You Have a Guy—But You Don’t Have That Guy

Last Friday I played at TPC Sawgrass with Len Mattiace, PGA Tour winner, Masters runner-up, and a great friend of mine.

We were talking about golf clubs and digital strategy when he asked me something I hear all the time:

“Don’t most clubs already have someone who handles this stuff?”

You know what he meant, social media, marketing, the website, maybe some Google ads, a few emails here and there.

And I said: “Len, sure. But let me explain it to you in golf terms.”

So, Let’s Talk Handicaps

"I’ve played golf my whole life. I know how to swing a club. I’m a 9 handicap.
So yes, I know how to play golf.

But Len… you’ve won twice on the PGA Tour. You were runner-up at the Masters.
There’s a difference between someone who knows how to play, and someone who plays at the highest level under pressure, against the best, and wins.

That’s the same thing I see at most golf clubs. They have a “Jim”.

Jim runs the newsletter. Jim handles the Facebook page. Maybe even updates the website when he has time.

And look, Jim is solid. He’s a 22 handicap in the digital world. But in 2025, with tee time revenue at stake and third parties trying to own your customers, you don’t need a 22 handicap. You need a Tour player."

 
The Gap No One Talks About

Let’s break this down. The typical golf club doesn’t have anyone on staff who has spent 10 to 20 years:

• Driving online traffic in competitive B2B & B2C environments
• Turning visitors into paying customers
• Using data to bring those customers back again and again
• Building loyalty systems, retargeting strategies, and high-conversion sales flows
• Understanding the full digital picture, from Google reviews to CRM to tee sheet optimization
  
  And it shows.

Because while your starter is doing a great job and your superintendent is working miracles, your digital presence is often being handled by someone who simply doesn’t have the tools, training, or background to win.

And in today’s golf economy, that’s where the game is being played.

This Isn’t Just “Marketing” Anymore

Your online presence affects everything:

• Who finds you
• How they perceive you
• Whether they book, and whether they come back
• What they tell others
• How much they spend
• This is not just “posting on Facebook.”

This is business strategy, reputation management, revenue optimization, and customer lifecycle mastery.

So Yes, You Might Have a Guy… But Do You Have That Guy?

• I’ve built, run, and scaled online businesses.
• I’ve helped companies land key accounts, raise millions, and grow revenue fast.
• I’ve done multiple exits and invested and built in golf tech.
  
  And now I also help golf clubs do what they were never shown how to do: win online.
  
  

Not by trying every shiny tool. Not by blaming the weather or hoping for more walk-ins. But by taking control of traffic, tee times, customer data, loyalty, and reputation, because it’s all connected.

I’m not just here to do your marketing. I’m here to drive your business.

Final Thought: What’s at Stake

Having a 22 handicapper run your course’s digital strategy might have been fine 10 years ago. But not now. Not when:

• GolfNow owns half the tee sheets.
• Google Reviews decide your tee time bookings.
• Your data is the difference between a one-time visitor and a loyal customer.

You don’t need more noise. You need someone who’s played this game at the highest level.

That’s what we do at Growth G&CC.

Let’s talk.

Teemu Ruuska
Founder