This week I had a great opportunity to spend time with the GolfTRK team at their new HQ in Prairie Village, Kansas.

I've been working with the founding team, Matt, Alex, and Sam, for quite some time, but I'd never had the chance to meet the rest of the folks. So in this week's newsletter I want to showcase a bit about their business: who they are, what we're working on at a high level, why they're successful, and why I'm betting on them to win the indoor space.

Of course, I can't share any trade secrets or in the weeds specifics, but I can give you the themes, and they'll apply to your business if you want to take the lessons.

One of the things they kept asking me was why I decided to place my faith in them. The way they phrased it was: you're being contacted by a lot of other companies, so why did you choose us over them? And what mistakes are other founders making across the hundreds of companies you've seen?

There are a lot of ways to answer that. The quickest and easiest answer is that the majority of founding teams, while they're willing to ask for help, aren't actually willing to “pay” for it.

Why does that matter? Think about the golfer who wants free golf advice. Even if I gave that golfer every single thing I know about golf, they're unwilling to invest the right amount to get that information, so they won't take it seriously, and they won't apply it.

Founders are no different. If they aren't willing to invest at the appropriate level for someone with top-caliber experience, whatever advice or insight I give them, they're not going to apply it.

GolfTRK knew from day one exactly what to do with someone like me. They've been seeking out advisors and consultants since the day they launched, because they know they don't know what they don't know. If they want to execute and not waste a bunch of money going in the wrong direction, they need the right people around them.

So whether you work with me directly is not the point. As I've said before, the best founders are the most coachable ones, the ones seeking out experts who have been there and done that.

They’ve also done a great job of fostering that same culture in everyone at the company.

It's very easy for someone like me to walk into a place, share a few things, and rub people the wrong way if they're so set in their own ways and their own ego that they're unwilling to participate. I've stepped into a lot of those rooms, and it hasn't gone well once I've left.

With the GolfTRK team, it was clear from the start they have an enthusiasm and excitement to learn and grow.

We spent a lot of time on how the facility buildout could improve. That was the first thing they asked when I walked through the door: how can we make this better?

And to be clear, what they've built is awesome. Eight Trackman bays, the biggest PuttView in the country, plus a handful of other amenities most facilities would kill for.

But it wasn't "hey, look at all the good stuff we've done." It was: let me show you around. What's the first thing you notice that we're missing? What's the next thing? Where's the lowest-hanging fruit for how we can get better?

None of the conversation centered on the amazing things they're already doing. If you reflect on that, it's a huge tell for why they're successful and why they'll continue to be.

We also looked hard at their offer.

The reason I'm locking arms with GolfTRK is that while indoor golf is growing like crazy, I believe the ones that stick around will be built on performance and transformation, and on deepening relationships with members so they actually have better games when they come back.

The secret sauce of how to deliver that coaching, and the different models and programs behind it, is the stuff I can't share with you. But I think you get the point.

I'm also bullish on whoever can own both the on-course and off-course relationship with golfers. Someone will do it, and with what they've already built and with our combined skill sets, there's a good chance it's going to be them.

Why does that matter? Nobody goes to an indoor facility hoping to become the greatest simulator golfer of all time. They go to improve their game enough that they can get out on the course and play more consistently, have more fun, and perform in their club championship. GolfTRK is positioned incredibly well especially with the technology they've already built and continue to build.

Last thing: their use of capital has been incredibly efficient. Whether it's capital they've raised, loans they've taken, or their own money.

Like most great founders, they've done a lot with very little. And they've pulled off something even rarer this early: they turned on the money button, and it worked. Happy customers keep coming back, and they're now one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country.(Not just in golf, across all opportunities!)

The only thing I typically gamble on is golf, and specifically my own golf game, because at least if I win or lose, it's on me.

So when I say I'm betting on GolfTRK, I don't say it lightly. I've been in a lot of rooms with a lot of founders, and the ones who break through almost always look like this team. They're coachable, they seek out people who've been there and done that, they're honest about what's missing, and they know where every dollar is going.

So as you head into Q4, take a hard look at your own company and ask the same question they asked me when I walked through the door: what are we missing?

And if you're an investor looking to jump on a rocket ship, or a coach looking to become an indoor owner, be sure to hit me up. I'd be happy to dig in more on what the GolfTRK team is building.

To learn more, click below. I’ll be staggering entry as we build things out so if you’d like to join the waitlist simply reply with “First $1M”.

Keep fighting the good fight. See ya next week 👊

-Spencer