At just 35 years of age, Golf Channel Senior VP/Business Development & Strategy WILL MCINTOSH has quickly ascended through the ranks and now oversees the net’s various digital businesses. As a former founder and CEO of three businesses while still in his 20s, McIntosh’s current responsibilities include performance marketing, product development and content generation for GolfNow, GolfChannel.com and GolfAdvisor.com, among others. As of late, however, GolfNow has proven to be his shining achievement. He has helped the online tee-time retail service grow from 1,000 golf course partners to more than 9,000 in 13 countries, which are serviced by more than 400 professionals. The wide array of responsibilities keeps him constantly on his toes, a challenge he is more than up for. McIntosh: “It always fun and every day is a little bit different, which keeps things interesting.”
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: I have a wife and three kids and we live in an area of Orlando called College Park -- a family-friendly neighborhood in the heart of downtown. We are members of the Country Club of Orlando and they do something every Friday called “Chillin’ and Grillin.’” It is a really fun family environment where the kids swim at the nice pool there and play with their friends. This way the moms and dads can have real adult stimulation and not be entirely overwhelmed by what the kids are up to.
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: With three young kids, they tend to act as the alarm clock on Saturday and Sunday. But my wife and I both try to stay physically fit and active, so we tend to work out when we first wake up. We love to play golf and tennis together when we can. It is nice in Orlando because there are a ton of things you can do. This Saturday, we are taking the kids to Universal Studios to relax with some family friends. After that, it is not entirely uncommon for us to take the entire family out for movie night. We have soccer starting up soon here, and at some point, our Saturdays will begin to get monopolized.
GAME BOY: On Sundays, we normally attend a service at a local church we go to called Summit. We typically go to brunch afterward at one of our different really good spots. There is a restaurant, Dexter’s, and another that is a tapas restaurant called Santiago’s Bodega in College Park. In the afternoon, we try to start winding down and getting ready for the week ahead. If I can get away and be really selfish, I like to play golf games on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4. I grew up in the gamer generation, but with the three kids it is certainly difficult to find the time.
BROKEN TELEPHONE: I try to put the phone down as much as possible on weekends. With this environment we work in, you are always tethered to work. What is interesting about the GolfNow business is that the biggest days in this business -- because we are selling tee times -- is on Saturday and Sunday. And with Golf Channel, we are a 24/7 network. If there is something significant that is happening on the weekend, it tends to be very difficult to detach yourself entirely from the business.
