In Search Of: Golfers
Golf is meant to be a social game. At its best, it’s a four hour walk shared with friends and recounted over food and drinks.
But the reality for golfers of all ages, and millenials in particular, is that it can be hard to find fellow golfers. The problems are many: not everyone golfs, the game is expensive, people are busy. What’s the solution? For one golfer, it was to create The Eighty Club.
Meet the Founder, Sean Ogle
I had the pleasure of meeting Sean Ogle on my trip to Chambers Bay last summer. Sean’s life story is inspiring. He had a “good” job as a financial analyst, but he was unhappy. Rather than grind it out for thirty years, he quit, moved to Thailand, and started a company where he teaches people to build small businesses (check it out HERE).
Sean also set a goal for himself: to play the Top 100 golf courses in the world. His travels brought him into contact with people from all walks of life and served as the inspiration for founding The Eighty Club.
What is The Eighty Club?
At its heart, The Eighty Club is simply a group of people who love golf. The roughly 100 members are spread out across the country and the world and connect primarily through a private online forum where they talk all things golf. Obviously, the internet is full of golf forums. The difference between The Eighty Club and any other forum is the difference between visiting a group of friends and walking into a random bar. The golfers in the group know each other – and they know the game – so the conversations are better, the questions and answers are more informed, and it’s free of the nonsense that fills up regular forums.
In addition to the forum chat, the club has a fantasy golf league. Offline, they get together for a variety of events. Some events are official 3-day golf extravaganzas. Other times a handful of members meet up for the day.
Sean keeps the membership criteria simple: you belong to a private club (and enjoy sharing it with friends), you like to travel to experience other golf courses, and you’re passionate about the game of golf. As a member, you get access to the online forum and the opportunity to attend events and play great courses. Sean has ideas for more opportunities as the club grows, and, knowing Sean, I’m sure they will be fantastic.
When I talked to Sean about writing this story, he asked me to emphasize one thing: this is not a group for people who are only interested in accessing other clubs. To that end, there is an application process to join The Eighty Club. Sean personally reviews each application to make sure that everyone in The Eighty Club is there for the love of the game.
Eager to Join? Want More Info?
To learn more about The Eighty Club or apply to join, click HERE.
You can also follow Sean’s quest to play the Top 100 Courses on his website, Breaking Eighty, HERE.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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Thanks for the write up and kind words Matt! Happy to answer any questions if anyone has any.
Seems to be an inclusive club. I love golf and have been playing for over 30 years. I’m on Social Security and can’t afford to join a private club. I’ll stick with MyGolfSpy and Golfwrx to interact with other golfers. Thanks anyway.
Dan,
Private clubs are out of my price range as well; they’re very expensive where I live.
Best,
Matt
First off I want to say wonderful blog! I had a quick question that I’d
like to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself
and clear your mind before writing. I have had trouble clearing my thoughts in getting
my thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing however
it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are wasted just trying to figure
out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Cheers!
The best way to start is just to start. If you wait for a clear mind or perfect inspiration, you’ll never put pen to paper or fingers to keys.
Best,
Matt