Michigan Golf Journal October 2018

Cover Story, Golf Ball Divers ůŝŬĞ ĨŐŚĂŶŝƐƚĂŶ ĂŶĚ /ƌĂƋ͕ Ă ŶŽŶͲĐŽŵďĂƚ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚ ĂĐĐŝĚĞŶƚ ůĞŌ Śŝŵ ǁŝƚŚ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ƵƐĞ ŽĨ ŚŝƐ ůĞŐƐ͘ WŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĞŵƉůŽLJĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ƌĞůƵĐƚĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŚŝƌĞ Ă ƐĞŵŝͲ disabled veteran. tŚĞŶ ŚĞ ĐŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ĮŶĚ Ă job, he decided to go back ƚŽ Ă ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶ ŚĞ ŬŶĞǁ ĂŶĚ ƌĞďƵŝůĚ ŚŝƐ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůů ƌĞĐůĂŵĂƟŽŶ business. Since then, Starr has built one of the largest golf ďĂůů ƌĞĐůĂŵĂƟŽŶ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐ in the country. With a recent ĞdžƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ͕ 'ŽůĨ Ăůů ŝǀĞƌƐ͘ĐŽŵ ŝƐ currently handling six million golf ďĂůůƐ ĂŶŶƵĂůůLJ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƉĞĐƚƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƵŵďĞƌ ƚŽ ƌĞĂĐŚ ŽǀĞƌ ϭϬ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ƉĞƌ LJĞĂƌ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĂƌ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ͘ The Process: KŶĐĞ Ă ƉŽŶĚ ŝƐ ƐǁĞƉƚ ĨŽƌ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůůƐ͕ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƌĞ ƐŚŝƉƉĞĚ ƚŽ Ă ĐĞŶƚƌĂůŝnjĞĚ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐŝŶŐ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚLJ ŝŶ >ĂƉĞĞƌ͘ dŚĞLJ ŵƵƐƚ ďĞ ƐŽƌƚĞĚ ďLJ ƚLJƉĞ͕ ŵŽĚĞů ĂŶĚ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ͕ ƉůƵƐ ĐůĞĂŶĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞĚ͕ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ďĞŝŶŐ ƐŚŝƉƉĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ͘ ŚŝŐŚ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚĂŐĞ of the retrieved balls are ŶŽƚ ƌĞͲƵƐĞĂďůĞ ĂŶĚ ŵƵƐƚ ďĞ culled. Plus, it’s a tedious task ƐĞƉĂƌĂƟŶŐ dŝƚůĞŝƐƚ WƌŽsϭ͛Ɛ͕ WƌŽsϭy͛Ɛ͕ Eyd͕ dŽƵƌ ^ŽŌ͕ Ɛŝdž ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ĂůůĂǁĂLJ ǀĂƌŝĞƟĞƐ͕ as well as, Taylormade, Srixon, dŽƉ&ůŝƚĞ͕ ƌŝĚŐĞƐƚŽŶĞ ĂŶĚ countless other brands. hŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƉĂŝŶ of not being able to be ĞŵƉůŽLJĂďůĞ͕ ^ƚĂƌƌ ďĞŐĂŶ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵǁŽƌŬ /ŶĐ͕ Ă ůŽĐĂů Ă ϱϬϭͲ ͕ ŶŽŶͲ ƉƌŽĮƚ͕ ƚŚĂƚ ĞŵƉůŽLJƐ ĂŶĚ ƚƌĂŝŶƐ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ ĂŶĚ ŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ challenged individuals. We read every day about a ŐŽůĨ ďĂůů ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ͛Ɛ ŶĞǁ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůůƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŇLJ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĨĂƌƚŚĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƚŽƌ͛Ɛ ďƌĂŶĚ͘ GolfBallDivers.com balls can ďĂĐŬ ƵƉ ƚŚĂƚ ĐůĂŝŵ͕ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƵƐĞĚ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůůƐ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ ũŽďƐ ĨŽƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ͕ ƚŚĂƚ ŽƚŚĞƌǁŝƐĞ ǁŽƵůĚ ŶŽƚ ďĞ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ͘ ^ƚĂƌƌ͛Ɛ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ tŽƌŬ ƚŽ ƌĞĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶ͕ ƐŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ƉĂĐŬĂŐĞ the reclaimed golf balls to be ƌĞƐŽůĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐŽůĮŶŐ ƉƵďůŝĐ͘ ,Ğ told us, ͞/ ůŽǀĞ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůů ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĂŶĚ Ăŵ ŐƌĂƟĮĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ŽƵƌ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ĐĂŶ ƉůĂLJ ĂŶ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƌŽůĞ ŝŶ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ ĂŶĚ ŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ ĐŚĂůůĞŶŐĞĚ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉ work skills that they can use to fully integrate into the business community,” Starr said. Through Starr’s urging and ĂƐƐŝƐƚĂŶĐĞ͕ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ ^ŽƌƟŶŐ ŐŽůĨ ďĂůůƐ