The ModGolf Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Golf Simulator”

Transforming The Golf Entertainment Gaming Experience - TJ Schier, CEO/Founder at SmashSwing Immersive

The ModGolf Podcast — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 12:15:00 -0700

"Our goal is to put a golf club in someone's hands for the very first time so they have a fun, memorable experience."

On this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, host Colin Weston speaks with TJ Schier Jr., the founder of SmashSwing Immersive. They discuss the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the golf industry, highlighting TJ's unique approach to creating an engaging indoor golf experience.

Join us for an insightful conversation with TJ Schier Jr. as he shares his entrepreneurial journey and the innovative vision behind SmashSwing Immersive. Whether you're a golf enthusiast or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable lessons on creativity, market understanding, and the power of community feedback.

Key Takeaways you will discover on this episode are:

Embracing Feedback for Innovation
TJ emphasizes the importance of gathering feedback from potential users during the development phase. By inviting a diverse group of testers to experience SmashSwing, he was able to refine the product based on real user experiences rather than assumptions. This iterative process not only improved the technology but also expanded the target market.

Targeting the Non-Golfer Market
SmashSwing aims to attract the 99% of the population that doesn't typically engage with golf. By creating a fun, gamified environment that appeals to social and casual players, TJ is redefining the indoor golf experience. This strategy opens up new avenues for growth and accessibility in the sport.

Building a Strong Brand Identity
TJ discusses the significance of a well-crafted brand and first impressions. By investing in professional branding and creating a polished environment for SmashSwing, he ensures that potential customers see the value and quality of the experience. This focus on branding helps to instill confidence in both consumers and investors.

Are you more of a watcher than a listener? Then enjoy our video with TJ on The ModGolf YouTube channel as he gives us a SmashSwing demo from their test facility in Dallas. Click on this link or the image below as Colin and TJ extend their podcast conversation with key takeaways and lessons learned that will benefit all entrepreneurs.

Prior to launching SmashSwing, TJ helped ignite the growth of BigShots Golf as part of ClubCorp/Invited to be the second largest player in the golf entertainment space. The brand grew from 1 to 7 units in 20 months with a mix of corporate owned, managed and franchised locations. Want to connect with TJ? Check out his bio page to make that happen!

https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/tj-schier

To learn more about SmashSwing, check out their website at https://smashswingimmersive.com or click on the image below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Special Guest: TJ Schier - CEO/Founder at SmashSwing Immersive.

Tech-Driven Products That Both Train and Entertain - Tim Briand, Foresight Sports

The ModGolf Podcast — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 02:15:00 -0700

"The average North American male golfer, over 80% - four out of five of them - gamble when they play regularly. So when we look at a virtual format like simulator golf, one of the big elements that creates stickiness is golf is community. And a lot of that community is based upon the idea of I can compete against you even though we have different skill"... Tim Briand, Foresight Sports

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

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

"There's far more commercial opportunity for a business that's able to optimize in the entertainment and in the gamification channel than if you're just focused on instruction and club fitting. In the gamification world while the exact precision of spin axis and spin magnitude might not be important to a 25 handicap because they don't understand it. What they do understand is if I'm in a simulator playing against my friends and this system is not capable of giving me an authentic outcome, I might not want to use that system to compete. Would you gamble on a broken slot machine? Probably not. Especially if you're doing big stakes contests like a million dollar closest to the flag contest in a simulator."

We enjoyed our conversation with Tim so much that we decided to jump over to The ModGolf YouTube channel to learn more about the Foresight Sports culture of innovation and the diverse line of products that they offer. Click on this link or the image below to watch.

You can learn more about Tim and Foresight Sports on his bio page.

Episode Chapters
02:15: We open the show with Tim giving us an overview of the history of Foresight Sports

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

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.

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

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

Special Guest: Tim Briand - Director Of Business Development at Foresight Sports.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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