#111 - Legendary Golf Coach: Jim McLean

Justin Moore is a Sponsorship Coach & the founder of Creator Wizard, a school & community that teaches you how to find & negotiate your dream brand deals so that you stop leaving thousands on the table. Along with his wife April, he has been a full-time creator for over 7 years and has personally made over $3M working with brands. He has also run an influencer marketing agency for over 5 years that has helped other creators earn an additional $2M. Justin brings a very unique perspective because not only has he been a creator in the trenches doing sponsorships for years but by running an agency, he has insider knowledge of how big brands choose which influencers to partner with and why they pass on others. Justin's mission is to enable creators big and small to land 1 million paid brand partnerships by 2032.

Jake Thurm has been named one of the “Best Young Teachers in America” by Golf Digest for three consecutive years. His students will tell you why. Jake’s instruction offers a unique combination of physical and mental guidance, customized for each student and informed by technology and analytics. He never gives the same lesson twice. A fundamental tenet of Jake’s instruction is that no two players swing precisely alike. Because of this, he works to understand the unique biomechanics of each student. Data allows him to assess and not guess. Then, he tailors his teaching to help his students discover their most natural and effective swing. 

The Chicago native draws on his deep knowledge of the game as a former all-conference golfer and protégé of legendary instructor Dr. Jim Suttie, as well as from his background in clinical psychology. The result is an innovative mind-body approach that has earned accolades from PGA Tour winners, including Kevin Streelman, James Hahn, Dudley Hart, and Chip Beck. Jake has worked at over 100 PGA Tour events, including all four major championships, and appears on the Golf Channel as an expert commentator.

Jake is highly regarded in Chicagoland golf circles as Midwest Director for the USA Junior National Golf Team and Nike Junior Golf Camp Director at Fresh Meadow Golf Club in Hillside. He also operates golf schools at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Lemont and is on the Master Staff at Club Champion in Willowbrook. Whether working with PGA pros or promising young players, Jake identifies a common trait in all his students. “They are serious players passionate about improving their game,” he says. “When that’s the case, I’m equally passionate about helping them. And I know I can.”

In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Brixton Albert, the Founder and CEO of Performance Golf. 

Performance Golf is the leading online golf instruction company that provides golfers of all levels with the tools and resources they need to take their game to the next level. They aim to help 1 million amateur golfers play the best golf of their lives and enjoy every minute.  

Their library of video training courses features instruction from some of the world’s most prestigious golf instructors and tour pros, including Sir Nick Faldo, Hank Haney, Nick Bradley, Martin Chuck, and David Leadbetter. They also offer a variety of tailored resources to help golfers improve their game, including revolutionary physical products and an exclusive VIP coaching program featuring world-renowned pros. 

Their founder, Brixton Albert, is a passionate leader committed to helping golfers improve their game. As a scratch golfer, he understands the challenges that golfers face when trying to get better and firmly believes that the best way to learn golf is from the best of the best. Under his leadership, Performance Golf has grown into one of the world's leading online golf instruction companies by consistently providing access to the highest quality instruction and resources available to experienced and novice golfers alike.

In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Rick Versace Jr., the founder of  Proud 90. 

Proud 90 is just a group of guys that love hitting the links. Breaking 90 is considered a win for the day when they go out.  Their approach to golf is similar to our approach to life - always have a good time, and don’t take things too seriously. It’s not just about hitting the lowest score out there. It’s about letting off steam after a hard week at work. It’s about kicking back and having a few beers with your buds while playing a game we love. It’s about getting out there and having a great time on the course, regardless of whether we're shooting in the 80’s or the 100’s.  At some point, it occurred to them that there was no golf brand for the average weekend hacker just looking to have fun — so they decided it was their duty to create one. And just like that, Proud 90 was born. 

They think their fierce, bold designs and comfortable, lightweight fabrics reflect how they choose to play the game — sometimes unconventional, but never too seriously. Don’t get them wrong! They are constantly working to improve their game, just as we're always working to enhance their brand. That being said, they know they will never be on the PGA Tour, but that hasn't stopped them from going for it on every shot and having a hell of a good time doing it.

In this week's episode, I interviewed my good friend Rene Delgado, the Founder and CEO of Indoor Golf Shop

Like you, the Indoor Golf Shop loves golf, it’s a wonderful game that can bring us together for good times and fierce competition. Like you, the team at the Indoor Golf Shop has played golf for most of our lives – it’s timeless and has given us many great memories shared with friends and family.

In 2017, they saw an opportunity to offer golf simulator packages and indoor golf solutions to golfers. It started with their purchase of a golf simulator, and they soon realized there must be a better way than the frustration they experienced during that process. The Indoor Golf Shop was born, and they made the commitment back then that still stands today – their business will be defined by providing extraordinary customer service and offering exceptional products of the highest quality.

Today, their team strives to deliver on that promise every day. Within their 50,000 square foot corporate headquarters located in Celina, Texas, just north of Dallas, is our sales office, manufacturing facility, shipping and receiving department, and warehouse. This online store is only part of a diverse business that also includes custom home golf simulator design and installation, commercial golf simulator services, and contract manufacturing for leading golf technology brands.

They are fortunate to partner with many inspiring companies and mission-driven individuals and know that their success results from these important collaborations. Because of their incredible partners, talented team, and amazing customers, they earned the No. 400 on the annual Inc. 5000 List, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

In this week's episode, I interviewed my good friend Patrick Keegan, the Founder of Field Day Sporting Co.  Field Day, which was created to positively impact the community and share what they can with the people around them.  All of their products are crafted with great attention to detail, taking inspiration from sporting greats, American icons, and apparel they've broken into and lived with for years.   In 2024 they will be exhibiting at the PGA Show in January, and available for wholesale for golf retailers.  

In this week's episode I interview my good friend and fellow YouTuber Matt Fryer who shares his story of how he went from 0 - 215,000 subscribers, and over 32 million views in just a few short years.

Matt has been involved in golf for over 20 years, and he has seen all aspects of the market, from playing professionally for 4 years to running a professional shop at a leading resort in the north of England. His passion has always been the game of golf, how it has been played, and how to improve it. With the guidance of his father, Adrian Fryer, a Fellow Member of the P.G.A., Matt has now embarked on the same route, hoping to become a great coach and further his already vast knowledge of the game and help golfers of all levels play to their full potential. With an easygoing yet informative and driven approach to coaching, Matt is quickly establishing himself as a coach anyone would enjoy improving with.

In this weeks episode I interview my good friend Jimmy McDonald, Director of Sales for GolfZon. GolfZon is the #1 golf simulator company in the world, with locations in some 63 countries, with over 12,300 commercial sites. Just in 2022 alone, over 87 million rounds of golf were played on their simulators. And what is really cool is that Golfzon also hosts two professional virtual golf tournaments each year (GTOUR and WGTOUR) with a total prize purse of more than $3.5 million. With the GolfZon 2 Vision, the most realistic golf simulator in the world, and there new Wave, GolfZon is poised to take over the U.S. Market.

In this week's episode I interview my good friend Taylor Crosby, one of Golf Digests “Best Young Teacher’s in America” list. This honor is only given to the select few golf instructors under age 40 who are making the biggest impact on the industry—and in more ways than ever, with the growth of digital and social media.”

Crosby played collegiate golf for both the University of Georgia and North Carolina State University. While at Georgia, the Athens, Ga., native played alongside current PGA Tour standouts Kevin Kisner, Chris Kirk, and Brendon Todd. After graduating from N.C. State, he played on mini-tours, served as a head golf professional, and caddied on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Clinch is founded by two Oregon golfers, Matt Mahoney and Jason Desoldato, under the belief that there are better materials from which to make a golf glove. Jason worked for Nike and Burton and had extensive experience with innovative fabrics that help athletes overcome their challenges. Thus, Clinch was born. Clinch focuses on modern performance gloves designed to perform in rain or hot/humid weather. The Pacific Northwest is their home and proving ground - offering a diverse test from seaside mist to high desert heat. If it works there, it works anywhere. Their mission is to bring golfers an innovative product that performs in all conditions. Whether you’re grinding it out on tour or shooting to break 100, they have built this glove for you!