Scott Grant was living every golfer’s dream, traveling all over the country, playing the best courses in places such as Scottsdale, Ariz.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Southern California.
He was having a blast, but his wife, Andrea, not so much.
“That lifestyle was not one that was sustainable, according to my wife,” Grant said. “She said, ‘A. Golf less; B. Drop the country club or C. Find something else to do.’ ”
Among the perks that came with playing high-end country clubs was routinely having perfectly polished shoes, clean clubs and all the little things the average golfer at his or her local course just doesn’t get. Then the light went on.
“How do I get a shoe room and the higher-end country club amenities down to the municipal golfer, public golf and the avid golfer?” Grant asked himself. “I just started talking to golf course operators and hooked up with a guy in Phoenix that manages the Locker Room Association of America, and he has a training video and all the supplies and tools you need to take care of all the leather shoes and boots.”
And so Ace MacClean was born. Grant’s mobile facility is designed to help golfers get their shoes polished and respiked and their clubs cleaned. He also recently added on-the-spot regripping.
Grant began his business this spring. He takes his trailer from his home in Severance across northern Colorado to upward of nine courses on a Thursday-through-Sunday circuit.
“They offer a service that you just don’t typically see at a public golf course,” Ute Creek Golf Course head professional Sam Linnenburger said. “They are very professional.”
“It just makes it a little bit more fun and gives people another reason to come to the golf course,” said David McCleave, the head pro at SouthRidge Golf Club in Fort Collins. “It’s been very well received around here. You always hear guys commenting about it.”
Grant said he already has entrepreneurs asking about possibly franchising the idea in Arizona. He said he has golfers calling to find out where they are going to be each week. He has been known to come to people’s houses or meet them going to or coming from the course.
“Golf is all mental,” said Grant, who doesn’t play as much as he used to — but usually has the best-looking equipment of anyone in his foursome. “When you look down and you see nice white shoes, you’ve got brand new spikes, you’ve got tacky grips and you just kind of have a swagger that maybe you didn’t have before.”
Grant is learning on the fly. He has no desire to sit behind a desk any time soon. He leaves a lot of the paperwork to his business partner, former University of Colorado regent Tom Lucero, and would just as soon spend most of his days out at the course, interacting with the golfers. Grant envisioned the customers who would make the business work. But his initial hypothesis was wrong. Most of his business has come from scratch golfers.
“I really thought the guy that was out there once every one or two weeks would be the lion’s share of our business,” Grant said. “But to be honest, it’s the avid golfer and the low handicap guys that are playing a lot of different courses and a lot of different events.”
Grant is taking baby steps to get his business off the ground, including a couple of scheduled trips to Heritage Eagle Bend and Saddle Rock in the metro area to show off his wares later this summer. The new gripping station that allows players to regrip and go on the spot, without solvent or tape, is something new Grant believes will help build his business.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354, or jyunt@denverpost.com
This week’s schedule
PGA TOUR: AT&T National
Where: Congressional Country Club, Blue Course (7,569 yards, par 71), Bethesda, Md.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.; Friday, 1 p.m., 6:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m., 7:30 p.m.) and KCNC-4 (Sat., 1 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.).
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Senior Players Championship
Where: Fox Chapel Golf Club (6,710 yards, par 70), Pittsburgh
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday, 11 a.m., 10:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m., 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 11 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 p.m., 11 p.m.).
LPGA TOUR: NW Arkansas Championship
Where: Pinnacle Country Club (6,274 yards, par 71), Rogers, Ark.
TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 4:30 p.m., Saturday, 12:30 a.m., 3 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.; Monday, 1 a.m.).
