Over the past few months, I’ve been dancing with this idea of a content series called Going Back To Golf School. I’ve even created a pitch deck and a video to sell the idea around. How’s it going?! So So… Now I need to find the right partners to bring the idea to life. If somehow you’re a golf sponsor, golf academy and you’ve stumbled upon this rocky little asteroid in the internet-verse, that’s amazing. In fact it’s fate. Email me right now and let’s make this happen. I’m your student, let’s put a dent in the golf content universe.
For Going Back To Golf School, I want to go back to the basics. I want to relearn the game. Starting from scratch to get to scratch. In the plot of “Happy Gilmore 2” I want to start from the bottom and build a solid fundamental approach to the game. I’ve got a decent golf game, but I have always been self-taught, playing high school golf, and my leader there was a drunk coach who ruined the idea and spirit of competitive golf for me. I was asking myself Scottie’s existential crisis, “What’s the point?!” before I ever even gave myself the chance to get good. I gave up. Focusing my efforts on a creative career.
Here’s the challenge. Can this 37-year-old, 10 handicapper get to scratch? And at the same time, can I create an inspiring and entertaining series that gets people to watch, sponsor value and excitement, and also helps me fulfill my personal goal of playing more golf while inspiring my family and friends to stay connected through the game? Yeah, that’s a heaping run-on with a lot of goals. But that’s the mission.
Rather than daydream, I’ve been investing time and effort to make it happen. Recently, I’ve been to the Trump Golf Academy in Doral as well as Jim McLean’s Golf School at Biltmore — building relationships and seeing how I can grow my golf marketing business From The Fringe. The Biltmore is 5 minutes from where I live and it would be ideal. The Trump Golf Academy in Doral is about to open a state-of-the-art facility, rebranded as Trump Golf Academy it makes it a divisive choice, but a top notch location and destination for golf. Other than the fact that he’s making it difficult for my wife to live in the country, I have no political cares. I don’t care if it said Satin’s Big Gay Red Dick Golf Academy, it’s a spectacular place.
As far as golf instruction feedback goes, I tend to keep hearing the same feedback and advice. My hands are a little too flippy at impact. I need to get those hands ahead of the ball. I want to be feeling like I’m turning left. This will help me rely less on timing, increase consistency, tighten up my dispersion of misses… and voila — make me a better golfer. Over-egg easy baby. I’ve seen different tips and drills to try and get to this position. Recently, one from Golf Pass told me that I need to shift my pressure in my feet/lead leg, which allows me to turn and keep that handle ahead. If done correctly, it should feel like I’m hammering a nail (in the demo she used a tee) into the ground.
I also know that hitting off mats and into screens that collect data won’t make me a better player. I need to go out there and play the great old game. Play and play and play. But the big conundrum is always, how do I pay for it? How can I get better if I can’t afford the time or have the resources to get out there? The tuition and time commitment for golf school is a whole ‘nother battle. One where they don’t offer scholarships for middle-aged men of my caliber.
MORE IDEAS AND MUSINGS
What if there was a talk show, hosted by me from a golf cart. It’s all about people who do business in golf. They could be a range of creatives, photographers, media, filmmakers, coaches or people with golf brands and businesses. It could also be interesting for people in golf architecture and superintendents. Chatting it up in the cart. I highlight and showcase people who are the backbone of golf and the exciting things they do. This could be a fun way to meet people and build relationships, plus promote whatever the heck they’re doing. Something like, “Tee TIme Talk Show”
ANOTHER ONE! Going for #2. What if golf courses started integrating co-working spaces into their clubs? Who doesn’t want a golf course to be their office? These are places to work and play. Get inspired and feel refreshed! We’ll create a business that helps set up a coworking space at clubs, ideally with dreamy and focus-inducing views of the course. Perfect for folks who want to change the pace of their day-to-day… and also get in a few holes after lunch.
Dropping a THIRD. I’m thinking I should focus my energy on writing a golf movie. If Harold Ramis and Adam Sandler could do it. Why not me? Maybe it’s about a guy who goes back to golf school and actually makes it. But then has an existential crisis about competition and the meaning of life. I dunno. We’ll keep thinking on that one. The golf course is always a prime location for great storytelling
Lastly, I want to start a golf journal here, capturing my journey to get better. Step one is complete. Here’s to mas to come.