Andy Johnson
Nothing (over) easy about Fried Egg Golf
Andy Johnson (right) and Brendan Porath, co-founders of “The Shotgun Start” podcast.
courtesy andy johnson
Golf is hard. All players, even the pros, seek to master a game that is simply impossible to master. Entrepreneurship is hard. People can spend all their time and money on something that has a slim chance of taking off. For Andy Johnson, founder of media company Fried Egg Golf, the difficulties of golf and entrepreneurship make them intriguing.
“(In golf) I love that you’re responsible for yourself and I think it’s similar to entrepreneurship,” Johnson said. “It’s you against the golf course. When you’re starting a business the only way stuff is getting done is yourself.”
Johnson started Fried Egg Golf by himself in 2015 with a newsletter. Now, the company is one of the most popular in the golf space, producing written content, podcasts, videos and more, with a big focus on golf architecture, Johnson’s major passion. Fried Egg Golf also sells its own merchandise and hosts golf events. However, success was far from guaranteed. Johnson took major risks and made sacrifices to pursue what he loves.
“I think the greatest superpower for an entrepreneur to have is to be extremely naive,” Johnson said. “I was so naive as to how hard this would be and had some crazy self belief that this would work out.”
Johnson developed the golf bug from an early age. He worked and caddied at Chicago-area clubs such as Conway Farms and Knollwood Country Club. But it was playing the Seth Raynor-designed Shoreacres that was a formative experience.
“I think for many people that’s what sparks the interest in golf architecture,” Johnson said. “It’s when you go visit somewhere that is truly different and spectacular.”
Soon, Johnson was reading the Golf Club Atlas, a website that has detailed articles on some of the most notable golf courses in the world. He fell in love with the works of Alister MacKenzie, Perry Maxwell and others.
Johnson never intended to work in golf. However, as he learned about startups, entrepreneurship and the business of media in his jobs after college, he decided he wanted to do his own thing. Why not golf media?
“I loved basketball but I was really scared of having to write every night,” Johnson said. “Golf is also a game I understand a lot more so I will have a way better shot at golf.”
“We want to continue to have an impact on the culture of golf and continue to elevate the way that we cover and talk about the game. I want us to grow but also remain true to who we are.”
In December 2015, Johnson released the first newsletter. He mostly recapped the events of professional golf, but he wanted to do it differently than golf media at the time by making it easier for the busy professional to consume the news.
Soon, Johnson created The Fried Egg website. His newsletters and articles about golf architecture were getting hits. In 2016 Johnson produced his first podcast without any previous podcasting or editing experience.
This was what he wanted to pursue full time, but he had to make sacrifices. He made less money than he did out of college. He went on his girlfriend’s – now wife’s – health insurance. They lived month to month as Johnson prioritized establishing a unique voice over money.
“I did not try and make a dollar,” Johnson said. “I said no to money for the first two years of the business. It allowed me to make stuff and establish a strong voice before we tried to sign on sponsors.”
People started to pay attention, including Garrett Morrison and Will Knights, Johnson’s first full-time employees in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
“I believed in Andy’s vision pretty early on,” Knights said. “He was the kind of person I thought had a good vision for what the future of golf coverage and architecture coverage could be.”
Then the pandemic hit, and while the early days were scary, people were stuck in their homes. The Fried Egg’s content helped them take their minds off of their struggles.
“I still get so many people who come up to me and tell me about how our podcast got them through COVID,” Johnson said.
Fried Egg Golf came out of the pandemic in a position to hire again. Employees like Cameron Hurdus, Fried Egg’s creative director, helped take the load off Johnson and increase quality.
“All of a sudden you don’t have a color-blind person editing photos and videos,” Johnson said.
Nobody knows what the media industry will look like in the future. Reader interests will change. Ways to shoot video will change. Johnson says Fried Egg Golf will adapt to the times, but, at its core, it will stay the same.
“We want to continue to have an impact on the culture of golf and continue to elevate the way that we cover and talk about the game,” Johnson said. “I want us to grow but also remain true to who we are.”
Everett Munez
