Recently, Chad Mumm, the mastermind behind ‘Full Swing’, raised $20 million in funding from investors including PGA Tour and PGA of America. This significant investment is the stepping stone for Mumm’s newest venture called Pro Shop – a unique golf-media enterprise aimed at merging media, commerce, and entertainment in the golf industry.
Pro Shop is envisioned as a digital hub combining editorial, studio transaction negotiations, and commerce services. Constantly evolving, the comprehensive operational design will be centred around team expertise, market trends and consumer feedback. Together, these features aim to redefine the media landscape.
In a strategic move, Pro Shop, during its funding round, managed to acquire the PGA Tour’s social media account Skratch along with its 13 employees. This acquisition not only enhances Pro Shop’s market launch but also enables immediate access to Skratch’s loyal audience, filming rights at Tour-approved events, and archived Tour content. Experts have hailed this as a major stepping stone towards increased market share for Pro Shop.
With these exclusive rights, Pro Shop bypasses the PGA Tour’s strict video content distribution rules. This privileged position puts Pro Shop in the spotlight as a potential main content creator and broadcaster for the PGA Tour. Furthermore, it sets the stage for unseen fan engagement, behind-the-scenes footage, and the distribution of golf-related documentaries and reality shows. This exciting shift may evolve into collaborations with film and television, telling engaging golf tales to their expanding audience.
The media division of Pro Shop is primarily focused on creating direct-to-consumer content. And although specifics regarding the ‘commerce’ aspect of Pro Shop are still in shadows, Mumm envisages it as a launchpad for new golf brands.
Mumm will balance this initiative alongside his continuing role as the executive producer of ‘Full Swing’. The agreement with the PGA Tour also stipulates the inclusion of a PGA representative on the Pro Shop board. As part of its ambitious growth plan, Pro Shop plans to double its initial 15-person team to 30 by the end of its maiden year.
