Card Golf - The Tell-All Interview !

I recently became aware of a new golf game played with cards. Having grown up with Strat-O-Matic baseball, Electric Football games and hockey games that you played with spinning rods, I couldn’t pass up the chance to become a proud owner of Card Golf.

Now that I’m a proud owner and can play golf even when it’s raining or snowing, I wanted to pass along the news to y’all and couldn’t think of a better way than to interview Adam McWethy, one of the creators of Card Golf.

1) How did this idea come about ?

My family and I were visiting North Carolina’s golf country a few years back. We had the itch to hit the links, but a freak snowstorm prevented that from happening. One morning while we were confined indoors I literally said, “Let’s come up with a golf game you can play inside.” No one really took me seriously, but being an entrepreneur at heart I set out to create an indoor golf game. I must have spent a solid 10 hours that first day writing notes and concepts on a yellow legal pad. We didn’t get to play the game that day or on that trip to North Carolina, however I knew the idea had merit and a future.

2) What were the first problems you found when you were trying to make this as close to a round of golf as possible ?

At first we were stuck on the idea that it had to be a board game. This was the only format we could think of to incorporate sand traps, out of bounds and all of golf’s other little gems. We created a foldout board with peg ridden golf holes where monopoly like miniature figurines could move up and down the fairways. We tried 8-sided dice, cards and everything else we could think of. It was all very involved and complicated and never really made complete sense. We began to realize that in order for this game to be successful, the product not only had to be easy to play and learn, but it also had to be small, lightweight and inexpensive. That’s when the current format of Card Golf really began to take shape.

3) So how did you go from a board game format to just cards ?

The major breakthrough came while thumbing through a standard poker deck of 52 cards. I was holding all thirteen club suited cards along with the joker, so I had 14 cards in my hand. That number 14 clicked in my head as being the same number of golf clubs allowed in a golfers bag. It immediately became clear to me that each card needed to represent a golf club and the yardage that club could hit the ball. After that revelation the game of Card Golf as we know it today came together fairly quickly.

4) How did you go from idea to actual product ?

We market tested the game for a full year. Each time we played we tweaked the rules a little here and a little there to make the game more authentic, more enjoyable and more compelling. We must have gone to Kinko’s thirty times to print sample decks. Throughout that first year we shared the game with all our family and friends and the response was overwhelmingly positive. When we felt the rules of Card Golf were as solid as they were going to get we took the leap into production.

5) How long does it take to play an average round ?

In general, we’ve found that golfers and non-golfers typically understand and begin enjoying the game after the first or second hole. On average it takes just under 2 minutes to play a hole. So a 9-hole game would take about 15 minutes and it would take around half-an-hour to play 18. It also depends whether you’re playing as a single, or as a twosome, threesome or foursome.

6) Why does the Card Golf website have a fundraising section ?

The idea for a Card Golf fundraising program was initially conceived for high school golf programs. I played high school golf at Fallbrook High in San Diego, California. If anyone out there remembers the ‘McWethy Rule’ where you have to pick your ball up after 9 strokes on a hole in order to save time, well, my fantastic golf coach was kind enough to name that after me. Anyway, we used to have to go out at the start of each season and sell muffins and other junk to try and raise money for new golf bags, balls and other equipment each year. So when we invented Card Golf one of our first ideas to raise brand awareness and give back to the game was to offer Card Golf at just over cost to youth golf programs. They could then sell the golf decks at retail price and use the profits for golf related expense.

7) But fundraising through Card Golf can also benefit charities, right ?

It never occurred to us to offer Card Golf assistance to non-profit charities until my brother/business partner Todd was playing Card Golf with Jeremy McGhee, the founder of The Fight To Walk Foundation. Once an avid golfer, Jeremy was paralyzed from the waste down in a motorcycle accident, so needless to say he was stoked to be playing golf again, even if it was with cards. Jeremy loved Card Golf so much that during their heated 18 hole match they came up with the idea to organize a Card Golf tournament whereby 100 participants would each pay $50 or $100 to enter. This idea is a total win-win for all involved. The non-profit gets to keep all the entry fees, the participants get to have a ton of fun and win prizes, and Card Golf gets to help out some great causes while generating some positive brand awareness.

Have you heard of any large tournaments being held as of yet ?

The big Fight to Walk Card Golf Tournament is in the planning stages now and is set to take place in San Diego the week before Thanksgiving. Next year we plan to set-up Card Golf tournaments in major cities throughout the country. However, you don’t need us to get a Card Golf tournament started. All you need to do is print out a stroke play or match play bracket tournament sheet off our website and play with your friends, family and or colleagues. It’s something totally new and fun to do at parties and social events.

9) What does Card Golf offer someone who travels a lot to play golf ?

For one thing it gives travelers something fun to do on those long airplane rides. Card Golf can be played by individuals just like Solitaire. Try this; before boarding your next flight, print out a couple scorecards from Pebble Beach or St. Andrews. Then, instead of watching a lame airplane movie, you can play golf at 40,000 feet. We also advise golfers to keep a deck of Card Golf in their golf bags. This way you can play a round while you’re waiting for the 1st tee to open up, or after your round in the clubhouse to try and win your money back.

10) Is there any chance that a golfer might actually learn a little course management while playing a round of card golf ?

That’s another great aspect about Card Golf. Let’s say you’ve got a big match coming up at a course you’ve never played before. All you need to do is locate the scorecard from that course and you can play it in advance with Card Golf. This is a new game-management technique that allows golfers to mentally and psychologically prepare for the challenges of a course they’re about to play.

11) Who’s the #1 golfer in the Card Golf World Rankings ?

While it pains me to admit this – my brother Todd McWethy - is probably the best Card Golfer in the world. I can beat him pretty handily on the course, but he normally takes me down during our 19th hole Card Golf rematch. No official Card Golf World Rankings yet, but I like that idea - stay tuned for that one.

12) Got any planned additions to the card golf family ?

Right now we’re just trying to get the word out about this new game. In Southern California where we’re based, Card Golf is starting to spread like wildfire and we hope that will continue. Neither golf nor card games are restrained by borders, so the ultimate success of this game is limitless. After the stocking stuffer shopping spree is over this year, we will begin to develop some other aspects of the game, including different versions of the decks and online gaming. It’s all very exciting to think about.

I want to thank Adam for taking time to answer those questions for me. I’m a Card Golf owner and I will be buying several sets for stocking stuffers this year. That’s about the time of year that we quit playing here in Kentucky and all my friends will be itching for something golfy by Christmas.

Giving them a deck or two of Card Golf will solidify my stature as ” Da Man”.

Click thru to Adam’s website and buy a deck or two to thank him for this great interview. I am.