Getting Off Course Podcast

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 with smaller golf brands
• Partnering with golf instructors
• Creating an online community
• Future plans for the community

The episode featured not 1, but 2 lightning rounds!

I asked Matt which PGA Tour player he would like to trade places with. Who do you think he chose?

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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: Mini tour events, Monday qualifiers, pro-ams
• Choosing which events to compete in
• Mike's favorite climate to play in
• How the PGA uses its money
• How Mike defines his success
• Overcoming adversity in a round
• A tournament story (or two)

We ended our time with a lightning round focusing on mini tour questions and Mike's hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals. Does Mike think the Bengals will win a Super Bowl in the next 5 years? You'll have to listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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 guarantee you'll learn something!

Topics covered:

• Bharat's relationship to golf
• Pros/cons of an analytical golfer
• The importance of not siloing yourself
• Business valuations: An art or a science?
• Why business valuations can vary between appraisers
• Approaches to valuing a business
• Big companies that Bharat's valued
• Challenges that come with large valuations
• Startup valuations and what to look for in a startup
• Unique assets
• Valuing a golf course
• Maximizing the value of your business
• Teddy Roosevelt

Is owning a golf course a good business investment? That depends. Listen in to hear Bharat's take.

We ended with a lightning round of 8 questions.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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 of only twenty-five HBCUs with a Division 1 golf program. Sam is also the author of Diamonds in the Rough, an inspirational book that we discuss in the podcast.

Listen in to learn more about:

• Sam's childhood and introduction to golf
• Sam's collegiate golf career at Tennessee State University
• Dr. Catana Starks
• Coaching at Stanford University
• East Lake Junior Golf Academy in Atlanta
• Diamonds in the Rough (Sam's book)
• Faith
• The genesis of the Howard University Golf Program
• Thoughts on Steph Curry (who's funding the program)
• What practice looks like for Howard University golfers
• Goals and expectations

We ended with a lightning round of 5 questions.

#BleedBlue #HowardForward

This episode is presented by SneakaDeal.com.

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 competitors
• How Kim ended up at Wake Forest
• A glimpse into the world of golf recruiting
• International junior golfers vs. American junior golfers
• Division 1 golf practice
• The role of a college coach on game day
• Reasons for Kim's success

Should you choose a school because it has a yogurt machine in the cafeteria? Kim says no.

We ended with a lightning round of 10 questions. Tune in for some of Kim's Winston-Salem restaurant recommendations.

#godeacs

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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 to connect with Perfect Putt

We ended with a lightning round of 10 questions, 7 of which focused on golf and 3 of which focused on Jared's home state of Iowa.

If Jared had $1,000,000 to invest in a golf stock, where do you think he would invest it? You'll have to listen to find out.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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
• Sloan's golf simulator

This episode features our second installment of Caddie Corner, a  segment featuring Big G of the Real Life Caddie Podcast.

We ended with a lightning round of 10 questions where Sloan highlights the most important accessory you'll want for your custom build. It's not what you'd expect.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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 of a battle rapper
• Finding success as an artist and getting paid for your work
• Pushing through creative droughts
• Mental toughness

We ended with a lightning round of 10 questions.

Need some St. Louis food recommendations? Tucker has you covered.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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 and funding
• How turfgrass developments end up in the real world

This episode also features our first installment of Caddie Corner, a new segment featuring Big G of the Real Life Caddie Podcast.

We ended with a lightning round of 10 questions.

Will Mike ever ride in a self-driving car? Listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.

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, but also claims he would be willing to hold a live snake for $250. Write him a check and let's make it happen!

This episode is presented by Par 3 Near Me.