Join us as we discuss golf course management, marketing, myths and morons.

Special guest Coach Rusty, golf influencer, trickshotter, and dad joins Joe, Mikey, and Drew on the Golf Biz. In this episode we dive into Coach Rusty’s golf background including his introduction into the game, golf career, and his love for teaching golf. In addition to his golf background, Coach Rusty speaks on being a father, stories as a golf influencer, and his future ambitions with golf. Enjoy the episode and please share any comments or questions. Hope we make you smile.

Special guest Hailey Ostrom, professional golfer, and now golf influencer joins Joe, Mikey, and Drew on the Golf Biz. In this episode we dive into Hailey Ostroms golf background including how she was introduced to the game, upbringing, and her impact on the golf industry and next generation of golfers. In addition to her golf background, Hailey speaks on creating social media content, responding to criticism, building her social media presence, and how her career goals have changed over the years. Enjoy the episode and please share any comments or questions. Hope We Make You Smile

Special guest Brice Butler, NFL player, and now golf influencer joins Joe, Mikey, and Drew on the Golf Biz. We get into the many fascinating interests Brice has conquered, from fashion shows to DJing at night and golfing on youtube. During covid Brice still had some uncertainty about his NFL career and found himself transitioning into his newfound love, golf. We dive deep, exchanging our point of view on inclusivity and diversity in the golf community, and building a culture that allows people to have more exposure to the sport. Brice is also passionate about mentoring and sponsoring kids who are interested in golf. Enjoy the episode and please share any comments or questions. Hope We Make You Smile

"The Golf World is Changing, But Will The Golf Business? Let’s be real, the golf business has been slow to move, change or transition from its same old boring traditional management and marketing approaches. However, with the Pandemic and other variables, participation in golf has got a bump, but the million dollar question is whether it will be long term or short lived??? On this episode, Joe, Mikey and Drew discuss the keys to keeping the current momentum rolling through innovation, inclusion, kindness and compassion. They go in depth on what golfers, of all ages, are looking for along with the best and most fun ways to deliver an experience that brings smiles and much more diverse group to the game. Enjoy the episode and please share any comments or questions. Hope We Make You Smile"

Join us in this episode as we sit down with Legendary AZ Jr Golf Supporter Dan Schneider to talk about the recent worldwide boom in golf! We talk shop about the increase in interest surrounding golf as a whole in the past year and a half from everybody young and old and how best to capitalize on this action. We know that in business this type of momentum doesn’t last forever, so it is imperative that the industry makes the right choices to acquire the new customers and adapt to keep them engaged in the long run. We also spend time talking to Dan about the amazing work he has done in the AZ Junior golf scene in bringing the sport to countless juniors. Making sure to make golf inclusive and lowering the barrier to entry are a few of the keys points he makes, as well as taking what’s commonly an individual sport and finding creative ways to create a team atmosphere in his clinics and programs. Thank you for joining and be sure to share this with anyone you think would be interested and (comment/subscribe/leave a review whatever is relevant on the specific platform). Most importantly, we hope we made you smile!

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!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfi-mPMOmche6WI-jkvnGXw

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 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..

Let’s be real, the golf business has always been way behind when it comes to marketing, innovation, and creativity. On this episode, Joe, Mikey D, Drew along with special guest Josh Hill breakdown the good, the bad and the really ugly of golf course marketing. Josh Hill is currently VP of Brandlync, a very successful and innovative Ad Agency that has been a huge help to our company and properties. Earlier in his career, Josh was a marketing executive for Walters Golf for 15 years and will share the evolution of golf course marketing strategies and technology along with the way to stay ahead of your competition and build a strong brand. And of course, we discuss the zany, out of the box and crazy strategies we have used over the years to acquire customers, gain market share, and separate our courses and team form our competition. Stay tuned and hear how partnering with the right marketing company can not only help you survive but thrive.

On this episode Joe, Mikey D & Drew will discuss the very controversial topic of whether golf course managers and operators should use Golf Now. The unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of misconceptions about the Golf Now platform. We will discuss in detail the why and how we use the platform along with why we feel strongly that industry leaders and golf course managers that have small picture perspectives about Golf Now are having a negative impact on golf courses that subscribe to their misguided beliefs. Buckle up and enjoy.

In Part One we interviewed aspiring PGA Tour Player Brendan Jelley. He shared his journey from winning a national championship at Oklahoma State to now trying to make the PGA Tour. On this episode we speak with Chris Kielp. Chris is the Head Golf Professional at Dobson Ranch Golf Course and part of the Paradigm family. Chris took an unconventional path in becoming a Golf Professional, he had a long and successful career in the business and accounting world. But his passion for the game pushed him to make a career change and become a Golf Professional. Chris along with Joe, Mikey D and Drew will share in detail the life of running high volume golf courses all over America. There is great insight, some debate and a lot of laughs… ENJOY

The Golf Business attracts a lot of team members that are Generation Y (Millennial) and if you are struggling to connect, or if you are looking for a unique perspective, this episode if for you. Joe, Mikey D & Drew will discuss the shift in thinking and what adjustments YOU need to make as a business leader to build a great team and flourish in these ever-changing times. Although there will be plenty of laughs and engaging dialogue, this will not be a clichéd hit peace against younger people from the ages of 20 to 35. For we feel strongly that this shift is more Relational vs Generational… Hope We Make You Smile

On this episode, Joe, Mikey D, Drew and Paradigm Co-Founder Mike Abee discuss the How, When & Why to buy a golf course. Mike Abee has been considered the golf industry's due diligence expert and top golf course transactional consultant for decades and will share the various strategies and secrets on the best practices in purchasing a golf course. In addition to some intriguing and expert knowledge, there will be some great laughs as we share over 30 years of buying and selling golf courses all over the country. Stay Tuned & Hope We Make You Smile..

Have you met someone who said they are a Professional Golfer, or was it a Golf Professional? Most people don’t realize there is a difference between the two, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. On this weeks episode Joe, Mikey D and Drew interview aspiring Professional Golfer Brendon Jelley and his fiancé Landon Garcia. Brendon, a junior, amateur and collegiate golf prodigy that was part of the 2018 National Champion Oklahoma State with teammates Matt Wolfe and Viktor Hovland recently turned professional and will share his new journey to his ultimate goal, the PGA Tour. In a future episode (Part Two) we will go in detail what a Golf Professional is and does Contest: Win the opportunity to play a round with Brendon and see what its like to play with a Professional Golfers PLUS: Mikey D and Drew challenge Brendon and Landon to a Trivia contest and the losers caddy for the winners… STAY TUNED HOPE WE MAKE YOU SMILE….

"Smashing success or complete disaster? Those are the most common outcomes when spouses, significant others and/or family work together. On this episode, Joe, Mikey D, Drew and some very special guests (our significant others) will share our story of starting, building and managing a Golf Management business for the past twenty years as a family. Enjoy the funny stories, emotional testimonials and mind-blowing insight on how and how not to work together when there are various layers of nepotism within your business. Contest: Tune In to see if the Boys or Girls are better listeners… HOPE WE MAKE YOU SMILE…."

In this episode, Joe Dahlstrom, Mikey D, Drew and Guest Jason Davis will discuss the Paradigm Way to get off the Slope, SHIFT THE VIBE & INCREASE THE BOTTOM LINE… You will be intrigued and enjoy the creative, zany and even crazy strategies that we have used to turn around dozens of golf courses in the most competitive golf markets in the country. Not to mention, we will have our weekly contest and giveaways… Stay Tuned

Let’s be real, if you play golf or have been around golf courses for any period of time, you have thought at one point “why is everyone so serious, lighten up, you’re not saving lives!! Golf courses earned that feedback by not focusing on the customer or making them the priority. The common approach and business model of managing golf courses centers around upholding of the “rich tradition” of the game along with the boring, stiff and outdated rules and policies.

Our goal every episode is to make you smile as we share what it’s like to manage and market golf courses all over the country.. The Paradigm Way of managing and marketing golf courses will make you Think, Laugh and maybe even Cry. Time to meet Mikey D, Drew & The Crew of the Paradigm Golf Group. If you were every curious what its like to be on the other side of the counter in the Golf Shop or what its takes to run a golf courses, here is your chance to find out.