Ian Fraser and Club Champion Split!

[GolfSpy_APH]

Wow....

[Shankster]

24 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Wow....

It’s cool.  He is going to be the new PGA Tour Chairman… hopefully.  

[GolfSpy_APH]

I think this whole timeline of everything is fascinating. 

I am curious where this goes for him. He has built a brand (TXG) that exploded. Then partnered with Club Champion a year or two ago? A lot of pushback or questioning by the community and now we are here where he is leaving. 

The appeal to TXG and more Club Champion Canada was Ian/Mikey/Matt and their dynamic. The personality are what made this content enjoyable to watch. Without them and their knowledge I am hard out. I already watch a lot less than I did in their prime TXG days. 

As he said in one of the comments, this is what happens with successful businesses, but I can't help but think this whole thing didn't quite go to plan. 

There was a pretty obvious disconnect when they originally merged with Matty leaving. The response was this was going to enable TXG to do what they wanted to expand and do XYZ. So now it is him leaving? Which I am sure he will still be around, but they will need to find a new face for Club Champion Canada or that channel is going to just die off. 

It is also going to be weird watching their videos over the next while due to us all knowing him leaving and the questions that are going to go around it. 

I have tons of thoughts...

[Josh Parker]

Will he step full time into more of a content creator role?  You have to figure the money from the channel vs the 9-9 grind of running a business.  It will definitely be interesting to see what happens.

[03trdblack]

My guess is he had a contract to stay on for a certain amount of time after the acquisition and now he's met that requirement. Someone that has their own business and is used running the show isn't going to just start working for and answering to someone else.

He's got plenty of money now and will likely go start something new. 

 

 

Edited October 18 by 03trdblack

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, 03trdblack said:

My guess is he had a contract to stay on for a certain amount of time after the acquisition and now he's met that requirement. Someone that has their own business and is used running the show isn't going to just start working for and answering to someone else.

He's got plenty of money now and will likely go start something new. 

 

 

Maybe, but he was also the one who kept saying how good of a thing this was for them when the merger first happened. 

He was pretty steadfast in saying how it would help them create the content they wanted to and open up new avenues to do what they may not have been able to do in the past.

I think he will be immensely successful in whatever he does next. So will Club Champion Canada with their stores, but I would imagine that YouTube page declines immensely after Ian is gone.

[03trdblack]

Just now, GolfSpy_APH said:

Maybe, but he was also the one who kept saying how good of a thing this was for them when the merger first happened. 

He was pretty steadfast in saying how it would help them create the content they wanted to and open up new avenues to do what they may not have been able to do in the past.

I think he will be immensely successful in whatever he does next. So will Club Champion Canada with their stores, but I would imagine that YouTube page declines immensely after Ian is gone.

What exactly would you expect him to say after CC just paid him a boatload of money? Can't expect him to get on YouTube and spout how shi**y CC is as a company.

[GolfSpy_APH]

8 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

What exactly would you expect him to say after CC just paid him a boatload of money? Can't expect him to get on YouTube and spout how shi**y CC is as a company.

He addressed all of that when the original merger came out. It allowed them to expand as a company, open up more stores, bring in more business to more areas and hire more people. It was a huge boost to the development of his brand and what he wanted to do. There was definitely positive impacts from the merger and when it happened. Again they addressed all of that in separate videos. 

Money of course drives people, but given Ian has stakes his reputation on his brand and name it wouldn't make sense for him to partner with someone who he felt would drive that into the ground. 

Given all that he has given back to the golfing world and knowledge he has shared which he could have monetized a lot more I would be hard pressed to put him in the greedy category as you are seemingly doing. 

Bottom line is we won't know until he comes out with his new plan or addresses everything in further detail. 

[03trdblack]

I didn't say anything about him being greedy. This is business 101.  A company comes in and buys another company and as part of the deal, existing leadership is expected to stay on for a certain amount of time in order to claim whatever was promised to them in the deal. Once that time period ends, 99% of the time those people move on. 

Ian built a business with a certain set of standards that frankly CC doesn't really seem to meet. They way CC conducts their business can be pretty shady and TXG never gave me that vibe.  There wasn't anything about the way CC does business that I felt aligned with the standards Ian had which is why I felt he sold out a little bit. Yes, he was able to expand stores but they aren't HIS TXG stores anymore, they're Club Champion stores and he ultimately has zero control over the business practices they incorporate. 

He cashed out, met his obligations, and is now moving on to do something else that he'll have full control over. That's all it is.  After doing this sort of venture for so long, he may be bored and wants to do something much different that keeps his interests more. 

I'm more than willing to bet Mikey will be coming with him. 

[KC Golf]

Not super surprised.  I have only met Ian once so I don’t know him, but he is a really genuine guy with a knowledge about golf that is simply amazing. He is also kind with his time.

I know whatever he does next will be something the industry will be watching. 

TXG was an amazing fitting experience but it’s a tough business too.  I think selling to CC was probably a wise move. There are not that many opportunities to cash out from a business on attractive terms when you have a limited buyer universe. 

Fortunately for us he will still do his YouTube channel. 

[mpatrickriley]

New MGS director of Product Testing—Canada?

[Shrek74]

I was very disappointed when the merger happened, and I'm not really any happier 2 years later. TXG was such a different animal than CC in so many ways, that the merger never really made sense to me outside of both companies getting to expand their footprints.

I wonder if the name TXG is still owned by Ian and/or available for use once again. If it is, I'd think Ian may want to rebuild TXG and perhaps keep it a smaller boutique brand like it was before and get back to his roots of fittings, high quality builds, and making the content he wants. CC is a bit of a shady company in my opinion, and their costs are just ridiculous for what they offer (I was booked for an iron fitting earlier this year and they told me a set of irons would start at almost $3k). See what he can do to mend his relationship with Matt and maybe collab with him once again as well, if only on a here and there basis while Matt also does his other stuff too.

I'm happy for Ian and hope he gets back into doing what he wants and loves, regardless of what that is.

[cksurfdude]

On 10/18/2024 at 7:45 AM, 03trdblack said:

Ian built a business with a certain set of standards that frankly CC doesn't really seem to meet.

 

21 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

TXG was such a different animal than CC in so many ways,

 

My knowledge of TXG is limited to what I've read on here and a few of their vids I've watched; CC I know first hand by in person visits ... so will agree with both those comments. 

It is also likely that Ian - as an entrepreneur who built up his own successful business - did not enjoy working for a larger corporate entity as much and may be moving on after contractual obligations.

Will be interesting to see what comes next for him!

[silver & black]

On 10/18/2024 at 7:45 AM, 03trdblack said:

I'm more than willing to bet Mikey will be coming with him. 

...and Matty boy. 

Edited October 19 by silver & black

[funkyjudge]

On 10/18/2024 at 7:45 AM, 03trdblack said:

I didn't say anything about him being greedy. This is business 101.  A company comes in and buys another company and as part of the deal, existing leadership is expected to stay on for a certain amount of time in order to claim whatever was promised to them in the deal. Once that time period ends, 99% of the time those people move on. 

Ian built a business with a certain set of standards that frankly CC doesn't really seem to meet. They way CC conducts their business can be pretty shady and TXG never gave me that vibe.  There wasn't anything about the way CC does business that I felt aligned with the standards Ian had which is why I felt he sold out a little bit. Yes, he was able to expand stores but they aren't HIS TXG stores anymore, they're Club Champion stores and he ultimately has zero control over the business practices they incorporate. 

He cashed out, met his obligations, and is now moving on to do something else that he'll have full control over. That's all it is.  After doing this sort of venture for so long, he may be bored and wants to do something much different that keeps his interests more. 

I'm more than willing to bet Mikey will be coming with him. 

Although I seriously doubt that this will happen, perhaps Ian will get back together with Matt Blois in a future business venture. Those two not only had such great chemistry, which Ian and Mike M. have not quite been able to replicate, although it has certainly improved greatly; Ian and Matt also produced some great online content.

[funkyjudge]

2 hours ago, silver & black said:

...and Matty boy. 

That would be nice, but I am not sure if will happen (see my comment immediately above this reply).

[GolfSpy_APH]

I wonder what the chances of being in a colder Canadian climate may have to do with it. Shorter season and given all that he had done, maybe the drive to be somewhere that isn't as seasonal would be appealing? 

I know I got that way in Canada.

[Chunkin]

I mean, saw this coming when they came together a few years ago. Good news in Canada is that Ian built the CC teams here and I will vouch for the team in Calgary, Dave and Tim are two of the best fitters out there. I have been fit many times in the last few years and no one comes close to these guys. Can't speak for the US obviously. Actually glad to see this split so that they can make better content... hopefully. 

[KC Golf]

On 10/19/2024 at 1:09 PM, GolfSpy_APH said:

I wonder what the chances of being in a colder Canadian climate may have to do with it. Shorter season and given all that he had done, maybe the drive to be somewhere that isn't as seasonal would be appealing? 

I know I got that way in Canada.

That’s an interesting comment.  He grew up in the UK and still has a young family, so I guess he has lots of options. While Toronto has snow and winter, it does has direct flights to most places, so as a golf industry guy is not a bad spot.

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 hour ago, KC Golf said:

That’s an interesting comment.  He grew up in the UK and still has a young family, so I guess he has lots of options. While Toronto has snow and winter, it does has direct flights to most places, so as a golf industry guy is not a bad spot.

 

Toronto also sucks.... lol

[RetiredBoomer]

I will miss Fraser a lot.

Why Golf Mates is my favorite YouTube golf channel,
his was by far my favorite equipment-oriented show.

I wonder if he will appear somewhere else,
or if he's just tired of doing it.

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

New chapter starting soon.

 

[Shankster]

16 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

New chapter starting soon.

 

Interesting 

[funkyjudge]

To those who have commented on the potential for Ian Fraser and Matt Blois getting back together in any way, or who responded to my replies on this potential, here’s a couple of quotes from Matt’s live Q&A podcast today:

Q: "Is the band getting back together?“  A: “No, the band is not getting back together. I am not part of anything relating to the recent announcements, nor do I care (he may have used the word wish) to be”.

Later in the podcast someone asked a more direct question regarding Ian and Matt reuniting and Matt responded with a very curt and emphatic “NO”.

 

Edited October 23 by funkyjudge

[GolfSpy_APH]

7 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

To those who have commented on the potential for Ian Fraser and Matt Blois getting back together in any way, or who responded to my replies on this potential, here’s a couple of quotes from Matt’s live Q&A podcast today:

Q: "Is the band getting back together?“  A: “No, the band is not getting back together. I am not part of anything relating to the recent announcements, nor do I care (he may have used the word wish) to be”.

Later in the podcast someone asked a more direct question regarding Ian and Matt reuniting and Matt responded with a very curt and emphatic “NO”.

 

I don't think that is surprising. 

They tried, they split, they tried again and now Matt had his own venture. 

[funkyjudge]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I don't think that is surprising. 

They tried, they split, they tried again and now Matt had his own venture. 

I completely agree, which is why my initial post in this thread said that I seriously doubted that Ian and Matt would ever get back together (in a business setting).

[CFreddie]

On 10/22/2024 at 11:31 AM, GolfSpy_APH said:

Toronto also sucks.... lol

Ouch...thats cold @GolfSpy_APH (see what I did there?)

Regardless, I've always been a fan of Ian - looking forward to seeing what he's working on next.

[funkyjudge]

On 10/23/2024 at 3:46 PM, GolfSpy_APH said:

I don't think that is surprising. 

They tried, they split, they tried again and now Matt had his own venture. 

He expanded on that just a little bit more in his YouTube video today. What Matt said was exactly as you presented it above. He wishes Ian well and there are no hard feelings between them, according to Matt. Once the Club Champion acquisition happened, they both came to the realization that Matt’s involvement was not a fit in that new business model. They gave it one more brief try, but it was clear that there was little to no place for Matt in the new Club Champion Canada organization. Besides, Matt says that he is happy with the way that his new business venture is going.

[RoverRick]

He has to be looking at the boom of golf creators and thinking, “I can make videos and play golf and do equipment reviews when I want and not be tied to this building and make more money without the bills.”