Who We Are
Who are you?
What defines you?
When people speak about you … what would you like them to say?
What we hope people say about FlogStyle –
We get work done
Not taking ourselves too seriously
Understanding failure is temporary & is a catalyst to improvement
Problem Solvers
Risk Takers
Work Hard … Play Hard
With 25+ years in the Golf Business
The lessons learned continue to open up doors
What started as giving Golf Lessons has grown to include:
Learning about Marketing
Understanding Sales
Selling travel packages
Marc Solomon
The Boring
Grew-up in Central New Jersey
Moved to Orlando to get in Golf Business
Had 3 Assistant Professional jobs
Started teaching independently
Incorporated Golf Made Simple in 1999
The Fun
Grew-up in same town as Bruce Springsteen (Freehold)
Heavily influenced by additional Jersey personalities –
Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Bon Jovi, Abbott & Costello, Bruce Willis, Frank Sinatra, Joe Pesci, Tony Soprano, etc)
Hated school
Was held-back Junior year
Switched to another HS
Got kicked out halfway through Senior year
Moved out of parents house to Jersey Shore
Drove to Freehold 3 mornings a week to see a specially assigned tutor
Supported myself by …
Bussing tables at night
Roofing on weekends
Somehow got diploma
After 5 years of construction …
moved to Orlando to ‘Live The Dream’
While attending Golf Academy of South
Started caddying at Isleworth CC
Forecaddied for Arnold Palmer 18 holes
& Michael Jordan with Terry Francona for 36!!!! Day with MJ & TF is cherished
Owe an amazing amount of Thank You’s to Linda Mandros for hiring me to work for Craig Shankland
Salary – $5 per hour, no paid teaching, no health insurance … though, that $200 week job more than paid off:
Learning from Linda, Craig & Moe Norman
The 1st golf clinic that I taught (with an audience watching) was with Craig & Moe
Got to be around Moe for 2 Winter Seasons
The golf knowledge I learned allowed me to confidently spend the next summer in Norway teaching Oil Executives & Drillers from around the world for $75 per hour
That bet on myself (to work for $5 per hour) continued to pay off …
Once back in States … Linda gave me the opportunity to work & teach at the legendary Matanzas Woods GC in Palm Coast FLA
In 1999, again bet on myself by cutting the cord of a guaranteed paycheck to teach full time
After 4 years hired an Instructor
Since then, have continued to create opportunities for Golf Professionals to gain valuable teaching/business experience
Some haven’t liked me … yet, I’m more concerned with helping people that are willing to grow into success
In 2015 … decided California is most beautiful place on earth
Moved GMS west
Proud of my company
It’s been a tough road
Has made me a stronger person
Way too many people to thank for helping me
1st half of career … Golf Professional
2nd half … Flog Professional
Excited to grow hair long & shave once a week
Have had the most mind blowing trip
¡Gracias Mi Amigos!
The FlogStyle Team
Brandon Bittner
The Golfer
Brandon’s been skying flop shots since he was 13
Starting in 2005, he’s driven his career in golf with the flop shot mentality…
Hit it as high as you can!
Golfers regularly tell him to change his unique swing…
And then he beats them!
That individuality influences the way he teaches golf to this day!
The Flogger
Brandino no longer wears a watch because he decides what time it is
He’s more than just a glorious mustache
His smoothness on the course transitions to how he lives his life off it
A vintage soul fuels his enthusiasm for good food, great music, as well as …
Spreading smiles and kindness to everyone he meets.
Kevin Taglione
The Golfer
Most learn on a course
Kevin learned to play through the neighborhood he grew up in
With a plastic ball he routed his own courses
Creating doglegs around houses, par 3’s over streets, and sand boxes became sand traps
His ultimate dream is to play a par 3 in Time Square or build his own 6 hole golf course
The Flogger
There are no boundaries …
There are no rules
Nature can present a certain type of freedom that isn’t found in everyday life
His favorite saying is “In order to get found, you have to get lost first”
There doesn’t need to be a plan …
there just needs to be an adventure
Jared Gardner
The Golfer
20 stroke swings
day by day
are his forté.
We don’t know if we’re getting
65 JG
or 85 JG…
And we’re not sure if he knows
which one is showing up either
The Flogger
#Sports
If it requires a ball, bat, stick, club, rod, disc, or racquet
Chances are… he’s first in line to go
And he lives by
‘15 glasses of ice water a day
Keep the White Claws away’…
But he loses his water cup on the weekends…
Isaac Calden
The Golfer
Isaac began golfing at six years old
Aiming for elk at the Estes Park, Colorado Junior Camp
Even with a golf season of barely six months, he managed to find a love for the game
And began teaching juniors by age 17
This led to Isaac pursuing his PGA Membership and launching a career in golf.
The Flogger
Growing up in the mountains, Isaac’s interests go far beyond golf
He loves adventuring the great outdoors and is quite the adrenaline junkie
Snowboarding, mountain biking, fly fishing, and more …
Isaac discovers the road less traveled
He lives by becoming an athlete first and golfer second … the true FlogStyle way!
Angela Xu
The Golfer
As a D1 student-athlete
Angela transitioned from a player’s view into the golf business field with GMS
She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans
2020 Outstanding Graduate from New Mexico State University
And soon to be a new PGA of America Pro.
The Flogger
Angela dared to jump as high as she could
Or be as still as she should in her work
A natural laughter gene in her blood represents her enthusiasm for being an active learner to her surroundings
Wondering what she does on the weekend?
Find her at hiking trails in Coachella Valley or mixing color palettes to her paintings