Sam Puryear - Director of Golf at Howard University

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 Economics
• Working for Trulia, Zillow, Houzz and Cargurus
• Predictions for the future of golf and technology
• Whether or not technology will make us better golfers
• Taking an idea from vision to reality
• Responding to user feedback
• Challenges to building a tee time marketplace
• How Loop is monetized

We finished the episode with a 10 question lightning round that included a few questions about Matt's rec league softball team.

Would Matt rather be known for base hits or home runs? You'll have to listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces and Par 3 Near Me.

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 that Tony was hoping to avoid
• Outfit selection
• Bad breaks
• The Morehouse College experience
• How Tony became a golf writer
• Early job takeaways
• Perks of working in the golf industry
• Challenges of working in the golf industry
• A typical day as a TaylorMade copywriter
• Dealing with deadlines
• Other TaylorMade initiatives

We finished the episode with a 10 question lightning round.

How does Tony really feel about playing mini golf with a Callaway ball? You'll have to listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces and Par 3 Near Me.

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 email
• Having an entrepreneurial spirit
• Choosing topics for the newsletter
• Dealing with the pressure of the newsletter
• Growing your subscriber base
• Dealing with criticisms
• Monetizing The Petcash Post
• How Andrew ended up at Boston University
• A D1 basketball player's schedule
• Should college athletes get paid?
• Do NIL deals solve the compensation problem?
• The best ways to profit from NIL
• Setting yourself up for NIL success

We started (and finished) with a 5 question lightning round.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces and Par 3 Near Me.

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 superintendent
• Exploring golf course design
• The Gravel Pit Golf Course design
• Advantages and disadvantages of building on a gravel pit
• Hours logged in the design phase
• Random tasks and factors to consider
• Finding water
• The short course trend
• Seeing your design work come to life

We wrap everything up with a 5 question lightning round.

Need a few reasons to visit Minnesota? Scott gives his pitch.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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 life or death golf situation
• Golf misery stories
• Chasing Fowl Photography
• First clients
• Early lessons learned
• Key equipment
• The challenges of sports photography
• Capturing the perfect shot
• Favorite gigs

We ended with a 10 question lightning round.

Which famous musician would Zach like to photograph in concert? I promise you'll never guess this one. Listen in to have your mind blown.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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 women from exploring golf
• The growth of Fore the Ladies
• Growing pains
• Content creation for amateur golfers
• The future of Fore the Ladies

We wrap everything up with a 5 question lightning round.

Abby has lived in 8 different U.S. states. Which one is her favorite? You'll have to listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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 tournament
• Tournament questions
• Overcoming bad rounds
• Maintaining momentum during good rounds
• The disparity in LPGA & PGA payouts
• What Lauren does with tournament winnings
• How sponsorships work

We ended our time together with a 10 question lightning round.

Did Lauren cry when the University of Alabama (her alma mater) lost to Georgia in college football national title game? You'll have to listen in to find out.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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 prototype
• Moving into production
• Lessons learned from living in China
• Misconceptions about China
• How to choose a partner for production
• Horror stories
• Sunday Golf's first order
• Finding customers
• Dealing with competitors
• The Loma Bag

We wrap everything up with a 10 question lightning round. 

You'll have to listen in to hear about some of Ronan's memorable experiences with Chinese cuisine.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.

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 Udoka
• Coaching youth basketball in 2022
• Junior college basketball
• Jeff's journey to semi-pro hoops and his takeaways
• Nature vs. nuture as it relates to talent
• Injury and life post-basketball
• Discovering golf
• Golf in the Portland area
• The Chasing Aces origin story
• Successes
• Headaches
• Jeff's favorite Chasing Aces items
• Future plans

We wrap everything up with a 10 question, basketball-centric lightning round.

Jeff may or may not have compared his game to Larry Johnson's. You'll have to tune in to find out.

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 competition
• John's book

We ended our time together with a 5 question lightning round. John shares the most underrated golfer from his era along with his favorite golfer from the current era.

This episode is presented by Chasing Aces.