Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Neal
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started GolfDads while I was playing professional baseball in the NPB in Japan. It was during Covid times and I was having to quarantine in the hotel so I was stuck there for 6 days. With plenty of time on my hands I had the idea to start a golf company called GolfDads. I was recently a new father so the name came natural to me with also loving Golf. I am a pretty artistic guy so I started sketching out a logo and what I thought it should look like. With the help of a friend we came up with the official logo and from there I started making hats and so forth. At the beginning I wanted the merchandise and swag to be for new dads but deep down I knew the company could be more than just a golf merchandise brand, So I partnered with local Ft Worth charity Hope Farm and proceeds go to them to help their mission statement which is to help at risk kids without fathers in their lives. So now we are giving back and helping kids with mentoring and eventually help them get into the game of golf. So now Golfdads is a multi facet company that is really headed toward big things and really making a positive impact in the golf world.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think the hardest part about starting a company is the momentum. It’s not going to happen overnight and you have to know that it takes time to see it come into motion. Keeping the vision in your head of what it needs to be in the long term is the most important. Playing baseball professionally taught me that you have to keep the ultimate goal in sight and make baby steps towards them everyday. So that is what we are doing now. I have assembled a team of like minded individuals who believe in the company and we are pushing each day to make it great and make it ultimately what we believe it can be.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work has been exclusively in professional baseball. I was drafted out of the University of Oklahoma in 2010 and since then have been in baseball. I played 14 years total with 4 years in MLB and 3 years in Tokyo Japan playing in the NPB. I recently retired after the 2023 season so that was the first career of my life and now moving onto the next.
How do you think about luck?
I think that I have been fortunate in my life to have made good decisions when I have needed to make them. I have always had a hunch for feeling if something was off or if it needed to be changed. That was the hunch that I got when I decided to make a pivot with GolfDads and make it have a bigger impact than just cool merchandise. I felt it needed that to last and since doing that it has been a great decision and really given a new life to the company.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://GolfDadsproshop.com
- Instagram: @_Golf_dads
