We are joined by golf industry icon and entrepreneurial legend Barney Adams, who shares the trials, tribulations and successes he has encountered over his career that spans more than five decades. This episodes provides you with lessons learned, key takeaways and nuggets of wisdom from one of golf's most successful entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I had made the decision: "I'm all in!" We inherited desks with the company purchase and we owned this metal building in a field. So I grabbed a desk, opened the lower left-hand drawer and it was full of paper. The top page was a Demand Notice and it turned out that the employees had not paid any bills and had squandered all the income. Not only did I not have the money I thought I had to get started, I was six figures in the hole at 5:30 in the morning. That was my opening day.

And I tell people that story because if you're not a nut case, passionate, over the top, you've got no chance. Then I thought "okay, how do we get a handle on this?" I'm going to write a letter to the people I owe money to tell them what happened and that I'm going to pay them but just not now. That was the first week of starting my own business." ... Barney Adams, Founder of Adams Golf and CEO, Breakthrough Golf Technology

A Bit About Barney
Barney started Adams Golf in 1988. He specialized in custom fitted golf clubs. The company rapidly expanded after the explosive success of the Tight Lies Fairway Woods. Adams Golf was selected as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Barney also received the Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contribution to the golf industry by the PGA of America. Barney served as Chairman of the Board of Adams Golf until June 2012 when Taylor Made purchased the company.

He an avid golfer and fisherman and active with two charities, The Ryan Foundation and Folds of Honor. Adams book, The WOW Factor, is an insiders look at the golf industry and offers business advice to entrepreneurs.

Barney has always had the unique ability to see what is missing in golf equipment. He started Breakthrough Golf Technology after seeing that no significant innovation has been made putter shafts for decades.

You can also find out more about Barney on his bio page.

Want to learn about Breakthrough Golf Technology and their innovative shaft designs? Have a look at the BGT website for more.

We want to thank our partner British Columbia Golf for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

British Columbia Golf's main goal is to create a sport that is accessible and inclusive. They strive to create a golf environment that is respectful of participant's personal goals and is free from all forms of maltreatment. As a provincial arm of Golf Canada, British Columbia Golf supports women golfers and players of all ages and abilities, while continually working to improve partner relationships to increase participation in the sport.

If you're looking to plan your next amazing golf trip, British Columbia Golf is the place to explore and book from the over 300 golf courses they support across our beautiful province. To learn about the impact they are making and to discover your next golf adventure, check out their website at www.britishcolumbiagolf.org.

Special Guest: Barney Adams, Founder of Adams Golf and CEO, Breakthrough Golf Technology.

Mike Nicolette - who at that time worked for me at Ping - met Bob Parsons by chance playing nine holes of golf on a Friday afternoon. They had a good time and traded numbers afterwards and Bob would then call Mike all the time asking questions about golf equipment. Fast forward two years later, Bob had divested from GoDaddy and had an idea that he wanted to do something to change the golf industry.

Mike tried to talk Bob out of it because at that time in 2013 the golf industry had been flat and down for more than a decade. Bob told him to think about it and then Mike started to discuss the venture with me. At first I wasn't interested as Ping had been very good to me and I believed that I would retire there.

We want to thank our Episode Presenting Partner Golf Genius Software who have supported The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!
Are you a golf course owner, manager or operator looking to increase both your profit margins and on-course experience?

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

PXG is active on Instagram where you can see their staff pros, clubs, equipment and apparel in action.

Click on the image below to watch Colin's unboxing of PXG irons and hybrid that arrived after his club fitting experience on The ModGolf Youtube Channel! We'll be posting the full PXG fitting experience video at Haus of Golf in Vancouver very soon.

"I decided to go talk with Bob and after leaving that meeting I knew what I was going to do. It felt that if I said no that I would regret it for the rest of my life. It would be so hard to move on knowing that I passed up on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a huge decision and a lot of people thought that I was crazy to leave Ping but I felt that I had to give it a go."

Episode Chapters
[01:50] Brad's first golf experience and who introduced him to the game
[03:00] How Brad's education as a Mechanical Engineer led him to a career in golf club design
[05:00] The creation of PXG and how Bob Parsons incentivized both Mike Nicolette and Brad to leave Ping to join his quest to make the world's best golf clubs.
[09:30] The culture Bob created around PXG by giving Brad and Mike an open budget and schedule to design and create great golf clubs.
[14:00] Brad discusses their iterative design process, rapid prototyping and mistakes made that lead to material and design breakthroughs.
[16:30] Colin and Brad take a deep dive into material elasticity and how that informs club impact, energy transfer and forgiveness.
[20:40] The different club lines that span the spectrum of 14 handicappers like Colin to PXG staff pros like Christina Kim (who was our guest on the previous episode!)
[24:00] We learn how Bob Parsons' experience as a rifleman in the Marine Corps has influence the club numbering at PXG.
[26:00] The culture at PXG that combines passion, fun and the entrepreneurial spirit.
[28:00] PXG's core philosophy and vision as they expand their product lines.
[30:30] The future for PXG and where they look to be in 10 years time as they expand their distrubution centers and fitting partners.
[33:00] Some of the PXG designs that didn't work out and what they learned from them.

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

Want to check out the PXG clubs and fitting experience we talked about in this podcast episode? Have a look at their website to learn more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Special Guest: Brad Schweigert - Chief Product Officer at PXG Parsons Xtreme Golf.