AGC founder Pete Wlodkowski is a guest on Wednesday Match Play Podcast
09 Jan 2023
by AmateurGolf.com Staff
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Pete Wlodkowski
Pete Wlodkowski joined The Wednesday Match Play Podcast to talk with Ricky Potts about all things amateur golf. They discuss the founding of AmateurGolf.com, the place Top Golf and simulators have in the game, how the rankings work, his dream foursome, and why everyone should subscribe to AmateurGolf.com.
This particular episode is the first of the year, a great way for AmateurGolf.com to kick off our 23rd year of delivering schedule, news, rankings, and results for the 99.7% of golfers who aren't professionals.
Here are a few excerpts from the podcast. Give the entire episode a listen!
What inspired Pete to start AmateurGolf.com?
I think there's something about amateur golf that's different than watching The Masters. So I've always been an amateur golfer. I played collegiate and high school golf. I still compete, even senior events. So I've always kind of wanted to be in the know on where the tournaments are. And a bottom line for me was I decided, when the internet got popular, there was no single website that had all the tournaments listed; all the schedules, the news, the rankings, and the results of all these players. So I got the domain name and 22 years later, I'm still doing it.
What is the spirit of competitive amateur golf?
I love the amateur game. So that's the bottom line. 99.7 percent of players are not pros. And so they're not going to ever play for money. But when they go out and play in their club championship or when they play a city championship, or try to qualify for the US Amateur, that's competitive golf, and that's what the game is all about.
Where does Top Golf and simulators fit in with the golf ecosystem?
Callaway merging with them (Top Golf) was a good move business-wise, but I think they've got a vision for it. I actually love the other ranges that have Top Tracer, which is a Top Golf product. There are a number of them out on the marketplace right now. It's getting to the point where you can get simulators at home at a reasonable price. There are a lot of ways to prepare your game that don't necessarily involve playing 18 holes, because that's an awfully long day. So I think all these new technologies and everything that goes into the game has helped AmateurGolf.com
How does AGC's rankings work?
They're divided by age bracket because senior players tend to play senior events. And so if a guy in Pennsylvania wins the United States Senior Amateur, he automatically gets an invitation to the US Amateur. And if he plays well there, he'll get some points. He'll play in some local events, and you'll get some points. So there's a little bit of overlap, but for the most part, you're going to find that the best player, the best amateur player in the world, is going to be number one in both the men's and women's rankings.