We all remember learning about marketing’s “four Ps.” Looking at recent research with sports fans, I found four significant themes for sports marketers looking to hit the ground running in the year ahead. I call them “the four Es”: Emotional connection: Is it just me, or does it seem like every article, sales pitch or […]
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Driver$: How technology is transforming course ownership, operations
Guest: Whitey O’Malley, owner of Saddleback Golf Club and incoming president of the National Golf Course Owners’ Association. Description: O’Malley joins host Jon Last for a wide-ranging discussion about how golf facilities are leveraging technology to create operational efficiencies while maintaining exceptional customer service. Talking Points: ▪️ Finding the right balance between frictionless service delivery and high touch. […]
Read More »Driver$: Restoring a classic golf resort to greatness
Guests: Casa de Campo Resort and Villas’ Gilles Gagnon, golf director emeritus, and Jason Kycek, director of sales and chief marketing officer. Description: For 50 years, Casa de Campo Resort and Villas in La Romana, Dominican Republic, has been an innovative resort that continues to break new ground in the Caribbean. Gagnon and Kycek unpack the impetus […]
Read More »Driver$: Did AI choose that nasty pin position?
Guest: Jon Schultz, founder, EZLocator. Description: Jon Schultz and his company, EZLocator, are making it easier for golf course superintendents to automate hole location selection. The process helps preserve the health of the greens and enhance the player experience. Schultz joins Sports and Leisure Research Group’s Jon Last and David Klein for a candid and insightful look at how […]
Read More »Driver$: Connecting the dots
Guest: Fraser Marriott, head of golf, LightSpeed. Description: Marriott joins Sports and Leisure Research Group’s Jon Last and David Klein to discuss LightSpeed’s recent acquisition of Whoosh, an operations software firm. LightSpeed seeks to provide private club operators an integrated technology system with a seamless workflow and that connects every touchpoint across the member journey. Talking Points: […]
Read More »Driver$: Delivering the Experience: How Golf Facility Owners are Evolving in a Time of Rapid Industry Change
As golf’s customer base expands and transforms with the rapid diffusion of new technology, golf facility owners need to stay a step ahead and see through the hype to deliver for the game’s stakeholders. Few have a better handle on this reality than NGCOA CEO Jay Karen, who joins co-hosts Jon Last and David Klein […]
Read More »Driver$: GCSAA’s Rhett Evans reaches new heights
Guest: Rhett Evans, CEO, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Description: When the GCSAA CEO summitted Mt. Everest in 2024, it was just the latest mountain that he has conquered in a storied career at one of the industry’s most important administrative bodies. Talking Points: > How golf course superintendents are managing labor challenges > The current and future […]
Read More »Driver$: Golftec celebrates 30 years, 20 million golf lessons
Sports and Leisure Research Group’s Jon Last speaks with GolfTec Founder and CEO Joe Assell about how the company has scaled to over 250 locations and how technological innovation continues to set the pace as the leading provider of golf instruction and largest employer of PGA Teaching professionals looks to the future upon its 30 […]
Read More »Driver$: A unique case study in golf destination marketing
MacPhail joins Sports and Leisure Research Group’s Jon Last and David Klein to unpack the challenges and triumphs of marketing this unique Canadian golf destination.
Read More »Driver$: The year ahead in the golf industry
Last and Klein dive deeply into vital signs from recent golf industry studies and gaze into the crystal ball for what lies ahead in 2025.
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