6 minute read
Holly G
leader on the links “Holly G” Celebrates 30 Years Helping Start-ups Become Market Leaders
Her Early Encounter With The King Leads To A Career As A Queen of Golf Marketing
s president of Golf Marketing Services, founding member of the International Network of Golf, and host and producer of the Golf Insiders, Holly Geoghegan has been a female leader on the links for more than 30 years. Her passion for the game began as a junior golfer when she met “The King,” Arnold Palmer, at the U.S. Open in her hometown of Rochester, NY. The rest is history!
Recognized and respected as a game changer in bringing new and innovative products into golf, “Holly G,” as she is best known (spelling her last name requires a PhD), has specialized in launching start-ups and developing forward-thinking brands into market leaders.
One of her early ground-breaking projects and marketing success stories came when she introduced the golf world to the online world.
In 1994, Golf Marketing Services was engaged by Interzine Productions, an interactive multimedia content provider for America Online, to help develop and launch, iGolf, the first comprehensive golf informational website. At the time, no one really understood the internet nor the commercial opportunities of this new media frontier. Geoghegan realized that it was going to require a “mover and shaker” to get the golf industry to take notice, so she set her sights on the biggest and boldest brand, Calla-
Away Golf, to become iGolf’s exclusive marketing partner.
The company’s founder, Ely Callaway, was a brilliant, envelope-pushing, successful serial entrepreneur. He understood the vision, and the potential, and committed six figures in marketing support. iGolf became one of AOL’s flagship web portals and was later acquired by publishing giant Times Mirror.
Holly G conducts a press conference for one of her clients at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando with company spokesman, FOX NFL SUNDAY host, Curt Menefee
Among Holly G’s many successful ventures is her golf talk radio show and podcast which has aired on ESPN and iHeart in Orlando since 2008.
This led to Geoghegan’s involvement with the development and launch of LiquidGolf.com, the first online golf retail superstore in 2000. As the dot-com boom was peaking, massive marketing dollars were being invested into internet-related companies. LiquidGolf.com led the way in golf. Geoghegan oversaw the company’s legendary launch at the 2000 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando that included a standing room only concert called “An Evening of Golf Passion” with Grammy Award winning rock band, Hootie and the Blowfish.
Over three decades, Holly G and Golf Marketing Services have represented a variety of cutting-edge products and brands such as Zero Restriction Outerwear, Super Stroke Grips, Izzo Golf, Laser Link Golf, Bite Footwear, Loudmouth Golf and more. Along with product marketing, Golf Marketing Services has promoted top ranked public and private golf courses, destinations and resorts including the development and branding of golf tourism in Northern Michigan as “America’s Summer Golf Capital.”
In 2008, Geoghegan launched her award-winning golf talk radio show, The Golf Insiders, which aired on ESPN and iHEART radio in Orlando for 12 years. When the pandemic hit in 2020, she pivoted to podcasting and currently hosts, produces, and publishes three weekly podcasts and digital e-newletters expanding her media presence to support her company’s core public relations and marketing services. Geoghegan is a founding member of the International Network of Golf, a non-profit golf industry networking organization (1990) that hosts an annual conference and other events including the ING Industry Honors. The Industry Honors, co-created and chaired by Geoghegan represents outstanding achievements in various categories in the golf industry. Geoghegan was elected into the ING Diamond Cornerstone Club in 2003 which recognizes volunteers who have contributed “beyond the call of duty” to ensure the success of ING and its members.
“This past January marked my 30th PGA Show – that’s the longest relationship in my life,” Geoghegan mused. “When I walked the convention floor in the early ‘90s, very few women walked in my footsteps. Today, golf’s popularity among women and girls is surging in all categories. The industry is filled with talented and diverse female executives and entrepreneurs. June is Women’s Golf Month. We have arrived!”
Geoghegan’s passion for the game both as a player (she carries a 10 handicap) and a business woman, is equally matched by her passion for giving back. In July 2016, she co-created and formed GolfUnited in the wake of the PULSE shooting in Orlando. Together with a handful of friends in the golf industry, they organized and staged a one-day charity event within six weeks after the tragedy raising nearly $40,000 to benefit the 49 victims and their families.
The full circle moment in her career came when Geoghegan’s personal story of meeting Arnold Palmer at age nine, was selected and featured in the Golf Channel documentary, “Arnie and Me.” Following the overwhelming response to the original three-part series, “Arnie,” fans were invited to submit videos that captured their personal anecdotes and memories for a fourth episode.
“I was waiting on the 10th tee waiting to catch a glimpse of Arnie during
Holly G’s most inspirational golf moment might have been this one, where “The King” himself, Arnold Palmer, signed her autograph book when her parents allowed her to skip school to attend a US Open practice round. An AP photographer captured the moment and it was published in her local newspaper...oops! Later, Palmer would sign a copy of the original photo, given to her by the photographer.
Holly G and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer at Golf United fore PULSE, which raised nearly $40,000 for victims of the PULSE night club tragedy and their families.
the practice round of the U.S. Open,” remembered Geoghegan. “A sudden rainstorm blew in and everyone ran for cover. There he was standing under his famous umbrella; it was like seeing Santa Claus. I froze getting soaked in the rain. A photographer noticed me, brought me inside the ropes, and introduced me to “The King.” The next morning my picture appeared on the front page of the local newspaper. So much for the ‘sudden illness’ that kept me out of school that day, but I had caught the golf bug.”
If you get to spend a little time around Holly G, her energy, creativity, “can-do” spirit and business savvy is both engaging and contagious – the secret sauce that continues to be the driving force behind her success.
Holly G at The 2020 Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL prior to it being canceled due to the pandemic. Emceeing the ING Industry Honors at the PGA Show.
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