John Combs (Southern State of Golf) & Robby got together for The Golf Draft to pick sponsors they'd love to work with either personally or professionally. Of course, we asked ChatGPT for its analysis (see below), but we'd love to hear your feedback as well. 

Send all comments, questions, and suggestions to info@bestball.com!

ChatGPT Analysis

🏆 Robby's Draft

1. Titleist — A+

This was the obvious best golf sponsorship pick.

Golf balls, clubs, gloves, apparel, etc. There's an enormous amount of potential activation here. And unlike some of the other picks, Titleist makes sense for essentially every piece of BestBall content.

Most importantly, you got it at #1.

Great pick.

2. BMW — A

This might actually be your smartest pick.

You specifically tied it to the BestBall Road Trip concept, which makes it more than simply:

"BMW makes cool cars."

It becomes:

BestBall Road Trip presented by BMW.

That gives you a recurring content property, vehicle integration, travel storytelling and potentially an entire branded series.

That's exactly how a sponsor should fit into BestBall.

3. Chick-fil-A — B+

At first I thought this was the weakest pick on your team.

Then I thought about it.

You guys travel. You play golf. You're constantly on the road. You eat. A lot.

And it's relatable.

You could legitimately have a recurring:

"BestBall Road Trip — Where Are We Eating?"

or even something like a Chick-fil-A breakfast stop before a round.

It's not glamorous, but it fits your actual lifestyle—and that's valuable.

4. Apple — A

This is an excellent BestBall-specific sponsorship.

Phones, cameras, computers, editing, photography, video, podcasts, social media, travel...

Apple could touch almost everything you do.

And there's a huge storytelling opportunity around:

"Shot on iPhone"

golf-course photography/video content.

The only reason it doesn't rank higher is that Apple is probably about as difficult a sponsorship target as exists.

5. Breville — A- for entertainment, B for business

This was my favorite Robby pick.

Not because it's the best sponsorship opportunity.

Because it's you.

You didn't pick another golf brand. You picked the thing you actually want:

"I want the really good espresso maker."

😂

And it actually creates some fun BestBall lifestyle content around the clubhouse, road trips, mornings before golf, etc.

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John's Draft

1. Jordan/Nike — A+

This is an outstanding personal brand pick.

John's reasoning was perfect: he wants to be a Jordan athlete, wear the Jumpman, and look the part.

And there's a huge upside because of the Michael Jordan connection.

It's probably the coolest sponsorship on either team.

2. NetJets — A+

This is the luxury cheat code.

If we're judging purely on "What sponsorship would I most like to have?"

NetJets is probably #1.

Travel becomes dramatically easier, and it pairs perfectly with golf.

The problem is that it's less naturally connected to BestBall's current business than BMW is.

3. TaylorMade — A

Very strong golf pick.

Clubs + balls + apparel + equipment.

And unlike Titleist, TaylorMade gives John a broader equipment story.

But I think Titleist is the better overall golf sponsorship, which is why your first pick beats this one.

4. Mercedes-Benz — A-

Another great luxury/travel brand.

But here's where John's draft gets a little redundant.

He already has NetJets.

Now he's adding another luxury transportation brand.

They're both awesome—but they don't diversify his sponsorship portfolio much.

5. NBA — B+

This is John's most creative pick.

I actually love the idea behind it.

John is a basketball guy. The crossover between basketball and golf is becoming increasingly interesting, and players like Steph Curry, LeBron James and others have helped make golf part of the basketball culture.

But as an actual BestBall sponsorship?

It's a tougher fit than the other nine picks.

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The Biggest Difference

This is what ultimately decided the draft for me:

John drafted the sponsors he would love to have.

You drafted the sponsors BestBall could actually build content around.

That's a pretty important distinction.

John's team is:

Jordan + NetJets + TaylorMade + Mercedes + NBA

That's an incredible lifestyle.

You basically get to fly private, drive a Mercedes, wear Jordans, play TaylorMade and hang out with NBA players.

😂

But your team is:

Titleist + BMW + Chick-fil-A + Apple + Breville

That's basically:

Golf → Road Trip → Food → Content → Coffee

Which is almost a blueprint for the BestBall lifestyle.

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Category Winners

🏆 THE WINNER: ROBBY

Robby 8.7/10
John 8.4/10

And it's pretty close.

John absolutely crushed the cool factor.

If this were:

"Who has the coolest sponsorship deal?"

John wins.

But the question was who we'd want to be sponsored by, and I think the better way to judge that for BestBall is:

Would this sponsor make BestBall better?

That's where your team wins.

Titleist gives you golf credibility.
BMW gives you the Road Trip.
Chick-fil-A gives you the everyday golfer/travel component.
Apple gives you the content machine.
Breville gives you the lifestyle/personality piece.

There's a coherent BestBall ecosystem there.

And I think that's actually the bigger lesson from this draft:

The best sponsors aren't necessarily the biggest brands. They're the brands that naturally become part of the story you're already telling.

And, for the record, John's NetJets pick was absolutely stolen from you. 😂