Michael Campbell Talks Dryrainge
Dryrainge is pleased to have Michael Campbell on board as its chief
spokesperson and product endorser for the next two years. The 2005 United
States Open and 2005 HSBC Champions winner retired recently as a
member of the European PGA Tour to focus on family and on his new
Michael Campbell Golf Academy in Benhavis, Spain. The 11-time tour
winner is hopeful of opening similar academies in Asia and in his native
New Zealand over the next few years as he pursues ways to give back to the
game that has been his life and career. A year ago Campbell got in contact
with Dryrainge president Bruce Rempel about one of the Canadian
company’s award-winning range covers. He is a long time pupil of David
Leadbetter who has used Dryrainge’s at the David Leadbetter’s Golf
Academy in Orlando so Campbell was already somewhat familiar with the
product. Through their conversations Campbell agreed to join Dryrainge as
an endorser and exclusively use the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based range
cover at his Spanish academy. Dryrainge sat down recently with Campbell
to talk about the product and why he, his staff and his customers love it.
Q: Now that you’ve had the opportunity to use the Dryrainge at your
Academy the past few weeks what are your impressions?
Campbell: The biggest thing for me is the convenience factor. It’s incredible
really. The Dryrainge can pay for itself in no time which is a big valueadded bonus when you consider how it maintains your schedule. If for
example you have a two hour lesson with a client, there are no disruptions
for weather related problems which means there is no trying to figure out
how to fit that person’s lesson back into your schedule. That’s very
significant if you teach at or own an Academy given people’s hectic
schedules today.
Q: Scheduling is actually a two-prong issue right? You have your own
schedule but also that customer whose lesson you have to fit back in?
Campbell: Exactly. My academy is very, very busy. Most of my golf
coaches here are fully booked up. I have no time on my schedule for the next
few weeks so being able to keep all those appointments means I lose
absolutely no income nor do I have to go through the task of rescheduling
those appointments. Anyone who has been in this business knows just how
important that is in the big picture.
Q: We would assume you’ve had the chance to use Dryrainge in some tough
conditions already?
Campbell: I have and it works beautifully. As I often say in interviews I
believe every chance you can practice, you practice. But when you grow up
in a place like New Zealand, just like anywhere else, there are times you
can’t be out there working on your game because of wind, rain or the sun.
Depending on the time of year here in Spain it can rain for a very, very long
time. Recently it rained here for almost an entire week but we carried on at
the academy as normal. We did all our lessons. I can’t imagine what it
would have been like to try and reschedule all those people. It would have
been a huge challenge. Fortunately by having a Dryrainge here there are no
concerns about that anymore.
Q: You obviously see the benefits. What about your customers who come to
the Michael Campbell Golf Academy for lessons? What do they say about
being under a Dryrainge?
Campbell: The feedback I’ve got from people who experience it is
incredibly positive. It’s different and when you introduce something
different people really enjoy that. It becomes a very unique selling point for
the teacher or for an Academy with its existing or potential customers. To
experience it and having that pupil or lesson know they’re undercover
impresses them I think. That’s the feeling I get. You’re dry if it’s raining,
you’re protected if it’s windy and you’re not being harmed by the sun’s UV
rays. Our Test Center is coming on stream here too which means the
Dryrainge will be a big benefit for that as well. The word is getting out about
it. People love it. They want to experience it.
Q: You mentioned your Test Center. That would mean you are using some
kind of launch monitor and computer that you have to keep out of the
elements as well right?
Campbell: That’s another big plus with a Dryrainge. We did some swing
analysis and computer work underneath it earlier this week with a friend of
mine. It just happened to be raining, and quite hard, but again, no problems
whatsoever. It was business as usual. No damage potential to any laptop or
tablet. And that’s certainly equipment and software you don’t want to have
to replace.
Q: What about the construction of Dryrainge and how it’s built?
Campbell: The construction is one of the things that drew me to Dryrainge in
the first place. Everything I had seen or heard it had the reputation for being
terrific in the worst weather but when it’s windy, and we get gusty, windy
days coming in from the west and east here, I’ve seen it stand up to some
pretty extreme wind conditions. It’s a rock. The durability is incredible. It
doesn’t move at all. That’s one thing Bruce and I talked about a lot in our
early conversations was how well Dryrainge stands up in high winds.
Q: Being in an academy you must also like the aspect of being able to move
the Dryrainge around to allow areas of grass to repair?
Campbell: No question about it. Being able to change the location of the
product and having fresh turf to hit off of every day is vital to the business.
You also allow those previous locations to heal and naturally repair. The
wheel system is really well done. Despite its overall size the unit moves
easily but anchors solidly in its new location.
Q: Dryrainge also comes ready for advertising. You probably see the
viability of it in the sense of paying for itself with the money it can generate
as a revenue source from a sponsor or advertiser?
Campbell: Next to the range here at my Academy there is a very busy
highway so people can see the Dryrainge from quite a distance so there’s an
advantage for a company to be involved with it and to have a lot of eyes on
it. Once again, its win, win as a business tool. It’s an investment that can
generate so much revenue on its own. Add in the advertising it can bring to a
club or a teaching pro and it’s another sound business reason to use one.
Q: Last question Michael. You mentioned about wanting to expand your
golf academies to other places in the world. Would you entertain the idea of
having a Dryrainge at each location?
Campbell: Most definitely. It’s a product I would like to use in any kind of
future expansion of Michael Campbell Golf Academy’s around the world
globally. In Asia or example, specifically a place like Singapore, it’s horrible
for heat. Imagine having cover there. It means people can book times during
the day with again, income coming in, and no rescheduling to worry about.
There’s also rain in Asia almost every day. In my native New Zealand it can
be windy and also require that all-important UV protection from the sun. As
one of my students said to me recently there are no more excuses to cancel
any lesson. Not with a Dryrainge.