"Snook"

Snook is my portmanteau which stands for "Snap Hook". Snap hook is a golf term for when a right handed players hits a golf ball to the left in the shape of a hook (vice versa for lefties). I came up with the idea after playing a round with some members of my golf team.

After using the word, my teammates laughed at first, but really began to start using the word pretty regularly, especially one member of my team. When I told them it was a part of a project I was doing for my class, they started laughing and it has become an inside joke for the last couple of days. 

Halfway Reflection

1) Tenaciousness and Competency - At points, this class can seem really busy. But just push through and do all the projects. You'll find that it is very beneficial to you not only from a grade standpoint, but from a learning standpoint as well. I found this blog to be very different than what I am used to, in a good way. It requires a little more work, but it really lets you personalize your page, which reflects yourself as a person. Don't be afraid to talk to strangers, and push through some of the times where a project may not seem worth it.

2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude- I had a few times where I didn't do a project because I didn't feel like it. But it cost me points in the long run. Its really important that you do the projects week in and week out so you can get the most out of this class. Getting through some of these rough moments where I didn't feel like giving that little but of extra effort made it much easier to push through in other aspects of my life. These experiences were mostly due to the interview projects. At first it seems impossible, but you will definitely get the hang of it.

3) Three Tips
      First- Don't feel like talking to strangers is awkward. Be confident and honest, and most of them will open up.
      Second- Do all the extra credit! Take a moment to really review some of the lectures, and do the extra credit quizzes. These help you solidify your knowledge and gain you a few points along the way.
      Third- Think with an open mind. Don't restrict yourself from coming up with an out of the box idea. This is a class for a reason. It's to test your limits to see what you are capable of.

     

Reading Reflection No. 1 (Week 7)

Week 7 Reading Reflection

1: Steve Jobs
      What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs was that he was not a very good student, and that he experimented with a variety of drugs and diets. I also didn't know he was involved in the making of Pixar.
     I admire is sheer addiction to perfection. It always seems as if he wanted his products to be royalty in the tech world, and obviously it worked out for the best.
     I least admired how he didn't treat many people with respect, and often angered a lot of people by in narcissistic personality.
     Of course Jobs encounter many failures throughout his career, such as the failure of the Lisa and being fired from apple to start neXT.

2: Steve Jobs was one of the best public speakers in the entire world. Not only was he an incredible speaker, but he was great at getting people excited about the launch of a new product. He knew how to bring people together to one large event to announce products such as the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He was funny on stage, he wore the same clothes, he frequently made fun of the competition , and he made Apple products seem like the luxury piece of technology the world always wanted. Not only did he speak the words that made these things seem appealing, he backed it up by offering a revolution product every few years with astounding results.

3: I wasn't quite sure what the book meant by "Working for $1 a year at some points". I wasn't sure if that was his salary or if it was some other monetary value. Either way, it didn't really matter what or how much he was getting paid. The only thing that mattered was that he was in control.

4: I would have asked him how long it took him to plan the iPhone from the drawing board to the launch. I would also ask him if he was working on future revolutionary products right now and when we would expect to see them.

5: I think Steve Jobs really didn't think his hard work was actually "hard work". Steve Jobs enjoyed so much what he did that it didn't matter who he hurt, or who he made angry. He wanted to change the world of technology so that our lives would be more simple. Of course he believes hard work is always a good way to motivate an entrepreneur, but he would most likely tell that person that the real key is to fully love what you do and what you create.

Idea Napkin No. 1

1: You

     I am David McCaskill, and I am very passionate about the aspects of my career field and confident in my learning ability and work ethic. Sports have been my life long passion ever since I could remember, and I have competed in a few sports, mainly Swimming and Golf. Golf is the sport that swept me off my feet six years ago, and ever since then I have been keen in making sure I get on path to get my into the golf world. I would like to eventually work on the PGA tour, or assist in bringing up the future stars of our game by either working with junior golfers or becoming a golf coach.

2: What are you offering to customers

     I am offering a unique golfing experience to junior golfers. One that bring kids up believe that golf can actually be fun for the younger kids, and making it competitive for the older ones. This golf program will help junior golf grow, and also keep kids in the game longer to develop their skills, or aspire to work in the golf industry 

3: Who are you offering this to

    I am offering this to anyone and everyone. Anyone whose family wants to give golf a try, or a family that has known and played golf for generations. Everyone is welcomed to get their children involved in the game.

4: Why do they care?

    The families who are already into golf want to find a completive environment for their children to polish their skills. Families will care because it is important for junior golfers to gain experience in tournaments if they would like to make it to the next level, which would be college golf. As far as the newer families, making golf fun is the most important aspect. Right now they may not care, but after giving it a try, and seeing that golf can be fun way change their mind. 

5: What are your core competencies?

      I believe that I am offering a platform that no other golf tour can match. With the advantage of big hole golf for the younger kids, and a tournament schedule that mimics the PGA tour itself, golfers will be very interested in testing their skills. Also, being a junior golfer in the modern golf era, and also from experience working on previous golf tours, I know exactly what junior golfers want, and what they need to become successful. My enthusiasm for the game is what sets me apart more than most. 

Evaluation: I feel like this concepts work together very well. I feel like this concept is different from other golf tours in a good way, while also retaining and enhancing the amount of fun junior golfers can have. If there are any weaknesses in this concept, it would be the advertisement for the older kids. Though have a PGA tour style tour may attract customers, it takes a while to build a strong field for junior golfers to compete in order to get ready for college golf. All in all this I feel like this concept would take time to develop, but once developed it gain being in serious results. 

    

Elevator Pitch No. 1

Here is my pitch for a more fun and less stressful Junior Golf experience. Golf is becoming less fun for kids at a young age, and it is my job to instill the same passion that I and many other people have for this great game into these kids so the game can continue to grow.

https://youtu.be/wi4MW32xhIA

Tweaking the Innovation

Product: Create a junior golf program that keeps golf fun for young children, while also keeping it more competitive for teens and high schoolers.

1: Product Service Mix

Revenue Drivers

• Big Hole Golf: Create golf tournament for younger golfers where the actual hole is much bigger to promote positive attitudes.
• Discounted Rates for Juniors: This would include cheaper lessons and clinics from the head professional
• Junior Golf Tour: Older kids would compete similar to professional golfers
• Kids Par: Create a score to par in which kids can shoot under to promote improvement. 

2: Mapping Each Item

• Big Hole Golf
• Core: The larger golf hole will make it much easier to get the ball into the hole.
• Tangible: Golfers will be able to physically see, putt, and chip their golf balls into this larger hole.
• Augmented: This makes the game much more fun and less stressful. The easier is it to make putts, the easier it is to get kids to like golf more
• Discounted Rates for Juniors
• Core: Cheaper prices for families to get their kids involved.
• Tangible: More money to spend on other items such as lessons, and golf clubs.
• Augmented: Cheap rates mean less barriers of entry. 
• Junior Golf Tour Tournaments:
• Core: Kids will get a chance to compete similar to PGA golfers
• Tangible: Kids will get trophies, receive tee gifts and prizes.
• Augmented: Added benefit of giving kids golf etiquette and competitive spirit.
• Kids Par:
• Core: Kids will learn how to shoot under par and gain improvement in a fun way.
• Tangible: Par will be higher for less experiences kids.
• Augmented: These divisions have an additional benefit of separating skills levels. 

3: Innovations

• Big Hole Golf
• The innovation in this is that kids get frustrated when they can't make their putts and chips inside that little hole. The goal for this program is to get kids to stay in golf at a young age to develop a talent and love for the game. Most kids quit golf because of its difficult nature, so making the game appear easier is an enormous trait.
• Discounted Rates for Juniors
• This innovation is self explanatory and is implemented in various golf courses. Though the discounted rates may be good, there still needs to be more lessons and clinics given by the PGA professional as well as benefits such as one free drink from the snack bar or a discount in the pro shop. This will reduce barriers of entry for parents in a normally expensive sports world. 
• Junior Golf Tour Tournaments:
• Creating a tour that is similar to the PGA tour would be something that definitely keeps teens and high schoolers in the game. Having Four "Majors" as well as a tour championship would be something every junior golfer would love to see. The innovation is that local golf tours become stale after a while, feeling as if each tournament feels the same. This divisional level would keep more young completive golfers in the game.
• Kids Par
• Creating a "Par" for beginners and improving young golfers would be another incentive in keeping kids in the sport. For example, a young beginner golfer usually hits the ball about 120 times around a golf course that has a par of 72. Making a handicap junior system, and making golf appear easier to up and coming golfers will keep them in the game. Once again, the big idea here is to make golf seem less stressful and intimidating.