A Non-Golfer's Strategy for PGA Tour Digital Innovation - with guest Devon Fox

What does a non-golfer who loves Radiohead and once worked in a nightclub bring to the PGA Tour? A fresh perspective that drives groundbreaking innovation. In this long-awaited conversation, host Colin Weston sits down with Devon Fox, the Senior Director of Digital Programs at the PGA Tour. After eight years of connecting on LinkedIn, they finally dive into Devon’s unique journey from NASCAR and Nike to leading digital innovation in golf. Devon shares how her initial (and only) disastrous golf experience became a strategic advantage, allowing her to ask the questions no one else would. She pulls back the curtain on building the PGA Tour's first Fan Council, the decade-long process that led to the stunning Apple Vision Pro app, and how she intentionally "worked herself out of a job" to bake innovation into the Tour's DNA. Beyond technology, Devon opens up about the deeply personal motivation behind founding the PGA Tour's LGBTQ+ employee resource group, PRISM, and her advocacy for meaningful, policy-driven inclusion. This is a story about challenging tradition, the power of process, and building a future for golf that engages every fan. https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/1/1ea879c1-a4a2-4e10-bea4-e5d8368a3c7a/MxkicXvQ.jpg Key takeaways in this episode with Devon that you will discover: "Golf Ignorance" as an Innovation Superpower: Devon explains how not being a golfer allowed her to challenge sacred traditions and ask fundamental questions that insiders might overlook, leading to truly fresh thinking in digital fan engagement. Innovation is a Process, Not a Department: Learn how Devon moved the PGA Tour from having a small innovation team to baking innovative thinking into the product development process itself, ensuring it becomes a sustainable part of the culture. Inclusion Starts with Internal Policy, Not External Marketing: Devon shares her impactful, criteria-driven approach to LGBTQ+ advocacy to create PRISM within the PGA Tour workplace, focusing first on tangible employee benefits and education before any public-facing campaigns, creating lasting structural change. Episode Chapters: 00:00 - 02:10: Introduction and a Connection Eight Years in the Making 02:10 - 04:20: Devon's First (and Only) Golf Experience: A Hot, Hungry Disaster 04:20 - 07:20: The Strategic Advantage of Being a Non-Golfer & Asking "Weird" Questions 07:20 - 11:20: Building the Fan Council & Sourcing Ideas Directly from Fans 11:20 - 13:30: Learning from the NBA and the Two Rules of Sports Tech Innovation 13:30 - 16:30: Bridging Generations: Using New Tech to Showcase Golf History 16:30 - 19:15: The Innovation Process: From Design Thinking to Working Herself Out of a Job 19:15 - 23:35: Career Journey: From Soul-Sucking Banking to NASCAR and Global Retail at Nike 23:35 - 30:40: Advocacy in Action: Founding PRISM & Driving LGBTQ+ Inclusion from the Inside Out 30:40 - 33:00: The Size and Scope of the PGA Tour Organization 33:00 - 37:00: A Decade-Long Win: The Journey to the Apple Vision Pro App 37:00 - 38:15: Fostering a Culture of Ideas: The Annual Hackathon 38:15 - END: Closing & Teaser for the YouTube Candy Taste Test Quotable Moments from Devon: On bringing an outside perspective: "I really held on to this lack of golf experience and knowledge to give me permission to ask those weird questions that nobody else would ask. It really benefited me." On the purpose of technology: "You don't just do innovation and emerging technology for the sake of doing it. It has to have some value for the fan. You have to dig deep and find out what that is." On the long game of innovation: "One win I'm really proud of is the work that led up to the Apple Vision Pro app. It's this progression of 'let's see what we require to create it and let's go get after that, then build it in and operationalize that.'" Want to see Devon's reaction to tasting Thrills, a truly bizarre Canadian "soap-flavoured" gum from the 1970s while trying to carry on a conversation with Colin? Then check out our exclusive and fun bonus segment on The ModGolf YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/cq61CGBB7no). Click on this link (https://youtu.be/cq61CGBB7no) or the image below to watch. https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/1/1ea879c1-a4a2-4e10-bea4-e5d8368a3c7a/ajXva8cb.jpg (https://youtu.be/cq61CGBB7no) Devon Fox's bio page >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/devon-fox Beyond technology, Devon is a passionate advocate for meaningful inclusion within the sports industry. Driven by a personal commitment to creating safer, more supportive workplaces, she founded and leads PRISM, the PGA Tour’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Under her leadership, the group has driven substantive policy changes, including the expansion of benefits and resources, demonstrating her belief that true progress is built on internal structural change. Through her dual focus on operational excellence and human-centric culture, Devon Fox plays a ...