Behind the Golf Brand Podcast with Paul Liberatore

In this weeks episode I interview Robert Winskowicz, the founder and CEO of Sqairz golf shoes. The vision for SQAIRZ started on a New England driving range, where a pair of square-toed dress shoes spurred a visual realization. This idea continued through years of research into ground force reaction, biomechanics and foot movement. It culminated award-winning shoes, now played on tour, that will help every golfer hit more accurate and powerful shots.

Sqairz are worn by some of the most famous and successful instructors and PGA Tour winners in history including Sir Nick Faldo, Sepp Straka, John Daily, Mark Calcavecchia, Rick Smith, Jim McLean, Nick Bradley and more!

Based in Canada, Brandon Cubitt has created a YouTube channel that is gaining traction through reviews of golf tech, golf clubs, and golf instruction.

"Behind the Golf Brand" host Paul Liberatore talks to Cubitt about the channel's growth and how he has become a go-to source about golf gear, and how he has grown his YouTube channel so quickly.

True Linkswear CEO Jason Moore and VP of Marketing Brandon Wallach joins "Behind the Golf Brand" host Paul Liberatore to discuss how the golf shoe company came to be, their growth over the past three years, and how they are diversifying into golf apparel and accessories.

On Point Golf Ball markers was started a few short years ago by Briston Peterson and has grown in one of the most popular golf accessory brands. They have partnered with U.S. Open Champion and 17 time winner on the PGA TOUR, Jim Furyk. As the On Point golf ambassador Jim joins a growing PGA, LPGA, and amateur golfers using our 3D golf ball markers. 

On Point golf ball markers include a secondary traditional coin marker that can be logo'd for any outing, charity event or corporate sponsorship. On Point 3D markers conform to the USGA's Rule 20-1 which "does not require a certain type of ball marker." The coin marker is included per Rule 22-2 in the event that the 3D marker might - in a rare instance -cause physical or mental interference. Enjoy the game and make more putts with On Point

On Point manufactures the revolutionary three dimensional domed golf ball marker. Humans are 3D creatures, living in a 3D world, but our eyes can show us only two dimensions. The miracle of our depth perception comes from our brain's ability to put together two 2D images in such a way as to extrapolate depth. This is called stereoscopic vision. Because your eyes are separated on your face, each retina produces a slightly different image. That difference in images is a direct result of the depth of the objects that we are looking at. When those two images are assembled in your brain, they are interpreted as depth. In putting, we need our vision to identify our aim point (target), to aim our putter face to it, and to visualize the distance between the ball and the hole. Unfortunately, our peripheral vision can be a distraction in putting. The On Point 3D marker allows the golfer to dial-in his/her focus and intensely concentrate, creating the effect of "tunnel vision" which enhances the golfers confidence and ability to make putts.

It all started one day, when they were out hitting the sticks. They guys at Odin asked themselves, why aren’t we losing our own golf balls, and instead using expensive gear from old, stuffy brands that don’t really speak to us?

Wisdom and creative juices began to flow, and from that moment, ODIN had its first heartbeat. As they got into it, they quickly realized that this is more than just golf balls, hats, polos, tees and ball markers. Golf has been going through a renaissance, and will continue to change into a whole new era. They want to play a large part of pioneering that new golf experience. The ODIN golf experience.

They guys at Odin grew up in a world where golf was always rooted in traditions - lined khakis, polos tucked in like a fresh hotel bed, stiffness, greyness and elitism.

Deep down, the guys at Odin were honing their inner Ty Webb and Happy Gilmore, sneaking in side bets and pining for a bloody mary on the 10th tee. Not only do they want to compete and chase the pursuit of the perfect strike, but they  want to have fun while doing it. They want to grab golf by the balls, and wipe off those traditional cobwebs. As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new.

Formed in 2017, Sweet Rollz Golf was created with a simple goal – to breathe new life and style into golf, starting with the radical reimagining of the boring putter grip. For too long, attempts to add style and flair to golf accessories had mostly been cheesy and kitschy, or both. As a result, golf accessories have mostly remained unoriginal and, well, pretty meh.

As they set out to design the “Sistine Chapel of putter grips” they wanted to be bold, but still keep it classy. The result is a beautiful line of super high-quality putter grips for every golfer who wants to make a personalized statement without having to sacrifice performance.

Matt Cermak and Evan Singer met through sharing the same best friend. Evan grew up with Ryan. Matt played on the college golf team with him. Together, they decided it would be funny to give a joint speech (or skit.. depends on how you look at it) at Ryan’s wedding 5+ years ago. Let’s just say they brought the house down. From that moment on, their spark with a microphone and shared love for the mental side of golf and how it can help you grow off the course, and led to The Par Train Podcast being created in 2016. 

The Par Train Podcast is by far the  #1 mental game podcast with over 900K+ downloads, 85K+ followers, and 15M+ monthly impressions. 

Evan has worked for companies like TaylorMade Golf, the NFL, and Uber and now has his own consulting company that helps golf brands with their marketing and trains employees on how to manage stress and perform. A lot of these principles in life apply to the mental side of golf too.

Power Tee founder and CEO Martin Wyeth joins "Behind the Golf Brand" host Paul Liberatore to discuss how the golf tech company came to be and the innovative process of creating  world’s best performance automatic teeing system for the indoor environment, driving ranges, and country clubs. We explore the difficult rise from starting with one golf range in England to be installed in thousands of golf ranges globally, including the USA, UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Incredibly, now the Power Tee tees up over 6 million golf balls per day across 18 different countries worldwide.

Sunday Golf co-founder and CEO Ronan Galvin joins "Behind the Golf Brand" host Paul Liberatore to discuss how the golf bag company came to be. Galvin discusses his frustration with the affordability of the golf bag market. He explains how his company focuses on design and functionality, , by desigining easy to use carry bags perfect for going to the range or playing a par 3 with friends.

Prior to starting Sunday Golf, Ronan Galvin las closely involved in the golf industry working in golf bag product development. Not growing up a golfer, Ronan learned to play golf at a local par-3 course in San Diego and it was here that the idea for a bag specifically for the par-3 course was born. 

We made it to Episode 93 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Gabe Coyne, the CEO and co-founder of Stix Golf

A Chicago-based company offering modern, high-performance golf clubs at a fair price. Gabe co-founded Stix based on his personal frustration that golf is fundamentally a simple game that has become far too complex. Coyne and the team built Stix focused on design and quality, never being convinced by the hype that this year’s technology will be a game changer. Before founding Stix, Coyne co-founded a mobile tech startup and was a Partner at Venture studio, which validates innovative products and companies; there he learned how to build brands, products and product-market fit. Coyne is bullish on the future of golf trending casual, more diverse and less elitist with Stix becoming a go-to brand for the next generation of golfers.

MORE ABOUT STIX

Stix built its clubs with the idea that golf is fundamentally a simple game that has become far too complex, intimidating, and exclusive. Stix offers elite-level performance at a fraction of the cost of expensive equipment brands with a brand vibe that is fresh and inclusive.

Stix Golf offers three flexes and five heights to accommodate a diverse range of golfers, while still providing a personalized fit without a formal fitting, which can be expensive and confusing.a Chicago start-up founded during the pandemic that is on a mission to make golf more accessible by bringing high quality, modern clubs to the routine and casual golfers at an affordable price. The brand has tripled revenue from year one to year two and has hit 8 digits in revenue annually with ambition to grow aggressively the rest of 2022.

We made it to Episode 92 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast. In this week's episode, I interview my good friends David Maxfield. 

David Maxfield is a Australian YouTuber focusing on golf tech, fitness, and in home launch monitors and simulators. This fast growing industry has made David one of the go to experts in the Garmin R10, one of the most popular launch monitors of 2022.

We made it to Episode 90 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friends Charlie Mechem. 

Charlie Mechem is a man of great experience, wisdom, and joy. Author, Lawyer, and Business Advisor to Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer), past commisioner of the LPGA, and business partner at Bay Hill. in other words he is the MAN. 

"Arnie And Jack" is his 3rd book. His prior books were "Who's That With Charlie" and "Total Anecdotal". Charlie also hosts a popular podcast called "15 Minutes With Charlie", with some of the biggest golf stars and celebrities in the world joining him.

We made it to Episode 90 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friends Eric Thielsen and  Igor Vainshtein the founder of 24/7 Golf. 

Based in Melbourne, Australia, 24/7 Golf has been selling simulators since 2011. They have also run their own indoor golf centers around Australia and have helped launch centers around the world, from France to Fiji.

They ship globally and are always happy to refer you to a customer near you to. So you can find out first-hand how much they love the golf simulator, in their home or office.

From 24-hour virtual golf centers to being a world distributor, they pride ourselves on providing a seamless customer service experience and removing all the hassles in acquiring golf simulator components outside of your country.

We made it to Episode 89 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Jeremy James Founder of GolfForever. 

Jeremy James, DC, CSCS spent a decade helping professional and Olympic athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, and men and women from all walks of life overcome pain and get back to the sports, activities and daily life they love.

Now Dr. James has teamed up with two experts in golf and sports performance, Justin Leonard and Bill Fabrocini, to build the most effective golf training program anywhere. Combining their expertise in the three important areas of golf technique, sports performance, and joint and spine health, this program will have you playing and feeling your best ever.

In a process as precise as golf itself, Dr. James continued to optimize, study and hone his method into a full body mind and movement series that transformed lives along with scorecards.

In a series of digestible, daily videos, GOLFFOREVER brings these techniques to players everywhere. All you need is an internet connection and the desire to play. Living better is just a side effect. Dr. James is also the co-author of the best-selling Younger Next Year Back Book and former Director of the Aspen Club Back Institute.

We made it to Episode 88 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Reinholds Pirags the Chief Commercial Officer of Hackmotion. 

The Hackmotion  is the ultimate training tool to learn correct wrist mechanics for an improved ball flight. Precise data and feedback after every swing helps you to accelerate the learning process.  

We made it to Episode 87 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Brian Friederichs the CEO and Founder of Capstone Hospitality.

Capstone Hospitality is an industry-leading sales & staffing firm specializing in membership sales for private clubs.  With roots deeply embedded in the hospitality industry, we know what it takes to ensure your business succeeds. They partner with clubs and organizations across North America, bringing each a customized sales plan, renewed energy, and competitive spirit.

We made it to Episode 86 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Josh and Owen Finnerty

They both play college soccer and absolutely love to play golf, and the golf industry is not a new place for the Finnerty family. Their Dad, Bryan Finnerty, is the CEO of V1 Sports and Galway Bay. The Golf Sock is a high performing sock that is dedicated to keeping you comfortable on the course while looking great and performing at your absolute best. The Golf Sock the next time you hit the links and make it the only sock you will ever need on the course.

We made it to Episode 85 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Todd Kolb from USGolfTv. 

Todd Kolb, husband, father, coach and entrepreneur with a passion for excellence and achievement. In his 25-year journey around golf he has been blessed with many wonderful mentors and experiences that have helped form his coaching and business beliefs. See, he believes it is ultimately WHO we surround ourselves with and WHAT we experience that determines our course in life. Success on the golf course like success in the business world is about passion, energy and WHO you take along for the ride. Once you find people who share your vision and desire, you have found the winning formula that leads to great achievement. His personal journey is about finding those people, making those connections and building a pathway to what is possible.

We made it to Episode 84 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friend Ryan Duffey the Founder and CEO of Meridian Putters.

At Meridian they don't believe that a custom milled putter should cost you thousands of dollars and they know your game deserves better than your typical machine cast putter off the rack that the big brands mass produce. That’s why at Meridian they have set out to create an elite yet affordable group of milled stainless steel putters emphasizing roll, direction, forgiveness and feel to give you the confidence to hole that putt whether it’s to win a $2 nassau or that club championship you’ve been gunning for. Their putters are designed by engineers with years of industry experience and tested by tournament players so you know you're getting the best product out there. They have three different models with different variations to fit your stroke and even have custom design options for those who want to take it a notch further.

We made it to Episode 83 of the Behind the Golf Brand Podcast.  In this week's episode, I interview my good friends Michael Zerah and Steven Moskowitz the Founders of Mullie Golf.

To elevate the golf-related buy-and-sell shopping game, MULLIE Golf has developed an app which focuses on an alternative experience of a modern-day marketplace approach.

MULLIE Golf, is the first-ever community-curated marketplace designed for golfers by golfers as a “social-commerce” forum to buy and sell golf products with zero fees, ultimately allowing goods to be more accessible, inexpensive, and educational. MULLIE Golf also acts as a strong foundation for beginner golfers currently look for ways to link with others in the golf community, all the while being able to purchase new or pre-owned equipment or apparel that may fit to a player’s specifications. Users can also organize their feed based on likes, style, and player skill level, allowing for ease of use and the ability to be updated as they progress.