Key takeaways in this episode with JR and Aron that you will discover:
The "Supply Constraint" in Golf Lessons:
With 30,000 instructors serving 5 million golfers taking lessons (and a post-COVID boom), demand far exceeds supply. AVA Golf bridges this gap by scaling instructor-led advice via AI-driven video playlists, not replacing the pro, but making their expertise accessible 24/7.

Your Game Becomes a Personalized Video Playlist:
AVA Golf ingests data from your existing devices (like Arccos and Garmin launch monitors) and analyzes root causes. Instead of generic YouTube fixes, it serves a unique, sequential playlist of videos addressing your specific faults (e.g., fixing alignment vs. swing path for a slice).

It Actually Works (Proof from the Engineer):
Aron Schuler, the developer, is also the guinea pig. He dropped his handicap from a 28 to an 18 simply by using the platform he was building. This validates that removing the guesswork leads to tangible, measurable improvement.

Three Quotable Moments from this episode:
JR Charles on the problem with modern data:
"I work in the golf industry and I work in game improvement. I don't know what half of these stats are. I have to Google them!"

Aron Schuler on the mission of AVA Golf:
"Most tools give you more data, but at AVA Golf, we're trying to give you direction. Ultimately, your game needs direction."

JR Charles on focusing your practice:
"Focus on the right things and not everything. If you focus on every single thing, you're just going to have a hodgepodge of a swing where you can barely hit the ball sometimes."

Are you more of a watcher than a listener? Then check out the AVA Golf demo with JR on The ModGolf YouTube channel. Click on this link or the image below to watch.

Episode Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Colin Weston hands the mic to guest host Rich Katz.
01:42 – Meet the Guests: Introducing JR Charles (CTO/CRO of ParOne) and Aron Schuler.
03:28 – The ParOne Thesis: Owning the video distribution path in golf (clients include LIV Golf & Golf.com).
05:40 – Why Aron Joined: From building "R10 Progress" to the vision of "Golf Intelligence."
07:49 – The Big Problem: Why more data leads to frustration, YouTube rabbit holes, and constrained PGA instruction supply.
09:57 – How AVA.Golf Works: Connecting your Arccos & Garmin accounts to get a personalized video playlist.
10:36 – The User Walkthrough: "Sign up, connect your providers, start receiving prescriptions."
11:29 – The Meaning of "AVA": Named after JR’s niece (and the acronym: AI Video Advisor).
13:18 – Real Results: Aron’s journey from a 28 to an 18 handicap using his own software.
14:23 – The Global Team: Engineers in Dallas, design in London, Top 100 instructors in Florida/Arizona.
15:38 – Case Studies: How ParOne helped LIV Golf with media distribution and Golf.com with scale.
18:44 – The Future of Golf: Why "playing golf" now means simulators, Topgolf, and the course.
23:17 – Making Golf Simple: Moving from "more data" to a "Purposeful, Intuitive, Practical (PIP)" system.
26:34 – Final Advice: Aron (Get Direction) & JR (Focus on the right things, not everything).
30:09 – Wrap Up: Colin Weston thanks Rich Katz and tells listeners how to join the ModGolf community.

🔗 Resources and Links:

JR's bio page >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/jr-charles
Aron's bio page >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/aron-schuler
Rich Katz's bio page >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/rich-katz
The ModGolf YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@modgolfpodcast
Join their sneak peak waitlist on the AVA Golf website: https://avagolf.com/

🎧 Subscribe and please give us a review on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-modgolf-podcast/id1230363725

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Special Guests: Aron Schüler - Director of Engineering with ParOne Inc / AVA Golf and JR Charles - CEO at ParOne / AVA Golf.

Friend of the show Rich Katz - Founder of Katz Strategy - takes on the guest host duties to lead a fast-paced, informative, entertaining, practical and educational conversation with Mark Mattingly, Executive Vice President at Landscapes Golf Management.

"If you're going to get into the golf business, you need to love seeing other people get that spark in their eye and really have joy in experiencing this great game. And if you love to do that, you'll go the extra mile to provide that programming and on-boarding. All of these technology solutions have all been developed to help people better understand and fall in love with the game the way that I have. So that is what I think is most important. "

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

A PGA Professional since 1994, Mark has served as a General Manager, Regional Manager and Regional Operations Executive for private and public facilities alike with a strong emphasis on business-building programming and membership growth. As part of the Landscapes team, Mark is centrally located in Indiana where he also served on the Indiana PGA Board of Directors for three consecutive terms (2005 – 2012) during which time he chaired committees dedicated to education, scholarships, Special Olympics and growth of the game initiatives.

To learn more about Landscapes Unlimited, visit their website to see how they has grown over the past forty years from one man with a pipe wrench and a pickup truck, to four industry leading companies dedicated to delivering golf industry expertise.

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

Special Guest: Mark Mattingly - Executive Vice President at Landscapes Golf Management.

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.

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.

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: Rich Katz - Katz Strategy.