Rick talks to the very unique, Jeff Diamond this week. Jeff owns On Tour Golf.
Diamond has been making unique items for the past twenty-plus years, as well as furniture and other functional items from recycled golf clubs with no end in sight. His creations, are the only ones like it in the world and all made in America. Jack Nicklaus, one of the most famous golfers ever, has Jeff’s Big Turtle sculpture in his collection.
Jeff has successfully exhibited at major trade shows across the country including Atlanta and Las Vegas. Jeff also exhibits every year in Augusta, Georgia during the Masters golf tournament and a few years ago sold an 8 foot diameter sphere, sculptured completely from recycled golf club heads, for $30,000.00. Of course most of his unique products are priced for the general public to enjoy. So let’s “play through” and view a sampling of his great works!
Jeff is now venturing into the tennis world, recycling vintage wooden rackets into tables and table lamps.
Rick talks with tennis racquet collector, Mike Barrell this week.
There are 1000’s of tennis racquets out there. Where you are looking for a racquet that is functional or something to put on your wall as a piece of art, Mike helps guide you through the tennis racquet collecting universe.
As a collector, Mike feels that part of his responsibility is education others about the history and value of racquets. We then talk about Mike’s collection, how scarcity and values are determined. In the age of social media, Mike is very active with other racquet enthusiasts on Facebook.
From wood to racquets made with all sorts of materials, Mike says, it’s about the hunt and discovering something that he’s never seen before.
Enjoy this talk with tennis racquet collector, Mike Barrell. Maybe you’ll start a collection of your own!
Rick is joined by David Marcus, the founder of EcoGrip this week.
Note: A biodegradable tennis / pickleball grip: a high performance grip for racket sports, which decomposes naturally within one year.
David had the idea for a biodegradable overgrip while traveling around eco-friendly Ireland in 2008. In 2010 I finally found a highly skilled industrial chemist in Australia and told him about my green idea. He joined our company. After several years of trial and error together our small team developed a great patent pending polymer for the overgrips. During the very hot summer of 2013 we play-tested EcoGRIP Smooth and Hi-Tac in 10 different countries with 30 excellent tennis coaches and players including a young teen player from California named Cici Bellis. No players were told the grips were eco-friendly. Every one of the players told us the grip played excellent, felt great and lasted longer than their current overgrips.* When we told them the grips would safely biodegrade in one year after changeout … they were blown away.
EcoGrip Hi–Tac overgrips use a slow-release formula and small perforations to offer much longer tack and superior sweat absorption.
Decomposes naturally in the environment within 1 year. Good for your game & great for the environment.
Makes a great holiday gift for a tennis/pickleball player.
Rick is joined by former World No. 7, Australian Open champ and longtime tennis coach, Brian Teacher.
Have a listen as Brian has a new tennis coaching app.
A groundbreaking new tennis instructional platform may revolutionize the way tennis players learn, and coaches serve athletes. Full Court Tennis, a collaborator of the WTA & ATP Coach Organizations, has launched its new training app, now available through the app store, to all coaches, athletes, and tennis players of all skill levels. The new app allows tennis players to instantly access the worlds’ best coaches for in-app virtual lessons.
Developed by Australian Open Winner, Brian Teacher, with Advisory Board Members John McEnroe, Katrina Adams, and AI scientist Dr. David Fogle, the app provides numerous options for tennis training, including hiring a coach for stroke analysis and a live video consult lesson. Coaches can set their own rates and availability for in-app lessons. Players can also compare their strokes side-by-side to the pros through the app’s stroke library.
“Growing up playing tennis at a public park, I found it challenging to learn the game without access to world-class coaches,” said Teacher, Founder and CEO of Full Court Tennis. “After winning the Australian Open and becoming an ATP and WTA Coach working with Andre Agassi, Greg Rusedski, and other top pros, I was looking for ways to make world-coaching instantly accessible around the globe – even for children who would not otherwise have access to top coaching talent. After many years of work to streamline the experience, we are excited to make this technology available to all coaches and to all levels of tennis players.”
The app offers its users access to a global community with free tips, drills, and analysis on the Full Court Feed where players can follow, learn, and interact with coaches and players.
Established in January of 2017, the WTA Coach Program has been designed to professionalize, standardize, and recognize the important role of coaching on the WTA Tour. The official collaboration between Full Court Tennis, WTA, and ATP Coach Programs looks to bring even more accessible training opportunities to both coaches and players in the future.
The Full Court Tennis App is a free download on the Full Court Tennis website or the App Store.
Rick is joined by a great guest this week. Georgia State men’s tennis fifth-year senior Andrei Duarte, who was awarded a main draw doubles wild card for the 2022 Atlanta Open as announced by the professional men’s tennis tournament and tournament director Eddie Gonzalez. Duarte will pair with Alvaro Regalado of Columbus State to compete in the ATP 250 Tour event against a pair of ATP Tour Pros on July 26.
He also talks to Rick about his compelling story and more.
Duarte joins former Panthers men’s tennis player Zack Kennedy as the latest GSU tennis standout to compete at the US Open Series tournament in Atlanta. Kennedy received a doubles draw to the Atlanta Open in 2016 and secured a win in the first round over tennis pros Yoshihito Nishioka and Thiago Monteiro.
Duarte prepares to make his professional tournament debut at this year’s Atlanta Open having closed his tenure with the Panthers in 2022 as the school’s all-time leader in wins. Duarte’s five-year career at GSU was capped off with a historic season that saw the fifth-year help lead GSU to Sun Belt Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships as well as an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Duarte received All-Sun Belt Singles and Doubles First Team honors for the spring 2022 season.
Tennis & Racket Industry Pros Launch RKT3 Group To Offer Expert Consulting Strategy, Programming and Leadership Development
Rick talks to Erik Kortland this week on “Tech of Sports.”
Three dynamic leaders in the racket sports space are venturing out and offering their services to organizations and facilities looking to expand and take advantage of the growing landscape and popularity of tennis, paddle, pickleball and other racket sports within the industry.
RKT3 Group, Inc., offers executive coaching, vision strategies with mission statements, communications, marketing, programming, leadership and personal development to clubs and racket sports facilities in the United States and abroad.
RKT3 Group was founded in 2021 by dynamic tennis leaders Ryan Redondo, Erik Kortland and Khuong Tien.
“Our vision is to promote an innovative and universal approach to the tennis and racket sport industry,” said Kortland, a former USTA National coach now the National Sports Marketing Manager for Tecnifibre/Lacoste Sports Group also working in player development. “The growth of racket sports like tennis, padel, and pickleball has skyrocketed over the past three of four years, especially in the United States. And we want to be the leaders in helping the industry’s leading facilities and organizations get the most out of their developmental strategy.”
RKT3’s services include organizational strategy and structuring, club management, on and off court program development, one-on-one coaching and mentoring, tournament planning, fundraising and development strategy and planning, and more.
“We support and create a space for our clients to provide lucrative business models, strengthened community development, and the tools to be on the cutting edge within the industry,” said Redondo, the CEO of Youth Tennis San Diego and General Manager of Barnes Tennis Center, home of a newly announced WTA 500 tournament set for the fall.
Tien is a junior tennis parent who has worked as a corporate lawyer for the past 20 years. Prior to RKT3 Group, he served as general counsel for a national chain restaurant based in Southern California.
For more information on the RKT3 Group, go to the website at: www.rkt3.com.
