Media Credentials

Nick Sherburne is the co-founder of Club Champion, the industry leader in golf club fitting centers with over 100 locations nationwide. While a teenager in Chicago, Nick took a job at famed Cog Hill and was there when the PGA Tour made its annual stop. He was fascinated by the manufacturers' tour fitting trailers and wondered if that level of technology and service could be made available to the recreational player. In this episode, we trace the history of his business and the philosophy that drives him, plus tackle some big picture topics in golf, including LIV, TGL, and the post-pandemic golf boom. Not precisely a "sports media" topic, but a fascinating discussion of the golf business and the power of staying true to a dream.

You may not know StreamLayer yet, but you're likely to see their work if you stream live sports. This Chicago-based company provides sports leagues and teams with AI-powered advertising and interactive features that bolster the viewer's streaming experience and increase engagement. StreamLayer COO Andrew Fleming is a former VP and senior counsel at Golf Channel and NBC Sports, an industry veteran with a wide range of experience. In this episode we discuss his business and the business of sports, including his view from the sidelines as the PGA Tour and LIV Golf navigate the future of the professional game.

Andrew Kehrer and I have been stalking each other professionally for almost two decades. He was a co-worker at both Golf Channel and the old FOX sports regional networks in Florida; now, he's down south as the Senior Art Director for TGL and parent company TMRW Sports. His group creates the stunning graphics, video elements, and animations that jump off the screen in person at the SoFi Center and on TV on ESPN. Andy describes his entry into the business as a student in New Orleans, and how Katrina affected his career arc. We discuss the move to Florida for jobs at the old Sun Sports and later Golf Channel, and how some of those relationships influenced his decision to jump in with TGL.

Golf broadcaster and PGA Tour veteran Gary Christian returns to the podcast to discuss his latest venture, "Beat The Course, Not Yourself! One Golfer's Path To A Winning Mental Game." The book is a joint venture with sports psychologist Dr. Curt Ickes. Together, Christian and Ickes use a narrative format to explore the mental side of the game, introducing 15-year-old Jack, a promising junior player, and seasoned pro Charlie, who becomes Jack's mental guru. In the podcast, we discuss the genesis of the book, the creative decision to use a narrative format, and the psychology that fuels the text. Geared towards junior players but valuable to all, Gary's book is a welcome addition to the golf instruction canon.

Jay Coffin is a veteran journalist who runs his own shop, Coffin Corner Media. In that role, he advises clients on social media presence, communications strategy, and public relations, while staying close to his roots as a writer and editor. Jay worked for the Orlando Sentinel while still a student at UCF, and has remained in Orlando ever since, moving to Golfweek and then Golf Channel, where he was the Editorial Director for the website and a frequent expert guest on camera. We talked about his career path as well as some hot-button current topics, like LIV Golf and the changing landscape of college athletics. Plus, some fond memories of the Orlando Magic's glory days.

NYC-based Chris Yon is a versatile, experienced camera operator with a long list of clients -- NBC, CBS, FOX, the MLB Network, plus local broadcasts of the Yankees and Mets. His interest in media started on the playground, where he and a buddy would deliver mock newscasts with the latest elementary school gossip and occasionally deliver play-by-play for kickball games. We worked together for six years in the Orlando studio at Golf Channel, where his positive attitude (and savage skill at impersonating our colleagues) made long studio days much more palatable. In this episode, Chris outlines his path from Pittsfield, Massachusetts to the big leagues, and how his willingness to learn new skills opened all kinds of doors. Chris Yon is the epitome of "always say yes."