'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAp9XGm//EAB4QAAEDBQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQABQYREwei/9oACAEBAAE/AMXz47l7LNsck5SRXWSZiMaDm2QbJS+Crglf/8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACA//aAAgBAgEBPwDCyk//xAAZEQEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDBBH/2gAIAQMBAT8A3QRl4an/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Joel Dahmen is a fan favorite. If we look for a genuinely popular PGA Tour star, one of the first names that comes to mind is his. No wonder his excellent finish at The Players Championship 2024 has generated countless expressions of joy all over social media.
Joel Dahmen's result at TPC Sawgrass comes after several months of ups and downs in his professional career. It has been a process in which the player and his team have embarked on new paths to bring back good results, and one of those novelties is his partnership with Rad Golf.
Rad Golf is a golf technology company that is breaking into the PGA Tour in the footsteps of Joel Dahmen and his caddie Geno Bonnalie (another fan favorite). Dahmen and Bonnalie share the company's vision that technology can play a significant role in golf, and they embrace the idea with enthusiasm.
Joel Dahmen, Geno Bonnalie and Peter Johnson, the founder of Rad Golf, were kind enough to speak exclusively to Sportskeeda about this and other topics.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Q: Can you tell me a bit about what Rad Golf does? What is its bread and butter?
Peter Johnson: In a nutshell, Rad Golf is a device-centric golf tech company. We focus on innovating products from speakers to rangefinders, GPS tracking devices to watches. On the backend, we use analytics and data to support all of our products. The ultimate goal is to make the golf experience seamless. It's all about convenience.
Q: How did Rad Golf first cross paths with Joel and Geno?
Peter Johnson: When our CMO Scott Harkey and I were looking into signing our first PGA players, he suggested we look into signing Joel and Geno. The guys are both based in Arizona, and the idea kept making more sense as we researched.
Joel's attitude totally fits our dynamics and culture. I knew his agent previously, so once that idea was out there, it was a no-brainer. It's funny because once we decided to move forward, Geno and I realized we had a four-year long text chain back and forth on a totally different business idea. Neither of us had put together that we were the same people. It was a full circle moment.
Q: Golf is a very traditional sport, but at the same time, it’s open to technology. Why do you think technological innovation is important in golf?
Peter Johnson: Technology is a fine balance. There's a wider conversation across all sports about when technology goes too far, and that's completely valid. There are some advancements that are totally unnecessary, and actually interfere with fairness. Nobody should ever be given an unfair advantage over anybody else.
For us, it's about using technology to optimize convenience and enjoyment for players of all skill levels. So you don't have caddies out there walking miles to find golf balls, or players unable to read their shots. It's about making the sport more accessible, so whether it's somebody's first or three thousandth time playing, the pace of play is more enjoyable.
Q: Joel Dahmen and Geno Bonnalie are the first PGA Tour players to be sponsored by Rad Golf. Do you see Rad Golf partnering with more PGA golfers in the future?
Peter Johnson: Yes. We have another partnership announcement coming up. Stay tuned for that.
Q: When did you first start using Rad Golf products? What inspired this collaboration?
Joel Dahmen: I first started using Rad after I saw them online and my team reached out and started connecting. The rest is history.
Q: What is your experience as players with Rad Golf products? How does this technology enhance your golf experience?
Joel Dahmen: The array of products that Rad Golf has is mind-blowing. The integrated technology that all of their products use is really intuitive for me to check yardage and strategy alongside Geno.
Q: Golf is a very traditional sport, but at the same time, it’s open to technology. Why do you think technological innovation is important in golf?
Joel Dahmen: Because we live in America and that is where the world is going. Keep up, or get left behind!
Q: A significant portion of professional tournaments do not allow the use of technological devices, for example, rangefinders. Do you think this should change?
Joel Dahmen: I don’t make the rules of golf, I just try to follow them. It might speed play up a little bit, but I’m just here to hit the ball forward.
Joel Dahmen finished The Players Championship 2024 in a tie for 11th place with a score of 12 under.
