Opinion & Analysis

GolfWRX Q&A: Jared Solomon, Co-Founder & CEO Five Iron Golf

Published

5 years ago

Sep 26, 2019

In the not-too-distant past, if you wanted to hit golf balls—or “play golf” in any non-mini-golf sense of the word—you had to go to a golf course or a driving range.

Recently, however, a number of blended golf-entertainment options emerged. Assuredly, GolfWRX Members are familiar with the major players and most have probably stopped into one of the venues. Fewer GolfWRXers, however, outside of the northeastern U.S. will be familiar with New York City-based Five Iron Golf.

After visiting the Fifth Avenue location in Manhattan, however, I felt the expanding enterprise’s story was one that was worth telling. Fortunately, Jared Solomon, Co-Founder & CEO, was kind enough to dive a little deeper into the past, present, and future of Five Iron.

BA: Tell me about the initial Five Iron concept and the opportunity you saw.

JS: Our story begins in early 2015 when I was taking lessons from Mike Doyle in a simulator in the back of a men’s clothing store in midtown Manhattan. As Mike’s lessons demand grew, we started dreaming about an indoor facility where he could teach more lessons and golfers could improve their games—all while flipping standard golf culture on its head and appealing to everyone.

With Mike and me clueless as to how to actually execute this grand idea, our final two co-founders, summer camp friends Nora Dunnan and Katherine Solomon (also my wife) entered the scene. With Nora steering the ship and Katherine navigating us through some early legal storms, Five Iron Golf was launched and open for business in mid-2017.

Since opening, we have been offering serious golfers with an urban lifestyle a convenient spot to practice and play with the data and technology to improve their games. We host Full Swing simulators, Trackman lesson studios, teaching professionals, lessons, leagues, club storage, showers, complimentary top-of-the line clubs and in-house club fitting specialists. Serious golfers also love our non-golf amenities with a full bar, fantastic food menu, games like ping pong, shuffleboard, pool or Golden Tee (depending on the location), widescreen TVs, NFL Sunday Ticket, a regular women’s golf clinic, and much more.

BA: Who frequents Five Iron? What’s the breakdown between hardcore golfers, more casual players, and non-golfers? What’s the scene throughout the day?

JS: Every type of golfer. Throughout the course of the day we see a mix of hardcore golfers, casual golfers and those who have never touched a club before. The best way to break it down is to look at a typical day at Five Iron. Opening at 6 a.m. on weekdays, a wave of hardcore golfers come into practice, take lessons, hit the showers and go to work. The morning crew is mostly filled with our members who, for $260 a month, can play between 6 a.m.-4 p.m., store their bags and use our showers at no extra cost. Around lunchtime, it shifts to a mix of more casual golfers coming in for client meetings and afternoon lessons leading into our busiest time: the evening. Thanks to our leagues, happy hour, and corporate events, if you walk into a Five Iron after 6 p.m. you’ll find every type of golfer.

BA: Breaking this down further, can you tell me about your leagues?

JS: Our golf leagues offer a competitive environment for casual and serious golfers to hangout with friends and make new ones in the city. Played over seven weeks with an eighth week of playoffs, teams of four go head-to-head on Monday and Tuesday nights. The format of play gets trickier as the season goes on, starting out with a scramble to ease all skill levels into playing competitively and ending with a 3-ball best ball in the playoffs. Not to mention, each season features sign-up perks and prizes from brands such as Greyson, Imperial Headwear, Mizuno and J.Lindeberg. And the first place team wins a two-hour open bar event for up to 30 people!

Welcoming free agents to sign up has formed a pretty cool dynamic amongst teams. Men and women who never knew each other before have continued playing together in consecutive seasons and even taken their golf friendship to the next level, playing on-course rounds. One team, made up of four free agents, just won our 2019 Spring Flatiron league in their fourth consecutive season playing together.

BA: Obviously, leagues take place in the evening, but I’d like to paint a broader picture. I see you open early. Who’s coming to Five Iron first thing in the morning?

JS: Five Iron Golf was built by golf addicts for golf addicts. When we built out the space, we added showers and a bag room so our members can use Five Iron like a gym in a way – hitting balls and playing for an hour or so, then showering and heading to work, while storing their clubs with us. Our morning crew is made up of true golf nuts, who are mostly our members and can come every weekday from 6am-4pm for no charge. These members are some of our best brand ambassadors and have truly become friends and playing partners to each other and our staff!

BA: I know you offer club fitting…can you tell me more about that?

JS: We always hated going to driving ranges or even other golf entertainment options that only had beat up, outdated equipment that never seemed to get replaced. In all of our house sets, we offer new Mizuno JPX919 irons and a mixture of the newest hybrids, woods and drivers by the top manufacturers – all free to use with any booking! You also have the option to choose which ball you’d like to play with – we have just about every major brand.

We’ve partnered with Club Champion in our two NYC locations to offer our customers access to customized equipment that is made especially for them by master fitters and builders. Club Champion is available six days a week at both NYC locations for everything from a putter regrip to a whole custom bag fitting. The way our two businesses align it is a naturally symbiotic relationship with 5i and Club Champion under one roof.

BA: Can you discuss membership options? Is there a way for a golfer to walk in off the street and log some simulator time…à la a bowling alley?

JS: Anyone and everyone can walk into a 5i and (availability permitting) be hitting balls in minutes; there are no membership requirements. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive golfing experience.

That being said, in order to cater to our dedicated regulars we created what we like to call a “too-good-to-be-true” membership package. For $260 a month our members get unlimited off-peak sim rentals, bag storage, and a 20% discount on peak rentals, lessons, and at the bar. We’ve also recently introduced spousal add-on memberships at only $100 a month to encourage more families to take advantage of our membership program.

BA: Any other offerings you’d like WRXers to know about…?

JS: A few for sure! We have some of the top teachers in the area who supplement lessons with technology to make the Five Iron lesson experience more helpful than normal outdoor ranges. In addition to getting accurate ball and spin data from our Full Swing simulators, we use tools like Trackman, Body Track, and several video analysis apps. These allow players of any skill level to learn why their shots do what they do and to come up with a customized improvement plan that can be monitored over time.

Also, women in golf! We are passionate about helping women feel comfortable learning the game in a friendly and convenient setting. Our women’s golf clinic, Sip & Swing, runs on a monthly basis through the fall and spring providing group instruction, an open bar, food and prizes. Each event is led by our female golf professionals, creating an inviting environment for women to network and make new friends while working on their game.

We’ve also partnered with Grueter Golf to strengthen our mission and support theirs: “getting girls on greens since 2016.” During the fall and winter they host a monthly group clinic, Weekend Warmup, at Five Iron, featuring instruction from our PGA professionals, drinks and prizes. Pairing their Five Iron clinics with on-course spring and summer events, Grueter Golf has done an incredible job breaking down barriers to the golf world and creating a welcoming environment for all women.

BA: I assume the adult beverages flow during league play and corporate events, but what food and drink do you offer beyond said libations?

JS: As one of our members called our food “laughably good for a golf place,” we pride ourselves on having a great menu. Our head chef, Maria Martinez, has developed a creative and innovative selection. With flatbreads, sliders, veggie wraps and a quinoa-kale salad, you’re able to pick a meal that is not only delicious but also suits your mood.

BA: Anything that has pleasantly surprised you?

JS: The strength of community. We started with a membership offering that was supposed to be a too-good-to-be-true deal allowing players to have unlimited hitting time in our off peak hours (6 a.m.-4 p.m.). Two years in, our members have become some of our best brand ambassadors. They play in our leagues, rep our swag on the course, and bring their company events here. Building something that others have come to love as a sanctuary and a reprieve from their busy day has been incredibly important to our growth and a very pleasant surprise.

BA: Have you learned anything new about golfers?

JS: We see a ton of players come through who have never touched a club, let alone played on a real course. There can be a stigma in the game where people assume they need to be better than they are to play golf. The truth is, most people aren’t that great, and we are OK embracing that and getting new golfers to let their guards down. There is plenty to learn, but our stance is that playing golf really isn’t that hard. Anyone can enjoy the game, especially when you’re in a simulator where you don’t have to worry about losing any balls, dealing with bad lies, or having a group or ranger tell you to go faster. The rules and etiquette people have anxiety over are non-existent here. Wear what you want, play music, use our clubs, and in general relax and enjoy hitting balls! Also, plenty of people who stopped playing when they moved into the city started to pick up the game again because of the ease of access. When you come to 5i it’s easy to get bitten by the golf bug.

BA: Tell me about the newest locations. You have the two locations in NYC…what’s the plan beyond that?

JS: With our two locations in Manhattan and three on the way in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago, our goal remains the same across the board: make golf more accessible and less intimidating for everyone. We prioritize a superior customer experience over everything else on a daily basis and plan to bring that to each location. That being said, building a strong team and empowering all of our staff to take ownership and make decisions is critical to our long-term success.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again

Published

5 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.

Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.

Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”

Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.

“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.

Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.

“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”

“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”

As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.

In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.

“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”

Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.

Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:

Fairways Hit

1.) Louis Oosthuizen

2.) Anirban Lahiri

3.) Jon Rahm

4.) Brendan Steele

5.) Cameron Tringale

Greens in Regulation

1.) Brooks Koepka

2.) Brendan Steele

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Cameron Tringale

5.) Anirban Lahiri

Birdies Made

1.) Brendan Steele

2.) Dean Burmester

3.) Thomas Pieters

4.) Patrick Reed

5.) Carlos Ortiz

LIV Golf Individual Standings:

1.) Joaquin Niemann

2.) Jon Rahm

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Louis Oosthuizen

5.) Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf Team Standings:

1.) Crushers

2.) Legion XIII

3.) Torque

4.) Stinger GC

5.) Ripper GC

LIV Golf Singapore Picks

Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)

Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.

This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.

Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)

Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.

This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.

It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.

Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)

Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.

Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.

Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.

Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)

Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.

Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.

If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America

Published

5 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Brendan Ryan

In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.

While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.

Here are some of my key takeaways.

Method Teacher

It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.

Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.

The Cult of Stack and Jilt

The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”

Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.

These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.

Fooled by Randomness

In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.

Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.

Practice

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”

Sunk Cost

The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.

Cliches

Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.

This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

2 weeks ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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