GBN University Podcast

One thing we could probably all agree on is that traditionally the golf industry is pretty resistant to change. Look at the way we staff our golf operations with a Head Professional and X number of Assistants. That’s been the model for as long as anybody can remember. Add to that the scope of the job for everyone on the staff from teaching some, running events, doing some merchandising, etc. It’s been the same for a long time.
As we know we’re either in or approaching a crisis in the golf business. We need more Golf Professionals and while there are differing views on how we’re going to find them, no one has their finger on the definitive answer.
With that said, with challenges like these come innovation and now is the time to start thinking differently about how we structure the jobs at our facilities. At the forefront of this are two players in particular. The first, Club Corp, isn’t really known for innovating in the employment department within our industry. The second, Retail Tribe, is dedicated to helping clubs and Golf Professionals grow their business. The marriage between the two has created a new role for the modern Golf Professional that is revolutionizing how we view the impact a Golf Professional can make on the bottom line.
In a nutshell, as you will hear, Club Corp took traditional teaching professionals and Assistant Professionals and started incentivizing them to engage with members, develop programming, and generate excitement around the golf program. In turn, the Professional receives a cut of membership dues, program revenue, membership retention dollars, and spend on other items at the Club. Because they found that the more engaged a golfer is, the more the use the facility and the more they spend. And who better to engage golfers than a PGA Professional. It’s something that when you say it out loud, you respond with “of course”. But only now has someone stepped up and rewarded the Professional for the true impact they’re making. This model has been so successful, that Club Corp is rolling it out at every one of their facilities. That’s right, all of them.
Take the time to listen to this entire presentation that GBN hosted at the PGA Show this year. This model has the potential to revolutionize how Golf Professionals work and could save the industry in a time of crisis. Yes, it’s that powerful.
Here’s GBN's presentation with Ian James, the CEO of Retail Tribe, Mark Gore, the Sr. Vice President of Golf Operations at Club Corp, and Matt Anzalone, the Regional Vice President of Player Development at Club Corp.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

This episode is brought to you by GBN University, powered by Golf Business Network. GBNU is where leading PGA Professionals come to improve their skills, build their careers, and increase their impact. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/gbnuniversity for more info.

The last time we heard from Kraig Kann on the Getting Better Now podcast, he was giving a keynote (or as he tells us he doesn’t do keynotes, he does experiences) at the Golf Business Network annual members meeting in late January 2020. So much has changed since we sat there not knowing what we were about to endure, but one thing that’s consistent is Kraig’s message. Communication mattered then, and it matters just as much if not more now.

If you don’t know, Kraig was one of the original anchors on the Golf Channel and spent nearly 20 years as a staple on the channel’s golf coverage. Following the Golf Channel he served the LPGA as their Chief Communications Officer where he took part in a resurgence of the tour’s visibility and success. He now leads his own company, Kann Advisory Group where he coaches business leaders to clarify and amplify their message.

In this episode we get to dive deeper in a one on one conversation into the importance of personal branding for your career, why knowing your story is critical and what questions to ask yourself to understand your message and what you have to offer. All of this and a whole lot more are detailed in Kraig’s award winning book, “Can You Get Our Attention?”. I encourage you to pick up a copy.

www.golfbusinessnetwork.com

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Welcome to the Getting Better Now Podcast! In the first episode, we talk with Patrick Seither, the President and CEO of the Golf Business Network in part one of our two part conversation. Patrick talks about the route he took to end up in his current position and why he's passionate about helping his fellow PGA Professionals enhance their careers and their lives.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Are you looking to hire team members on your golf staff? GBN's Recruiting Services makehiring easier with our best in class network of Golf Professionals that helps you reach deep into the market to locate your next staff member.

Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/recruiting to get started and get ahead of the competition.
If you’ve been listening for a while, you’ve come to understand how important I believe leadership is to being a successful PGA Professional. In these times of low retention levels and poor employee engagement, your ability to lead your team and your facility has never been more critical. It’s the reason we’re launching a much anticipated leadership program from GBNU here this fall, 2022. We’re going to give PGA Professionals the chance to develop their leadership skills so they can become somebody that people want to follow, somebody that people want to work for, and somebody that can produce results for their facility. All through the lens of what you, the PGA Professional does every day. I can’t wait to tell you more about it.

And right on queue, we have an episode that can be a masterclass on leadership. I was so honored to have the chance to speak with our featured guest, David Novak. David is one of the premier leadership minds out there. He’s the former CEO and co-founder of Yum Brands, which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger. He’s been named Chief Executive of the Year, and oversaw explosive growth as the company doubled its number of restaurants under his leadership and grew to a market cap of almost $32 billion. His marketing background includes such big wins as developing and launching Cool Ranch Doritos, and Pizza Hut’s meat lover’s pizza...along with one notable marketing mishap, which we’ll discuss. You’ll want to hear that.

Now after retiring in 2016, David launched “David Novak Leadership” where he coaches leaders using his time tested methods and practices, including Purposeful Recognition. He’s the host of the very popular “How Leaders Lead” podcast where talks with world class leaders every week. In addition he’s a New York Times bestselling author.

David is busy to say the least, but not too busy to find time for one of his biggest passions...golf. He’s the definition of a “golf nut” and not to mention,quite a player as you’ll hear early in our conversation about a huge accomplishment he achieved this summer. So David knows golf and he know golf pros. That’s why this conversation is so powerful. Whether you’re in a leadership position, or aspire to get to one, David’s lessons here are priceless and ones you can implement the very next time you walk in the door at work.

This was such a pleasure to have this conversation and I’m excited to share it with you.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

In many ways Suzy Whaley is just another Golf Professional. She struggles with many of the same challenges that PGA Professionals face every day. Parts of her story sound the same as many, many others. But on the other hand....Suzy is the head of the largest organization in sports, and not to mention, the first woman to ever do that. She holds one of the most powerful and influential positions in the game of golf. She’s a trail blazer. Not only has she played in LPGA tour events, but she played in a PGA Tour event. She’s probably done more media interviews than any PGA Professional in history.
In part one of our conversation, we tackle a couple of age old issues with PGA Professionals. Time management and work-life balance. If you’ve been following along, you’ve heard about these topics on this podcast before. Partly because these issues are nearly universal in our business. And because they’re probably not addressed with practical solutions often enough. So what do you do if you get 600 emails a day? How do you handle the stresses of raising a family and succeeding in this industry? Suzy shares her methods and what’s helped her over the course of her career along with plenty of other great insights.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.