A few weeks ago, Dan Rapaport announced he was leaving Barstool Sports and the Fore Play podcast. We now know where he is headed as Pro Shop Holdings, Inc, a new golf media and commerce company, announced the hiring of the veteran golf journalist as its new Editor-at-Large for Skratch.
The company says Skratch “will be a diverse platform that connects golf fans through engaging and innovative content.” Rapaport led Barstool’s golf coverage after writing and reporting at both Golf Digest and Sports Illustrated. In a release, the company said Rapaport “will be leveraging Pro Shop’s media partnership relationship with the PGA TOUR to deliver weekly inside-the-ropes content, while continuing to create content on YouTube and launching a new flagship podcast.”
Rapaport said in the release, “I’m beyond excited for this next chapter. Having worked with Chad Mumm for years on ‘Full Swing,’ and having gotten to know the Pro Shop team in recent weeks, I’m confident we will deliver compelling and fresh content across the media landscape. My goal is to give golf fans an inside-the-ropes look at the people, places and stories that make this incredible game so special. Skratch is the ideal place to do that. It’s just a perfect fit, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The company also said Rob DeChiaro has been named President, Skratch and EVP, Media joining Pro Shop from 8AM Golf where he served as COO of GOLF.com for five years. Since relaunching GOLF.com in 2019, GOLF has seen the largest growth of any digital website in the category.
Chad Mumm, co-founder and president of Pro Shop said, “Rob is a unicorn of a leader. He’s somebody who brings deep experience in the business of golf media while having the respect of the editorial teams under his purview. He’s a forward thinker who understands the rapidly changing media landscape and is instrumental in enabling our vision for the next chapter in Skratch’s evolution as both brand and as a business.” s
