The ModGolf Podcast

Guillaume Béland is the President and General Manager of Lune Rouge and The Major Series of Putting. Guillaume speaks with host Colin Weston about their ambitious and exciting plans to stage over 400 putting competitions this year, culminating with a week-long finals tournament this October in a purpose-built stadium in Las Vegas. MSOP Stadium Las Vegas About The Major Series Of Puttng (MSOP): Major Series of Putting (MSOP) intends to entertain, challenge and thrill people with the simplest and most important golf element - Putting. To achieve this, MSOP is sanctioning the largest series of putting tournaments in history with millions of dollars in total prize money. In fabulous Las Vegas, participants from all walks of life will have opportunity to test their skills - and nerves - as they compete over several days in high-stakes championship putting on a 20,000 Square-foot surface designed by world-leading Nicklaus Design. The fun is open to all as qualifying events will be held around North America in collaboration with local golf courses. MSOP is a subsidiary of Lune Rouge Innovation, a new creative company inspired and controlled by Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté. In this episode we learned about: • The Major Series of Putting and how to register for or host a qualifying tournament: https://msop.com/en/ • The architectural firm Populous http://populous.com/ and their MSOP stadium design. You can see the animation of the stadium design here --> https://msop.com/en/venue/LasVegas • The 20,000 sq ft putting green created by Jack Nickaus Design. http://www.nicklaus.com/design/ • The "Blue Ocean Strategy" that MSOP is pursuing to capture a new, large and uncontested audience. https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/ • "Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime of Golf" Written by Harvey Penick https://www.amazon.ca/Harvey-Penicks-Little-Red-Book/dp/1451683219/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497344682&sr=8-1&keywords=harvey+penick%27s+little+red+bookSpecial Guest: Guillaume Béland - Président & General Manager at MSOP / Lune Rouge.

If you play golf often, you probably know how awkward it can be if you don't have a foursome to play with. A game of golf usually takes over five hours, and it's much more enjoyable when you're paired with people you have something in common with. To solve this, Peter Kratsios created GolfMatch, an app that uses an algorithm to match players with one another based on factors like age, location, gender, skill level, and game interest. As passionate entrepreneur, Peter has taken GolfMatch from a conceptual idea to solve a pain point to the creation of a growing social community with over 40,000 engaged members. "There were times where I would be matched with people who were 30 to 40 years older than me with nothing in common" remarks Kratsios. Similar to a dating app, GolfMatch's system uses behavioral data to find the best matches for you to play a round of golf with. It filters through other users with factors like location, handicap, age, courses you regularly play, and the styles that you most enjoy. "Nowadays you have mobile applications that allow for social experiences in so many areas, whether it's dating or food, and we wanted to do the same for golf," Kratsios said. Three of the most commonly expressed frustrations with golf are that it's expensive, time-consuming, and inaccessible. On GolfMatch, people can join groups catered to their specific interests. Examples of groups include "Cheap Golf," which focuses on the best discounted rates around, or "Buy and Sell," where users can purchase or sell golf equipment. The company's latest innovation is adding filters into its tech that can also track which groups users are involved in to recommend matches. Users will often organize events directly through groups before connecting in person. These groups essentially allow golfers to create their own community of players. "I'm communicating with people several times a day through the groups feature," Kratsios told us. Peter's biggest insight so far: "Everyone has a unique emotional connection to golf and people crave the basic human desire to belong to something bigger than yourself". In this episode we discuss how in only two years GolfMatch has become an influential social platform to help grow the game of golf. Topics include: • We learn about Peter's story as a young golfer and the personal experiences that ignited his entrepreneurial passion. • What is GolfMatch and what was Peter's motivation to create it. • The business opportunity and gap in the golf marketplace that GolfMatch is poised to capture. • The importance of strategic partnerships in order to propel your technology forward as a commercially successful enterprise. • The value of a dedicated, passionate and lean team that embraces the GolfMatch vision and culture in order to build an agile business. You can register for free by downloading the GolfMatch App from either The App Store or Google Play. Learn more about GolfMatch at: https://golfmatchapp.com/ and @GolfMatchApp on Twitter and Instagram Additional Links: April 17 2015 Fox Business "Elevator Pitch featuring Peter and GolfMatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0_hJ2oWFA "Life Without Golf" video short where Peter talks about his passion for golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NR7cYmylWo June 5 2016 Business Insider article on GolfMatch: http://www.businessinsider.com/golfmatch-app-pairs-players-together-2016-6/?r=UK&IR=T/#-1Special Guest: Peter Kratsios - Founder & CEO of GolfMatch.

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! 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 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

Darren Dummit, CEO and co-founder of GolfStream Inc. has created "The world's first indoor laser golf course and private lounge". After building, testing and refining their prototype in their LA warehouse space, GolfStream struck a partnership deal with the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to open their first commercial "golf suite". We suggest taking a look at the GolfStream trailer video to fully grasp the fun experience they've created. In this episode we discuss GolfStream's innovations, initiatives and go-to-market strategies such as: • What is GolfStream and what was the motivation to create it. • The business opportunity and gap in the golf marketplace that GolfStream is poised to capture. • The importance of strategic partnerships in order to move your technology forward as a commercially successful enterprise. • GolfStream's first location in Level Up at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas http://leveluplv.com/golfstream.html • The emergence of "skills-based gaming" that casinos are exploring to align with the lifestyle desires of a younger demographic and GolfStream's opportunity to both participate and benefit from this initiative. • Future business opportunities for GolfStream, such as partnering with the Major Series of Putting (MSOP) https://msop.com/ and major league sport stadiums. You can learn more about GolfStream at: • http://www.playgolfstream.com/ and [email protected] • @PlayGolfstream on Twitter • playgolfstream and #PLAYGOLFSTREAM on Instagram • Golfstream and @PlayGolfstream on Facebook ____________________ 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!... ColinSpecial Guest: Darren Dummit - Co-Founder & CEO, Golfstream Inc..

Keith Pelley took the courageous leap to leave his professional comfort zone as President of Rogers Media to accept a new challenge as CEO of The DP World Tour. Keith's bold vision redefines the DP World Tour as being golf entrepreneurs and disruptors, while respecting the history and traditions of this great game. In this episode we discuss The DP World Tour's innovations, experiments and initiatives such as: • Golf Sixes: A two day, six hole tournament format with two player teams representing twelve countries. #GolfSixes @golfsixes http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2017/tournamentid=2017036/news/newsid=326672.html • The strategies which The DP World Tour as an organization and Keith as a leader are implementing to engage and inspire staff members in order to build an entrepreneurial culture. • The Rolex Series, which Keith considers to be "One of the most initiatives in The European/DP World Tour's 45-year history". Not only do these eight tournaments have a minimum $7mil USD prize purse to attract the world's top players, but they will be innovating by providing "significantly enhanced, high-end content", "significantly increased production budgets for both broadcast and digital content creation and distribution", along with "enhanced on-site interactive engagement and experiences for both players and fans". Simply put, " All resources for each Rolex Series tournament will be magnified". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpjWYwS_fvc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2d5zc-uSbY and http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/rolexseries/index.html More information on Keith's hiring as CEO of The DP World Tour.... http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/news/newsid=253763.html 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!... ColinSpecial Guest: Keith Pelley - CEO of The DP World Tour.

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

The ModGolf Podcast talks with golf's top influencers, entrepreneurs, innovators and disruptors about their vision and solutions to re-imagine, transform and grow the game. Host Colin Weston explores the future of golf through conversations with the visionaries and influencers that are shaking up the sport. Thanks for joining us and please subscribe to our newsletter for your chance to win golf products we love in our latest #ModGolfGiveaway contest! 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 We'd love to hear from you! Have any ideas or guests you'd like to hear on future episodes? Email me at [email protected] to start the conversation. Want to listen to our most downloaded episode? That would be our conversation with Blue Ocean Strategy co-author Professor Renée Mauborgne! Click to listen in. CREATING NEW GOLF MARKETS THAT MAKE THE COMPETITION IRRELEVANT - RENÉE MAUBORGNE / BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY Special Guests: Jared Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of Five Iron Golf and Renée Mauborgne - Co-author of Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift.