Have you ever seen a Golf bag that keeps your drinks cold while you’re playing?
Killian Clear, the man who created one of the most innovative golf bags in the last year, never thought that he was going to be able to use his engineering degree the way that he wanted to. The process of creating a company is one of the most difficult situations that somebody can find themselves in. Stress, Anger, all of the Tears, a lot of things can derail a project that at one point put smiles on people’s faces. Killian almost lost hope when he first went to Home Depot after he and one of his friends had “this crazy idea out on the course one day” about having a golf bag that could also have a cooler. Killian is an engineer that has worked with different tubes and thought that he could apply this sense of engineering to a small, 9-hole golf bag with the capabilities of keeping a few beers cold in the process.
“ I went to home depot and I asked if they could cut down one of the huge 36-inch PVC pipes and they gave me the weirdest looks. The best help that I got was this old guy telling me that he could sell me the tool that could cut the pipe for me.” Killian had lost hope at this exact moment. He thought that he could “go back and pick up the idea some other time” but his wife refused to let him give up.
Killian has a good job, it was the middle of COVID last year, he had every reason to let Courserover die. “ I had frozen margaritas at the house and Home Depot was pissing me off, but my wife Krissie told me we’re going to keep looking.” This led Killian to the mailing tube isle of Office Depot where Courserover was born. As soon as Kilian’s eyes met with the 4 ft tall, 36 in wide mailing tubes under the bright fluorescents of Office Depot, he knew that he had a great idea that was worth dedicating some time and money to.
I interviewed Killian at the beginning of the month about the Inception of Courserover and he had some really nice things to say about how the whole process of stressing about parts and manufacturing ended up making Courserover what it is today.
The excitement around a new company is contagious. From the first moment that Killian and I had a conversation, I knew he was going to be helpful in telling the story of Courserover. He embodies and represents the Courserover brand better than anybody, and I'm not just saying that because he created it. One of the first times being out on the Golf Course with Killian I instantly saw why he happened to be the one to conceptualize one of the most innovative pieces of sporting equipment yet to hit the market this year.
Having a vision is so important for a company. If you have the wrong approach from the first tee your entire round is going to be affected by it. Killian had a rough first couple of holes. It started to get in his head, but he stopped and took a moment right before the 3rd hole. His Courserover bag was sitting there in the sun and with no hesitation, Killian proceeded to grab a beer and just relax. Golf is not a game that you should keep a score of unless you’re playing on the PGA Tour. Courserover teaches you how to reapproach golf in ways that no other product could accomplish. Killian has been playing golf for a while but Courserover has elevated his game in ways he never thought. “How can you shoot a bad round when you have a 4 pack of beers in your golf bag.” Said Killian as we were walking to the next hole after he put for par.
Courserover could have never happened if it weren’t for Killian reapproaching the opportunity. Just like starting a company, the same kind of stress can affect your success like when you shank a ball into someone’s yard from off the tee. Drop the ball, take a deep breath and do it again. Every situation in golf is stressful. You can mess up your shot, you can tweak your back and ruin your day, but if you have a Courserover at least you can crack a beer on the 5th hole and forget about the terrible round of golf that you’re playing. Killian being the laid-back individual that he is will have no problem expressing that as he designs and tries to sell Courserover golf bags in the Future.
