Perfect Putt Turns One

A look at the numbers behind Perfect Putt and a Thank You.

Every Monday, I write a newsletter breaking down the business in golf. Welcome to the 128 new Perfect Putt members who have joined us since last Monday. Join 3,870 intelligent and curious golfers by subscribing below.

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Hey Golfers —

One year ago, I wrote the first Perfect Putt newsletter. It was sent to two subscribers — my wife and my best friend.

Thank you.

I sincerely appreciate you giving me a few minutes of your time every week — time is our most important asset. The support humbles me.

In May of 2021 — I was finishing up my MBA program at the University of Iowa. With an elective to burn, I enrolled in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. It was one of the best educational classes I have taken in my life.

Our Instructor had a simple challenge for the class — start writing online.

I had little interest in writing online. I consider myself a mediocre writer — and what value could I possibly share with an audience? I was still learning and acquiring skills.

But I was up for the challenge — my goal was to write for six months and stop.

A few weeks later, I outlined two ideas for a weekly newsletter.

• Business and Leadership

• The Business and Money in Golf

I wrote a few drafts on the Business and Leadership concept and immediately threw that idea in the trash.

The Business and Money in Golf seemed like a better fit — I love business and learning about business. Golf has been a part of my life for over 25 years. I was fortunate to play collegiate golf at the University of Northern Iowa. My passion for golf is high. I firmly believe that to succeed in anything; we need to have some passion. I was hoping it would carry me six months.

Starting Perfect Putt wasn’t challenging, but getting people to read it was. I had less than 100 followers on Twitter — distribution was difficult.

It took me three months to learn that Twitter would be my main funnel to Perfect Putt. The goal was to build an audience — hopefully, some of those followers would turn into Perfect Putt subscribers. In one year, I grew my Twitter from less than 100 followers to 15,000 followers. My conversion rate from Twitter followers to Perfect Putt subscribers is about 20%.

Here is a breakdown of my Twitter:

• 4,000 tweets

• 30 million impressions

• 80,000 profile clicks

A look at Perfect Putt subscriber sources:

Subscriber growth without an audience is hard. I wrote eleven Perfect Putt newsletters before I had 100 subscribers. It was a weekly grind — I would get anywhere from 5 - 10 new readers.

Perfect Putt got its first break when Geoff Shackelford gave me some love on Twitter for the piece I wrote on Callaway’s Flywheel. It gave me a boost of about 100 new subscribers — 40% growth in one week.

Here is a quick breakdown of Perfect Putt:

• 3,870 subscribers

• 143 unsubscribers

• .20% unsubscribe rate

• 71,870 emails sent

• 64% Open Rate

• 5,300 weekly post views

The top five most popular Perfect Putt newsletters:

• What a PGA Tour Player Nets — 41,000 views

• The Money Behind Building a Golf Course — 10,000 views

• The Guarantee: A PGA Tour Threat — 6,700 views

• Topgolf is the Greatest Golf Business — 6,300 views

• The DP World Tour’s Business Dilemma — 6,200 views

Perfect Putt has been an incredible experience. I have met and had conversations with dozens of people in the golf space. I have forged friendships with like-minded people that inspire and motivate me to be a better writer and storyteller. Perfect Putt has taught me the power of consistency and discipline.

While 3,870 subscribers are not many to some — it is everything to me. Perfect Putt is one of the things I am most proud of in my life. And without you — it is nothing. Thank you.

A question I get asked about Perfect Putt is — “What is the end game?” Honestly, I have no idea. My main goal each week is to provide valuable content to you. I know if I can continue to provide meaningful newsletters — Perfect Putt will be fine.

I have one big goal for Perfect Putt — 5,000 subscribers by the end of the year. My one ask is if you are enjoying Perfect Putt, would you share it with a friend? It would mean a lot to me!

The emails and newsletter feedback I receive each week are invaluable. If you have a topic you would like to see me write about — email me. Around 20% of the newsletter ideas come from you. There is no such thing as a bad idea — just remember I am a one-person shop with a full-time job, a wife, and two daughters. So, if you are looking for a 10,000-word essay, that might not happen :).

If you are interested in learning more about me — I wrote a piece last December. You can read it here. I won’t bore you with the extra words today.

On to year number two.

Have yourself a great Monday. Talk to you next week!

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