Rana Golf founder Micah Candeletta-Burklin joins us to talk junior golf bags, getting kids on the course, and building a family-first brand that helps parents share the game with their little ones.

In this episode of Golf Don’t Lie, Jeff and JB sit down with Micah Candeletta-Burklin, co-founder of Rana Golf, a junior golf bag brand inspired by his own boys wanting “the same cool gear as dad.” Micah shares how a simple search for a quality kids bag turned into a startup, how he and his wife combined her design eye with his golf obsession, and why he thinks golf might be the ultimate life hack for family time.

Micah also talks about growing up in Germany as a missionary kid, chasing soccer dreams through college, tearing his ACL three times, and eventually pouring that competitive fire into golf and entrepreneurship. From sourcing factories and battling tariffs to dealing with quality issues and finding community with other golf founders, this is a real-world look at building something from scratch—while still trying to be a present dad.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Rana Golf started with Micah’s son simply wanting his own “real” golf bag
• Why features like a stand and a single strap matter so much for 3–6-year-olds
• Designing bags that parents are proud of and kids are excited to carry
• The balance of not forcing golf on your kids, but making it fun and inviting
• Stories of his boys’ first “real” birdies, chip-ins, and snack-break golf
• Micah’s path from German youth soccer to college ball and finally to golf
• The emotional side of starting a brand with limited capital and young kids at home
• What golf has shown him about fear, overthinking, and trusting his swing (and himself)

If you’re a golf-obsessed parent who wants to get your kids on the course without turning it into a grind, this one’s right in your wheelhouse.

🔗 Links & Resources

👉 Follow the Show & Crew:

• @golfdontlie

• @18strong

• @18strongjeff

🏌️‍♂️ Visit the Crew:

• 18STRONG.com

💪 Fuel Your Game:

• 1stPhorm.com/18STRONG — Shop our go-to protein, hydration, and recovery gear. Every order supports the show and enters you in our monthly 1st Phorm + 18STRONG giveaway.

The Golf Don't Live podcast is proudly brought to you by our friends over at firstform.

Different paths, different stories. This, this, this game tells all.

Golf don't lie. What's up, everybody? Welcome to Golf Don't Lie, where we have incredible conversations with some of the coolest guests in the world of golf.

Out of the world of golf. But the common thread here is that we all love the game and we know that it exposes the best and the worst in us.

I'm here with my co host, Justin Bryant. Jb. What's going on, buddy?

Jeff, how's it going?

We got a case of the giggles today, my friend. It's one of those days. All is good. All is good. We've had a couple of great guests these past couple weeks.

We had Ozzie Smith, we had Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney. This week we have Michael Candeletta Berklins, who is the founder of Rana Golf. Rana Golf bags, which I think you're really going to dig this.

And just the style of the golf bags that they built, like, to me says Justin Bryant and his three boys, it very, very cool. Did you get a chance to check them out at all?

Yeah, I wasn't familiar with them at all until this, so I'm glad you got them on. And it is really cool.

And what I love is, like, I remember, like, when I got started in the game, there just like, wasn't any, you know, junior stuff, really. It was just kind of like the, I don't know, very bland and.

And my boys, like, see the stuff and gear I have and, you know, they, you know, they want cool stuff and to see, like, these brands pop up and create, like, really cool pieces for that you can have your kids. I love it. So I think, I think there's some potential Christmas gifts coming, coming the way for my boys.

That's exactly what he was saying, that his. His boys that are, you know, now starting to go out and play and enjoy the game, they're seeing all the cool stuff that dad has and that they want.

They want the things right? But the style of these bags is just really cool. It's like a bag that I would want if it was my size.

But it's so neat to see their mission of just kind of getting families out on the golf course. I know that's a big, big part of you and what your boys and your family do.

And, you know, my son Sam, who's a senior in high school now, it's become such a great way as, you know, high schoolers they can kind of drift away a little bit there.

It's no longer you're their hero and you're the coolest guy in the room with them, but it's such a great way for us to stay connected and still get to do things together. We get to go play with my dad, we get to go play with my brother.

And it all really started when Sam was that age and when I can still remember the picture of him with the little backpack strap bag on. It was way too big for him. And now that is. Is the bag that Grant has been using, and he's kind of grown out of.

But it's just a way to get the families together to really experience the joy of this incredible game. And so Micah and his wife, they're the founders of the company, working together to do this thing.

And we talk about all the different roadblocks that you come up across, too. When you're starting a company like this, you've got a young family, you're trying to do all the things.

And it was just a fun conversation to have with a guy that's just starting to build something that I think could be really, really cool.

Yeah, I mean, I love what you talked about. I think it's like the. The ultimate life hack, you know, to spend time with your kids is golf.

And, you know, selfishly, I always love when the boys are like, hey, let's. Let's go play a couple holes or let's go hit balls. Because I'm like, I want to do that, you know, and.

And so it's fun from that way, but it's just like, you get to spend so much time with your kids and, you know, plant that seed.

Hopefully, you know, I'm doing it with them for the next 60 years, you know, and that's kind of like, remember talking to my wife when we were having them, and obviously I'm golf obsessed. And I was like, I just. I don't care how good they are.

I just want them to, like, get the basic understanding and just make it fun for them at this age. And, like, fun for a kid could be like having a cool golf bag. You know, like, sometimes it's getting the goldfish, like, but.

But they, like, think about that as fun. And so, like, when I saw these bags, I, like, remembered thinking about my boys.

Like, I found them some kind of generic bag, and he's like, dad, it doesn't have a stand. Like, I want it with those, like, poles like yours has. And so when I saw his, like, has, like, the actual Stand.

It's like, literally like a mini nice, you know, golf bag that I think, like, kids will get excited about. And you just don't know, like, what their connection is going to be to the game, whether it's like, the putter, the plastic club, a real club.

So really, really cool to see him doing this.

Yeah. Like, my son Grant, who's 12 now, you know, going to the range is kind of the biggest thing for him, or if we go out to a real course, if I.

If I even mentioned letting him sit in the driver's seat of a golf cart, it's like Christmas for him, you know, so that's. That's another way to get a kid out there is, hey, what? You know, maybe you'll be able to drive the cart a little bit.

And he's like, oh, yeah, that's awesome. But, you know, you never know what. What they're going to latch onto. Like you said.

What does it look like with your boys right now, the ages that they are? When you guys do go out and get to play a little bit, is it mostly up at the range? Do you go take them on the course? Quite a bit. And I know they're.

They're different ages, so it's a little different for all three of them.

It is, yeah. So our youngest is four, Luke, and he's. I would say his interest is just, like, doing something.

So, like, honestly, like, he's like the kid that's in the bunker playing the sand, and I just want him to have fun that way. And, like, very recently, he started to want to hit balls in the backyard.

And so, like, I try to make it the ball as big as possible for him to just, you know, have fun and hit it and swing it at the house. Like, I'll do putting with him and, you know, give him some sort of goal that's achievable for him, but kind of hard.

And, like, he gets chocolate, you know, if he. If he does it and, you know, spoiler, I'm going to make sure he always, you know, wins and gets something, even if I assist.

And then the older two boys are only 7 and 8, but for them, they, like, they want to play holes. Sometimes it's punting contests, you know, sometimes it's just playing in the backyard on, like, our simulator that we have set up, the Rapsodo.

But they love playing holes and trying to. Trying to. Trying to beat me.

So before they would play a scramble against me, and now they've kind of wanted to do their own thing, play their Own ball, which has been fun. And I set them up at a hundred, but, like, about where they hit their driver. Like, I want to make every hole, like, drivable for them.

And so they play. Right now, Jack sits at about, like, 150 if it's a good one. So he plays every hole at 150 or shorter if it's like a par three.

And then lad just graduated to 150, because I kind of have. You have to break 36 from your distance to move back to 150. And he just. He just shot 36. He, like, four putted the last hole to shoot 36.

He had no idea. I was, like, so nervous for him. And at one point I was like, buddy, you just got to get this really close.

But that way it's like, it's fun for them, right? Like, to me, like, them shooting low scores, it makes the game more fun.

We play faster and, like, you know, then when he's older, you know, if he makes a bunch of birdies and eagles, he's not psyched out. Cause he's done it for the last 10, 20 years. So that's kind of my thinking behind it.

I mean, if he wants to hit one really far, like, we're out there to have fun, you know, but that's kind of like our rules in general of kind of the teas. They play just to kind of make it so we're all kind of shooting the same. Same scores.

I feel like Ladd has the perfect mindset to be a golfer. Like, just, you know, never really knows what the score is. Like, you're telling.

Tell the drive chip and putt story because, like, he had no idea what was really even going on. Right?

So, like, the. The one where he. He didn't advance that one.

No, the one before he did advance.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. So he's. He's. He's super athletic. Little kid, you know, just doesn't think, just, like, reacts. And it's like the perfect thing. And so, like, he.

He just doesn't. Doesn't think about anything. He just competes. And it's, like, so pure, so awesome. And it kind of looks like he doesn't care, but he really does.

And then at the end, he's like, you know, like, how did I do? Like, just has no idea. And it's. It's so pure. But a lot of times it's like, the perfect mindset, right?

Because it's like he's just trying to do the best he can. He does not overthink it. Which sometimes hurts him on the putting green. I'm like, let's slow it down. Just, just like, just a little.

But yeah, he's got, he's got a good mindset from it. And I'm telling you what to like. Playing with your kids will give you some perspective on how like, you're acting on the golf course in terms of.

Because I'll play with them and they'll hit this shot that is like, they'll knock it on the green from 80 yards. Any shot in the green from 80 yards for anybody, let alone like a 7 or 8 year old's an awesome shot.

And you know, he's like, it's not, not how I wanted to hit it. And I'm like, am I, am I saying that to him?

So it's like, it helps me actually be more positive while I play because we can just be so hard on ourselves. At least, at least I'll speak for myself. I can be so hard of. That wasn't how I was trying to hit it. It didn't feel good.

And it's like end of the day, you know, trying to stay positive and be like a good example for them. They kind of catch you off guard.

Yeah. And I just love that, you know, like he's, he succeeds in something. He's like, oh, is that good? You know, like, oh, yeah.

You know, like just, just in the moment, just playing to play. It reminds me of the Ozzie Smith, you know, chat, where he was like, I just felt so free out there, not a care in the world.

I was just doing my thing. And that's when it just works.

It's like when we were at the, the McLemore, we were playing with my buddy Pete Egazarian from Charlottesville, from Farmington Country Club, and he was playing lights out the first round at the highlands. He had six birdies, shot us. What did you shoot a 73 with? With three doubles.

But he just hit a couple of shots and he's just like, fellas, I'm just out here, like, I'm having so much fun out here, just not being at work, just hanging out with the guys. And he sticks one to like three feet. And we're. Or no, this is when he drained like a 30 foot putt for birdie.

And we're like, that's what the flow state looks like. Like we are, we are watching the flow state right now because he was just in such a good mental place that it was just like, I feel.

Like I can't freaking miss.

It's Just amazing to, To. To kind of get in that state so hard. But it's, It's. I've. I don't know if where I heard, but it was, you know, write down kind of the.

I play my best when. And write three to five bullet points down, and I play my worst win and write three to five things down. And at least for me, it's like I did.

I play my best when I'm carefree, I'm loose, you know, I'm trying to play well, but I'm having fun. I'm not gonna let anything bother me. Like, my worst rounds is when I'm obsessed with the score. You know, like, little things bother me.

So it's just, Just for me, that. Doing that exercise of like, writing that down, I was like, oh, why don't I just focus on doing the things, you know, when I play well?

The attitude I have, and it doesn't guarantee you're gonna play well, but you, You're. You're at least in a better mood and you have a higher chance of playing well and getting in that kind of flow state.

So I'm sure Casey could kind of give us the neuroscience of what's happening there, so I'll let him chime in at another time.

But yeah, I mean, it. It just is such a great reminder of those things. And like, oh, these are the three things that I should focus on.

And if I catch myself, like, like, like I do trying to fix a swing mid round, like, that's not when I play my best golf. Right? Like, yeah, you know, and playing with you is. Is so much fun because there's a lot of times where you're like, just trust it and swing it.

Just trust it and swing it. And knowing those things and to be able to kind of refresh and see that right before your round has to be super helpful.

And that's why I think again to. To our guest today, Micah, and what he's doing.

Like, going out and playing with the kids gives you a very good glimpse into, you know, like, just get out there and play like them. They're. They're out there carefree, having fun, swinging as hard as they can. Don't always really care that much about where it goes.

Eventually they grow into it, like you said, and they do start to care, but. But it's refreshing to kind of get out there and see that carefreeness and remind ourselves that that's. That's when you get into that state.

Just like I saw Pete do, it was so fun to like, just Be.

Like, oh, my gosh.

He's literally. We're watching him get. Be in the flow state. It was cool.

So that's awesome. Yeah, the ultimate freedom. The kids, they're. They'll teach you a lot out in the golf course.

Definitely. All right, well, let's get to our guest, Micah Candeletta Berklands, owner of Rana Golf Bag Company. Great episode. He's also a soccer player.

So.

So we had a lot to talk about there. A lot of people are probably going to, like, tune out for about 10 minutes in there when we start talking soccer stuff.

But great conversation, great guy, very well versed in what he's doing. And he admitted, like, he has no idea how big this is going to go, how he's going to build it, what they're doing, but he just keeps plugging along.

And it was fun to talk the business stuff with him, too, and to see where they're going and where they'll be in two, three, four, five years. It's be to going to be fun.

That's awesome. I'm looking forward to it.

All right, let's get into the show. Michael, welcome to Golf Don't Lie.

Thanks for having me. Nice to be here.

Yeah.

I'm excited to hear about this journey of yours. Starting out this. This golf bag company for kids.

Sounds like, you know, my good buddy Sam Gulden with minimal golf, and that's kind of how we connected. So what. What kind of started this whole journey? I mean, what. Obviously you have kiddos, right?

But it's one thing to be a golf dad and have some kiddos, and it's another to say we're going to start a whole company around kids, golf bags and accessories and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah.

It, I'll be honest, really came from a simple idea. You know, golf has been something that had been involved or it got into later in life.

My dad was a big tennis player, and for whatever reason, he would take his golfing every once in a while as kids. Like, we would hit the driving range or it was always random, but it wasn't something we consistently did.

Soccer was, you know, my main sport, my main passion. I grew up in Germany, and, you know, that's.

You don't really have much of a different choice but to play soccer, you know, if you want any social points. And so played college, you know, soccer through college, and then got into golf, you know, kind of towards the end of college.

And since then it's been this, you know, hobby of mine, you know, huge outlet. And I just love the game.

And when our oldest was born, I think, like a lot of parents, you know, we want nothing more than to expose our kids to our own hobbies and interests. And there's a sense of enjoyment seeing your kids take on something that. That you enjoy and everything that comes with that.

And so since, you know, ever since my oldest was crawling, I have videos of him on the course, you know, crawling. You know, we.

He'd be on the cart, we'd bring enough snacks, and then when it was time to go chip and putt, we would just kind of plop him down on the grade and let him crawl around and get the balls out of the hole. And so he's. He's, you know, I've had him out on the course with me since he was a little, little boy.

And as he got older, so did his, you know, interest.

His interest grew, and he started wanting all the stuff, you know, so we started him with the cheap plastic clubs and of course, those last, what, two weeks because they're just, you know, wailing away in the house in the driveway. And, you know, we got him his first set of metal clubs. And then he wanted a golf polo like that, and he wanted a golf hat.

And then he started stealing all my ball markers and. And, you know, divot tools and, you know, all the things. And you started realizing this pattern. And I think it's. It's very.

It's a consistent pattern with kids. They just look up to their parents and they want everything that they have, right, and they're interested in what we're interested in.

And so he just started asking more and getting more involved and, you know, showing a lot of interest in the game. And then spring of 24, so at this point, he was about four and a half, he realized that he didn't have his own golf bag.

And, you know, just was, you know, same question, like, well, dad, I want my own golf bag. And so as, you know, a golf addict myself and wanting to fuel that in my own kid, I, you know, the answer is, of course, yes.

And so as a consumer does, I started looking, you know, looked on Amazon, looked online, and, you know, was pretty surprised with the. Not all. Yeah, I mean, just the lack of options. I mean, there was almost. There was very little available. You know, you had some options on Amazon.

You know, I could find some, you know, just with a simple Google search, but, I mean, very few options. And what was out there? You know, either.

It was a combination of things like it either, you know, seemed really cheaply made, poor quality and wouldn't last long or lacked quality and design, you know, a good looking bag or it lacked kind of the practice, like the, the practical side of. And so it was just one of those moments where we couldn't find what we wanted. And my wife calls me the eternal optimist.

I've always been entrepreneurial, hard. I've done things on the side here and there. I'm just kind of always thinking that way.

And just one night, spring of 24, I just, after not finding the right golf bag, I just kind of looked at my wife one night we were laying in bed and I just said, why don't we make our own, you know, as one does.

Yeah, right.

And you know, if you can't find a solution, you create one. And so that really just started this journey of figuring it out. You know, I don't have any experience in this whatsoever.

I have no problem admitting that.

You know, coming out of college, I was a youth pastor for six years and then I've gotten to, you know, I did that for my first six years of my professional career.

And in the last four or five years I've been in sales and so in terms of product development, E comm, you know, social media, all that, you know, I have no experience with that and you know, it's been a journey.

And so the first year or so was the process of figuring out how we could bring this idea to life and sourcing suppliers and you know, going through that whole process and, and you know, creating what we wanted to, to bring to the market.

And so we went through a couple rounds of prototyping and you know, kept getting closer to that product that we had in mind and then launched her, you know, yeah, we, we really kind of got things going at the beginning of this year and then started pre sale in March and then officially launched in April. So we're still really new into this, but really the core of the idea was we wanted to create a bag that we couldn't find.

And the two big things with the bag was we wanted a bag that had, that looked good, right?

For better.

I mean, we wanted a good looking bag that was durable, that was made well, that had a really clean, minimalistic and timeless, you know, kind of design to it. You know, something that parent or that the kids could get excited about, but more importantly something that parents could get excited about.

And you know, mom approved, right? That was kind of the idea.

And then, you know, then me being a golfer, my wife doesn't golf, you know, but me being the golfer, I Had a few things in mind of what I wanted in the bag that we just couldn't, you know, find or at least the combination of it. And so I knew we wanted the standing feature. You know, we designed the bag, it's 21 inches tall, it's for three to six year olds.

And you know, based off of the size of the club, obviously you might have a five year old that's huge and they might have bigger clubs and it won't work, but that's kind of the target range. So we wanted the standing feature. I wanted a single strap.

And the intent with those features was creating a bag that allowed kids to use it as independently as possible. Right?

Because what better way to introduce kids into this game by giving them something they can call their own and that they can use independently and on their own. So like the single strap, right, that was an intentional decision.

You know, any parent of a little kid has put a backpack on and knows the struggle, right? Like the arms are always getting stuck and they're frustrated, you're frustrated.

And a four year old hits a golf ball five yards and if they have double strap, help me put it on, they put it on and they walk five yards and they put it down and then, you know, help me get it off. And like that's just not enjoyable for, for the parent or for the kid.

And so we wanted that balance, right, of a good looking bag that also made sense and fostered this, you know, love of the game. And you know, I'll be honest, it started with this simple idea and it's just morphed into so much more.

And you know, I'm really excited for kind of what's in store.

My kiddos are well beyond these years. I mean, my youngest one is only 12, so he's not that far removed. So I still remember the bag that he had.

In fact, he still kind of uses the one that was passed down from his brother. But that, that's the same bag that when, when my oldest son who now is a senior in high school, he started out with that.

I think it's like a Max Fly, you know, came with three clubs or whatever.

But I was, I was even looking at some of your social media and looking at the post and like you got the picture the of the kid with the backpack strap bag on that like it's hanging down below his butt. Clubs are kind of dragging.

And it just took me back to that day of going to the driving range where he's like, I'm not carrying this and I'm like, well, I don't want to carry it either.

You know, that's why you have your own bags.

Exactly. So like the, just the little things that you're talking about, having the strap, having the stand. How old are your, your kiddos now?

Because you have two boys, right?

Two boys, yeah. So they're now three and six.

And so our oldest, you know, I'd say he's average height and he has the US Kids yellow set because they have, you know, they have that like, measuring stick and he, those clubs still fit well, but whenever he, you know, grows out of those proportionally, it just doesn't look good. Like the driver just sticks way too far out. So that's, that's definitely something that we have in mind.

So does that mean you have to, you have to graduate now to a bag for the adolescents, or is that kind of the plan?

Yeah, I mean, we, we have, you know, a lot of ideas where we're at and still being so new in this journey.

Like it, it's always a balance and it's never going to go away of finding that rhythm and balance of where you're focusing your time and your resources and your efforts, all that kind of stuff. Like, you know, we, we also came into this, my wife and I like starting something like this.

You obviously have to take risks, you know, but, but we made a pretty intentional effort, like, hey, let's not take, you know, let's not bite more than bite off more than we can chew. Let's, let's take this, you know, within the pace that, that feels sustainable for us.

And so, you know, we're, we're in the process of wanting to launch new colors for the 21 inch bag that we have right now to be able to offer some different options.

Because that's been a big feedback, a piece of feedback that we've received, you know, with us only having the green options and we'll get some DMs, like I need a pink one, I need a blue one, you know, that kind of stuff. And so we're, we're hoping to, you know, we're working on the background to get that going.

And then I, I definitely want to be able to launch a second size that would be tailored for, you know, six to eight year olds. How high we go, I don't know. Right. But I think there's, there's certainly an opportunity for that younger crowd. Right.

Like within the junior space, you know, there's, there's a little bit more, I guess you could say competition, but also it's like, how, how, how, you know, how wide do we want to go? And maybe we just kind of focus on that younger generation. So short, you know, we do have plans to launch a bigger size in the near future.

So when you finally made that decision and talked to your wife about it, like, who's the first call that you make? What? I mean, where does that even go from idea to just one step of action?

ChatGPT Yes. I joked with a friend of mine, we were playing golf last week and I just straight up looked at it.

I said, I don't know what I would have done if I would have launched this company five years ago. Like where, you know, you can, you, you could, I, I would have been able to figure it out.

But what a tool to be able to, you know, just point you in the right direction.

And ultimately it was just a lot of research, a lot of reaching out, connecting and, and then essentially just interviewing different suppliers and then also gathering our thoughts and, you know, coming up with what type of product we wanted to create so that way we could communicate that clearly.

And so, I mean, that was a big piece, finding the supplier and then the other big piece was, you know, reaching out to people in my circle, other parents, other people that have experience in this space and just getting there feedback. I mean, the initial questions were like, hey, do you think this is a good idea? Right? Because I think it's a good idea.

At the time or back then I thought it was a good idea.

You know, where we're at now, it's, it's been really fun to get the feedback that we've gotten, but you just have this huge trial and error process, right, of figuring it out, asking questions, don't be afraid to stick out your neck. And you know, at the end of the day it is possible to find that solution.

You just have to, you know, be a little insane to kind of keep, you know, getting after it. That's the, that's the model, I think.

Yeah, there's always got to be a little bit of that. I love the term delusional confidence, right? Or like your wife says, eternal optimist.

Like sometimes you just don't know how it's going to happen, but you know that in some way, shape or form it's going to happen.

When you were talking to some of the people in your circle, because you can talk to people in your circle and they can tell you it's a great idea, right? But they have no real background. They have no, they just think, yeah, it'd Be cool. There's a golf bag for our kids. That'd be awesome.

But they don't know how much goes into that.

Were there a couple people in your circle that actually had done something like this, built a company like this or started something that maybe gave you reasons to think about. Yeah, maybe this is. Maybe this isn't a good idea.

Honestly, No, I mean, I shouldn't say it. So, like, there were people who had enough experience in their various spaces and industries that I could rely on their. Their input on. Right.

And then just a very simple market analysis of looking at the opportunity, looking at the golf industry and realizing that there's so much opportunity out here. And then even it's the last year and a half, you've already seen another. A small. A handful of other companies in a very similar.

You know, we're in the same space. Right. It's a lot of them are dads who found the same problem that I had and. And are doing really well. Right.

And so the thing that I just realized and try to remind myself in is, is we can all coexist here in this space. Like, we all have the same goal and vision to not only introduce our kids, but other kids into the space.

And we don't have to crush each other for all of the staff success. We can all coexist and cheer each other on and accomplishing the same goal and whatever lane that looks like.

So, yeah, I mean, there's so much opportunity, and, you know, we can all achieve what we want to achieve.

Yeah. I mean, competition just shows that there's actually a market out there. Right. I mean, Titleist isn't that worried that there's a tailor made in a.

In a, you know, Callaway. They just.

They still sell plenty of golf clubs and golf balls, and there's plenty of golfers out there, and you're reaching the ones at the youngest level. What's been. What's been kind of the biggest stumbling blocks so far? What's been the hardest thing, challenge that you've been able to overcome?

I mean, a lot of things, you know, where we didn't come into this with hundreds of thousands of, you know, worth of capital to just throw it out and see what sticks.

Right.

And so we've had to be very strategic, and trust me, we've made plenty of mistakes, you know, and. And just keeping things alive, I think at the end of the day is the biggest problem to solve.

Like, how do we keep things going and then how do we keep scaling and growing and. And, you know, keep Building on the momentum that that is there. But I mean, you just, there's. There's so many problems that just keep compounding.

Right. Like we launched before the tariffs hit, right. And so that was on place. And then the terrorist. And then you're stuck with dealing with that.

And then we had our first shipment come in and had some quality control issues that had to be addressed, you know, and then figuring out, you know, paid ads and what does that look like and how do we want to reach out and how do we want to grow and how do more and more people hear about us? And just you're constantly juggling all these decisions. And the biggest thing that I realized in this endeavor is as.

As a business owner, especially in the stage that we're at. Well, that's not true.

Any business owner, you are forced to make decisions almost every day without always, without always having all the information you'd like. Right.

Like, there are so many times where, you know, it's, there's, there's, you know, urgency in having to make this decision, and that impacts so many things down the road. Right?

But then if you don't make the decision to impact so much on this end, and so just finding that balance of, again, doing your research, having conversations, getting support and feedback, and then ultimately just trusting your gut and realizing that you're going to, you're going to make some, some bad decisions at times. But at the end of the day, you got to keep, keep moving forward and just be confident that, you know, that's a part of it.

And I think a big piece, slight, slight tangent. A thing that has been really surprising and so encouraging in this process is. And it's just that I didn't expect would happen.

Not that I didn't expect it to happen. I just didn't realize it would be A part of it is being able to have connected and continue to connect with so many other founders in the space.

I mean, that's how Sam from Minimal, that's how we got connected. I've just made it a habit to reach out and ask because the worst thing that they could do is say no or not answer.

But you're still in the same position, right. If you didn't ask. So it's like, just shoot your shot, reach out.

And to my spike, it's just been really encouraging how many people, like even like yourself who just said, would love to connect and hear more. And Sam and his team, you know, from the beginning, like early, early stages, like we had just launched, you know, Sam hopped on a Call with me.

Like, I think we had just launched and we probably had, like, 50 followers on Instagram, you know, and those were all my family members and, like, friends. Right. So we had. We didn't have much at all. But so many founders remember and empathize, like, where we're at, right.

And they remember the time where they were in our shoes and other people poured into them.

And so, yeah, I mean, so many people within the space that I've been able to connect with, you know, other founders, other entrepreneurs, and just hearing their wins and their stories, and they provide so much feedback and, you know, there's times where I'll just reach out and have a question. Right. And I know it's a problem that they've solved, and they're so quick to, you know, offer encouragement.

It's just been a really, really cool part of this journey that, you know, was. Was, again, just not expected. But I've. I've certainly welcomed it.

That's something that I've really learned over the past. Whatever it is, 14 years that I've.

But to your point, just asking is the biggest thing. And most of the time, it's either going to be, hey, I don't have time right now, or it's a yes, like, how can I help?

Or, you know, for me, a lot of times it was asking people to come on the show or, you know, trying to get in touch with somebody for. For whatever reason. And most of the time, they're incredible.

And I even say it about, you know, working with golfers here in the gym is golf kind of breaks down the barrier for. For a lot of different things. So I could have one of the hardest charging businessmen in the area, but he comes in here, and because it's.

There's something about golf here, we can sit and chat and hang out. We could go play nine holes, and you can do that. And that's really the. The premise of the show is that golf don't lie.

Golf kind of brings us all to the same spot, place that we love and we love helping each other. Where did the. Where'd the name come from?

Yeah, so, you know, with our oldest being so much of the inspiration behind it, we wanted to come up with something that honored him and, you know, also have that, you know, youthfulness to it. And so I just straight up asked him as a four and a half year old, you know, I said, hey, we're looking at starting this, this company.

You know, what. What should we name it? And I have no idea where this is, where this came from. But really from.

From the time that he could start was talking up until that point, for whatever reason, anytime he had to name something, whether it was his, you know, stuffed animal or his, you know, you know, car, like toys, or he drew something and he named, you know, the drawing or whatever, it was always Froggy. Why? I have no idea. It's not like he had an obsession with frogs. You know, he just. That was the first thing that always came out of his mouth.

And so he said froggy when I asked him the question.

And so we, yeah, they just doing some, some basic, you know, research and looking to root words, all that kind of stuff, stumbled across that rain know means frog in Latin and then of course in, you know, Spanish and Portuguese as well. And so we just kind of went with that. You know, again, we want the. The big thing was we wanted something to honor him.

And, you know, my brother helped. He's. He's. He's the artist in the family. And so he helped with the, with the logo and, and the little, like, frog, you know, icon that we have.

And then our tagline is jump in, right? This, this idea, I know it's cheesy, but it works like this idea of getting kids, helping introduce kids to this game.

And so much what you were talking about earlier, that is what really excites me now at this point. And the more we've been in pursuing this is, yes, it's a golf bag.

And we want to stand with and create high quality premium products for that next generation that, you know, gives them that sense of independence and autonomy and that, you know, nurtures that love of the game. But I think what really excites me about it is what getting a little kid one of our bags can ultimately lead to. Right?

Like, you know, golf is just such a wonderful game, and it seems that for so many people, golf is the sport that you end up with. Right? You know, for so many former athletes, I mean, I tore my ACL three times. So, you know, I can kick. I can kick the soccer ball with my.

With my son and, you know, I can still go jog and I can live an active lifestyle. But last fall I joined a soccer league just because I got the bug again. And within 90 seconds of being on that.

On the pitch, I'm like, what am I doing out here? Like, I could feel how weak my knees felt in that type of setup. And so, you know, golf is this game that a lot of people get into later in life.

And anybody that is in the game of golf at some point in their golf journey has said, I wish I got into it earlier.

Right?

Everybody, we all have those friends that are scratch golfer. Then you look at them, you know, you see their compression and how well they strike it, and you're just like, how, you know, I want to be like that.

And it's because those kids, you know, started swinging the golf club 15 years before you did.

And, you know, but more than being able to play the game well, I think what excites me the most is what this game can provide for anybody that gets into it. You know, you have the individual component of everything that it teaches. You know, the. The values that this game teaches.

You know, respect and honor and integrity and character and. And, you know, you know, being.

Speaking truth and, you know, keeping your own score and all those things that for little kids to, you know, engage with is such an amazing thing. The personal development side, right? Like, I think it's such. There's so many analogies with golf in life.

Like, what better feeling is you putting in work in your golf game and then going out and then performing and seeing, like, clear evidence of your hard work.

So there's the individual component, but then there's the community aspect and the relationships that you can create and the moments that can be created.

I mean, I used to hate getting paired with people when I first got into the game because I was just self conscious my swing and, you know, I didn't have the proper context. But now, anytime you get paired with somebody, the walls are. There's no walls, like, from the first tee, you know, where are you from?

What do you do?

Why are you here? What got you into golf?

And then you have four and a half hours with these strangers, and then next thing you know, you're exchanging phone numbers, you know, and then you have these. These opportunities, you know, to connect with other people and meet them where they're at and. And have just some amazing memories.

And then, of course, the family aspect, which is a huge piece of the brand. Like, golf is a game without forcing them on kids, of course, that we can play until I can't move anymore. Right?

Like, as long as they enjoy it, you know, it can be a part of our family vacations. It can be. We can Go on trips together and explore some amazing courses and everything that comes with that.

And so, yes, we're creating products for little kids, but it's so much more about what that bag represents and what getting kids into the game of golf can provide and do for them and their families. That's what really excites me.

When I was reading through your website and just went to the About Us page, you laid so much of that out so well on there. I was like, this is. This is the perfect conversation to have because it's. It's exactly why we all gravitate towards the game.

There's the competitive spirit. There's, you know, being able to spend the time with your kids, your buddies, your wife, whoever you're. You're out there golfing with.

But what a great way for you to be able to show the boys not just how to play the game, but how to act during the game. There's a guy that I listen to a lot by the name of Ed Mylett, and he says it all the time. Lessons aren't taught. They're caught.

And, you know, our boys are seeing how we act out on the course. They're seeing the things that we do. And so whatever. Whatever things they end up doing, it's often because they. They once saw us do it for good or.

Or for bad.

Right? Yeah, right. Yeah, absolutely. Or, I mean, even, you know, how do you respond? The adversity. Right.

You know, because I think a lot of times kids, you know, there's a balance of sheltering them from, you know, the realities of, you know, life and, and, you know, the. The toughness, the tough situation, that kind of stuff. But also, like, I think it's an amazing opportunity to. To show them, like, how do you respond?

And, you know, you make a mistake, what's the next thing you can do? Like, a mistake happened, how do you respond? Like, hit the next shot, go through your routine, be confident, you know, and. And just keep moving on.

Tell me a little bit about you growing up over in Germany, how what took you over there, what then brought you back to the States? I didn't know any of that. Part of the background. Yeah.

Yeah. So I was born in Florida. I'm the youngest of three boys, and my parents were missionaries, so they.

My dad's German, so that was a big reason why Germany was on the list. But yeah, they. They felt the call to go over to Germany and make a church there, and that's what they did. And for me, I was 2 ages 2 13.

That was the Time I was in Germany. Now we did come back from, I did first grade in Florida. We came back for a one year break.

But people ask me all the time, what was it like growing up in a foreign country? And it wasn't foreign to me. I mean, it's the same how your childhood was like, you went to school, you hung out with your friends.

I mean, I, I, you know, I'm still technically fluent in German. It's very rusty. But I went to German public school.

So, I mean, it's been, it's been a while, but yeah, it was, I loved that part of my life, you know, it was a wonderful place to grow up, the opportunities that I had and just even be able to travel. Right. Because once you're in Europe, it's so easy to travel everywhere else. It's like driving to another state here.

And so being able to have, you know, experience so much at a young age and being exposed to so many different languages and cultures and countries was amazing. And then, you know, soccer was my thing, you know, I really, I still love it.

It's, it's still my first love, but again, my body limits me, you know, how much I can play. And so I've just feed that competitive and the competitive urge over to, over to golf.

You're preaching to the choir here. I played soccer all my life and into college too.

So I, I grew up here in St. Louis, played through high school and then played in Kansas City at Rockhurst University. But my, my dad, my uncles all played at St. Louis University. My grandpa actually coached at St. Louis University for 30 years. So.

Kind of like you, I had no choice but to, I think I had a soccer ball in the delivery room, you know, when I was born.

He's a soccer player. He good?

Yeah.

What position did you play?

I was more of a defensive, more of a defensive midfielder or a right back.

Okay.

Yeah. How about you? I.

Depending on club or, or high school, we normally play like a 433 or if we played a 442, I was that right winger, striker position. I. Anytime, especially in practice, we would scrimmage. I loved like the number nine role, sitting right behind the striker.

No, sorry, the number, I guess that'd be the number 10. Like just right behind the striker, facilitating getting the ball between the lines.

I wasn't the cold blooded natural instinct like striker that is just always in the right spot at the right time. I enjoyed the more creative side of it. And also, I didn't. I didn't always enjoy, like, the right flank where you just, you know, know you're running.

Running all day long.

Yeah, like, just give me the ball in between, you know, the lines here and let me pick a pass and you make the run.

Yeah, I was. I was not fast enough to be the winger. I was good at the angles and positioning, so put me in a defensive spot.

But, yeah, if you had to send me out running, it didn't last very long. And I think I can count the number of goals that I scored in my high school and collegiate career on one hand. With less. With less than five fingers.

There you go. At least you have some. That's celebrating.

Yeah, that's right. So where did you play?

I played at a small school year. So we're in Greenville, South Carolina. So in the Upstate, like, you know, top left of South Carolina. Same between Georgia and Atlanta.

I mean, Georgia, like Elena and Charlotte, like the. If you. It's right there on 85. And there's a small school called Erskine College. Real small at the time.

You know, I think there was 650 students when I went there. Small D2 school walked on and, you know, made the team. And, man, talk about some wonderful times. Just.

Yeah, soccer is a wonderful game in the team aspect and the early mornings and, you know, playing when. When there's dew on the grass and the ball skips a little bit, like, you just. You dream of those mornings.

Yeah, but you're right, now that the. The knees are getting a little bit of age, it's.

You know, I did the indoor soccer thing for a while and was just like, man, I. I am lucky enough to have not torn my acl, but if I kept on the indoor path, I knew that it was just a matter of time. So.

Well, and that's the thing. It's like, I went into that league and saying, okay, let me take it.

Let me just sit in the middle of the field, distribute, hang out, you know, be involved. But you can be as cautious as you want to be.

You have that one guy that still thinks he's a part of the JV soccer team who has to make a name for himself just going so hard. And it's like, dude, let's. Let's take it easy. No one's here watching the game right now. And you just. You never know. I mean, like, my.

The second time I tore my ACL was on contact. I just crossed the ball. It was an overlapping run and my teammate played me out pretty wide.

And then you know that move where you, you're running this way and be able to keep the ball in and whip it. You've got to, you know, whip the whole body around. And I did and put in a great ball to be fair. But as I came down, I just my knee weird and pop.

That's how it goes.

Yeah. It's crazy how simple it can. It can look and happen and we'll be right back.

I use the level 1 protein from first form several days a week, especially when I'm getting up super early for our tea times. On Friday mornings, I use it for smoothies, long travel days, even late night snacks.

It's a slow digesting protein that tastes incredible and mixes perfectly. It's helped me hit my protein goals consistently without having to cook or even choke down something to get that protein in.

The 18 strong crew uses it all the time in their coffee, their yogurt, pancake batter, you name it. They have so many great flavors that it's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm really enjoying the iced oatmeal cookie one right now.

Pick your favorite flavor at first firstform.com 18strong and every order through that link enters you in to win our monthly prize pack, which is a first form gift card and some 18 strong swag. Play more golf. Live more life. Go check it out firstform.com 18 strong.

Check it out now.

Hey guys, we don't run ads for golf. Don't lie. Which means the best way to get the word out about the show is through our crew. So I have a quick favor to ask.

If you're getting value from the show, we'd greatly appreciate it if you would leave a quick review on whatever platform it is that you listen to the show. It only takes about 20 seconds and it helps more golfers find the 18 strong crew just by doing this one little thing.

You join us in the mission to help your buddies play more golf and live more life. Okay, let's get back to the show. One more soccer question before we lose all the non soccer fans on a golf podcast.

So growing up in Germany, how was that youth soccer experience? I know that that that was your youth soccer experience, but from what you've seen over here in the States, how is it different? How is it the same?

Did you, did you notice like a stark difference to how you grew up over there playing and what you're seeing these days?

Yeah, you know what I wanted to Say, you know, want to set the context. I've shared this before, but this was like 20 years ago, right?

And the changes that you've seen take place on the, you know, US side of things with youth sports over the last two decades is light years, right? I mean, the, the growth that you're seeing amongst.

But, you know, back then when I came back, there was, you know, I, I noticed a pretty huge, you know, change from what I was used to from a cop, primarily from a competition standpoint, but then also just from a develop developmental standpoint. Now, I didn't come back and move to a large metropolitan area where, you know, competitive soccer certainly had a higher level.

I came back to rural Florida, you know, and the, you know, I remember not to toot my own horn, but like, coming back as an eighth grader, I played rec soccer and it was the best is the best performing year of my life.

Like, I scored at least a goal or two every game because just from a developmental standpoint and understanding the game, right, I was, you know, ahead from, you know, kind of. Kind of my peers. So, yeah, there was a difference for sure. I mean, what youth soccer in Germany looks like is. I mean, just the, the.

Yeah, from the very young ages. The, the programs that they have.

And it's, you know, what's, what's crazy is you, you know, thinking back on it and even sharing this with my wife, you know, like, if you start soccer, you can join, you know, what, whatever local club team that you want to join.

But then if you start performing well, another club can pick you up, you know, and then that club, you can perform well and then you get picked up there and then you might get into an academy team and it's, you know, you're 12, right, but you're getting picked up and so scouting and talent and all this kind of stuff and developing the players and the systems, like it's a. I mean, they've, they got down to a science.

What part of Germany were you in?

In Berlin.

Okay. We did a, we did a river cruise there a couple of years ago with.

Oh, nice.

Like with my parents, my, My sister. Brother on the Rhine river and just hit some different spots. You know, we. We got to.

One of my favorite memories of all time was, was when we stopped off in Dusseldorf and you know, we just went out touring for the day and got some lunch. We were out having a beer or whatever, and we See all these people walking by in their red jerseys, and we're like, what's going on?

And we realized, like, oh, my gosh, there's a match tonight, and it's here. It's in Dusseldorf. And so we decided. We ended up not getting tickets, but the ladies went back to the. To the boat for dinner and everything.

We're like, we're just gonna stay and find a pub and go watch it with the locals. And it was one of our favorite nights of the whole trip. They ended up winning, I think, two to one.

So we are working lifelong Do Doledore fans, of course. It was. It was great. So. So I read that your wife does a lot of the design stuff of the bags. So, yeah, kind of.

How does that work with the different roles and. And how you guys have kind of pieced this thing together?

Yeah, so my wife's the creative one in the family. She's an artist and just has an eye for that kind of thing. And so, you know, that's kind of how we merged and came up with what we have.

Like, she was really the one that had the vision for the overall aesthetic of the bag. And then I, being the golfer, kind of put the features and those types of things that, you know, the golf specific stuff together.

But, yeah, she's the creative one. And really the inspiration was she just wanted, you know, a bag that had a really clean aesthetic to it. Right. Really, really timeless.

Not loud at all. You know, very muted coloring. You know, so that's where I mean, I have one right here. Obviously, you can see it on our site.

Yeah, they're very sharp, but just something really clean. You know, even, like, from the stitching, it's kind of hard to see in the.

In the light, you know, so some of those, like, smaller touches, you know, the chrome accent pieces, all that kind of stuff. Like, at the end of the day, we fully understand that if I would have created a bluey golf bag, my kids would have lost their minds. Right?

Like a Spider man one or, you know, Star wars, like, whatever. If we would have created something like that, our boys would have lost their minds.

The thing is, my wife would have never let them out of the house with it.

Right?

There's just. There's no way. And, you know, the.

The other thing is, you know, like, when our son wanted his golf polo, I sent her some options, and she was like, no, buy this one. So, you know, we.

We all know who, you know, at the end of the day, is the one making the decision for, you know, what their kids are wearing and all that kind of stuff. And not that my wife is snobby or, you know, anything like that. She just has style and. And she enjoys, you know, putting that kind of stuff together.

And so, yeah, that was. That was the big piece. And so, you know, we. We have the other colors that we're looking to launch soon, the other sizes.

I think what really excites us, you know, as we. As we kind of, you know, keep growing, is.

Is being able to do, like, limited edition runs, you know, so with her being an artist, being able to incorporate that into some of our designs, you know, we also want to explore, you know, some basic apparel stuff, you know, anything from hats and, you know, you know, obviously shirts and.

And just, you know, we're not going to, at least to start, you know, go crazy with it, but just some basic pieces and allowing her to use this as a creative outlet because she has great taste. She has a really good eye for those types of things. You know, like, we even designed a. We have a putter cover. Actually. We had this.

This is, like, one of one. We haven't actually released it yet. So this is a putter cover. So we got the little R there.

You know, it fits our son's little, you know, driver that he has. But we were. We. We wanted to create something that had a little bit more, you know, character to it and that had some design.

And she found this pattern that she liked, and we were about to buy it to be able to use the production, and then she's just like, hold on, let me, let me. I'll be right back. So she went to her studio and painted this pattern and that. This is what it is. Like, this is her, you know, artwork.

And, you know, I looked at it and I was like, you know what this looks like? It's like a 2D rendering of, you know, a golf course. You know, you have.

Yeah, it does.

And, you know, it was unintentional. But then we have, again, this is just stuff we're working on. This is like an adult towel with the pattern.

So, yeah, there's lots of ideas, lots of mocks, but just creating products that, again, make sense and help little kids get into the game and make it their own. But then also, you know, yeah, using it to create some. Some cool designs. And, you know, we might in the future do like, limited drops on the.

You know, for, like, Father's Day, we can do a father son combo where, you know, we'll make 100 adult bags.

I mean, again, we're These are all these ideas that we have and, you know, we're excited to kind of explore those as the opportunities present themselves.

Well, I, I think the, the kids apparel thing, golf apparel. I remember looking for stuff for my. My youngest son.

And the only thing, like, at a certain point, we worked with Link Soul for quite a while, and Link Soul ended up doing like some kids clothing.

And usually it was like a hoodie or a T shirt and but then they ended up like putting out some golf shorts and a couple polos and it was like, oh, man, finally he's got kind of a cool polo that isn't just your Nike or your Under Armour or whatever, but. But back to your. Your golf bag. Like, that bag.

And you can tell that there was so much time put into it because that looks like if that was an adult bag and I had that, like, that would turn heads at the golf course, right? Like, that'd be like, whoa. And it would. People would be like, how much was that thing? You know, like, because it looks. It looks so good.

And like you said, it's timeless. It's got that, just that kind of classy feel to it.

My buddy Justin Bryant, who is the co host of the show and does the intros with me, he's got three boys very close to your boy's ages.

And I could totally see his kiddos lugging that thing around and then passing it down to a cousin, passing it down to the next little brother or whatever. And so, yeah, it's not the bluey. It's not the. What was the dinosaur's name back?

And Barney the Dinosaur, that when my kid was that age, you know, like, thank God he didn't have a purple golf bag.

They would have loved it, right? They would have rocked it. You know, like, my son has this lightning McQueen hat.

It's somewhere around the house that our neighbor were, like, they were cleaning out the garage and they handed him and it hits his favorite hat. And we'll just say strategically go goes missing anytime he finds it. I. I don't know, buddy. Like, here, wear this one that mommy picked out for you.

Yep, Exactly. That's Parenting 101 right there. Yeah. All right, I gotta hear a good story about the boys on the golf course. You got any funny, funny stories?

I was watching some of the Instagrams and the one of them wrestling out on the golf green is like, so perfect. And that totally reminded me of Justin's boys out there. Yeah. But I assume you got a couple. Couple stories.

I do. So there's a Few. The one that immediately comes to mind is my son's first official birdie.

He still doesn't really grasp par and all that kind of stuff, but, you know, he celebrated because I lost my mind. So there's a course here in Greenville. It's our home course. It's called Threes in town. It's a Parv 3 course.

And it is the perfect, is the perfect course for us because it's 12 holes and then they have six practice holds, you know, they have lights on to 11. And so like tonight I'm meeting a buddy of mine. Like, we put the boys to bed and then I run out there and have 8:40pm tea time.

And it's like, it's, it's perfect. But the, it's perfect because my boys can be out there. Their whole thing is golf reimagined.

And you know, it, it kind of goes against the grain of your, like, stereotypical, you know, country club. But all that to say it's all 12 holes and hurricane Helene had come through and tore up, you know, a ton of the area here.

So they, when they were doing some renovations, one of the holes was shortened to like 440 yards, right?

And so we set my son up and what's been really cool for me is, you know, with my oldest, when I've gotten into the game, I've almost done no real coaching, right? Like my, my philosophy. And I've seen a clip from this actually was a podcast that or a panel that Sam golden was on.

And I can't remember the name of the coach, but he said, when it comes to golfing, little kids, just let them hit it as hard as they can. Like, don't worry about anything else. So that's been like my motto.

Like I help with setup and make sure he's lined up, but then at that point just be an athlete and, and let it rip. So he has a really good swing, you know, just a natural swing. Like, you know, his, his impact position is like amazing.

And I like, when I look at his swing, it's like, why I don't even have that, you know. But anyway, we set him up on this par three, it's 40 yards and he just ripped his driver like this. Beautiful.

Just popped in the air, landed on the front side of the grate. So he Flew it like 25 yards and it rolled, you know, past the green or past the pin. And he had like a seven foot putt.

And normally the way he putts is he taps, you know, all the way to the, to the Hole. And he, like, stood behind it, and he just, like, whacked it and just hit the flag snake and.

And jump, you know, went in, and I lost my mind and celebrated with him and jumped up and down. And we came home, you know, and he was like, mom, I got a birdie. I got a birdie. And she's like, yay. They celebrated.

And then as he walked away, she was like, what's that mean again? She does it. She cares to the point of caring for him and his wins. But the golf link goes in there.

So there's that one, and then there's another one where I have a video of it with my youngest.

We were just out, same thing on one of the practice greens, and I just had my camera rolling, as I normally do, just, you know, for B roll and content purposes. And he, like, tease up and, you know, his ball. I mean, he's three. Like, his ball flight is, you know, two inches in the air, and, you know, trickle.

Yeah, it's like warm burners. But, like, he just hit this one, and it ripped. It hit the flagstick and went in, you know, and so we had this, like, moment together.

And then what's crazy is he hits another shot after that, and he wants to take a snack break, you know, as every toddler does. So I get him set up, and then the very next shot, and I had the camera rolling the very next shot, I chipped into the same hole. So it's just.

And of course, he literally didn't care. Like, I celebrated, and I was like, dude, I chipped it. And he's like, where's. You know, where's my snack? I don't care.

Yeah, I want to. Give me another juice box.

Give me some gummies. So those. Those are the. I mean, the moments.

Like, yes, you have, you know, those, like, big wins and, like, memorable moments, but it's like, just the time, you know, Like, I don't do more than nine holes with them, but just being out there, you're outside, um, most of the time, they hit the golf ball, like, five times, right? And then they're looking in the pond for the turtles, and they're eating snacks, and they're driving like they want to drive the cart.

And, you know, our oldest started wanting to be my caddy, which has been fun. So he's got the towel around his shoulder, and he cleans my ball, and he holds my clubs, and he pulls the pin.

And, um, you know, because he sees the caddies on the tv, and, of course, they're cooler than the players.

That's awesome. Yeah. When he. When he gets big enough to, like, really kind of drive the cart, that's been. That's been my bargaining chip for a while. Like, if my.

My younger guy, he's not. So. My oldest one, he's a senior. He played golf freshman, sophomore year. He's. He's totally in. So my plan worked. Now my daughter.

My daughter wants nothing to do with it. And the little guy. I keep calling him little guy. He would hate if I called it. He's 12, right. So. But he's just kind of.

He likes to go bang balls at the driving range, but that's about his attention span. Otherwise, he's out looking at birds and stuff like that.

But if I tell him that I'll let him drive the cart a little bit, then I'll get some holes out of them or at least some wax on them. So it's. It's.

Yeah, you're. You're saying that dad's letting you break. Break the rules and then drive the cart. That's a big deal.

Yeah, it's like getting a go kart ride.

Right? Awesome. And that's like the. It's that balance. Right. Being parents, I would love nothing more than my, you know, boys to have golf be like this.

This hobby of theirs, whether they want to pursue it competitively or not, you know? But this. This balance of, like, I never want it to be something that is pushed on them. Like, I'll offer.

I don't really offer a lot, you know, like, hey, let's go golfing. Let's go golfing. Like, I normally just kind of let them, you know, dictate. Dictate all that. But when we are out playing, my.

My emphasis is always trying to be more on, like, the fun side. Right. And let them lead. There's a really. Padre Harrington, I don't know if you've heard of that clip where he.

Somebody asks, like, how do you get your kids into golf? And he said, just take them with you. Right? Let them be out there with you and stop playing before they're tired. That was his big thing.

And he said, and then go to. Go to the clubhouse and get a Pepsi and just, like, hang out.

And that's such good advice because, you know, golf is frustrating, and the last thing I want to do is, you know, create some negative connotation around it, like, let's have fun. Hit some balls you don't want to hit anymore. That's fine. You know, you could drive the car. You can. You know, they like, doing the.

Like the ball cleaner, you know, so I have to pick them up because they're not big enough to reach it. And it's those little things and just like, the. The biggest pride, like, priority is time. Right? And just that, quality time.

Because, I mean, I'm sure you can attest, like, how quickly it goes by. You know, our boys are three and six.

And thinking about the fact that her oldest is already a third of his, like, you know, childhood, like, a third of it's done. And it's. It's wild to think about it, but that's reality. And, you know, I just want to soak up these.

These early years while I still think I'm cool, You know, like, that's the.

Cherish it while you got it, because you're right. It does. It moves so fast, and we've heard that all of our lives, but it really is.

When they're young, they think you're the coolest thing in the world and. And there's nothing better. There's nothing better than having having your little buddy out there, your buddies.

I know.

So special. Yeah.

No, man, I love what you guys are doing. I love the mission behind all of it. The best bags are incredible. They're. They're great looking.

The stuff that you guys are making is great, great looking. But the. The mission behind it is so true to heart. And every dad that's listening to this podcast knows exactly where you're coming from. So I'm sure.

I hope that this gets the word out on. On Raina Golf. I gotta ask you, though, we have a little segment we call the Golf Confessional, because golf exposes the best in the world.

Worst in us.

Oh, boy.

Is. Is there. Is there a time that you can recall, like, a story you have from the golf course where golf showed you very clearly who you are?

The way, you know, whether how you reacted in a situation or something that popped up that was like, okay, golf got me that time.

Yeah. Without, you know, playing psychologist here.

But I think the, you know, what you just said is so, like, true that golf does expose you to, you know, your. Your. Your flaws. I think what golf is exposed in, or at least, yeah.

Given me insight to how I handle certain things, is I will get in my, like, over my head, like, in my head about something rather than trusting myself, knowing what I'm capable of. Right. And performing anyway. Right.

Because there's so many situations in my life where I look back where I had fear, where I had doubt, where I was anxious and I got in My head. And that impacted my performance, right?

It either prevented me from doing something that I should have done, or it didn't allow me to be as effective as possible.

So we all have those rounds where you just catch one off the hosel because you're anxious, you're nervous, and you haven't done that in a long time, and you're going, where in the world did that come from? And then you have this. Everybody's been there. That spiral where you do go out of control, and then, you know, you.

You shoot, you know, four triple bogeys in a row, and you're just like, what is. And then to get out of that is so difficult, right?

And I heard Keegan Bradley say, you know, with the Ryer cup, he's like, golf's such an interesting game that you perform best when you don't try, right? When you're free, when you let loose and you just trust your training, you trust your skill and you trust your routine, and you kind of go into that.

That athlete mode that everybody knows when you just black out and you perform, right? Like, you're not thinking about your form, you're not thinking about your swing, you're not thinking about, like, C ball, hit ball, right?

And so, you know, taking that on and off the course and just in the life lessons that come with that, like, man, how many times have I worked myself up, up so in and then lack the perform, you know, just didn't perform well or didn't show up in the way that I needed to because I was thinking about a mistake or thinking about what could happen. I think that's the big, like, what could happen.

You know, you're looking at, you know, an island green and you're like, man, there are 6,000 places to miss. And then, you know, you top one into the water, it's like, well, yeah, of course you hit it in the water. Could you be thinking about that?

You know, like, what did you expect? So, yeah, it. Golf is a mirror for sure. And, you know, it. It's such a wonderful game. I mean, it's just.

I could go on and on about what this game is, and it's like, there's nothing better but an early morning round with some buddies and seeing the ball pierce the sky. Like, again, I sound super nerdy, but every golfer knows exactly.

Yeah, you.

You catch one off the center of the club feints like. Like, you know, you're. You're good for the rest of the day.

If they're listening to this, they get it. They get it.

Yeah.

Yeah. All right, man. Where's the best place for. For people to follow the journey and obviously to go purchase a bag for their youngster?

Yeah, purchase best place would be our website, randgolf.com biggest thing that I would recommend for anybody listening, you know, to, to join our email list.

Know you'll get a 10% code if you join that can be used, you know, right now if you want to secure a green one or potentially wait, you know, for, for some different colors. And then our, our Instagram handles Ralph Co. And I believe our Tik Tok handles Raina Golf. So those are the best places.

But yeah, email list and following us on social just so they can stay up with, they stay up to date with all the things and developments.

Like we've, we've done a lot but we're really excited about this next phase and you know, kind of what, what's coming and can't wait to, you know, share more details about all that.

Can't wait to see where you guys are in the next 12 months or so. We'll be following along on the Instagram and all the socials.

Keep up the great work, man, and congrats to you for, for taking the jump and, and going all in on this thing. I see it as being a huge success. Thank you. Thanks for coming on.

Awesome. Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it.

Thanks for tuning in to Golf don't lie and 18 strong podcast.

I truly appreciate you spending part of your day with us, whether that be on your commute, at the gym, on the range, or during one of your strong walks.

If you enjoyed this episode, the best way to support the show is to hit that subscribe button on Apple, Podcasts, Spotify or whatever platform you listen and leave us a quick rating and review. It only takes about 10 seconds and it helps other golfers just like you find us even better.

Share your favorite episode with a golf buddy or in your group chat. And of course, if you're on Instagram, come hang out with us over at 18 strong.

We're constantly posting golf fitness and lifestyle content from the crew to help you play more golf and live more life. Golf Don't Lie is brought to you by our team here at 18 strong.

A special thanks to our producer, Bill Smith for making us sound like we know what we're doing. To Beth Daniels for artistic skills that designed our sick podcast cover, and Jordan Bombstark for his mix master skills and music in each episode.

Until next time, I hope you play more golf and live more life. And remember, no matter who you are. Golf don't lie.