PGAjay Golf Business Podcast

I often get asked the question of how do you turn your Instagram into cash. This question came up again during a recent talk I gave at Campbell university to the Professional Golf Management class, and the answer I gave in the moment I think was someone evasive. So I wanted to follow up on the many ways that having a professional Instagram profile can lead to monetary gain. It may not be in the sense that you just buy followers and trick people into advertising with you (I’m sure that has worked for many), but in a real way.

In this episode I talk about how operating individual experiences for different members of the family at your golf club can provide an opportunity for more engagement from the entire family. Many

Very excited (and a little nervous) to have the opportunity to speak to PGM Students at Campbell University this March. Based on some feedback I have already gotten the top will be a lot around networking using social media and the tools that are available to this generation, that were not available to previous generations. But I’d also like to know what pieces of content that I put out that her resonated with you so that I might be able to include some of that or some of those themes in my talk as well. Email is Jay@pgajay.com or dm me on Insta or Snap @PGAjay.

This last weekend I ran a 1/2 Marathon in under 2 hours. I realized that Life a lot like running a marathon. If you start out too fast or get distracted by other people passing you at first you can burn out pretty quickly. If you stay focused on you pace you end up passing a lot of people at the end. After all it is not how you start it’s how you finish.

Most of the time golf clubs compete to be the best golf club. But with today’s on demand choices, don’t you think people want a customized experience. Figuring out a way to be the best golf club for just enough people is a great way to separate you from the completion.

In this episode Rob Pilewski asks me a question that has been my Kryptonite for a long time. What’s the best piece of advice I have ever received and what do I wish I knew when I was 20. I do my best to answer and not go down to many rabbit holes along the way. You can follow Rob at @robpilewski on Instagram. Thanks for the question Rob!

Over my golf and business career I have always heard people speak about rude members and customers as if it was my fault if I didn’t “get them” or “know how to take them”. I don’t agree with that. If someone is a jerk, why do I have to adjust my mindset to accommodate, and worse encourage, that type of behavior. Many companies are seeing the positive benefits of focusing on a positive culture and I think Private Golf Clubs and Golf Professionals could benefit from this as well.

Nothing is worse (this is not actually true, there’s so much worse) than getting stuck in traffic. But what if your career or your professional growth gets stuck in traffic. Learning how to see the affect that other people (cars) on the road are having in your career is a great way to our things in perspective.

People often get hung up in the idea of starting a podcast and all the work that goes into it. But with this format and modern technology it will literally take you minutes to start, and minutes a day to create and distribute a daily podcast about the goings-on at your facility.

If you’re ever struggling with the task feeling like it’s really hard work for you to do, take a step back and think about if it’s actually a good idea. Often times we get so focused on completing a task that we will grind through something that is actually not a good idea in the first place. When something feels super hard to accomplish take a step back and just ask yourself, is this hard because it’s not a good idea?

In this episode I talk about what I wish I had done better at the show this year. How much fun it was to see everybody. And what I think the future landscape of the game looks like.

Most people that you see that are successful have an appearance that they were overnight successes. It’s not their fault it’s just that nobody was paying attention while they were putting in the work to get to where they are. If you want to be successful like someone else, take the pressure off of yourself by asking where they were at your age, and what they were doing. This way you can get a sense of where you are in that path and trajectory versus where they were then.

I’ll be at the show and available to meet up in the PGM area between 11 and 12 Wednesday if you can make it I’d love to see you. I also share some of my tips on scheduling for the show to get the most out of it.

In this episode I talked about how I make a living and how having a job can actually free you up to do things your way and lead to more happiness and enjoyment.

I’ve been asked this question before and don’t think I’ve always had a good answer to what a newly elected PGA member should be focusing on. The first part of that answer is going to Augusta national to watch the Masters. The second part of that answer is a lot less enjoyable but a fast track to more responsibility and success.

A big thank you to all of you for getting the show to 100 episodes. In this episode I recognize long time supporter Nikko Grau @nikkosuave54 for being awarded Assistant Professional of the Year by his PGA Chapter. And it all about how bad your content has to be in order to get to a place where it’s good, and how that ties in with life.

I don’t often get preachy, but the recent overload of people thing other people how to be better people by changing who they are warranted it. Not only do I think we are all entitled to be the best versions of ourselves, but that the only way to get there is to be our full selves. Someone once told me a version of this and it helped me immensely. So I hope it helps you as well.

098 - Ambition can be a powerful thing in your career and in life. It can drive you to achieve great things. But It can be also be the very thing that threatens your success and happiness.

Social media provides an incredible insight into peoples lives. Understanding who your potential Golf Member is before you meet them for a golf course to her or membership tour can be a valuable exercise for you both. Focusing on what’s important to the member or potential member is always the most important thing. And if you’re just starting out in the business what we talk about in this episode can be a great gateway into membership sales and understanding more about the process.

I like to call it the hardest easy golf tournament you will ever play in your career. The PAT in an obstacle that we all face as PGA Golf Professionals and overcoming it can be a challenge. In this episode I give my tips on how to give yourself the best hands at passing.

In this episode I share an article from the PGA Magazine about two Golf Pros killing it for their club in Facebook Live. Ryan Mulvey and Colby Pitts are General Manager and Head Golf Professional respectfully at Bay Point Club in Panama City Beach, Florida. They host a weekly Facebook Live show that is making a serious impact on business.

Setting a plan for when you do certain things in your golf operation is nothing new. But do you communicate this roadmap with your managers and other team leaders in the Club? The chaos of the golf business is one of the hardest environments to stay on track and focused and communicating you plans can help others approach you about ideas at the appropriate time.

In this episode I discuss my experience with golf cart cart covers and how you can avoid a winter in cart cover hell.

In this episode I discussed “job crafting” and how making little changes to what you do every day in your job as a golf professional can lead to being happy and successful in whatever direction that sends you.

In this episode, I share how selling stale items in your golf shop on eBay is not just great for your golf shop but a great opportunity to get more involved in the retail operation.

In this episode I share my thoughts and the thoughts of others on hard work and discipline. Most of the time ambition and hard work and discipline our great ways to achieve goals. But occasionally those very things can be the pitfalls to cause you to delay or lose sight of achieving your goals.

090 -In your golf professional career you will inevitably come across gate keepers. Gatekeepers like to keep things the way they are, and often spend most of their time focusing on how to protect their own status and position at the expense of the personal growth of those who work for them. Luckily my exposure to this in my golf career has been limited but for many it can be more pervasive. In this episode I share my personal experiences with Gate Keepers and how you can still progress forward in your career despite their oppressive nature.

I’ve seen a lot of things miss categorized as innovative business practices over the years in golf business. In this episode and breakdown the difference between innovative ideas and insanity so that you can be better at recognizing ideas that have the potential to be innovative and successful and the ideas that are just flat out insane.

Being a golf business professional can be super tough. And it’s not something that everybody is cut out to do forever. There are a lot of great opportunities out there. But there are even more bad opportunities out there, that ultimately cause professionals to leave the industry altogether. In this episode I talk about why even in the midst of a daunting future being a golf professional will still allow you to succeed and excel in your career.

I recently got to ask Joseph Mayo a question on how we as golf professionals come together in a more cohesive way of teaching. I discussed his answer and what I think it means for the future of teaching and golf in this podcast. Thanks for the time Joe and all you do for your fellow Instructors.

There is a lot of pressure these days for people to be an expert on something the moment they start doing it. That’s unfair, as it takes time (like..... a lifetime) to make mistakes, as a golf professional and a person, and learn from them so you don’t make the same mistakes again.

With all the talk around promoting ourselves and building our personal brand we sometimes lose focus on the actual work. The work in the results that you do you will speak for you when you’re not in the room. Don’t trust anybody to sell you like you sell yourself, so do the work and give people something to talk about that matters.

084 - Years ago my general manager shared a possible idea to create a Co-Head professional role at our facility. As the head golf professional I felt a little bit threatened at first but the more I thought of it I realized how great of an idea this actually could be. We’re all always looking for ways to strike a balance in the life of a Golf Professional, and having a partner to count on is certainly a positive idea.

I got a great call and follow up on episode 82 that I wanted to share with everybody. And episode 82 we talked about creating internship orientation videos, and this call-in could just be the key to really making them work.

One of the biggest challenges of PGA PGM internships is that they can be relatively short. And a good portion of the time is spent getting everybody up to speed on procedures and such. One PGA golf professional has found a way to speed up the orientation process by providing an intern orientation packet prior to interns arrival. This was an article featured in the PGA magazine that I take a step further in sharing how to make it come alive through interactive content. Starting the interaction using existing platforms will give managers a chance to get to know the new staff and give the interns a chance to get comfortable with the facility and procedures prior to arriving on site.

In this episode I talk about how Instagram can be repurposed to be a great communication tool for golf managers and their staff. I have alsways struggled in thebgolf business to keep my staff on the same page. I have tried some communication platforms but nobody ever stayed up to date on them. Since everyone spends hours a day on instagram. Why not speak to your staff where they will hear you.

Recently read a great article in the PGA Magazine on the benefits of giving free breakfast and range balls to kids This on its own is a fantastic idea that I think a lot of courses should implement. The article also got me thinking of how you can apply the same concept to adults at your facility as well.

You guys all know I’m a big fan of the Internet and all of the social media platforms that allow us to connect. But there’s one thing I tend to do on Facebook that always makes me mad and it being a big waste of time. Hopefully by sharing that with you guys you can avoid wasting time as well.

The golf business is tough! But one way to make it tougher on yourself is to not listen to feedback from your members, your employees and others. Listening to others can give you the necessary context to avoid making costly decisions in your career. You just need to make sure that you're listening to the right people.

In this episode of the PGAjay Golf Business Podcast, we talk about alternate fun forms of transportation on the golf course. The new wave of personal transportation options on the golf course is not just for fun, it's also for big business.

I saw special opportunity for an assistant position open up with a friend of mine at the grove hotel in London and wanted to share it with all of you. Details follow - *Senior Assistant PGA Professional Vacancy* Hosts of the 2006 WGC AMEX Championships & 2016 European Tour British Masters, The Grove have an exciting opportunity for a PGA Qualified Senior Assistant to join the team. The successful candidate will work alongside me to manage all aspects of the daily retail operation in addition to delivering tuition programmes and assisting with the supervision of the overall golf guest journey.  A track record of delivering five-star customer service is required and previous experience at a leading 5 star resort is preferred, but not essential. Please apply with a CV and covering letter to: mike.shrieve@thegrove.co.uk Applications close 31st August 2018.

There are lots of ways to run you operation as a golf professional. In this episode we talk about you can develope your style by watching those above and around you in the golf business.

074 - we take a look at a new company offering high-end club fittings in partnership with PGA professionals. We discussed whether this is a threat or an opportunity for PGA professionals and want to consider when looking at club fitting at your facility.

Content is only as good as the content that you can create. Figure out how much you can do on a regular basis and do that. Setting lofty goals around content creation that require a lot of additional work are often the downfall of a continued strategy.

By understanding what we are trying to achieve helps us ask better questions that lead to more usefull advice and not opinions based in theory.

I have been hearing this reminder, not to get distracted by the path others are on, from a lot of people I trust and wanted to pass it on.

It’s always difficult to describe what golf professionals do at their clubs every day. The responsibilities are many but when it comes down to it you’re essentially parenting a large group of adults and children. With that comes the joys and sorrows, frustrations and victories or life. The sooner you and Brace that the more successful and for filled you will be.

It’s not about how quickly you gain your PGA Membership, it’s about achieving it while putting your career first. That way you are likely to stay at it longer and make a larger impact in the game.

Getting stuck behind the counter in the golf shop can make it seem like you are stuck in your job. But getting stuck behind the counter can be just the thing you need to create opportunity. This is part one of what I’m sure will be a multiple part series on things you can to do to further your career when stuck behind the golf shop counter.

In this episode I share the details of how set a record for golf shoe sales by creating a sample sale and how you can too.

Making a decision to move to a new position in the golf busieness may not be a life and death decision. But would it help you make the right decision to think of it that way? I’ve been listening and reading a lot about what astronauts go through to build trust and handle situations under the most intense conditions possible with the most dire consequences. Can envisioning yourself in this elevated intensity help you gain perspective on the potential dangers of your new role and team? We explore that possibility in this weeks episode.

How to sell more merhandise than ever at your season kickoff golf tournament. Make golf a true family outing by building a Golf Park.

It’s about time to get serious about involving this awesome community in the PGAjay Show. I’ve switched my focus from promoting the show on social and spending my time reaching out to people to let them know about it, to focusing more on those who have been listening. I know I always say I available to help if I can but now it’s time I show you guys I mean it. I also share what I’m doing on some social media platforms to engage with all of you more and how that relates to how you can use them to engage members at your facilities.

Setting goals in your career and life can be hard because you never know what opportunities are going to come up in life. Sometimes having a goal of taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves in you career can be as productive a goal as setting and arbitrary time at which you want to achieve a certain thing.

In this episode we talk about how to identify members who may be at risk of leaving your club or course. We cover using intuition, data and facility staff to find members who may be at risk. Fixing problems is a day in and day out battle for any golf pro but attacking first puts the odds in your favor.

What the future holds for incoming Golf professionals, tipping for golf lessons, some people to listen to and some merchandising strategy talk.

Getting the most out of your summer golf internship or the interns you hire can be hard. I share some thoughts on how to get the most out of the experience by; understanding mindset, impacting people, making a measurable difference and trying everything you can.

The PGA of America announced new career tracks and other changes to the PGA PGM program.

We discuss the effects of a positve member/customer culture on your facility and some things you can do to build it regardless of your possition.

I share my tips and experience with camping out near Augusta for the Masters and why it’s my preferred way to enjoy this special event and other tips on enjoying the event.

Last week I had a great conversation with a young Assistant Golf Professional who was interested to know what he could do to achieve his goal of becoming a Director of Instruction. Our call was shorter than this podcast but I knew there was more too my thoughts and wanted to be sure to share them with all of you. This episode is the best job I have done so far in explaining the opportunities before us as golf professionals to be the true drivers of revenue and membership experience. We aren’t talking about clinics and leagues (ok there’s a little of that) but interacting within our members in a meaningful way to keep them connected to and using some technology and some old school tactics to do it.

053 - How I use Anchor to podcast from my phone and just how easy it is for you to start a podcast for your golf course, squeezing the most out of your internships and jobs for you and not anyone else.

I share an easy membership retention strategy I created to achieve record results, and how dominating membership retention leads to new opportunities to achieve what you want as a golf professional. I also share the personal story of when this whole PGAjay thing started and how one reply to a post on Facebook sealed my destiny.

057 - Why you shouldn’t wait to start creating and building your personal brand, recent success story from someone who started creating on there own and now has a job doing it, what scares me and how having a personal brand gives you all the leverage at your facility and in your position.

Special Airport Edition - PGA Show Meetup and My PGA Show Strategy and How You Can Get the Most out of the Show

055 - Highlights from my daily podcast on the golf business and how golf pros can use social media more effectively to achieve their personal and professional goals. This episode discusses ways golf courses can adapt to changes in customer behavior to increase their activity at their facility as well as introduction more potential golfers to the game.

054 - This short though on how rethinking the way you set goals was pulled from the daily podcast. I thought it was important for Golf Professionals to hear so I made it a stand-alone episode. I hope it helps some of you think of your goal setting differently to allow you to constantly achieve growth while being adaptable to changes in your ambition and the landscape you operate in.

052 - 2018 starts off with pure fire! A great question on how to gain experience as a golf merchandiser inspires the first episode of 2018. Also, how to survive as a retailer in 2018.

052 - A late night conversation about how thankful I am for all of you, how much I feel like we accomplished in 2017 and what’s ahead for 2018.

051 • Running towards problems to find responsibility an earn respect • Instagrams New Stories Highlights and why it’s more than just a killer new feature for Golf Pros • Where I’m spending my time on social and what’s working.

050 - My Thanksgiving Recap • Why older golf pros are more equipped to crush social media than youngsters • how to improve your communication skills using social.

049 - Why Thanksgiving week is so important to how you stay in touch with your members this winter on Social • I try my best to share how thankful I am for all of you.

47- I give out my cell number • understanding Section 3-5 (adjusting handicaps for tees played) so your members don’t adjust your face • Jones Cup Envy • Helping more in messaging.

047- Rediscovering your direction and passion in the golf business through understanding yourself first• Fundraising to pay for your pga Levels • Always listening is the best way to get feedback.

046 - I try to refocus on sharing experiences of Golf Pros in the business for others to learn from, evening demo days, ultimate family nine hole setup and how I lost 100 followers in one day.

045 - I ask a big favor from you the podcast listener, I review the career services article in the PGA magazine and I'm not going anywhere.

044 - First, find out what you want to accomplish, then figure out how to leverage social media to accomplish it and why the most "old school" Pros should be the best at using social media.

043 - VLOGing for PGM students and what I recommend to build a worldwide network of job opportunities from your phone and how I add text and graphics to my videos.

042 - Why trying everything you think you don't want to do as a golf professional is the best way to learn what you do want to do and I talk about interactive video creating a custom experiences.

041 - I talk about how impressed I am with the USA President's Cup, why strong teams win and a great book on team building, and eliminating dysfunctional team members.

040 - I'm pumped to go to the President's Cup and how generating revenue at our facility gives you the ultimate latitude to run things your way.

039 - Exciting President's Cup news, I reminisce how two years ago I decided I wanted to make videos and now it's part of my job and resources for how you can start as well.

038 - Why now is the best time to network in the golf business, the future of personal branding, what I do for a living and why trying to help Golf Pros is so important to me.

037- How to create your dream golf internship or job, why working hard gives you more control over your career and how to find and get to know key individuals at your dream facilities.

036 - How Professional Golf Management (PGM) students can grow a social media following and personal brand online while maintaining their privacy and I talk about my YouTube days.

035- How to prove that playing golf, teaching and taking good care of members has a positive impact on the bottom line and my social update following a busy couple weeks.

034 - I experience the PGA's new direction in supporting PGA Pros in growing their business and proving their value, how to play in a major and the excitement of your first tournament.

033 - I share my opinion on growth bots on Instagram, apologize for unfollowing people who do, take a call in on the subject and thank the heck out of you for listening to this show.

031 - Every day more golf clubs are looking for golf professionals who understand the digital and social media landscape, the more you know the more valuable you are in the years to come.

031- I talk about being open to change as you listen and react to what's happening around you and your business.

030 - What I messed up in yesterday's episode, how to save the rainy day for Junior Camps, buying closeout merchandise, loyalty buying clubs and why so few pros are on social.

029 - I share the secret to doubling or tripling your Assistant Professional staff with no additional expense, a book that changed how I see golf, inspiration from and old dude & I screw up the intro.

028- What I Love about what I saw during Justin Thomas's Win at the PGA Championship, learning from the best in other fields and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you to be your best.

027 - Tips on how to avoid social media marketing scams online, watching Majors as motivation to make it to the next level of your professional and I look forward to a special meeting this weekend.

026 - Instagram strategies to actually build business and brand, how golf courses should set up their Instagram accounts, and I get ready to place my first ads in Instagram stories.

025 - Losing your touch on Instagram, building a brand online is hard work, the PGA magazine arrives and you become my therapist.

023 - Why Leaders Eat Last, I go a little nuts about an update to the anchor app that turns audio into video, you get a tip from a call in and a glorious day 2 of shorts at the PGA Championship.

023 - We discuss if you should be selling clubs at your facility, moving the game forward in shorts, and one of my favorite people you should go follow on Facebook.

022 - Sell more merchandise by empowering your golf staff, why weekends are your best marketing opportunity, developing a merchandise close out plan and how to send a private message on Instagram.

021 - We talk about how acting like a kid can increase member activity at the club, I get back on the horse, and some tips on how t get noticed on Anchor.fm.

020 - How me staying relevant is meant to help you do the same, $200 fall off a skateboard, using smaller hashtags on Instagram for faster growth and Facebook ad update.

019 - I adjust my social media content creation strategy to be more relevant to to the Golf Pro lifestyle, I forget what I am talking about and why YouTube is getting crowded.

018 - A Golf Pros start on Instagram, shout out to an award winning junior golf coach to follow on Instagram, Golf Genius Tourney Management update and congratulating a champion for more than a win.

016 - Getting 100 listens to the podcast in one day has me inspired and sharing how you can create your own opportunity to do what your passionate about at your facility without risking it all.

015 - I suggest Golf Pros new to social media should start on Instagram and why, building a family of support and encouragement around the hashtag #pgajayfam and the PGA Jr. League fall series.

015 - One of the greatest hacks for adding 3 member events to your calendar in one shot, why running your business means more Golf for you and why I am so thankful for all of this.

014 - A plea to stop debating Technology vs. Tradition in golf instruction, advice from Brian Lackey on how to grow your teaching business and why I stopped using the best ad product in Facebook ad...

013 - Story Time form PGA Magazine, How much GolfTEC loves PGA Pros, "Four Balls, Five Strokes, One Bogey" a comedy brought to you by the rules of golf and can I help you get to Augusta next year?

012 - A free 8 hour Vlogging class tomorrow by the VLOG Boss Herself Amy Schmittauer on Creativelive.com and what I am doing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Anchor this week.

011 - We get great news from a couple Assistant Pros and one Instagram account we could all learn from.

010 - I visit Sloss Tech Conference in Birmingham AL and get some incredible validation and share with you my thoughts on why I am trying to reach people with this podcast.

009- I talk about why I am at a Tech and Creative Festival. I feature a great article on continuing to learn in the golf business and the fasted way to move up in the golf business.

008 - Prepping Junior Golfers (and parents) for their first "loss", New USGA Tournament Management Program is FIRE, and what my current status is on each social platform and where I am focused.

007 - We take about embracing changes in technology to maximize your benefit and I share the number one thing I would do as a golf Professional on the first day at any new facility.

006 - We go "Old School" with a Digital (Social) Media free episode of the Golf Business Show for PGA Pros. Setting Membership Retention records and setting event participation records the fun way.

005- How my first promotion of the Podcast is going using Facebook Ads and what changes I will be making to make it more effective and I get some good advice from a seasoned Anchor user.

004 - How to find out what platforms your members spend their time. Staring the #PLOG phenomenon with daily Podcasting and my thoughts in my first week of Podcasting and using Anchor.

003 - We take a call in from an Assistant Professional in Tucson, AZ on how to get into he Business side of Merchandising and we put actual numbers to the value of video thanks to one smart Head Pro

102 - Follows me through the day as I discuss sharing content to Facebook Groups, Facebook targeted ads, my first podcast going live, networking on Instagram and buttoning my clothes.

Why Podcasting is important for Golf Professionals to grow their business, personal brand and improve relationships with members and customers