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Episode 232: Alex Van Alen – Sports Alchemist, Creator of FlingGolf

Alex Van Alen, the Founder and CEO of FlingGolf, World League FlingGolf, and New Swarm, joins the show to share his journey from living in the rainforest in Borneo to inventing a sport that’s been featured on ESPN. Hear how to create a new sport, how FlingGolf works, how it compares to traditional golf, where to focus your attention as an entrepreneur, and what shoes to wear in the rainforest. This episode covers everything from jai alai to Gronk. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What was Alex doing in Borneo
• Is headhunting what it sounds like
• Where did the idea for FlingGolf come from
• How long did it take to prototype the FlingStick
• What went through Alex’s mind when ESPN reached out
• How did he start playing FlingGolf on golf courses
• Why would you play FlingGolf instead of traditional golf
• How often does Alex get asked if he’s a Van Halen

Connect with Alex at FlingGolf.com, social media @FlingGolf, and the FlingGolf Players Facebook Group.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Borneo Rainforest Living
  • [0:33] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:43] Connect with Alex at FlingGolf.com, social media @FlingGolf, and the FlingGolf Players Facebook Group
  • [2:22] Psyched about it
  • [2:52] Steve Woodruff – Wild Business Growth Podcast #49: King of Clarity, Author of Clarity Wins
  • [3:12] What got Alex into conservation and ecology
  • [3:36] Academy of Natural Sciences
  • [3:50] Survivor: Borneo
  • [3:54] What was Alex doing in Borneo
  • [4:43] Where is Borneo
  • [4:53] Brunei
  • [5:23] How was Alex’s experience in the rainforest in Borneo
  • [5:59] Wade Davis
  • [6:22] What was the biggest difference in lifestyle
  • [7:34] Is headhunting what it sounds like
  • [7:44] Iban Tribe
  • [7:51] Longhouses
  • [8:21] Headhunter
  • [8:31] What from the rainforest experience shaped what Alex wanted to do in life

• The FlingGolf Story
  • [10:26] Where did the idea for FlingGolf come from
  • [11:37] Jai Alai, Jai Alai IPA by Cigar City Brewing, Mad Men, Jackass
  • [12:38] Cesta
  • [13:07] FlingStick
  • [13:41] What is Jai Alai
  • [14:25] How long did it take to prototype the FlingStick
  • [15:12] What insight helped finalize the design
  • [16:58] How did Alex come up with the rules for FlingGolf
  • [19:04] USGA Golf Rules (United States Golf Association)
  • [19:41] How does Alex get feedback from FlingGolf players
  • [20:33] ESPN, YouTube
  • [22:01] Social Media
  • [22:34] What went through Alex’s mind when ESPN reached out
  • [22:51] Email
  • [24:11] How did Alex start playing FlingGolf on golf courses
  • [24:41] National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA)
  • [25:19] Tiger Woods
  • [25:48] Revenue
  • [26:14] Marketing
  • [26:44] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Inspiration & Creativity: Creating a New Sport
  • [28:06] How do you start a new sport
  • [28:26] The only one!
  • [29:03] Jake Burton Carpenter, Burton
  • [30:19] Shark Tank
  • [30:58] How do you invent a new sport without insulting other sports
  • [31:37] Topgolf, Callaway
  • [32:26] Why would you play FlingGolf instead of traditional golf
  • [32:58] lol

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [34:02] What do you call people who play FlingGolf
  • [34:19] What’s a weird talent Alex has
  • [34:36] What’s a quirk he has
  • [35:27] What’s a pet peeve he has
  • [35:34] Type A
  • [36:20] Windex
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [36:42] Amesbury, MA
  • [36:56] What’s Alex’s favorite part of living in New England
  • [37:23] Rob Gronkowski aka Gronk
  • [38:06] How often does Alex get asked if he’s a Van Halen
  • [38:24] Alex Van Halen
  • [39:02] Sean Lawton
  • [39:25] That 2/3-Hour Tour
  • [39:27] What is Alex’s best tip for living in the rainforest
  • [40:07] How do you deal with it being wet all the time
  • [40:26] Penan
  • [41:01] Connect with Alex at FlingGolf.com, social media @FlingGolf, and the FlingGolf Players Facebook Group
  • [41:29] What are Alex’s Final Thoughts
  • [42:09] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show your love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [42:23] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [42:26] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [42:28] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [42:33] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Alex Van Alen on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And FlingGolf it up with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!