On this episode Joe, Mikey D and Drew talk with very successful and longtime golf and business executive Jeff Colton. Over a 23-year period Jeff rose from the Fitting Center to Senior Vice President of Global Brand for Callaway. We discuss various topics of golf club and ball design, manufacturing and marketing along with how to gain an edge in the very competitive golf club industry. You will find it fascinating to see how much science and data goes into gaining an edge when developing new equipment. Jeff goes in depth on the process of launching a new driver and the misconceptions of shaft flex. In addition to product design, he shares how marketing strategies differ Globally. Enjoy the episode and please share any thoughts or questions. Hope We Make You Smile…

Joining us today are three of our All-Star centennial team members from Dobson Ranch, who share their views on golf as an industry and a hobby. Sebastian, Jake, and Elle all followed different paths yet managed to end up in a similar position: thriving in a career that happens to be something they are passionate about in their free time. Listen along as they give a valuable peek through the lens of the future generation of golfers. Thank you for tuning in and we hope we make you smile!

This goes for any and every business, the majority of people do not like change!! So it’s safe to say that when we take over management or ownership of a course, there is The Good, The Bad & Ugly. On this episode, Mikey, Drew and I discuss best practices and mindset when we take over the management of a property. As we share our past experiences, there is humor, humility, and even a little bit of wisdom 😊. One of the biggest challenges when shifting the culture within a course, the existing team not only struggles with change in general but when asked to buy into the non-traditional Paradigm Principles can be difficult or sometimes impossible for some. This does not make these team members bad, incompetent, or resistant, it makes it not a good fit and change needs to take place. This episode will showcase examples of huge success in turning around courses along with mistakes along the way that we will call learning moments. We believe strongly in partnerships rather than third-party management deals. The difference is the way we structure our management agreements to be performance-based rather than ones that lock in an owner no matter how we perform. Our formula for success is Happy Customers + Motivated Team = Profitable Growth. Enjoy the episode and please leave any comments or perspectives. If you ever have any questions, curiosity or would like to discuss the episode further please give me a call. For anyone that is currently in the Golf Business or interested in getting into it, please feel free to reach out. Hope We Make You Smile!

This week Mikey D, Drew, and Joe hang out with Garrett Clark, Micah Morris, and Matt Scharff; three of the five guys that make up the rapidly growing Youtube channel and clothing brand “Good Good”. Listen along, as they share the story of how they each found their way together, as well as where they see themselves in 5 years. Hear their thoughts on just how powerful “ignoring the noise” has been for them, and how a few seemingly small decisions paired with a clear mission to expand the game of golf has led this group of close friends to gain so much traction in the massively competitive business space that is social media. Thank you for tuning in, and we hope we make you smile! Instagram: Good Good: @goodgood Garrett Clark: @Gm_Golf and @garrettj_clark Matt Scharff: @mattscharff Micah Morris: @micahtmorris

Let’s be real, the golf industry has always set a low standard when it came to paying their team and we feel strongly that this is a big mistake. On this episode, Joe, Mikey D & Drew and Jacquelyn “Stone Cold” Porman discuss The Power of Paying On Performance. Jacquelyn is the Lead Sales & Service Specialist at Dobson Ranch Golf Course and has done an amazing job growing the business and instilling a fun, friendly, and even competitive culture at the Ranch. You would hope that every golf course would be looking for any edge they can get, however, when it comes to hiring, training, and compensating their team, they do the exact opposite. Most golf course managers and operators forget that your frontline and day-to-day leadership are responsible for your most important asset. So paying as little as possible with no incentive or hiring someone that only wants free golf, is a for sure way NOT to be successful. We understand that golf courses may not have the resources to pay high salaries or wages, so Pay On Performance… Look at all of your profit streams and/or centers and pay on sales, revenue improvement, profit growth, guest reviews… whatever you ways you want to grow. We will share with great levity, passion, and experience on the Power of Paying On Performance. Enjoy the episode and please leave any thoughts or feedback. Hope We Make You Smile..:)

On this episode Joe, Mikey D & Drew discuss with great experience and humor, the flaw of the Annual Membership and what to do if you want your course not just survive but thrive… First of all, we are not referring to a Private Club. The Not So Silent Business Killer, The Annual Membership is the failed business model that many public golf courses create and offer due to a lack of marketing expertise or trying to mimic the failing or barely solvent course down the street. The problem with this membership product and/or business model is that it entitles the golfer (member) primetime inventory, unlimited access to other profit centers (range, f and b etc..) and access to share or even demand the way the course should be managed and marketed, AT A ROCK BOTTOM PRICE!!! In addition, when calling them “members” it empowers them to dominate the time and energy of the entire management and front-line service team. Hence, no one is focusing on acquiring new customers or providing memorable service to the other customers playing their course. The problem is not the “member” it is the product and/or business model. The sure way to fail is to give all your prime inventory, attention, and energy to a group that pays the least. One consistent challenge with all the courses we have helped that had an Annual Membership product is that their average green fee was at least 50% lower than their daily fee guest. If you are going to do an Annual Membership at a low price, make it only valid in your off-peak times and use the creative strategies we share to fill the prime time with new high paying customers… Enjoy the episode and Hope We Make You Smile

One of the reasons that so many golf courses (and other businesses) never maximize their success, or even fail, is the lack of what we call Operational Leadership. On this episode, Joe, Mikey and Drew discuss Operational Leadership and why it is so important to have your property not just survive, but thrive. Operational Leadership is different than Management, and most operators don’t understand the difference. You manage budgets, schedules, inventory, systems, and processes, but who “Leads” the team and guest experience??? In the golf business, the more you move up or get promoted, typically you become less and less engaged or even aware of the daily operation and the more you manage the things shared above. This combined with a complete lack of training, prioritizing, and accountaability with your front-line team will leave our guest experience, team morale, and property's success left to chance. When implementing Operational Leadership, your property will have a designated team member that has been trained, inspired, and even rewarded to take full responsibility for the guest experience (first tee pairing, presentation, spacing), pace of play (directing and communication with LOD) service, smiles and sales along with team morale and efficiency. Management is important, but without Operational Leadership, you won’t have anything to manage. Enjoy the episode and please share you thoughts on our FB or IG pages. Hope We Make You Smile… "

This episode is much different than previous ones. On this episode, Joe, Mikey D, Drew along with special guests Janai Porman and Ryan Barmore share their stories on how their parents sacrifice and commitment led them to not only a career in golf but many amazing memories. Although all their stories and path to the golf business are a little different, they all share the loss and loving memory of a father or mother that led them to the game. This episode is a tribute to their parents along with the many other parents and people that made the commitment and sacrifice to introduce the game of golf to someone that needed some hope, joy and opportunity. Knowing how big of an impact the game of golf has had in their lives, The Golf Biz team along with Dobson Ranch Golf Course and Action Golf Cars have launched the Pops & Jr. Youth Golf Program. The program is going to introduce golf, bring smiles and create opportunity for kids that may not have the opportunity or resources. Enjoy and please share your story how the game of golf has had a positive impact in your life or a loved on that made it possible.

On this episode Joe, Mike D. & Drew discuss the Golf Business’s most overused and misunderstood buzz words along with its dumbest policies. Full disclosure, we are guilty of using some buzz words to sound smarter. However, we feel that the golf business as a whole takes buzz words from other industries and preach the words/strategies but really have no idea on how to implement or even understand. Also, we go on a rant on how historical dumb policies in the golf business are going to hurt more than ever if they don’t shift to a customer-focused business model and culture. Stay tuned and I promise you will enjoy, or at least have a laugh.

First, the term Operational Influencer is a Paradigm “OG”. In this episode Joe, Mikey D and Drew discuss the difference between an Operational Influencer and a “Celebrity” Influencer Along with how an Operational Influencer can get your property the edge it needs to get customers' attention, make smiles, gain market share and crush your competition. Traditional golf course managers and marketers try to separate their course or experience by showcasing the signature hole or that their service is really good, blah, blah, blah. Although we agree good course conditions and service are really important, you need to make your team leader the face of the property and the voice of your brand. Someone that can make your customers (celebrities) smile, get your followers to take action and grow your profit centers through creative influence. It’s more about the quality than the quantity of your followers..