Sniffing Out the Best Tee Times with Kelly Gold, Founder of TeeFox.golf

In this episode of The ModGolf Podcast, host Colin Weston sits down with Kelly Gold, the innovative founder behind TeeFox.golf. Kelly shares his journey from a solutions engineer in the tech world to tackling one of golf's most persistent frustrations: booking a great tee time. We dive into the $12.3 billion problem plaguing golf courses, the strategy behind building the largest tee time catalog in the US, and how a forced rebrand led to one of the most memorable names in golf tech. If you've ever spent an hour refreshing golf course websites or wondered how technology can make golf more accessible, this conversation is for you. Watch the Live Demo: Colin and Kelly jump over to the ModGolf YouTube channel right after this episode for a live demo of the TeeFox platform! See how it works and how you can book your next tee time at over 7,000 courses in the US. Watch the TeeFox.golf Demo on YouTube >> https://youtu.be/xpvjWa24zio During this episode you will discover these key takeaways: The $12.3 Billion Leak: Discover the shocking scale of revenue golf courses lose annually due to last-minute cancellations and no-shows, and how TeeFox is designed to recapture that value. Beyond the "Golf Now" Model: Learn why the traditional aggregator business model fails to include many top-tier courses and how TeeFox's different approach aims to create a truly comprehensive, golfer-first marketplace. The Power of a Pivot: Kelly's initial brand, TeeBox, faced a trademark challenge. Hear how this setback led to the creation of the clever and memorable TeeFox brand, proving that sometimes the biggest obstacles lead to the best opportunities. https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/1/1ea879c1-a4a2-4e10-bea4-e5d8368a3c7a/aCjge0uU.jpg Subscribe to The ModGolf Podcast on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode with the innovators shaping the future of golf. Listen to the full episode on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | The ModGolf Website www.mod.golf Episode Chapters: 00:28 - Introducing Today's Guest: Kelly Gold of TeeFox.golf 00:57 - Kelly Gold Joins the Show from Denver, Colorado 01:15 - How a Meeting in Ireland Led to This Conversation 01:27 - The Icebreaker: Kelly's First Golf Experience and Who Got Him Hooked 03:30 - Decoding "Solutions Engineering" and Kelly's Tech Background 05:47 - The TeeFox Elevator Pitch: Building the Premier Tee Time Distributor 07:03 - TeeFox's Secret Sauce: Differentiating from GolfNow and Other Competitors 09:40 - Building a Two-Sided Marketplace that Benefits Golf Courses 12:11 - The Technology Culture Shock: Bringing Tech Innovation to the Golf Industry 15:28 - The Staggering Statistics of Tee Time Cancellations and No-Shows 17:22 - The TeeFox Revenue Model: Subscriptions, Fees, and Golfer Choice 19:45 - Scaling Nationally: The Goal of 8,000-9,000 Golf Courses 20:54 - The Story Behind the Rebrand: From TeeBox to the Memorable TeeFox 24:44 - The Worst Job Kelly Ever Had and What It Taught Him 27:56 - Building the Team: Leveraging a Network of Talented People 29:28 - The Aha Moment: From Side Hustle Prototype to Full-Time Venture 33:44 - Where to Find TeeFox.golf Online 34:11 - Closing Remarks and a Tease for the YouTube Demo Quotable Moment: "Wouldn't it be cool if you could send your user a notification saying, 'hey, a tee time just opened up at that course you play all the time'?... there are ways that we can get this data out into the industry to create better experiences for golfers." - Kelly on the vision for TeeFox as a data platform for the entire golf industry. Are you more of a watcher than a listener? Then enjoy our video with Kelly Gold on The ModGolf YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/xpvjWa24zio). Click on this link (https://youtu.be/xpvjWa24zio) or the image below as Kelly walks Colin through a live TeeFox.Golf demo to effortlessly book a couple of tee times. https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/1/1ea879c1-a4a2-4e10-bea4-e5d8368a3c7a/3Du943Vi.jpg (https://youtu.be/xpvjWa24zio) Want to connect with Kelly? Check out his bio page to make that happen! Kelly Gold's bio >> https://modgolf.fireside.fm/guests/kelly-gold Do you find yourself frustrated by lack of available tee times in your area? If you are, then visit the TeeFox website (https://teefox.golf) or click on the image below to unlock access to tee times and to receive wait list cancellation alerts. https://media24.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads-2024/images/1/1ea879c1-a4a2-4e10-bea4-e5d8368a3c7a/ncnQbZrg.jpg (https://teefox.golf/) Follow TeeFox.Golf on social media: • Instagram: @teefoxdotgolf (https://www.instagram.com/teefoxdotgolf) • TikTok: @teefoxdotgolf (https://www.tiktok.com/@teefoxdotgolf) Join our mission to make golf more innovative, inclusive and fun... and WIN some awesome golf gear! As the creator and host of The ModGolf Podcast and YouTube channel I've been telling golf entrepreneurship and innovation stories since May 2017 and I love the ...