Castro Golf Consulting

The Path Is Rarely Straight, Clarity Matters

Castro Golf Consulting provides golf business consulting grounded in real experience—from amateur golf to the PGA TOUR to today’s fast-changing industry. We partner with brands and organizations on strategy, brand & marketing, media, and more.

Check out The Course Record Show podcast for long-form conversations on the business of golf.

About Castro Golf

Castro Golf Consulting was founded by Roberto and Franco Castro in 2016 to share the perspective they’ve gained from a lifetime in the game. CGC provides a wide range of services both within and related to the golf industry.

With 25 years of experience across all levels of the game—including work directly inside the business and technology side of the sport—Castro Golf brings a rare, full-spectrum view of the modern golf landscape. If you have a project or business need and want experienced guidance, please reach out.

Get in Touch

Settindown is BACK. Congrats to Tyler Rae. It’s hard to take something that’s already good and well loved, and make it better. But he did it, and then some.

Shoutout to everyone who invested so much time and effort to pull this off. It’s a long list.

Chatted with a few guys who were founding members in 1988, and were back for their second Grand Opening 37 years later. They hit the opening tee shot. So cool. It’s a hell of a game.

Custom design and fresh H&B for a friend who has a big day later this summer. #CastroGolf #Design

The Park is legit. A proper Gil Hanse course (complete with soul crushing bunkers) and everything else you’d want for a public facility. Range, lit Par-3, putting course, good outdoor hang, good food, friendly people. Place is a homerun hope to get back soon.

TGL’s journey from idea to ESPN took serious collaboration between innovative companies. I hosted a conversation at the PGA Show (link in bio) including @tglgolf @fullswingsimulators @toptracer @synlawn @captech_consulting

**DISCLAIMER** I am not an instructor - just one of many who listened to Joe Mayo on NLU and had to get the Trackman out. Fascinating dude and electric conversation btw - highly recommend.

I’m a very good chipper, but could not get close to double digits down. Most I could get is 6.4* - although off really dicey lies, under the gun, I wouldn’t be shocked if I got near 10* down. BUT, 6.4* down was me leaning it and trying to be steep. So I may not actually ever sniff 10* down. Hard to say.

My usual technique is way more shallow (down 2*) and I typically use a 56*. A short game coach I worked with used the phrase “land calmly” and I still think about that. The steeper stuff - to my eye - is too low, spinny, and lands with less calmness and control.

But short game is so nuanced, so many different shots and ways to do it. Which is why it’s so damn fun. Any so important for golfers at any level. SO MANY golfers cannot chip. Like can’t get it airborne or on the green. Not sure if it’s too much information, more tight lies as agronomy improves, or just a LOFT issue ;) but any method that helps people chip and enjoy golf more, is great!

Pics:
**Testing. Testing.
**My usual chip
**Steepest one I captured
**80 yard shot - flight-iest, tightest one I hit. Pure wedges from 80 are too much fun.
**data for that 80 yard shot in video
**Excerpt from Joe Mayo pod #legend

PGA Show. Always appreciate the chance to meet people and learn from some of the smartest, savviest folks in the golf industry.

CapTech is sponsoring the Industry Stage - front and center on the Show floor. I’ll be involved in 3 Panels:
⛳ The Future of Off-Course Golf (Wed @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm)
🏈 Golf is Fore Athletes (Wed @ 12:45 pm – 1:30 pm)
📺 Building TGL: The Tech Driving Prime Time, Team Golf (Thurs @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am)

Let me know if you’ll be in Orlando!

Heading to Palm Beach for the first-ever TGL match. A few thoughts:

I’ve been consistently amazed at the work and commitment required to bring something like TGL to life. I was frequently reminded of this John Collison post:

“As you become an adult, you realize that things around you weren’t just always there; people made them happen. But only recently have I started to internalize how much tenacity everything requires. That hotel, that park, that railway. The world is a museum of passion projects.”

TGL is an extreme example of this concept. The complement to this idea is that the world is fundamentally resistant to new ideas. This is why the rare people who make a bet on the future, pursue it in the face of resistance, and are right about their bet are so richly rewarded.

Whether it’s Ballmer laughing at the iPhone, Curtis Strange laughing at Tiger, or people taking a skeptical view of TGL—the fact is, no one knows the future. Those who approach it with an open mind and respect others’ efforts, regardless of the outcome—win or lose—are the ones who foster progress in the world.

Finally, a thought about consulting. That word means different things to different people and can elicit a wide range of reactions. But what we do at CapTech is help people build things. We help people get things done.

We are so proud to support TGL in their journey to opening night. We may never have a cooler project or client with a bigger, bolder idea than TGL, but what I love about my job is that feeling of helping someone build something, accomplish something, and reach a goal.

I know that at CapTech, we’ll be doing plenty more of that in the future.

See you on Tuesday night - 9 PM on ESPN.

Special thanks to @andrew__hetherington for taking these amazing photos at Settindown. Andrew is an incredibly talented photographer and he captured the two things that make golf the greatest game in the world: natural beauty and connection between people.

If you have a special event, I don’t think there’s a better memento or investment than incredible photography.

We cover a lot of ground in 10 minutes with Sports Business Journal. I come on at 41:00 to talk President’s Cup, SSG, Signature Events, Player vs Fan Investment, TGL, and more. Thanks for having me Josh Carpenter. Link in bio. #GolfBiz #CRS

Pretty awesome to talk with an Atlanta legend - Arthur Blank. Along with Mike McCarley, we talked about why Arthur is so personally invested in golf: the game’s values, and the business opportunity! We talked PGA TOUR, First Tee, TMRW Sports, PGA TOUR Superstore, and Atlanta Drive GC.

We also had a few ATL Drive players drop by...

Excited for TGL Season 1 on ESPN Jan. 7th!

Castro Golf x H&B for the boys as they head to Scotland. From what I saw on TV this week - The Hayes vest will be handy.

Reach out anytime if you have a group order.

Not quite Spring at two of the more underrated courses in GA and the Southeast. Settindown and The Farm.

~~PGA Show Observations~~

**Old Game, New Ideas - Widespread embrace of new technology, new golf formats, new norms for the industry as a whole
**Continued Momentum at the Top - Initiation fee and waiting lists at premier private clubs and new builds continue to ^^ rise ^^
**Industry Powering Forward - Uncertainty in pro golf not holding back industry as a whole. Innovation and investment full steam ahead
**Non-Profit Power - Non-profits in golf continue to shine - from junior golf to municipal golf preservation - golf continues to attract philanthropic dollars

#golf #biz #CRS

“Golf is something you have a lifelong relationship with – and like any relationship, it’s always changing...”

...is a line I’ve thought about a lot in 2023. A friend said that to me as we hit a few balls at our neighborhood course. I’m not sure if he was thinking about his son, who was starting to play a few junior tournaments, or his own life in golf that includes trips through the distinct worlds of the AJGA, college golf, pro golf, and mid-am golf. Maybe it was a passing comment, but I kept coming back to it this year as my relationship with the game evolved.

The further I get from my professional career the more I realize how one-dimensional and hyper focused my relationship to the game was for 20 years. A relentless focus on routine, playing one shot at a time, and always moving forward are key to success at the highest level – but that leaves no time to savor a moment, or enjoy the essence of the game. The smaller, more peripheral parts of the game that I now relish held ZERO importance or even notice in my former life. The history of a great club, a quirky old course, a beat up Ping Anser, post round beers, making new friends at a one day member-guest, young kids putting for Skittles – all things that were not a part of my relationship with golf. I remember for a stretch my motto was “golf is a game, you have to PLAY it” instead of planning, engineering, and controlling it. That was a freeing mindset and helped me play some of my best golf on Tour. I regret not maintaining that mindset more consistently, but the reality is that when golf is your job, it’s hard not to take what should be a curious, fascinating GAME – and turn it into something serious and formulaic.

So as we turn towards 2024, I look forward to seeing how my relationship with golf changes. It’s a moving target with young kids, work, family – too many good places to see, good friends to tee it up with, and not enough time. But I’m thankful for the game, and the many blessings it continues to bring into my life.

Link to blog post in bio.

PGA Frisco has a good thing going.

Night golf on the Par 3 was the highlight. So damn fun.

#texasForever

Golf is booming - so why are golf courses closing?

Link in bio. #CRS #BusinessOfGolf

Money Game? @bengriffingolf says watch your wallet around @pkizzire. Full Ep link in bio. #CRS #businessOfGolf #moneyGames

HV3 had his reasons for going LIV. Many of factors to consider, everyone has their motivations.
#CRS #businessOfGolf

Rankings Talk on Course Record Show
#businessOfGolf
Ep. Link in Bio

Episode link in bio
#CRS #businessOfGolf

**New CRS Episode**
We talk business of golf with PGA Tour Player @bengriffingolf.

Episode presented by @holdernessbourne

That’s a wrap on summer golf.

Stat line reads:
1 proper practice session
1 real tournament (US Open qualifier)
1 important tournament (Parent-Child)
Some memorable days with good people in beautiful places.

It’s a hell of a game.

What did LeBron do? What did Steph do? Good questions to ask and role models to learn from.

Link in bio for full Ep. #sports #biz #podcast #golf

Full Ep. link in bio. We talk to Sandra Richards from Morgan Stanley about how athletes manage their money, and their motivation.

#golf #sports #business #podcast

Fun (kind of) to be the 4th best player in the group.

Athletes have short careers, and have to manage life after sports. Sandra Richards and Morgan Stanley help with financial side of that. Full episode in bio.

#golf #business #sports #finance #podcast

How do athletes manage GIANT contracts? We talk to Sandra Richards from Morgan Stanley about this and more. Link in bio.

#golf #business #podcast #sports

How do athletes manage their money? We take a deep dive with Sandra Richards from Morgan Stanley. She leads their Sports & Entertainment business, and offers some unique insights on how athletes think about money in the modern sports landscape.

#golf #business #podcast #sports

Episode presented by @holdernessbourne. Check out their new Fall line - it’s off the charts.

Course Record Show is on Summer vacation. Look for new episodes coming this Fall! #golf #business #businessOfGolf

Very impressed with PGA Frisco. Something for everyone, a great model for what golf will be going forward. And the new Omni is first-class.

Inspired by @chris_kirk_
to go chip a few. Beautiful night in ATL. Shoutout to @bobbyjonesgolfcourse for the turf conditions.

His action is cleaner than mine but the one thing neither of us do is pull on the handle. Which is what most bad chippers do. Get rid of your shaft lean! Let the club head swing!

PGA Champ next week…does Rahm keep it going? We talk Masters and look back on 2 years of golf business conversations in the latest Course Record Show. Link in bio give it a listen! #golf #biz #podcast #CRS

Quail always felt like the end of Winter/Spring and the beginning of Summer golf.

Here’s a few from ‘23 so far.

Does snobbery have a useful place in golf? Do we need high-minded people like @geoffshac & @bradleysklein2022 to keep the masses honest?

Interestingly, Shack’s new book is Golf Architecture for Normal People. Even the title is a bit snobby tbh, but it’s a great read! Full Ep. link in bio. #podcast #golf #business

From our recent episode with @geoffshac. Link in bio. #CourseRecordShow #golf #podcast #business

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CONTACT CASTRO GOLF

roberto@castrogolfconsulting.com

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CONTACT CASTRO GOLF