 Niall Flanagan, walking on water! When Niall Flanagan, a golf industry veteran, came out of retirement to head up the golf division for a small wine distributor called Wine&Earth, he knew he had landed his dream job! Niall started his career in the wine industry, working for a wine merchant in London, back in the early 80s. He quickly passed his WSET exams, but not having the right school tie and not having a good enough palette to try to become a Master of Wine, his career changed. He took up his other passion, golf, working for the PGA, running tournaments in the UK, and refereeing on the European Tour. He then progressed into club management, starting at Wentworth Club, which was the foundation for his taking on several senior management roles at Celtic Manor, Dubai Golf, St Andrews Links Trust, and Loch Lomond, where he was the CEO before starting his own consultancy company, Club Inc. During his 30 years in the golf industry, Niall understood the importance of wine to members and their clubs. He was lucky enough to visit most of the top clubs and resorts around the world and enjoy the company of some very high-profile members and leading club industry professionals. To help promote the golf division to golf clubs and golfers, Niall had the idea of setting up a podcast looking at the connection between wine and golf. He believes this connection starts with The Open Championship and the famous trophy, which is a claret jug! When researching the idea, he found that there were thousands of golf and wine podcasts, but none that really highlighted both. Never having been involved in a podcast before, Niall took time to understand what was required to set up a successful podcast, and one of the most important aspects was the name. After much debate with family and friends, “Grapes & Greens” was chosen. His great-niece, Tess Taylor, had just received a first-class honors degree in Graphic Design, and she agreed to become the creative director and produce a fun logo and icon that would court the imagination of everyone they showed it to. The next piece of the jigsaw was getting people to agree to be guests on the podcast. Niall approached people he has known in the golf and club industry for over 30 years. The result was that people loved the idea and wanted to chat about their love of golf and wine in a relaxed atmosphere. Through LinkedIn, Niall met Diana Delucia, the founder of Golf Kitchen Magazine, and Fernando Silva, Artist, Sommelier, and Wine Director at GlenArbor Golf Club, who produces “The Club Wine Review” for the magazine. More contacts and ideas were formed, especially with the US market in mind.  The next step was to try and film the podcasts to promote a Grapes & Greens YouTube channel. Once again, fate played a hand when Niall reached out to one of his Insta- gram followers, Ash Harris from Enable Golf. Ash is an experienced content creator in the golf industry working with some of the worlds best golfers and golf brands. When approached about this opportunity, he was excited to help bring the idea to life and create imagery and videos that would highlight and market some of the best golf clubs and wineries around the world. In February 2025, the first four podcasts will be filmed and recorded with the idea that each edition will go out on a two-week cycle. Guests come from the golf and club industry, stars from the sports world, wine producers, and hospitality experts, all of whom have a passion for golf and a love of wine. Each edition will be promoted on the Grapes & Greens social network accounts, and the guests will resonate with golfers and wine lovers keen to hear their stories and learn about their wine choices. When asked who he would most like to have on the podcast, Justin Timberlake’s name came up. Not only has he invested in golf, but he and Tiger Woods are opening a sports bar in St Andrews in the old cinema where Niall used to take his children to watch movies on wet Saturday afternoons. He also happens to have 72.3 million Instagram followers, so if you are reading this, Justin, you know where we are! The podcast will feature a wine in every edition, with guests bringing their choices. Niall will highlight a Wine&Earth wine that people can buy at a discounted rate when they subscribe. We will run competitions to play courses and visit wineries, and we are delighted to have PXG as a partner with other companies to be announced soon. If you like Niall’s story, sign up to @grapes and greens_ on Instagram and get ready for the first podcast edition, which will be released in late February. You will not be disappointed. Cheers, and play well! ~ By Tess Taylor Contact details: Niall Flanagan Cell: 0044 772 533 3898 Email: [email protected] Instagram: @grapes and greens_ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@grapesandgreens 
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|