Tag Archives: golf

Brendan McCarthy, KemperSports, National Director of Marketing and Sales

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As we approach the PGA Golf Show in Orlando, Rick is joined by Brendan McCarthy of KemperSports. Brendan is the National Director of Marketing and Sales and there is no better person to talk the business of golf as we look ahead to 2019.

Brendan McCarthy joined KemperSports in 2009 as a Regional Sales and Marketing Director and was promoted to serve as the National Director of Marketing and Sales. Mr. McCarthy has over 20 years of hospitality industry experience driving revenue and brand engagement results for resorts, private clubs and daily-fee operations. Brendan specializes in using data analysis to drive marketing and sales improvement. Previously, Brendan was a Director of Marketing for Vail Resorts and he earned both his MBA and BSBA from the University of Denver. Brendan is married with two young children living in the greater Chicago area where he volunteers as a youth sports coach and has served on the Youth Advisory Board for the First Tee of Greater Chicago and as a Commissioner for the Village of Wilmette Transportation Commission.

Founded in 1978, KemperSports has a rich history as a family-owned business with more than 7,000 staff members. From our first development project at Kemper Lakes Golf Course to our award-winning portfolio of over 130 facilities, including many nationally-ranked courses and tournament venues, our clients are at the core of the KemperSports family.

With a longstanding history of innovation and superior client solutions, KemperSports takes a unique, customized approach to each client. We employ the best people in the industry and provide ongoing education and continual review of processes to provide our clients with operational excellence and exceptional customer experience.

Mr. McCarthy is based in the KemperSports Northbrook, IL office.

He and Rick talk about the state of golf, what KemperSports is looking to do in the future and getting the word out about being a lifetime and family sport.

Paul Albanese, Architect of Sage Run Golf Club

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Had the fantastic opportunity to play the new Sage Run Golf Club in Harris, Mich. and hear from the architect of the course himself.

Golfers in the northwest corner of Michigan have a new course to play as Sage Run opened in the town of Harris. The course is designed by Paul Albanese, ASGCA (Albanese and Lutzke Golf Course Design).

The course compliments the existing Sweetgrass Golf Club course at the Island Resort and Casino – another Albanese & Lutzke design.
One interesting feature of the Sage Run site is a large drumlin – a long, sloping ridge. Albanese said that this was used within the design to allow golfers to experience the landform throughout the round.

“We wanted golfers to be able to interact with the drumlin in different directions, North, South, East and West; climbing up, cascading down, diagonally, across the top, and along the bottom,” he said. “At the end of the round, golfers should really feel they got the flavor of this drumlin.”

With preparations now being made ahead of the course’s opening in late summer, Albanese says that golfers can expect Sage Run to deliver a “diversity of experience”.

“Every hole has its own unique flavor and character,” he adds. “In addition to the drumlin, the holes route though a pine scrub area, an open area, and a wooded part too. And, as an experience overall, this course will feel and play much differently to Sweetgrass. Golfers should expect to want to stay for a long weekend of golfing fun with all the golf there now.”

Picking up the game of golf at age 5, Paul Albanese was a single digit handicapper by the time he was 13 and was fascinated by the great courses he was exposed to in Northern New Jersey, such as Somerset Hills, Baltusrol and Plainfield CC. Paul was recruited by Cornell University to play on the golf team, and he was captain of the team his senior year. Paul received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University’s engineering college, where he specified his studies in environmental and agricultural engineering. His golf team experience at Cornell allowed him to see many classic courses on the East Coast, including the famed Bethpage Black course, where the Ivy Leagues Championships are played every year. After Cornell, Paul went on to Harvard University where he received a Masters in Landscape Architecture.

Here’s a little overview from Albanese.

Sage Run Golf Club

Barney Adams, CEO Breakthrough Golf Technology talks Stability Shaft

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This week, Rick is joined by entrepreneur, the founder of Adams Golf, inventor of the Tight Lies fairway wood, holder of several patents on golf products, author of The WOW Factor! – Barney Adams! And he has something new.

Adams was selected as Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 1999.[1] The 2010 Ernie Sabayrac Award for lifetime contribution to the golf industry was presented to Adams by the PGA of America. Adams has also been named an Honorary Member for Life by the PGA Southern California Section, Desert Chapter. Adams served as Chairman of the Board of Adams Golf until June 2012 when the company was purchased by TaylorMade-Adidas.

Introducing the Stability Shaft from Breakthrough Golf Technology. Breakthrough Golf uses scientifically advanced multi-material design with geometries never before used in a putter shafts. The Stability shaft has a unique look and a more solid feel than a traditional steel putter shaft.

CEO, Barney Adams states, “When I first learned about the product I knew that it could be significant. It’s a step forward in golf equipment technology. What has been rewarding for me is that the Stability Shaft works better for amateurs. Pros are great putters and while the shaft does help them, it’s the inconsistency of the amateur that it corrects most”.

The performance of the shaft was exhaustively tested with hundreds of putters using state-of-the-art high-speed cameras, robots, SAM Putt Lab, Quintic Ball Roll software and Trackman4. The result was to re-invent the putter shaft from the ground up.

There are four parts of the Stability shaft that work in concert to greatly improve putting performance. BGT calls this ‘Advanced Materials Integration’™:

Eight layers of high modulus carbon fiber specifically layered, wrapped and widened, with a no-taper design to greatly reduce torque.

Through ‘Finite Element Analysis’ a lightweight 22g aluminum insert was developed and precisely located to reinforce flexural rigidity.

A 7075-aluminum connector that helps to stiffen and reinforce. This versatility allows attachment to virtually any tip diameter of any putter, regardless of the bend profile.

The stainless-steel tips have extremely consistent wall thicknesses for superior strength and are coated with a smoke PVD finish to add protection from corrosion and rusting.

Designed to improve any golfer’s game. The Stability Shaft delivers the face more squarely at impact for improved accuracy, solid feel and has a lower launch for a predictable roll, resulting in better distance control.

You’ll get a higher ‘Smash Factor’, hit the clubface more consistently and ultimately make more putts. It’s a perfect synergy of technology and materials to improve putting performance.

The Stability Shaft has a MAP price of $199.99 and is available from golf retailers in the US and Canada.

Founder Barney Adams, who has always had the unique ability to see what is truly missing in Golf equipment decided to focus on the putter shafts since there had been no significant innovation for decades.

A team of award winning engineers was assembled and no shaft company on the planet delivers innovation in golf shafts like Breakthrough Golf Technology.

For more than 50 years, the putter shaft hasn’t changed — it essentially has remained a steel pipe. Yet putter head designs have evolved and gotten dramatically heavier. The result; Shafts that are neither stable nor strong enough to keep these advanced putter heads from oscillating, twisting and turning during the stroke. In fact, the strongest part of the putter shaft is right underneath the hands, where it does the least good; the weakest part is near the head. So why would any golfer having a better option trust their putter to a cheap steel shaft? After all, they use their putter nearly twice as much as any other club.

Have a listen to Rick and Barney!

Barney Adams

Catherine Rotman, Inlet Sports Lodge, Marketing and Golf Director

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Rick is joined this week by Catherine Rotman, the marketing and golf director at the Inlet Sports Lodge in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

Located in the heart of Murrells Inlet, The Inlet Sports Lodge is a boutique hotel catering to golf lovers, fishing, boating and outdoor enthusiasts, or anyone simply looking to relax. Just 1 mile north at the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk and Marina, enjoy a variety of award winning fresh Lowcountry dining and a variety of watersports. Minutes away from many of the area’s most recognized golf courses – including our very own affiliated courses – Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and True Blue Plantation and all the courses of the Waccamaw Golf Trail, plus dozens of boutique shops, beaches and historical area attractions.

If you are into sports and heading to the South Carolina coast, there is no better place to base your travels than the Inlet Sports Lodge. Catherine gives us a in depth view…  Thanks to Catherine for coming on and in my opinion, the Inlet Sports Lodge is the only choice to stay when in the Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawley’s Island area.

Have a listen.

Inlet Sports Lodge

 

Mike Yagley, Director of Innovation, Research and Testing at Cobra PUMA Golf

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Rick is joined by a great guest this week, Mike Yagley, Director of Innovation, Research and Testing at Cobra PUMA Golf.

Cobra PUMA Golf makes some of the finest golf clubs in the world, but a new partnership with Arccos Golf has everyone paying attention to the unique technology one will find in the KING F8 line of irons.

Yagley talks about experiencing seamless COBRA CONNECT™ embedded sensor technology and automatic shot tracking Powered by Arccos®. The complete line of KING® F8 clubs pair with the Arccos 360® app for full bag shot tracking and the KING F8 Drivers pair with the Arccos Driver® app for driver shot tracking. Download the appropriate app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and get connected.

“Arccos is invested in building and refining the sensor technology, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence platforms that we’ve brought to consumers through Cobra Connect technology in the grip of our Cobra KING products. We believe the insights players gain about their games through this technology will make them smarter, better golfers,” said Mike Yagley, Sr. Director of Innovation / AI at Cobra Golf.

Rick is using the clubs and of course, enjoying all the data and shot tracking. have a listen to Rick and Mike talk about this unique technology and how it can help your golf game.

For more information, please visit: www.arccosgolf.com and www.cobragolf.com.

CobraConnect

Mike Yagley

Dick Sullivan, President & CEO, PGA TOUR Superstore

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If you love golf and sports, chances are you’ve set foot in a PGA TOUR Superstore. Rick is joined by Dick Sullivan, President and CEO of PGA TOUR Superstore this week on “Tech of Sports.”

Fueled by capturing market share, new market expansion and strong e-commerce comp sales growth, PGA TOUR Superstore posted a record year in 2017 with an overall sales growth of 23 percent. With Mother’s and Father’s Day on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to take a closer look at this retail store success story.

Inside PGA TOUR Superstore, golf enthusiasts of all levels can experience in-house custom club fittings and repair, along with lessons from certified teaching professionals. Practice hitting bays with swing analysis software, interactive simulators and expansive putting greens are available for customers use. PGA TOUR Superstore offers visitors the largest selection of clubs, accessories, footwear and a wide variety of apparel for men, women and juniors. It’s not only a golfer’s paradise, but all sports enthusiasts will love the layout and the selection of goods.

Sullivan talks about their success, where they are heading and why customers are so loyal to PGA TOUR Superstore.

Additional PGA TOUR Superstore 2017 highlights include:

-e-commerce comp sales grew by 42 percent year-over-year
-More than 100,000 custom club fittings and 750,000 clubs re-gripped
-Nearly 50,000 participated in lessons, clinics and other grow the game initiatives

PGA TOUR Superstore is a part of The Blank Family of Businesses, which includes the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and Mountain Sky Guest Ranch. The Company’s Chairman, Arthur M. Blank, co-founded The Home Depot and has applied the same approach and business practices to PGA TOUR Superstore.

“At PGA TOUR Superstore we’re using the same philosophy that drove The Home Depot’s success and revolutionized the home improvement industry,” said Blank. “We offer a variety of products at value prices, incredible services and employ the best associates to provide a level of customer service that keeps visitors coming back because they love the experience.”

PGA TOUR Superstore is committed to inspiring people to play their best and grow the game of golf. PGA TOUR Superstore hosts free Kids Zone clinics each month, along with a Get Golf Ready Ladies Program and virtual nine-hole leagues on in-store simulators. Its work with The First Tee has impacted thousands of juniors across the US, with more than three million dollars in contributions to deliver education programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.

PGA TOUR Superstore provides customers with access to the same technology and expertise as card-carrying PGA TOUR pros. All stores are staffed with teaching professionals and have multiple state-of-the-art swing simulators, practice hitting bays, and large putting greens. There is also an in-house club making and repair facility. Along with equipment and accessories, PGA TOUR Superstore has an unmatched selection of men’s, women’s and juniors’ apparel and footwear. For more information, visit www.pgatoursuperstore.com.

Have a listen to Rick and Dick Sullivan.

Dick Sullivan