Podcasts | Sports & Leisure Research Group

Driver$: How technology is transforming course ownership, operations

POSTED: November 21, 2025

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. […]

The Case Against Paying Research Respondents with John Dick

POSTED: November 1, 2025

Discover why John Dick, Founder and CEO of CivicScience, believes that paying survey respondents introduces bias and why shorter surveys offer better data. In this episode of Insights and Innovators by MRII, host Jon Last explores CivicScience’s innovative micro-survey method that scales to over a million responses daily without financial incentives. Learn about the evolution […]

Driver$: Restoring a classic golf resort to greatness

POSTED: October 12, 2025

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 […]

From Report Card to Growth Engine with Nancy Smith, Analytic Partners

POSTED: September 29, 2025

On this episode, Jon Last, President of Sports and Leisure Research Group, is joined by Nancy Smith, President & CEO of Analytic Partners. Dive into the evolution of analytics and how companies can make smarter, quicker decisions in a competitive landscape. Discover the concept of ‘commercial analytics’, the impact of rapid technological advancements, and how […]

Driver$: Did AI choose that nasty pin position?

POSTED: September 29, 2025

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 […]