Getting Off Course Podcast

Matt Holder is the founder of  Loop , a tee time engine that helps golfers book the best tee times at their favorite local courses. In this episode, we discuss Matt's experiences in the world of technology, and how those experiences prepared him to launch this new marketplace. Topics include: Matt's golf origin story Matt's relationship to golf today Why Matt pursued a BA in Economi...

Tony Starks is a copywriter for TaylorMade Golf and a recent contestant on ABC's Holey Moley. In this episode, we discuss Tony's 15 year career in the world of golf, as well as his experience on Stephen Curry's extreme mini golf show. Topics include: How Tony first heard about Holey Moley How Tony became a contestant The application and recruiting process The recording process Holes...

Andrew is the founder of The Petcash Post, an email newsletter focusing on the business of athletes and sports. He played division 1 basketball at Boston University and is a great resource when it comes to understanding NIL deals. We talked about his popular newsletter, college basketball, and NIL. Topics include: How Andrew came up with the idea for The Petcash Post Building a business through em...

Scott is a golf course designer, greenkeeping consultant and retired superintendent. One of Scott's projects includes the recently opened Gravel Pit Golf Course in Brainerd, Minnesota. We talked about this unique project and other design-centric questions. Topics include: Scott's early connection to golf Pursuing a turfgrass management degree at Michigan State Early lessons as a superint...

Zach and Andy Pessagno are the owners of Chasing Fowl Photography. These brothers teamed up several years ago to launch a golf-centric photography business that captures moments both on and off the course. In this episode, we talk about how they got started and what they've learned along the way. Topics include: Their journey into photography Growing up on the golf course Who to trust in a li...

Abby Liebenthal is President and Founder of Fore the Ladies, Inc as well as the Senior Manager of Championship Marketing for the United States Golf Association (USGA). In this episode, we discuss: Abby's career in golf Some key takeaways from Abby's jobs along the way Identifying skillsets and passions Abby's role at the USGA Launching Fore the Ladies Some of the barriers that keep...

Lauren is one of the top 100 female golfers in the world, and she was kind enough to offer a quick glimpse into the life of a professional golfer. In this episode, we talk day-to-day life, tournament preparation, sponsorships and more. Discussions include: The work that goes into becoming a professional golfer Moving to Dallas Life on non-tournament weeks Life on the days leading up to a tournamen...

Ronan Galvin is the co-founder of Sunday Golf, a company that specializes in lightweight golf bags and other gear for the casual golfer. In this episode, we dive into the world of product development. Ronan offers some great insights for anyone looking to turn a product idea into a reality. Topics include: How Sunday Golf came to be The first steps for turning an idea into a reality Developing a p...

Jeff Peart is a former semi-pro basketball player turned golf enthusiast. In 2021, he launched his own golf brand called Chasing Aces. We talk a ton of basketball in this podcast, giving the listener a glimpse into the world of semi-pro competition. We then pivot to golf and talk about the origin story of Chasing Aces. The show covers: Jeff's introduction to basketball All-star game with Ime...

John is a retired professional golfer with plenty of PGA Tour experience under his belt. He also worked for the Golf Channel and is the author of a new book called Shafted. In this episode, we discuss: Lessons learned as a young golfer on the PGA Tour John's incredible comeback win in the 1978 PGA Championship Why John found success at the highest levels Transitioning away from professional c...

Matt and a friend launched Cactus Golf Club, an online community that brings golfers together for game improvement and networking. Cactus Golf Club features exclusive monthly deals, fun giveaways, and drills and tips from golf instructors. The difference between Indiana golf and Arizona (desert) golf Golf accessories The genesis of Cactus Golf Club The case for joining Cactus Golf Club Partnering...

Michael Wolf is a former college golfer and a current mini tour competitor. The journey to playing golf at the highest levels is a challenging one. I ask Mike a ton of questions related to what it takes to be a professional golfer. Topics include: How Mike got into golf How someone becomes a professional golfer Mike's daily schedule for life and practice What practice looks like Key terms: Mi...

Bharat is the founder and chief appraiser at Veristrat LLC . He's a casual golfer and a contributor at Inc.com where he writes about a variety of business and financial topics. In this episode, we talk a bit of golf before diving into the world of business valuations. I had lots of questions about valuing businesses, unique assets and more. Bharat offered some great insights. Listen in, I gua...

Sam Puryear is a former college golfer and a pioneer in the world of golf coaching. Sam coached at Stanford (National Championship winner), Michigan State University (where he was the first African-American head coach at a Power Five School and won a Big Ten Championship), and Queens University of Charlotte. He is now the head of the men's and women's golf teams at Howard University, one...

Kim Lewellen is a former college and professional golfer who now leads the Wake Forest women's golf team. She has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year on four separate occasions. In this episode, we discuss a variety of golf topics including: How golf became a part of Kim's life How Kim became a college golf coach The shift from competitor to the coach of competitor...

Jared is a former college golfer and the brains behind Perfect Putt, a free weekly newsletter that breaks down the business side of golf. We discuss: Jared's D1 golf experiences at the University of Northern Iowa Jared's worst competitive round The mental game Jared's favorite golf memory Perfect Putt origin story Who the newsletter is for Golf trends that Jared's watching How...

Sloan Whitaker is one of the owners of BA Carts in Van Wert, Ohio. He wouldn't call himself the king of custom golf carts, but I've seen his work and it would be hard to top. We discuss: How Sloan got into the golf cart business Lessons learned Early marketing attempts Where his business sources their used golf carts The golf cart restoration process Sloan's favorite custom builds S...

Tucker Booth is an award-winning battle rapper and entertainer. He's also the host of the Rappers Don't Golf podcast. A man of many talents, Tucker offers some great insights into how a creative person can make a living doing what they love. Our conversation covered a broad range of topics including: Tucker's first experiences with golf The appeal of Topgolf A glimpse into the world...

Dr. Mike Goatley is a Virginia Tech professor who specializes in turfgrass science. He's an engaging guest and I promise you're going to learn something. We discuss: Mike's first impressions of golf How Mike ended up in the world of turfgrass Working with bermudagrass Warm vs. cool season grasses The "perfect" climate for turfgrass management Turfgrass research examples an...

Wayne Pettry hops on the show to give us some perspective on golf, his time as a par 3 clubhouse manager and his volunteer experiences with JMU women's softball. Wayne also shares: His favorite Jordan Spieth quote (very inspirational) His best/worst golf course clubhouse memories Reasons for JMU's success Insights on other top D1 softball programs Wayne acknowledges his fear of snakes, b...

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work at ESPN? Or for a professional football team? Zach Pereles offers a helpful glimpse into the world of sports journalism. We cover a variety of topics including: Casual and professional golf Northwestern University The life of a sports journalist The Denver Broncos ESPN / SportsCenter At the end of the episode, Zach reveals his favorite Washington...

Big G kicks off our inaugural episode with a fun glimpse into the world of a caddie. So who is Big G? Big G, aka Gordon Rorison, is a lifer Scottish caddie who currently resides in California and hones his skills at Pebble Beach. In this episode, we touch on a broad range of topics including: Types of caddies The characteristics of a good caddie Caddie complaints Bryson DeChambeau The Real Life Ca...

If you enjoy conversations with people who don't quite fit the mold, you're going to enjoy the Getting Off Course podcast. Listen to this brief introduction to learn more about the podcast format and guests. Visit the Getting Off Course website for more detailed information. Find Us on Social Media Facebook Instagram Twitter