Interview with Ricky Lee Potts May 9th 2012

Jeff Ritter is one of the most polished teaching professionals I know. The guy is involved in everything from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube and YOUKU. He is also a walking talking brand and everything from the clothes he has on to the pictures on his website showcase that. I have known Jeff for a few years now, and am excited to visit him at The Raven Golf Club the next time I am in Phoenix. He works with some of the best in the business out there… surrounded by Martin Chuck, Aaron Olson, and Megan Padua. He is surrounded by talent and is using that to help produce lower rounds for players all over the world. He also has a huge focus on junior golf. Jeff is a good friend and it is my pleasure to be sitting with him. Oh, and I forgot to mention the Nike Junior Golf Camps in Pebble Beach, California. And he wrote a book. Man, I could talk about Jeff all day long!

How long have you been playing golf? What is your first memory of the game?

My dad was the head pro at a great club in Pennsylvania, so I’ve been involved with the game since the beginning. I know I’ve been out there swinging since I was 3, so I’ve got to dig deep into my memory bank on this one. I’d say that my favorite experiences as a kid revolve around playing with my friends in our junior golf program during the summer. We played early so we’d have to fight the sprinklers on most of the holes. It had a very Caddyshack like feel to it.  You know how the beginning of the movie starts with the sprinklers shooting about the fairways? We would wedge a golf tee into the sprinkler head to keep it shooting in one direction until we hit. We’d often forget to remove it, so it would soak one area of the fairway creating a big puddle.  The course superintendent would always hunt us down and yell at us. No matter how often we got reamed, it seemed like someone would forget to remove the tee every week.

You are living out in Phoenix. Tell me about The Raven Golf Club.

The Raven Golf Club Phoenix is an OB Sports property and the home of Jeff Ritter Golf. It’s one of the most unique courses in Arizona as the property is covered with 6,000 Georgia pine trees, which in turn are surrounded by volcanic ash. The course condition is absolutely impeccable and the layout is challenging. I’d say anyone who has made the trip to Arizona for a golf adventure and played The Raven Golf Club in Phoenix would say that it’s among the most memorable in the valley.

As far as my coaching facility, I’m certainly lucky to be there. My lesson tee itself is over 100 yards wide and a good 60 yards deep, providing an endless amount of perfect turf for my clients to enjoy. In addition, we’ve got great putting and short game areas, an indoor studio, plus one of the best views you could ever have hitting balls up against Phoenix’s South Mountain.

What is the “JRG Experience”?

(Laughs.) The JRG Experience is just that, an experience that I believe is unlike any you’ll find in coaching. Golf is a difficult game for sure, but a lot of golfers are even more defeated than you think. My program is designed to turn that around quickly in a manner that reveals a player’s true potential. When someone engages in a coaching session with me, I’ll guarantee they’ll hit shots better than they have in their entire life and in most cases those results will occur immediately. I get people pumped by showing them within just a few swings how good they can really be. When the light goes on for a player, especially if they’ve struggled in the past, that’s when you know you’ve made a real difference in someone’s life. That’s the gift associated with coaching, being able to make something that’s inherently difficult simple for the student. I know there are a ton of great coaches out there, so I’m not disputing anyone else’s ability. I just believe in what I do and know that I’ll deliver!

You are headed to Pebble Beach here pretty soon… for the Nike Jr. Golf Experience. How did you manage to get hooked up with that facility? Tell me more about that program.

I’ve been lucky to be part of the Nike Junior Golf Camp programs for about 10 years now. It’s something that I would participate in during the summers to get out of the Arizona heat. I had built a strong relationship with the company, so this year they asked if I would operate as the National Director of Instruction for Nike Golf Schools and Junior Camps. One of the “perks” is spending my summers in Pebble Beach running the Nike Junior Golf Monterey program. It’s really an ideal situation to be able to coach in possibly our nation’s most beautiful golf destination. Plus, this new position gives me an elevated platform for which to deliver my junior golf message to a global audience.

The thing that makes the program unique is that it’s not just about learning the tools for high performance in golf. We also have special sessions dedicated to instilling the tools and attitudes for kids to live powerfully physically and emotionally as well for the rest of their lives. Golf fitness, nutrition, mental toughness training and dream building are all included and such an important part of our mission. Heck, just talking about it makes me wish I was 13 years old again. It’s such an important program to me and I couldn’t be luckier to have the opportunity to make a real difference with these kids!

You wrote a book. Tell me a little bit more about Your Kid Ate A Divot.

Finally a good question Ricky! (Laughs.)Your Kid Ate a Divot, Eighteen Life Lessons From the Links is a series of true stories that have occurred in my life either on the lesson tee or during my experience of growing up on a golf course. Each one is humorous and reveals the lunacy within each golfer’s pursuit of perfection. Once you laugh, each tale is countered with a “life lesson” that reveals a little Zen based nugget for how to live better. Although the cover is picture of a kid eating dirt, the book is actually much deeper than what most people would expect at face value. Some story titles include: “The Duck of Death”, “The Pink Panther” and the “Tale of the 20 Pound Shoes”. Certainly not what you’d expect to see in the golf genre, but that’s what I like most about it! The response has been great, garnering endorsements from Mark Victor Hansen of Chicken Soup for The Soul, Golf Digest, Ben Crenshaw and even the Napoleon Hill Foundation.  I even got to do a book signing on the 18^th hole at St. Andrews during the final round of the 2010 British Open. So far I’d say that has been one of the highlights of my career!

Brand is important. How important?

Your brand is how the public recognizes you and how they’re able to share who you are with others. To me, that’s everything. The biggest reason behind spending time on this is that the stronger your brand is, the more value it has to the consumer. The higher the value, the more sustainable income you’ll derive from your efforts. I have a lot of clients that come see me from all over the world. In order for someone to make that kind of commitment, there has to be a certain level of trust that the trip and costs involved will be worth the effort. When you have a strong brand, it becomes easy for people to make value based decisions.

Tell me a little bit more about your relationship with Sligo.

Sligo is the first company that really believed in me as it relates to having a presence that could impact a truly global market. For about 6 years now, they’ve put me in their clothes and haven’t been shy about showing their appreciation. In addition, as I’ve done my best to get their gear recognized in every publication possible, they’ve also done their best to promote Jeff Ritter Golf as well. The brand is off the hook and the guys who run the company are smart, savvy and a lot of fun to be involved with. Their stuff is cutting edge and to me they were one of the first companies that took the lead in creating the perfect blend of the performance based fit with fashion.

You have had SO much success with YouTube… it’s unreal the number of views you have. Tell me more about your experience with YouTube, and how you have managed to accumulate so many views.

If you ever needed evidence of a social media success story, then look no further than Jeff Ritter Golf. I mean, it’s been unbelievable how much my business has grown due to social media platforms, YouTube in particular. When I talk with other coaches I say straight up, “The golf business is the entertainment business and when it comes to entertainment, video is king!” If you’re a coach who has the guts to get in front of a camera, then I’m telling you that the sky is the limit. Because of YouTube over half of my clients now travel from out of town or across the globe for my coaching and my practice in front of the camera has opened numerous doors for other opportunities as well.

As to how I’ve accumulated so many views? I think people just like to hear good information that makes sense. Once someone sees that what you’re saying can really help them and a tip actually works, they’ll come back for more. In addition, I haven’t been shy about giving my information away for free. I’ve got over 100 videos and none of them are saying to buy this or buy that. That builds trust in people that I’m a guy who really wants to help.  I think that’s the most important component to your success in any industry.

There’s a lot more to this interview, Click Here for the full story @ rickyleepotts.com