PGA of Canada Podcasts

Pressure was a Privilege - Lessons from a Championship Run with World Junior Hockey Champion Dennis Williams

 

Fresh off a championship run this past December/January in Halifax with Hockey Canada's World Junior Men's team, we sat down with Head Coach Dennis Williams to talk leadership in this episode. Host Mark Roe from TSN talks about he as a leader responded after the opening night loss to Czechia, getting the most out of your team and a group of individuals, managing different personalities and the changes in 'today's' generation, career highlights and low lights and how he responded and persevered even through the tough times, the importance of culture, and how he as a coach and leader focuses on being better every day.

Whether you are teaching and coaching or leading a team on the operations side of golf, this podcast is a can't miss episode. Everything from performance to culture and leadership and everything in between, we were thrilled to connect with Dennis fresh off this event that brought the nation together.

About Dennis Williams:

Dennis Williams, 43 (8/14/79), is in his sixth season behind the bench as Silvertips head coach and second season as general manager. Under Williams, Everett has earned four U.S. Division titles, three Conference regular season titles and a Western Conference championship, as well as success in the classroom and on the international and professional stage. Williams presently has a record of 203-66-11-11 behind the bench in his WHL career, earning his 200th career win on Oct. 12, 2022. He was promoted to the dual position of general manager and head coach on Jul. 12, 2021. And of course, he led the World Junior hockey team to a gold medal this past holiday season in Halifax.

Uncovering the Potential Future for Golf

In this episode, host Mark Roe connects with a legend in the golf industry, former CEO of the PGA of America, Joe Steranka. Joe discusses the evolution of golf during his time as CEO from 2005-2012 and the changes since then. Joe coins professional sport as the 'the original reality TV’ and talks about how can golf capitalize on this at a local level with the PGA professional leading the way. From reality tv to marketing and more, Joe shares just a glimpse of his expertise and the opportunity for PGA professionals to be at the helm of leadership and innovation for golf.

 

About Joe Steranka
Steranka Sports + Strategy is the strategy practice of Buffalo.Agency. Headquartered in the Washington, DC suburb of Reston, Va, and conveniently located near Dulles International Airport, Buffalo connects upscale sports and lifestyle brands with discerning audiences around the world.

Steranka Sports + Strategy led by Joe Steranka, CEO of the PGA of America from 2005 to 2012. Recognized for contributing to golf’s return to the Olympics, Steranka also led the global development of the PGA brand and built media platforms to elevate the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship. His near 40-year career in sports includes work with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Bullets, and sports agency ProServ where he directed communications strategies for Michael Jordan, VolvoTennis, Jimmy Connors, Major Indoor Soccer League and the late Payne Stewart.

Why You Need to Become a Serial Dissenter

We can all benefit from disagreeing just a little more. Going along to get along is going to be far more successful - being a dissenter can be equally as successful. Challenging the status quo can bring much needed change to any organization. These stalwarts are arguing out of compassion with an aim to improve ideas. Andrew Millar sits down with host Mark Roe to share the keys to how being a serial dissenter can strengthen your golf club, business, and mindset.

 

Andrew Millar considers himself a serial dissenter and has questioned, challenged and argued his way from one job to the next. From Playstation to Swatch to Infiniti and now PVH, Andrew enjoys driving sales and his colleagues a little crazy. He is passionate about the importance of dissent and will argue with anyone who doesn’t agree. Millar holds an MBA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He is currently growing and curing olives, batches of passata, and plans to someday make homemade wood-fired pizza.

“You Da Man/Woman!”

In part II of this podcast, host Mark Roe from TSN and Steve Graves from Creative Golf Marketing delve into trends of PGA professionals elevating themselves into the next chapter of their careers. Focused on the transition to becoming a General Manager, Steve uncovers the key aspects to how PGA professionals can make themselves distinguishable and move from a 'generalist' mindset to specializing in certain fields of becoming more business focused. Steve also discusses the importance for PGA professionals to understand golfer/member acquisition and retention. This and so much more in part II of this podcast with the brilliant mind of Steve Graves.

What Just Happened & How Do We Maintain The Momentum? with Steve Graves

Steve Graves, current golf professional and President with Creative Golf Marketing since 1990, stops by the podcast to share his knowledge and expertise on how golf has grown over the past couple years. Steve talks about how to grow and create momentum after the pandemic, how to drive interests in golf and how PGA professionals are a BUY now stock.

Clear and Concise -The Success Factors Behind Marketing Campaigns with Stefan Cox

Stefan Cox, Director of Instruction at the Calgary Golf and Country Club, joins the podcast and talks about how his role has evolved through 5 years at the club, and how he knew coaching and instruction was his passion. Stefan talks about how having a team, with each person having a specific area of expertise is vital for success for the club and promoting your brand. Being clear and concise is Stefan’s key for marketing campaigns, tune in to hear his career and his opinion on the do’s and don’ts in the golf marketing world.

Creating Marketing Excellence to Junior Golf Programming

In the journey of working as golf professional, not everyone takes the same route. In this sitdown with Brian Siddle from Strong Coffee Marketing, Luke Rundell discusses his journey after becoming a pro in 2009 and how he eventually moved away from working at courses, and into running his own business In Alberta, training young golfers.

The last two years saw a spike in golf, as it was one of the only activities that allowed us to see others. Luke goes over how these years have influenced his business with all factors.

He goes over the satisfaction he gets training talented young golfers and helping all his students improve. He likes to think he provides the tools for young golfers to succeed and is even starting to see golfers coming to train and learn the game at the age of 6. Tune in to learn marketing techniques and other tips for running a golf training business in this growing market.

Taking Your Teaching to the Next (Business) Level

In this sit down with Brian Siddle from Strong Coffee Marketing, he is joined by Kyla Inaba from Predator Ridge Golf Resort in British Colombia. This podcast is part of the PGA of Canada Professional Development Series, where all discussions are meant to help improve your life as a golf professional by building your career and give tips to earn a better living. Brian and Kyla discuss her unique journey in golf and how her career progressed.

We also learn about Kyla's Swing Like a Girl is a program, developed for Women to help improve their golf skills from beginners to advanced players. The program has started to gain popularity, not just in BC, but Canada as well. Kyla discusses her involvement with the program and how Predator ridge has adjusted to the last two years.

Building Your Revenue Opportunities in the Teaching Business

Not only is Shawn Clement an exceptional player both right and left handed, but he is also the Director of Development at The Royal Québec Golf Club and the founder/ CEO of Wisdom in Golf, a YouTube channel and website with over 900 instructional videos free to watch for the public. Jason Logan, editor of SCOREGolf, talks with Shawn about his ambidextrous play, how it helps him as a teacher, and the start of his Academy Coaching Career with The Royal Québec Golf Club. Tune in to hear how Shawn uses the science of motor skills, anatomy, and statistics to streamline the process of coaching individuals to find their ideal swing.

‘Making A Difference’ Leadership

We’ve all heard the adage that people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad leaders. So, for young and aspiring club managers to succeed, building effective leadership skills needs to be a top priority. 

 

For Rob Roxborough, relationships are the currency of how he conducts business, and his leadership style focuses on building and nurturing authentic relationships with not only his team but with everyone that he meets along the way.  The human element of leadership is even more essential during today’s unprecedented times than ever before which is why Rob’s ‘making a difference’ leadership style results in him being continually recognized as one of Canada’s most exceptional club industry leaders.

 

Highlights from this podcast episode that you don’t want to miss:

 

4:22 – Learn about how Rob was chosen for the role at Magna Golf Club and what attracted the ownership group to him and led them to bring him on board.

11:51 – Find out what inspired Rob to take on his current role at The Pulpit Club and how it compares to his other stops.

18:44 – Uncover the qualities and traits that Rob believes define his leadership style.

27:47 – Hear about if Rob learned to be a leader from being exposed to other great leaders, or if it just came to him naturally.

37:15 – Get Rob’s thoughts on accountability and why it’s an important part of being a great leader.

47:31 – Find out what structured ways there are to communicate the vision of your club to every single member of your team.

53:50 – Learn about the differences between how you manage your “bosses” versus how you manage your team.

59:11 – What advice Rob has for all the future leaders working in our industry today.

 

About Rob Roxborough

 

Rob is a 25 Year Member Class "A" Executive Professional of the PGA of Canada and has been the General Manager at The Pulpit Club in Caledon, Ontario since May 2020.  Rob was honoured to be awarded the 2020 Executive Professional of the Year by the PGA of Ontario, and was a finalist for the 2020 Dick Munn, PGA of Canada Executive Professional of the Year Award.

 

Other career highlights and milestones include:

 

• 2015 – 2020: Executive Director, The National Golf Club of Canada, Woodbridge, ON.
• 2013-2015: Chief Operating Officer (COO), Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Ancaster, ON.
• 2001-2013: General Manager & Executive Professional, Magna Golf Club, Aurora, ON.
• 1999-2001: Director of Golf, Deer Creek Golf and Country Club, Ajax, ON.
• Played events on the Canadian Tour, provincial / sectional events, and PGA of Canada Championships.
• Jacksonville State University, NCAA, 4-year varsity letterman. Alumni member of the JSU College of Business, and Gamecock Club Athletic Association.
• Organized, directed, and facilitated fundraising event featuring President Bill Clinton, Clinton Foundation, Magna Golf Club 2001.
• Organized, directed, and facilitated the inaugural Tiger Woods Invitational, Magna Golf Club 2005 (made for tv event).
• Organized, directed, and facilitated several Scotiabank Charity Challenges 2006-2009, annually featuring Annika Sorenstam accompanied by Natalie Gulbis, Lorie Kane, Alena Sharp and Morgan Pressel and the nation’s top ranked junior girls (all made for tv events).
• Organized, directed, and facilitated three Golf Town charity matches, all made for television events 2008-2010 featuring, David Toms, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, J.J. Henry, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer (all made for tv events).
• 2014- Present, Board of Directors, Mike Weir Foundation mikeweirfoundation.com
• 1999-2000 built from a start-up the Jim McLean Golf Academy at Deer Creek, the #1 ranked golf school program in Canada (National Post) with renowned U.S. based instructor Jim McLean.

 

To contact Rob directly, he can be reached via email at rroxborough@thepulpitclub.com.

 

About Golf Industry Guru

 

Golf Industry Guru is an online education community that helps golf club owners and managers improve their people, their business, and their profits.  GIG’s mission is to connect the people with the knowledge to the people who need it and be the number one online educational resource for every person working in the golf industry around the world.

 

For more information on GIG’s product & services, follow us on social media and please visit us at www.golfindustryguru.com.

 

 

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James Cronk

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james@golfindustryguru.com