Clay Hood, CEO of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Precision Pro Golf, shares his views on what he has learned through the pandemic, what he would tell his younger self and what is a key to success.
The First Call: In one sentence, describe what you do for a living.
Clay Hood: Help our team perform at their best.
TFC: What is your handicap index?
CH: 1.9.
TFC: What time do you wake in the morning, and what time do you typically start the workday?
CH: I'm generally up at 6:30 and at my desk by 7:30. Having a 3-year-old has made me a morning person.
TFC: What are key elements to leadership or to being a good leader?
CH: Providing a framework for what we want to achieve, then letting team members do what they are good at.
TFC: What changes, if any, have you made based on the events of the past year?
CH: The biggest change has been the realization that people don't need to be sitting in an office to do good work.
TFC: What's the secret to your success?
CH: Continual learning and applying the learnings that are applicable.
TFC: Who is your role model?
CH: Not a role model kind of person.
TFC: Knowing what you know today, what professional advice would you give a younger you?
CH: Find a way to start a business at a younger age and read more books.
TFC: What’s the last book you read?
CH: “The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution,” by Walter Issacson.
TFC: What’s the last movie you saw?
CH: “Tenet.”
TFC: What’s on your playlist?
CH: Love listening to audio books.
TFC: When I’m not at work, you can find me …
CH: At home with my family, at the driving range or on the golf course.
TFC: What is your greatest extravagance?
CH: I have always enjoyed a good restaurant.
TFC: What was your path to the golf industry?
CH: I started playing around 10 or 11 and was hooked. I then played in high school and college, finally going to school to be a golf professional.
TFC: What are the favorite golf courses you have played?
CH: Coldstream Country Club [in Cincinnati, Ohio], Bandon Dunes, North Course at Los Angeles Country Club and TPC Sawgrass.
TFC: Which golf courses do you belong to?
CH: Coldstream Country Club.
