Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Sheren & Tommy Asuma.
Joe & Tommy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Its uncanny the similarities in our stories, yet the different paths we took, ultimately arriving at this final destination. Tommy & Joe, who grew up in Kingsford and Ludington, both small towns in Michigan, played every other sport, with the exception of golf. Don’t get us wrong, we were both familiar with the game, and had clubs in our hands at different times while growing up, but ultimately didn’t start to develop our games until Freshman year of High School and beyond. Joe, a fiery competitor, who was too small for the sports he really loved to play, was ultimately chosen by golf and not the other way around. He averaged over 100 his freshman year, improved to around 77 by graduation, without the expertise and guidance he provides his students today. Still, completely oblivious to the golf industry as a whole, he matriculated to Ferris State University, one of the premiere PGM Programs in the country, merely because it was close to home. Tommy, having suffered an injury during football season of his senior year, was exposed to the world of physical therapy, and chose to continue his education at Grand Valley State University (the arch rival of Ferris State). Once at GVSU, Tommy made a change and ended up beginning his career as a high school teacher and athletic trainer, before falling into the golf industry by a stroke of fate.
Upon graduation, Joe had the privilege of being an intern and working at some of the most prestigious golf clubs in the country, such as Congressional CC, PGA National Resort, and Old Marsh, just to name a few. It became obvious to Joe, very early on in his career that he was passionate about the instruction side of the golf industry, and wanted to focus on helping people improve their golf games, to maximize their enjoyment.
Tommy worked as a high school athletic trainer and teacher, in Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, before finally settling down here in Illinois. With only a half day golf seminar on his resume, Tommy began working at an indoor golf performance center, once the doors of his last high school placement, were abruptly closed.
We originally crossed paths at a cutting-edge certification course, conducted by the Titleist Performance Institute. We continued to cross paths, as they pursued their new-found passions. Joe as a young, innovative teaching professional, who quickly became reputable and highly sought after. Tommy, using his background in athletic training and fitness, was one of the early pioneers in the integration of fitness into the sport of golf.
After a very positive experience at an area golf performance center, Tommy was faced with a very tough decision.
Newly married, with an infant at home, he was largely guided by his entrepreneurial spirit, and started SMART Golf Fitness Instruction in November of 2011. Joe, a young, naive, risk-taker, left a premier position in Florida in pursuit of more education and exposure to the latest technology & methodology, to try and separate himself from other instructors in the country. Also, finding himself in Illinois, Joe was an integral part of a couple area start-ups, had no choice but to caddy and wait tables at an area CC, and even tried his hand in the financial sector. Finally realizing that he did not want to leave his future in the hands of anyone but himself, Joe created his own start-up, Project Golf. Both Tommy and Joe were adamant about making sure that their success and/or failure was solely dependent upon them.
As we continued to cross paths, we quickly realized the similarities in our up-bringing, values, passions, philosophies, and outlook on their future. It became evident that we could both be successful on our own, but together we could achieve even greater accomplishments, thus joining forces and creating SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction in May of 2015.
Has it been a smooth road?
We are very fortunate to have extremely supportive families, clients, and especially each other.
By way of our savings and only a small, private business loan, we have managed to navigate a largely traditional, competitive industry and create a completely new market within.
Educating students on the importance of fitness and breaking the mold of the traditional golf lesson, continues to be an uphill battle.
Fortunately, some of our biggest struggles and failures came as individuals. Using those experiences and knowledge, has helped us minimize the challenges and grow to a company of five employees, three sub-contractors, and an integral partnership with a high-end club manufacturer.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction story. Tell us more about the business.
SERIOUS COACHING FOR SERIOUS GOLFERS.
SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction teaches and trains Chicagoland area golfers who are looking to take their games to the next level. Unlike the traditional one hour lesson that provides a “one size fits all” approach to improvement, leaving most golfers frustrated and confused, we provide a personalized and comprehensive team method that gets tour-proven results. Our clients range from aspiring tour players and club champions to those that simply want to improve their game and have more fun playing golf.
We combine experts in the fitness, physical therapy, the golf swing, and the game of golf itself, and all work side by side under one roof.
All players are required to go through our 2-hour initial assessment process prior to joining one of our 3-month long coaching programs.
Our technology- 3 Trackman Launch Monitors, 1 Foresight Launch monitor, 4 simulators, 1 Boditrak, 2 6D K-Vest, Highspeed Video.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
With fitness becoming more common place and the constant advancement in technology, the team and long term coaching approach will become the new industry standard.
Pricing:
- SMART Performance Assessment (1st step in the process) $350
Contact Info:
- Address: 1315 W. Concord Place
Chicago, IL 6064217w745 Butterfield Rd, Suite A
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181 - Website: www.smartgolffitness.com
- Phone: 616.890.5935 (Tommy) 561.846.1667 (Joe)
- Email: tommy@smartgolffitness.com joe@smartgolffitness.com
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
