Golf Monthly is expanding its editorial team with the appointment of former PGA EuroPro Tour and Clutch Pro Tour player Sam De’Ath to provide additional equipment content across its print and digital platforms.
De’Ath, 28, brings golf retail experience to the role from his previous position at second-hand retailer Replay Golf, where he was responsible for social media marketing and customer service. He has also worked in golf operations at two clubs and is a member at the North Hants Golf Club.
De’Ath attended college at Webber International University in Florida from 2013 on a golf scholarship, graduating with a BSc Marketing Management degree, where he developed extensive contacts in America, as well as first-hand experience of the US golf culture that will allow the brand to better optimise content for its largest GEO audience.
“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Sam to the content team as we look towards further growth in 2023,’’ says Golf Monthly editor Mike Harris. “We had many strong applicants for the role from both inside golf media and the wider industry, but Sam’s knowledge of golf equipment and the retail landscape, along with his exceptional playing credentials, marked him out as the leading candidate for the role.”
Golf Monthly has seen huge growth in the last 12 months and is looking to capitalise on this audience interest by adding to its experienced and knowledgeable roster of content producers within the equipment sector. De’Ath will report to Golf Monthly technical editor Joel Tadman and he will be one of the nine-strong content team heading to Orlando in January for the PGA Show.
“I’m really excited to be joining the team at Golf Monthly. I’ve read the magazine from a young age and my family are still subscribers today,” says De’Ath. “My 12 years of golf retail experience, alongside playing professionally for the past three years, has given me extensive knowledge of the industry, especially in the equipment sector. My time at Replay Golf allowed me to offer buying advice to all levels of golfer regardless of their budget and I look forward to continuing this within my new role.”
The current year has been record-breaking for Golf Monthly’s digital output, with the brand’s website amassing nearly 63 million page views and £7 million worth of sales order value for retail partners since the start of the year. The company says that the continued growth is down to ‘a sharp focus on producing high-quality buying advice and demonstrating market leading SEO expertise while using the proprietary e-commerce platform, ‘Hawk’, to drive direct sales to merchant sites’.
Mike Harris added: “Next year will see a raft of exciting innovations and we will continue to call on our respected testing panel, which includes experienced writers on both sides of the Atlantic under a category-managers approach to expand product-related content and ensure the site continues to deliver the information golfers are searching for.”
