Shop Different, Play Different
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S1 E281

Shop Different, Play Different

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What does it actually take to write someone else's story in their own voice?

In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine and co‑host Dr. Kevin Moore (a.k.a. “The Professor”) sit down with New Club Chicago's 2026 captain (and reigning club champ) Zander Nethercutt to trace an unlikely path: a 2017 essay about the Apple Store, a Facebook message six years later, and three years of near-daily phone calls that turned into Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius — the book he ghostwrote with Apple Store founder Ron Johnson. It's a conversation about writing as thinking, the discipline of changing your mind, and why the best clubs (and the best stores) are built around people, not product.

The conversation dives into:
  • What a rainy monthly medal at Oak Brook tells you everything about a club: consistency, ritual, and showing up for guys you actually care about
  • How Zander beat Ron Johnson in their first round together — and why that round became a book
  • The decision to stop writing about Ron and start writing as Ron, and the dinner-party question that flipped the whole project
  • Ron's first memory — and the unconditional love that shaped a career
  • The green-vs-blue text myth, and why Zander now thinks his viral take got Apple exactly wrong
  • Launch, deepen, restore: how the Apple Store was designed from the customer backward, and what golf retail could steal from it
Connect with our guest
Zander Nethercutt
📖 Amazon Book Pre-order: https://bit.ly/4esvV8Q
💼 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zander-nethercutt-0583b683/
📝 Substack: https://substack.com/@zander/notes
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zandercutt/|

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Join the NewClub community
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Additional Links:
✍️
Zander's 2017 Essay "The Luxury Network": https://zandercutt.com/2017/11/15/the-luxury-network/
📖 Preorder "Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius": https://bit.ly/4esvV8Q

Connect with Matt & The Professor
🎙️ Matt Considine — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/
📚 Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:11 The Role of Competition in Golf
05:50 Understanding the Role of a Club Captain
08:32 Xander's Journey to Becoming a Writer
11:18 The Impact of Writing on Personal Growth
14:05 The Story Behind 'Shop Different' Book
17:08 Lessons Learned from Ron Johnson
19:47 The Personal Journey of Xander Nethercutt
34:45 The Call to Retail: A Personal Journey
38:48 The Shift: From Writer to Ghostwriter
42:55 Revisiting Perspectives: Apple as a Luxury Brand
47:26 The Evolution of Apple: From Humble Beginnings to Iconic Stores
51:09 The Pressure of Leadership: Balancing Speed and Strategy
56:43 The Role of Action: How Doing Shapes Thinking
01:01:27 The Power of Kindness in Leadership
01:04:59 Cutting Stories: The Art of Editing and Its Impact
01:09:37 Lessons from High Performers
01:16:08 Self-Actualization through Golf
01:21:17 Redefining the Golf Experience
01:27:29 Finding Passion in Golf

What is The Bag Drop?
The Bag Drop features weekly stories from the culture, community and characters shaping golf today. Produced by NewClub Golf Society, each episode blends authenticity and expert insights for passionate golfers at all levels. Special guests from clubs, courses and every corner of the changing landscape join us for thoughtful, in‑depth discussions on all things golf.

What is NewClub?
Founded in 2017, NewClub is the premier private golf society in the United States. It blends the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability of public golf. Members enjoy thousands of reserved tee times, competitions and events at exceptional partner courses across our local chapters, as well as signature trips and exclusive perks. NewClub is revolutionizing golf membership, making the game more meaningful for those who love it.

Creators and Guests

Matt Considine
Host
Matt Considine
Founder of NewClub and our resident feel player. Matt’s junior golf career led him to the University of Akron where he met our co-host. During his junior year, Matt Studied abroad in Ireland and discovered golf societies. Subsequent trips to Scotland fed his passion for the history, ideals, and culture of accessible, affordable, and sustainable golf, a concept he would later bring to the U.S. with NewClub. Known for his interviewing style, quick wit, and compelling storytelling, Matt brings thoughtful, reflective conversations to The Bag Drop. His professional journey before NewClub included multiple leadership positions in growth-stage startups, where he managed teams responsible for more than $250 million in revenue. Matt actively gives back to the game as a Board Member of the First Tee of Akron and past chair of the Evans Scholar Foundation. Proudly based in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, Matt finds inspiration in family life with his wife, their three children, and their golf dog, Gypsy.
The Professor
Host
The Professor
NewClub's Chief Ambassador and every golf sicko's favorite educator. Kevin is a thoughtful and deeply curious host. His studied, constructivist approach adds intellectual enrichment and balance to the show. As a professor of Math Education at the University of Georgia, Kevin's background in applied mathematics and cognitive psychology uniquely informs his insights on golf strategy and performance. Originally from Ohio, Kevin was a Division I collegiate golfer at the University of Akron, where his passion for understanding mathematical thinking began. After earning his doctorate from Arizona State University, he combined his analytical expertise with his love for golf by co-founding Golf Blueprint, an organization aimed at helping golfers optimize their games through data-driven strategies. Kevin enjoys balancing deep philosophical discussions with simple pleasures, such as indulging his sweet tooth, cheering on college football, and spending relaxed evenings with his friends, his wife, and their beloved dog, Nole.