The ModGolf Podcast The ModGolf Podcast

On Jan. 29, 2019 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open’s Dream Day on the famous 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, Amy Bockerstette, who has Down syndrome, demonstrated to the golfing world what a determined athlete with self-confidence and a positive attitude can achieve.


While playing with PGA Tour players Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar during the Tuesday practice round, Amy hit the par 3 tee shot 117 yards into a greenside bunker, splashed her sand shot to within 8 feet of the pin, and made her par putt in front of a roaring crowd. The I GOT THIS Foundation was born out of this moment, which was captured on video and has since gone viral, receiving more than 54 million views on social media platforms.


Golf is a sport where everyone plays the same game on the same field. Their vision is that people with intellectual disabilities become included in those games.


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We want to thank our partner British Columbia Golf for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

When I mentioned Amy's episode to the folks at British Columbia Golf they immediately wanted to support it, as one of their goals is to create a sport that is accessible and inclusive. They strive to create a golf environment that is respectful of participant's personal goals and is free from all forms of maltreatment. As a provincial arm of Golf Canada, British Columbia Golf supports women golfers and players of all ages and abilities, while continually working to improve partner relationships to increase participation in the sport.


If you're looking to plan your next amazing golf trip, British Columbia Golf is the place to explore and book from the over 300 golf courses they support across our beautiful province. To learn about the impact they are making and to discover your next golf adventure, check out their website at www.britishcolumbiagolf.org.
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"I am strong, I am confident and I am proud to be happy. I am powerful and love my Power Pose!".... another Amy quote


Amy's dream foursome... Nick Jonas, Grant Gustin (The Flash) and Zac Efron (and PGA Tour pro and friend Gary Woodland)


Amy is active on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Amy and Joe Bockerstette on our Youtube Channel!



Episode Chapters
[02:40] Amy's introduction to golf, how old she was and who helped make it happen
[04:40] How The I GOT THIS Foundation was born from Amy's experience at The 2019 Phoenix WM Open
[08:00] Joe shares what happened after Amy made her amazing par at The Phoenix Open
[09:25] Amy and Joe talk about the friendship that blossomed with PGA Tour player Gary Woodland
[12:25] The decision to start and the effort needed to build The I GOT THIS Foundation
[15:35] Amy's superpowers and her speaking engagements in support of neurodiverse people
[18:15] Amy's "Superpower club", her favourite shot type and the most memorable shots she has hit
[20:40] Who's in Amy's "Dream Foursome" SPOILER Nick Jonas is one of them!
[22:00] Future goals and aspirations for Amy and The I GOT THIS Foundation
[25:50] How society has changed it's perception regarding what people like Amy can accomplish
[26:50] "Amy's Village" and the community surrounding her with support and encouragement


I GOT THIS Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, has a mission to promote golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities.


By providing golf instruction, playing opportunities, and organized events, they strive to teach people with neurodivergent abilities to play golf, paving the way for them to compete in leagues with typical peers, join high school teams, and enjoy the many social benefits of golf.


To learn more about Amy and The I GOT THIS Foundation, check out their website.



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"I got sick for a few years and I was getting tired of being in bed thinking about what I wanted to do. So I sent out a focus group study to golfers that had been on a list of mine from my previous business and it was a survey asking them multiple questions about what their pain points were in the golf industry. What I heard was the frustration around not knowing what club to buy, feeling like every club was marketed as better. Marketing had started to become more important than performance. The balance was out of whack. And in a moment it matched with my moral compass. My grandmother taught disabled children her whole life. I was around these kids and I didn't like seeing them being taken advantage of just like I felt golfers are being taken advantage of. I looked at my wife when I was still in bed and I said, "I'm going to start the Consumer Reports of golf" and she instantly said, "yes you are!". So I got my ass right out of bed and got to work."


"The Golf Digest Hot List was the bible to tell golfers what to buy as a print publication at the time and they had staked claim to that. But they had yet to lay claim to the digital world, so like the wild west I wanted to put down my flag down before they did. I wanted to build trust with the most hardcore golfers out there, create a place where they could come and trust anything and everything that we put out there. Something that was honest and had integrity behind it rather than run by the manufacturers. I thought it would be 3-5 years before the manufacuturers got on board with it. I knew it would be a bit of a rub but man, was I ever wrong."


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We want to thank our partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.
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"The manufacturers not only didn't like MyGolfSpy, but they hated everything that we stood for. They tried to sue us and use any angle they could to shut us up. Manufacturers keep a lot of the small media companies quiet because of one simple thing: the small media companies and blogs didn't have a legal team but we did. I had a group behind me that knew what I was after and stood up for me as a legal team. None of these manufacturers didn't have a leg to stand on with any of these potential law suits and they knew it, and they wanted to threaten us to keep us quiet. But as soon as we fired back - and our biggest weapon was "if you want to sue us, great. But we're going to make it public and every letter you send us we be public record". To this day MyGolfSpy has never been sued and we have never taken an article down."


"The golf consumer saw that someone who was fighting for them, which is exactly why MyGolfSpy became successful. We put the consumer first and the companies last. I don't care about the corporations, I care about the golfer and how they spend their hard-earned money. I don't want golfers spending more if it does not help them improve compared to what they already own. This is a philosophy that companies are not accustomed to because it has been engrained in us that we need the newest club that comes out."


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Adam on our Youtube Channel!



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"I joined the business over 16 years ago, but even before that my father would talk about potential clients saying "Well, I don't know if I want miniature golf at my Family Entertainment Facility because it's kind of going out of style". But miniature golf is one of those activities and attractions that will never go out of style."... Scott Lundmark, President of Adventure Golf & Sports


Miniature Golf Fun Facts...



There are 4,383 Miniature golf courses in the United States as of September 2023.
The earliest documented mention of a miniature golf course is in the June 8, 1912 edition of The Illustrated London News, referring to a minigolf course called The Golfstacle. Even earlier, William Senhouse Clarke patented the 'Golfstacle' box kit in 1907.
The first miniature golf course in Canada was at the Maples Inn in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The "Mapes" was constructed as a summer home in the 1890s but was renovated into a club in 1902, opened to the public in 1914, and had a miniature golf course in 1930. The popular nightspot burned in 1985.
Parkside's Whispering Pines Miniature Golf is the oldest miniature golf course in the United States. This historic gem has been entertaining visitors since its opening in 1930.
51 countries have National Minigolf Association governing bodies which are part of The World Minigolf Sport Federation.


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We want to thank our partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.
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"Our business in booming right now. In fact it has grown consistently over the years and with the addition of Putt Shack, PopStroke and The Puttery, combined with the explosion of craft breweries there has been a flood of money pouring in the marketplace for miniature golf. Part of the reason is because it's attactive to all ages from six year old children all the way to great-grandparents."


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Scott on our Youtube Channel!



"From a business perspective, miniature golf has high player throughput, little maintenence and low operating costs which are factors that help fuel its growth. And it's even popular for the cool, hip date night people out there!"


Episode Chapters
[02:40] Scott shares his first golf experience at 11 years old at their family run "Arne's Funland Little Duffers Miniature Golf" course.
[05:00] The origin of the family miniature golf business which all started with Scott's dad Arne Lundmark, known as "The GodFather of Mini Golf".
[07:00] Making the entrepreneurial decision around 1980 to sell their adventure park and focus on designing and building mini putt courses.
[14:00] AGS miniature golf products and their new innovations such as "Mini Links" portable golf holes.
[17:00] Who the AGS customers are and how they have expanded and diversified their client base to include cruise ships and rooftop, rollout and pop-up activations.
[22:15] Future trends and predictions on where the miniature golf industry, products and experiences are heading.
[24:45] New tech-enabled growth segments for mini-golf that have been fueled by the emergence of Topgolf, Popstroke and Putt Shack.
[25:35] AGS and Scott's commitment to

"One of my philosophies is to give as much away for free as I possibly can on the front end. The more you give away for free, the more you're going to get on the back end as far as currency and customer loyalty." - Gary Guerrero Jr., Founder and CEO of Lag Shot Golf and Scratch Golf Academy


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We want to thank our partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.
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"When we teach our coaches to go out and do marketing or increase their sales, I remind them that most business people hold back their best stuff. Their belief is "This is a closely guarded secret and you gotta pay me this if you want it." Now, that's one approach but I say, "hey, here's that secret man. I got more where that comes from." You're like "Wow, this guy's amazing" and then here, here's another secret. Here's another secret and another secret.


What happens is I'm building trust and an indebtedness from you to me. "Man, that Gary is so good, he's always helping me out. I just want to do something for him." Now, when I say, "hey, do you want to buy my thing?" customers say "yes, yes I do! I want to give you money because you've been helping me so much." And then the next thing I offer they go, "yeah, I want that too!" I don't need to hold back. I see people hold back too much. You need to give all you can up front and put your best foot forward."


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Gary on our Youtube Channel!



Episode Chapters
[03:05] Gary's first golf experience and the person who introduced him to the game
[06:15] We learn how one of his products - Lag Shot Golf - has cut Gary's handicap from 9 to a 5
[07:45] Gary shares his entrepreneneurial backstory that starts with his first business at six years old
[14:20] With encouragement from his dying father, Gary launched GGG Marketing in 2010
[17:15] Switching his GGG business model from website design, SEO and marketing to coaching, Gary landed his first sport client with a tennis coach creating online training videos
[19:20] After meeting PGA instructor Adam Bazalgette, Gary switched his business model to solely focus on the golf industry
[20:55] How Gary's first golf venture "Golf Fanatics" set the foundation for the two successful businesses he currently runs
[22:45] We learn about the "Customer Value Ladder" that Gary applies to both Scratch Golf Academy and Lag Shot Golf
[28:00] Gary's "Give First" mindset and building community on Instagram with @golfentrepreneur
[35:25] The creation of execution of Scratch Golf Academy in 2015 and Lag Shot Golf in 2020
[40:10] Rapid prototyping and the product design process that led the commerialization of Lag Shot Golf


"I saw the gap in the market for a hittable swing trainer, and that was why we created Lag Shot Golf".
To learn more about Gary and Lag Shot Golf, check out their website.



You can also connect with Gary on his bio page.


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We want to thank our sponsor partner Golf Genius Software for supporting The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!

Golf Genius powers tournament management at over 10,000 pr

"I'm not sure that I discovered it, but I let out the part of me that loves to communicate with people. The part of me that likes to talk and learn about people, places and things, what they do and incorporate some of the wisdom they have that I may not have even thought of."


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We want to thank our new partner inrange® for presenting this episode of The ModGolf Podcast!

inrange® is a radar-based ball-tracking company that enhances the driving range experience by offering the most engaging gameplay and precise ball-tracking on the market. From private clubs and standalone commercial ranges, to multi-storey “Big Box” entertainment venues and limited-flight ‘compact’ ranges, Inrange® creates unparalleled experiences for every type of player - and unleashes your business’ growth potential. They are also the only software in the world offering a bay vs bay link up feature - allowing large groups to play against one another in teams across the entire venue. To learn more check out www.inrangegolf.com.
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"That's the beauty of people coming together and in radio it is minds working with minds. There's no physical interaction. There's no "I see you, you see me!" And there's triggers, things that happen that are Kismet. "Oh wow, you did that?", or "I never thought about that. That's very interesting!" Isn't that the beauty of the whole game?"


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Danielle on our Youtube Channel!



"You never know what you're going to come across on a golf course with people. You find out things about yourself through the game of golf like "God, give yourself a break!"


Episode Chapters
[02:30] We open the show with Danielle providing an overview of The Golf Club Radio Show
[04:50] Danielle shares her first ever golf experience and who introduced her to the game
[09:45] We learn how Danielle ended up in Hawaii by way of New York and London
[13:00] The early years of Danielle's journalism career in TV and radio that led to the opportunity to host a golf-themed show
[16:00] How the Golf Club Radio Show came into existence and the people that helped make it happen
[20:00] We learn about what motivates Danielle to energetically continue creating her weekly show after 25 years
[21:30] Colin and Danielle share stories about having fun and not taking golf so seriously when things aren't going well
[25:00] The disparity in prize money between The PGA and LPGA Tours are what they can learn from professional tennis
[26:10] Danielle talks about the challenges and the opportunities of being a women in the golf media living in Hawaii
[31:20] We talk about the power of surrounding yourself with positive people, which leads to a conversation about previous guest Claude Brousseau
[33:00] Danielle shares her perspective on how recovery from the devastating fire in Lahaina on Maui is impacting daily life, tourism and golf


To learn more about Danielle and listen to The Golf Club Radio Show, check out their website.



You can also connect with Danielle on her bio page.


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We want to thank our sponsor partner Golf Genius Software for supporting The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!

Golf Genius powers tournament management at over 10,000 private clubs, public courses, resorts, golf associations, and tours in over 60 countries. So if you’re a golf professional or course operator who wants to save time, deliver exceptional golfer experiences, and generate more revenue, check them out online at golfgenius.com.
Special Guest: Danielle Tucker - Owner, Host and Producer of The Golf Club Radio Show.

"It's my favourite day of the week. Every Wednesday afternoon I go to the hospital and spend two hours, however long the kids want to hit golf balls and teach the kids of all abilities how they can play, how they can hit golf balls, regardless of their medical condition. All the children at Ranken Jordan are medically complex. So we'll have kids coming in that are in hospital beds and wheelchairs and walkers. They are on ventilators, they've got feeding tubes, a little bit of everything and regardless of what they're facing they hit golf balls."...Kevin Corn - PGA Head Golf Professional and Pediatric Hospital Golf Program Creator


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Big thanks to our sponsor partner Golf Genius Software for supporting The ModGolf Podcast since 2019!

Golf Genius powers tournament management at over 10,000 private clubs, public courses, resorts, golf associations, and tours in over 60 countries. So if you’re a golf professional or course operator who wants to save time, deliver exceptional golfer experiences, and generate more revenue, check them out online at golfgenius.com.


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"You'll see them literally laying down in bed on their sides swinging. We've had the kids with severe burns to hands and arms and all over the body that don't have fingers. They still swing on their own holding the golf club. It's a very, very powerful afternoon and no better way to spend a day off than in there with the kids hitting golf balls and teaching them and helping them get better through golf."


Click on the image below to watch our extended conversation with Kevin on our Youtube Channel!



"Care Beyond The Bedside is the healthcare model at Ranken Jordan. They want kids out of bed. About 80% of the time that the kids are awake are spent outside their rooms. So they're out playing video games, golf, basketball, out on the rock climbing wall, out on the field or doing their therapy. That's where the Care Beyond The Bedside comes in. When you watch it in action it is absolutely incredible. Miracles are happening there daily. To see that every time I go in there and to be a small part of it is mind-blowing."


Episode Chapters
[01:45] Kevin shares how he was introduced to golf by his dad at the age of five and his path to becoming a PGA Teaching Professional.
[03:30] We get an overview of the golf program Kevin has put in place at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital and why Wednesday is his favourite day of the week.
[05:00] The origin story behid the program's creation and where Kevin drew inspiration from.
[09:00] Kevin shares stories of how the golf program has positively impacted the lives of the kids and their families.
[14:10] We hear some heartfelt stories from the parent's perspective of how Kevin's work has helped change lives and provided hope.
[16:00] Ranken Jordan's "Care Beyond The Bedside" model that keeps kids active, engaged and out of their rooms.
[18:00] How the Ranken Jordan golf program could and should be implemented at the 300+ Pediatric Hospitals across the US and Canada.
[20:00] How Kevin spends a typical Wednesday with the kids at "Ranken Jordan National GC".
[24:10] We explore what the future holds for Kevin and the golf program at Ranken Jordan.


"I put out a simple ask on social media and the next thing you know is when I need $1,000 to buy something I receive $4,000. Everybody is only too happy to help where they can. There also are small groups that donate the proceeds from their events to our golf program at Ranken Jordan. It's amazing how powerful this game can be and the amount of good it can do for people in so many different ways that we never thought of. But now that we see that golf in a pediatric hospital is a really good idea it opens up our eyes to many other opportunities."


To learn more about the impact Kevin is making at Ranken Jor