News

A former D1 college golfer built a million dollar business in one year

Published

8 years ago

May 4, 2018

Where do you go when you want to buy, say, a simulator or a launch monitor online? Chances are, if you fire up Google and do a search for your preferred product, you’ll see Rain or Shine Golf in the first page of results.

And if you haven’t shopped for said product in the past three years, you likely have no idea what Shawn Foley’s (no, not Sean Foley) business is. That’s because Foley, a former Division I golfer, didn’t launch his ecommerce golf business until August of 2016…and it’s been massively successful.

As the name suggests, Rain or Shine Golf specializes in every variety of indoor golf product: mats, nets, simulators, GPS watches, rangefinders, launch monitors, putting greens, putting aids, analyzers, etc.
As a Wisconsin native, Foley became accustomed to an environment in which he could only play golf three or four months per year. He was introduced to indoor golf products when his father, a scratch golfer himself, bought the family an indoor putting green.

After college, Foley says

“I worked in insurance for a few years, and I found myself becoming a little bit distanced from the game…working the nine-to-five grind.”

Still, his passion for golf remained strong, and among the many business ideas he considered, one building on his experiences in Wisconsin’s harsh winter. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about starting and sustaining Rain or Shine Golf.

What was your thinking in starting the business, and how did the business develop?

“The main motivation wasn’t even golf necessarily as a starting point, it was more wanting to challenge myself…so I started doing this as a side hustle, so to speak. I started an online business with a friend of mine, and we decided after looking into about 25 different industries. Golf wasn’t the first idea, and we spent essentially a month or two trying to almost prove it wrong, and we kept thinking, “This might really work.” And as we got further along in the process, we just decided we were going to run with it. I’ve been able to stay in an industry that’s so exciting and has an extremely passionate following. That’s helped us see a lot of success.”

What was the decision to pull the trigger like?

“Getting a business off the ground floor, at the time, seems like the most grueling thing in the world. I’ve had the opportunity to start a couple of other businesses, and it’s so intimidating to think of how much time, effort, and money it took to get into this position. It’s a very difficult and slow process.”

What was it like when you started to get some traction?

“I still remember our first sale…it was one of the coolest feelings of my life. I think it took us about a month. We had an ecommerce skill set, my partner and I, we decided we wanted to do golf. We knew we wanted to be in retail…not in wholesale. We were just trying to grind our way into visibility through Google and through social media, and it was a lot of money to get to that first sale.”

“The last year-and-a-half, we’ve been trying to stay out of our own way. The business has grown…I think we saw about 1,000 percent growth in the first year. We’re just keeping our heads down.”

“Starting the business on the side…after we got to Black Friday, I had the feeling I couldn’t keep up with it anymore, and I felt it was time to pull the trigger and do it full time…but I eventually made the decision in April of 2017.”

Tell us about your approach to retail, what’s working, and your approach to stocking products

“The toughest part for us is we are in the high-dollar side, so the toughest part is getting that customer on the front end, so we have to fight to provide the best service and retain every customer we can. We’re almost following a backward model of selling the higher dollar amount item and supplementing it with lower ticket items…we really had to claw our way in and buy our way in with a lot of advertising.”

“As the president of the company, I’m still very involved in the customer service process. We try to provide the best service out there…that’s vital to retaining customers. But we have picked up a lot of one-time customers thanks to our education materials, and we acknowledge the education barrier in golf technology. On the whole, our focus is the long-term customer.

Why the specialization in the product areas you focus on?

“We made the decision to start on the indoor golf side of things, the reason being, my business partner and I both live in Wisconsin. We have been surprised with the amount of traction we’ve gotten with customers who want both the winter experience, but they want the convenience…like customers out in California who don’t want to take the time to go to the course. But we do plan to expand in the future.”

You can find Rain or Shine Golf’s website here.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

5 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

5 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.