Golf Yeah

WE HELP BRING CLUB ARCHIVES TO LIFE All too often a club's artifacts and memorabilia sit stagnant in a box, file cabinet or display case. We partner with clubs to find the stories behind those artifacts and bring them to life – through written content, custom artwork, displays, and exhibits.

WE HELP CLUBS ORGANIZE, PRESERVE, AND EXHIBIT THIER ARCHIVES We assist clubs with the purchase of archival, acid-free storage supplies like boxes, sleeves, folders, and envelopes. We help sort through archives and create organized categories, series and collections that make finding items fast. Easily accessible archives will stimulate their use and help spread your club's history.

WE ARE A TEAM OF EXPERTS There are many skills needed to properly research, organize, protect and display archives. We have assembled a team of expert archivists, writers, restorers, framers, exhibit designers, artists, printers, and more to help put your archives to work.

Terry Koehler

Chairman / Director of Innovation, Edison Golf

Port O'Connor, Texas

Terry Koehler is known as “The Wedge Guy” for good reason. In fact, Pope Francis – who plays 4 rounds a week on the Vatican’s private golf course – recently named Terry as the “Patron Saint of Wedge Play.” Unfortunately, his installation ceremony in Rome has been delayed because of the pandemic.

But if you dig a little bit deeper into Terry’s background, or are a reader of his hundreds of blog posts, you know that his depth of knowledge regarding the game of golf, and about the golf equipment industry, goes far beyond wedges.

If you follow Terry, you know that when it comes to golf, he’s always opinionated and often thought provoking.

For example, Terry believes that:

• The golf courses you play on are often more difficult than the courses that the PGA Tour professionals play on.
• He believes that the focus on green speed has made the game too hard for the average golfer to score on,
• He believes you should carry a 4 wood in your bag, and
• He believes that if you slow down the transition from your downswing, your ball-striking and distance will improve. (Terry plays to a 3 handicap, so he does have some credibility on swing mechanics.)

Over the course of his history in the golf business, the connective tissue in his career path is Terry’s passion for craftsmanship, precision and performance when it comes to golf equipment.

So it’s not surprising that Terry came out of retirement in 2018 to create a company with a value proposition based on those three attributes. And also not surprisingly, it’s a company called Edison Golf, that makes Edison™ Forged wedges.

Show Highlights: 

• The origins of Terry's interest in exploring how things work, and in craftsmanship.
• How and why his fascination with wedges began.
• Why there has been such a consistent lack of innovation in wedge technology.
• Terry's rationale for making wedges for the average golfer, and why they would not be effective for Tour players.
• How a renegade brand like Edison, run by a contrarian thinker, intends to break into the mainstream golf equipment market.
• The rationale and logistics behind Edison’s “Custom Demo Offer."
• How many wedges, and what lofts, the average golfer should carry.
• If he had one last round to play, what course he would play on.
• What he might have done differently over the course of his 30 year career.
• Terry's most significant source of personal inspiration over the years.

Notable Quotes: 

On how he got started in golf: “I do not remember life before golf. I grew up playing on a 9-hole public golf course in a small town in south Texas, and that where I spent my summer days."

On his golf equipment education: “In my early career as a marketer, I spent a lot of time in the "back end" of golf companies, asking them questions like, "Why did you do that to the golf club?" and 'Why does that golf club do this?"

On his fascination with wedges: "After testing golf clubs for more than 20 years, I can say that wedges are the most volatile clubs in our bag."

On gaining short-game consistency: “For the average golfer who plays once or twice a week, it's easier to manage the flight and roll out of the golf ball around the green by changing your golf club on a shot, rather than trying to change your technique."

On how he protects his technology from being copied: "It's going to happen. When Big Bertha was introduced, people laughed at how big it was, but within one season every golf company had a driver the size of Big Bertha. If something comes along that works, it will be copied by everybody, because golf club technology is very hard to protect."

On the power of brand name golf clubs: “People trust know brands in any product category. But if you look at where innovation comes from, it's usually from unknown, upstart brands. And that fact has always been inspirational for me."

His response to people who question his wedge design: “I doesn't offend me that people have their opinions, but I've been studying wedges for 30 years. It's what I do for a living. I've analyzed 50,000 wedge fitting profiles. If you haven't done that, I think it's pretty difficult to critique what I know with what you think you know."

On his meeting Ben Hogan: "He was my childhood idol as a golfer. I've always studied his life and read his books. One of the things Hogan said, when he was asked how he wanted to be remembered was, "I want to be remembered as a gentleman." I got to meet him twice, and he was everything that people said about him. He was polite and a perfectionist."

Resources: 

Terry Koehler company's website: https://www.edisonwedges.com/

Jane Spicer

Entrepreneur / CEO of a Global Golf Equipment Company

Phoenix, Arizona

Jane Spicer is the person behind a classic American success story. Over the past 40 years, she’s built one of the golf industry’s most successful global companies.

Jane started out, at 10 years old, making and selling puppets at weekend arts & crafts shows, so that she could buy a sailboat. At one of those shows, someone suggested that the puppets would make great headcovers. So she gave it a try….and through sheer tenacity and a little bit of luck…Jane has grown her Arizona-based Daphne’s Headcovers into a company that sells nearly 200 types of animal headcovers in 75 countries. You’re likely to find a Daphne’s display, and sometimes two, at almost any golf store, golf club or resort pro shop.

Jane’s most famous headcover, and the one that has helped fuel her company’s success, is Frank the Tiger – which is one of the most recognized headcovers in the world…thanks to Tiger Woods…or more specifically, to Tiger Woods’ mother, who gave the headcover to her son.

In fact, mothers have always played an important role in Jane’s life story. And in her interview of Golf Yeah, she explains why.

Show Highlights: 

• Jane’s long journey from selling puppets at arts & craft fairs to running a successful global manufacturer of golf headcovers.
• The backstory behind “Frank the Tiger,” her company’s big business break, and the role that Tiger Woods’ mother played.
• Other Tour Pros who carry her company’s animal headcovers…and why Padraig Harrington’s headcover is a ladybug.
• The legal protections for Jane’s headcover designs, and how she discourages companies from stealing her copyrighted products.
• The drama behind the order from American Express for 30,000 "Frank the Tiger" headcovers.
• How her company decides which animal designs to create, and what happens to designs that don’t succeed in the market.
• The most challenging aspects of managing a staff and manufacturing products overseas.
• Jane’s charitable causes, and how she partners with PGA Tour professionals to help their charities.
• What she would likely be doing, if her headcover business had not worked out.
• The next big item that’s on Jane Spicer’s bucket list.
• “Lessons learned” and words of advice for listeners who have always wanted to run their own business.

Notable Quotes: 

On advice from her mother: “I was 10 years old and wanted to buy a sailboat. My mother told me, 'Think of a business, and then run it yourself.' I discovered that I liked making my own money and being in charge of my own destiny."

On her "overnight success" story: “In college I sold headcovers basically for beer money. When I got out of college, I got a real job and I didn't like it...So I sold my car and bought a van with 2 seats and an AM radio, and I went on the road for 6 years building the business.'"

On the benefits of her 6-year experience on the road: “It was like getting my MBA. I was dealing with everybody, face-to-face. I learned so much about customer service and people, and I could handle anything in business after that time on the street."

On the purpose of fun headcovers: “Beyond the protection aspect, they're a form of personal expression. When someone shows up on the first tee with their golf bag, they are starting to show their personality. Headcovers are conversations starters, and can connect people. They're a great way to show your individuality or style."

On what it took to build her business: “It wasn't glamorous. I missed many friends' weddings, and missed a lot of other things along the way. But when do you have this kind of opportunity? I just knew that I had to seize it. There was no way I was going to give it anything less than 110%."

On her golfing experience: “I've played one round of golf in 7 years. I live on a golf course, and I talk about golf all day long. And I watch golf on TV and I run a golf company. I love everything about golf, but I'm a single mom running a couple companies...so my focus has been where it should be."

On what it takes to succeed in life: How you build your true-ist and most beautiful life is by having obstacles. The universe asks you, "How bad do you want it?" That's what an obstacle is. If you don't want it that badly, that's all right. But if you really want it, your attitude will be "Get out of my way, because I'm going over or under, or whatever it takes." If you really want it, it's not for sissies."

Resources: 

Jane Spicer's Website https://www.daphnesheadcovers.com/

[caption id="attachment_2984" align="alignleft" width="300"] David with golfing legend Lee Trevino.[/caption]

David Lee

Golf Instructor / Father of Gravity Golf

Greenville, South Carolina

In any type of profession, there are individuals who are not always in the spotlight, but who are very well-known and recognized by the insiders of that profession, as being the most reliable sources of information and guidance.

They are the voices of authority who the very best in that business or field of study often turn to for guidance and inspiration. They are the pro’s pros. The trusted advisors. The "Yodas" who have the wisdom, earned over many years, necessary to tell successful people what they are doing wrong, and how fix it.

Over the past 40 years, David Lee has earned that reputation and that level of respect in the world of golf. But don’t take my word for it. Here are some quotes from three golfing legends:

• Lee Trevino once said that “David Lee would be the only guy I trust.”
• Jack Nicklaus gave his personal endorsement and full support for David’s unique teaching method...which David calls "Gravity Golf."

Here are just a few highlight’s of David’s career.

• He’s been named as a Top 100 Golf Instructor 12 times by Golf Magazine
• He played on the PGA Tour for 4 years, before an injury forced him to leave
• He has worked with more than 30 well-known PGA Tour professionals
• In addition to writing a book of his own, he’s been featured on ESPN, in Golf Digest, Golf Week and Golf Magazine
• He is the founder of Gravity Golf Schools, which have taken players from beginner to competitive level golf in one year
• And if that’s not enough, David is a featured speaker at all types of event, including three neuroscience conventions
• In fact, David’s extensive studies in physics and physiology nearly led to his nomination for a Nobel prize in both of those scientific disciples.

Based on his unique swing theory, David and his son Daniel continue to conduct Gravity Golf schools around the country, and offer a wide range of in-person and online instruction.

Show Highlights: 

• Why moving the ball with your body mass, instead of your muscle, is the key to a consistent golf swing
• How a mistake in his plan to become a golf architect caused him to become a golf professional
• When he finally discovered that he had stumbled upon the move to the ball that Jack Nicklaus was using in his swing
• How a misdiagnosed hand injury caused total loss of function; and how it was cured by a change in diet
• Why it's so difficult to get PGA Tour players to change their swings
• The causes and cure for the dreaded putting "yips"
• Why laying down a club for alignment is of no value
• The reason why Ben Hogan would send members of Colonial Country Club to David for instruction

Notable Quotes: 

On the start of his golf career: “My grandfather, who was a golf fanatic, got me started when I was 4 years old, swinging a club in his living room. He taught me using "Ben Hogan's Five Fundamental of Modern Golf," when it was a series in Sports Illustrated, before it was a book."

On his golfing hero: “Arnold Palmer, who was 14 years my senior, was like a god to me. Everything that he radiated made me think 'I want to be like you.'"

On his PGA Tour experience: “It was tough back then, entering as a PGA member. There would sometimes be 200 guys competing on a Monday for 4 openings in that week's tournament."

On discovering the "Gravity Golf" swing: “It was the first time in my life when my core mass beat my arms to the golf ball. It had a completely different sound and went straight as a bullet. I thought someone else on the range had hit the golf ball."

On why it took so long to refine his swing theory: “I could see that there was a different timing in Jack Nicklaus' swing, but it took me a long time to discover the "counter fall." I could not see was that he deflected to an off-vertical position before he dropped his hands to start his downswing."

On why he started his Gravity Golf movement: “In golf, there are a lot of different ways to get the job done. But in my opinion, no one had yet discovered the ideal manner to get the job done."

On why golf is such a hard game to master: Golf is difficult because people can look at a golf swing and not distinguish between the art and the science of that swing. That's why the game has been a mystery for more than 500 years.

Resources: 

David Lee's Gravity Golf Website www.gravitygolf.com