A Winning Team

by

A Winning Team

There’s a quiet, unassuming little office off of Demere Rd., where Bella, a beautiful Golden Retriever, greets you warmly before you ever see Ally Bernard’s smiling face behind the reception desk. Trophies and golf bags are part of the décor. Around the corner, there’s a painting of 2012 Ryder Cup team captains Davis Love III and Jose Maria Olazabal surrounded by other momentos of Love’s accomplishments. The atmosphere is casual and fun, the phones are

buzzing, laughter comes from the offices where rather tall, lanky young guys come and go. “Hey, Patton…” Yes, that’s Patton Kizzire in the hall, the golfer who finished at #1 on the Web.com Tour, earning a 2015-16 PGA TOUR exemption and an invitation to The Players next Spring. On that hallway wall, you’ll see a long double row of photos of PGA TOUR golfers holding trophies: Harris English, Jonathan Byrd, Chris Kirk, Brandt Snedeker…the list goes on. These are just some of the clients represented by the people behind the desks. And it’s quite an impressive list.

This is where Love’s longtime friend and manager Mac Barnhardt, and Jimmy Johnston, his

partner and once client, and their team quietly grow what began as a “boutique” golf consulting and management firm and expand into the global arena as part of Lagardère Sports, a Paris-based sports marketing and management company with more than 60 offices worldwide. Lagardère represents almost 50 PGA TOUR players, including Phil Mickelson and the golfer currently ranked top in the world: Jordan Spieth, as well as the players managed by this office whose photos hang on this wall. Mac and Jimmy, together with Jeremy Elliott and the entire SSI team, provide representation for players with the Lagardère Sports Golf Division in the U.S. 

While his stable of players, their prestige, and net value certainly would merit a posh penthouse in a skyscraper in Atlanta, for Mac, it’s all about the community and being able to provide a quality player experience for his clients. When things began to take shape as he developed his business and the Sea Island Performance Center was developed more than a decade ago, Mac says it began with a vision to create a great golf experience for players that included excellent facilities, training and instruction. Sea Island’s Bill Jones, III and David Everett were on board and committed to the idea. Mac brought in his former client Johnston to help with player management and they founded Crown Sports Management. Soon Sea Island Director of Fitness Randy Myers, Director of Instruction and 2010 PGA Teacher of the Year Todd Anderson, Master Club Fitter Craig Allan, and Sports Psychologist and Performance Specialist Morris “Dr. Mo” Pickens were all part of the team. Mac says most “meetings” were done at a driving range when he and David Everett would talk about what would draw golfers to the area and make them want to train and play here. Of the Sea Island Performance Center, he says, “It wasn’t built for the purpose of getting more PGA TOUR players. I just wanted the players that I represented to have the best we could offer. Attracting more TOUR players was never the goal, but that’s what happened.” He credits Jones and Everett for having the vision that created such a draw, because it has resulted in vital, young millionaires making their homes in this community and thus infusing the economy.

There is no requirement that players represented by Barnhardt, Johnston or their team move to St. Simons Island or Sea Island, but that seems to be what naturally occurs. Once players sign on and start coming down here to train and play, they enjoy the facilities, spending time on and off the course with the other veteran players, and rubbing elbows with the locals over good grub at Bubba’s and Southern Soul. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere,” says Barnhardt, “and the golfers love it. It’s a great place for families.” He recalls that Jonathan Byrd stopped to visit on his way down to find a home in Orlando and ended up finding one here instead. And that’s around the time the ball started rolling and gaining the momentum that has never stopped. The TOUR players who were training and settling here began winning and getting more attention on the circuit for their high caliber play and their close relationship with mentor “Uncle Davis.” The media has jokingly dubbed them “The Sea Island Mafia.” Those players have racked up some big wins, and, it’s noteworthy that, as confirmed by the photos on the Lagardère office “Wall of Fame,” most are represented by Mac, Jimmy and their team.

And a team is exactly what it is. Mac says the difference between pro golfers and athletes in other professional sports is that when, say, a football player signs with the NFL, they sign with a team who then provides the coaching, training facilities, transportation, sponsors, and arenas for play. Golfers don’t generally have that kind of team support, but Mac, Jimmy and their staff can provide exactly that. They have their own incredible team right in the office. Michelle Allan, Kelly Adams and Ally Bernard hold down the fort and help the players with their travel needs so they can focus on their game. Joining Jeremy Elliott, a rising star in the business, are Jason Horrell and Lee Knox. Mac maintains a “quality over quantity” philosophy, signing only players who fit in with his other clients and can work with this staff. His golfers enjoy not only having the support of Mac, Jimmy and their crew, but relationships that develop with the other players, and the mentoring that veterans like Davis can provide. They also have access to the world-class trainers, instructors, and facilities of the Sea Island Performance Center to get them playing at their highest level, and the incredible courses here become their practice and playing fields.

With the accomplishments of the golfers represented by Crown Sports, it’s not surprising that they caught the attention of global management company Lagardère, who wanted to expand their presence in the United States. The 2013 acquisition was a perfect solution for Mac because, he says, “We were just too busy and too small to go global and I wanted to do that with golf now being part of the Olympics.” Now he has the best of both worlds: his small office on our little island paradise with access to some of the best golf facilities in the nation, and the international network of Lagardère that gives him and his clients the expanded reach and needed support in other countries. “I want to make sure that we are always providing our players with the best of the best. This way, we can.” That, ladies and gentlemen, has proven to be a winning combination.