The Real Deal with Bob Philion
Sep 15, 2026 · 2 min · 2 segments
As often as golf and business are linked, few people truly understand how these deals really work. Bob Philion wants to change that. The former golf equipment CEO's new Golf Digest podcast provides…
Bob PhilionHost
Welcome to the introduction of the Real Deal Podcast, brought to you by Gosling's Rum.
I figured that before you dig into this thing and commit yourself to an episode, or maybe more, I should probably tell you what the hell we're going to be talking about on this show.
I've spent more than 30 years in the business of sports and about the last 15 running businesses as a CEO and a big chunk of that time building the Cobra and Puma brands in golf.
And somewhere along the way, I became fascinated, not just with what we all watch and love about sports, but with what I call the game behind the game.
Think about everything that has to happen before your favorite tour player ever gets to the first tee at a major championship.
There are agents and endorsement deals, sponsors and logos, coaches and caddies, ads and PR, the clubs they play, the ball they use, the clothes they wear, down to the credentials for their family and friends, and everything in between.
And behind it all are businesses, relationships, decisions, and a whole lot of people and stories the fans never see.
And that's really the idea behind The Real Deal, because I've learned that there's almost always a better story behind the story.
Together with Golf Digest, I'm sitting down with some of the most interesting people in golf to take you inside that world.
And we'll talk about who's in those rooms, where the money flows, what lessons were learned along the way, and what sounded crazy at the time and turned out to be brilliant.
I've known some of these guests for decades, others I'm meeting for the first time, but I'm hoping every conversation feels the same way, candid, curious, and hopefully a lot of fun.
If there's a story in the business of golf you've always wondered about, a person you'd love to hear from, or something you think we should dig into, reach out through the website or on social, because I've got plenty of questions, and I'm pretty sure you do too.
Welcome to the introduction of the Real Deal Podcast, brought to you by Gosling's Rum.
I figured that before you dig into this thing and commit yourself to an episode, or maybe more, I should probably tell you what the hell we're going to be talking about on this show.
I've spent more than 30 years in the business of sports and about the last 15 running businesses as a CEO and a big chunk of that time building the Cobra and Puma brands in golf.
And somewhere along the way, I became fascinated, not just with what we all watch and love about sports, but with what I call the game behind the game.
Think about everything that has to happen before your favorite tour player ever gets to the first tee at a major championship.
There are agents and endorsement deals, sponsors and logos, coaches and caddies, ads and PR, the clubs they play, the ball they use, the clothes they wear, down to the credentials for their family and friends, and everything in between.
And behind it all are businesses, relationships, decisions, and a whole lot of people and stories the fans never see.
And that's really the idea behind The Real Deal, because I've learned that there's almost always a better story behind the story.
Together with Golf Digest, I'm sitting down with some of the most interesting people in golf to take you inside that world.
And we'll talk about who's in those rooms, where the money flows, what lessons were learned along the way, and what sounded crazy at the time and turned out to be brilliant.
I've known some of these guests for decades, others I'm meeting for the first time, but I'm hoping every conversation feels the same way, candid, curious, and hopefully a lot of fun.
If there's a story in the business of golf you've always wondered about, a person you'd love to hear from, or something you think we should dig into, reach out through the website or on social, because I've got plenty of questions, and I'm pretty sure you do too.
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