF ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE

Episode 4
Mike Yagley - VP of Innovation at COBRA PUMA Golf
THE JOURNEY TO CREATE THE WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTED PUTTER

Episode 5
Andy Walker - Director of The UGA Academy and Player Development
BUILDING THE WAKANDA FOR YOUNG BLACK GOLFERS

Episode 6
Bodo Sieber - CEO of Tagmarshal
DISRUPTING THE MARKET BY SOLVING CUSTOMER PAINS AND PROBLEMS

Episode 7
Charlie Watson - CEO of Tiidal Gaming and Lazarus Esports
CREATING NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST ESPORTS GOLF COMPETITION EVENT

Episode 8
Eric Sedransk - Founder, Member For A Day
INNOVATING IN THE GOLF NONPROFIT SPACE TO HELP CHARITIES FLOURISH

Episode 9
Martin Wyeth - Founder and CEO at Power Tee
ENTREPRENEURIAL LESSONS LEARNED OVER 25 YEARS OF CONSTANTLY INNOVATING

Episode 10
Shelia Finney - Senior Director of Membership Programs at The GCSAA
THE "ACCIDENTAL AGRONOMIST" WHO BECAME A GOLF INDUSTRY CONNECTOR

Episode 11
Keith Stewart - Writer and ESPN Radio Show Host
THE PGA PROFESSIONAL WHO BECAME THE “DIRECTOR OF FUN”

Episode 12
Dick Zokol - CEO and Founder of of MindTRAK Golf
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE PGA TOUR TO RAISE YOUR MENTAL PERFORMANCE

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!

Special Guests: Andy Walker - Director, UGA Academy & Player Development, Bodo Sieber, Co-Founder and CEO of Tagmarshal, Charlie Watson, CEO at Tiidal Gaming & Lazarus Esports, Dick Zokol - CEO and Founder of MindLink Golf, Dr. Greta Anderson - Founder of Dr. Greta Golf and LPGA Teaching Professional, Eric Sedransk - Founder and CEO at Member For A Day, James Cronk - Co-Founder & President, Golf Industry Guru, Kathy Erikson, Owner/Creator/Designer of The Short Game Place, Keith Stewart - Golf Radio Show Host, Writer and Media Personality, Martin Wyeth - Founder & CEO at Power Tee, Mike Yagley - VP of Innovation and AI at COBRA Golf, and Shelia Finney - Senior Director of Member Programs at The GCSAA.

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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After testing the deWiz biofeedback swing analysis product we were so impressed with the results that we invited them to offer you an exclusive 10% OFF your purchase using promo code MODGOLF! CLICK TO SAVE on deWiz to see (and feel) lasting results in your swing tempo, length and path improvement.

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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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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

Special Guest: Dean Reinmuth - The Dean of Golf / Swing Coach.

"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.

An Answer to The 35 Billion Dollar Golf Question - Elisa Gaudet and #WomensGolfDay

The ModGolf Podcast — Tue, 30 May 2017 12:45:00 -0700

Elisa Gaudet is the Founder of Women's Golf Day. "One Day - Women Golfing - Everywhere Around the World" is the clear call to action that is built on the Women's Golf Day goal to "Engage/Empower/Support". Elisa is also President of Executive Golf International, a boutique golf consulting firm.

On this episode we discuss the Women's Golf Day movement and how in only five years has become a significant platform to help grow the game of golf. Topics include:

• Elisa's professional experience and insights that inspired her to create Women's Golf Day, including the creation of Executive Golf International https://execgolfintl.com/ and the writing of her "Two Good Rounds" book series https://twogoodrounds.com/

• The power of partnerships that have provided Women's Golf Day with the resources, relationships, influence and expertise needed to scale up this global event to over 900 locations in 68 countries with over 500,000 participants. Partners include:

The World Golf Foundation http://www.worldgolffoundation.org/
Executive Women's Golf Association EWGA http://www.ewga.com/
Club Corp http://www.clubcorp.com/
Billy Casper Golf https://www.billycaspergolf.com/
PGA Tour Superstore http://www.pgatoursuperstore.com
The European Golf Course Owners Association EGCOA http://www.egcoa.eu
The Ladies European Tour http://ladieseuropeantour.com/
The International Golf Federation IGF https://www.igfgolf.org/

• Building your tribe, starting with grass roots relationship building through their Country Ambassador Program volunteers, such as Dominika Antoniszczak (Poland), Lisa "Longball" Vlooswyk (Canada) and Lynn McCool (Ireland).

• The global economic influence and purchasing power of women and how golf has struggled to capture this massively lucrative demographic. We discuss the Golf Digest article "Is this golf's $35 billion opportunity?", based on a report titled "The Global Economic Value of Increased Female Participation in Golf" which concludes golf's global economy could be boosted by $35 billion if it converted more interested women into the game. http://www.golfdigest.com/story/is-this-golfs-dollar35-billion-opportunity

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

ABOUT WOMEN'S GOLF DAY:

From the US to Australia, South Africa to Switzerland, International Women's Golf Day (WGD) has grown in scope and size, increasing its global reach 68% in only its second year. Thousands of women from Silicon Valley to Wall Street to the Square Mile in London will converge in 68 countries at more than 900 locations for the one day event on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

The 2017 event venues included public and private golf courses, driving ranges and retail outlets around the globe. All locations conducted a two-hour golf clinic or offer a nine-hole round of golf, and will culminate with a two- hour social affair where the expected 50,000+ participating women can network and socialize. WGD responded to the COVID pandemic with a virtual global event in 2020 and are excited to be back in venues around the world in 2021 for a safe and fun golf experience that both beginners and accomplished players will enjoy.

Women's Golf Day (WGD) is a global golf initiative launched in 2016 to introduce women of all ages to the game and encourage existing female golfers to "tee it up" in a fun and highly inclusive environment. The inaugural one day event was held June 7, 2016 at over 485 locations in 28 countries and went on for 24 hours straight around the globe. Women teed it up starting in Australia and ending in Hawaii, introducing thousands of new golfers to the sport while transcending language, culture, religion, and race to celebrate golf, women, and community. WGD is a collaborative effort by a dedicated team, golf management companies, retailers and organizations all working together worldwide to Engage, Empower and Support girls and women through golf.

To learn more about and to sign up for Women's Golf Day and its upcoming event on Tuesday June 1, 2021 visit www.womensgolfday.com, @womensgolfday, #WomensGolfDay

Special Guest: Elisa Gaudet - Founder of Women's Golf Day.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone To Create Amazing Experiences - Ron Powers / Topgolf

The ModGolf Podcast — Mon, 08 May 2017 23:15:00 -0700

Topgolf has created the "convenient and fun delivery system for golf" that eliminates all the barriers to entry the game has suffered from for decades. No complaints of "too slow, too expensive, too hard to learn" at a Topgolf venue. Topgolf has created an entertainment experience that combines hospitality, music, food and drinks with their unique target-based gameplay format that appeals to both the beginner and veteran golfers of all ages.

Topgolf currently has 90+ venue locations in the US that generated over 20 million guest visits in 2023, with ambitious plans to expand to another 50 venues globally over the next three years. Topgolf has created the secret sauce that connects a younger audience to golf, but they're definitely not growing complacent over that success. Ron discusses how their cultural values, entrepreneurial spirit and passion to innovate pushes them to evolve and expand.

In this episode we discuss Topgolf's newest innovations and initiatives:

• Their stadium-based mobile experience called Topgolf Crush
• The Topgolf Tour, their two player team competition format that anyone can sign up for
• Topgolf International expansion plans, starting with Australia and Mexico
• how the acquisition of both Protracer and WGT Media help transform an entertainment company into a technology and media juggernaut
• Hotel-based Topgolf simulator experience called Topgolf Swing Suite
• Their charity endeavors and culture of "giving back" to benefit the communities which they operate 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

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

Links:

Fireside - Episode Links