Traveling across the country to compete against the world’s longest hitters may be intimidating to some, but Matt Stubbs has embraced every challenge that has been put in front of him. The 30-year-old Australian has worked extremely hard this year to break into the Top 50 in the World Long Drive Rankings, all while living out of suitcases and hotel rooms over 9,000 miles away from where he grew up. With Matt’s hectic travel schedule, he is still able to find time to write about her personal experiences in the sport. As someone who worked in the sports industry and now competes professionally, Matt can use his unique perspective to explore both sides and share how his personal experiences can help others.
Matt Stubbs’ experience within the game of golf has given him a perspective on the sports industry many do not get the chance to have. “As the events go on, I have really learned what it takes to be a professional athlete and how to manage myself physically and mentally to put myself in the best position to succeed when it comes time to compete.” Said Stubbs who has put in some of the most travel miles than anyone else on tour. Luckily for Matt, this was not the first time he has traveled internationally to compete. “This is not the first sport I have traveled internationally and competed on a global level, so luckily I have some experience under my belt, but I do enjoy the experience as a whole, and I don’t have any regrets. But being able to come out here every event and gain experience is the most important thing to me.” That experience has shown as Matt has had his two best finishes of the season recently, with two Top 16 finishes in the last four events he has competed in.
Along with Matt’s progression on the grid this year, he has also been able to provide an athlete’s perspective on the sports industry from the inside. His most recent article: Navigating the New Era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Deals, Matt explores how athletes in fast-growing sports like World Long Drive need to capitalize on their own personal brands as it is essential in building a successful career in sports. Matt explains the benefits of strategic engagement across various social media platforms as a primary component integral to growth of one’s brand. His personal experiences as a professional athlete provide the perspective necessary to full comprehend the entirety of this new era. While many writers are often criticized for never understanding the player’s point of views, because they themselves were never actively part of the sport, Matt gets to tell his story while actively competing and seeing the landscape of the sport change right in front of his eyes. “Whatever I am involved in, I want to see it become the best it can, and my writing can be a resource for others inside and outside the sport to help.”
As the sport of World Long Drive continues to grow, the lessons in Matt’s articles cannot be more important to learn than right now. According to Stubbs, “There’s a lot of things the athletes can learn on how to be better athletes from a business perspective. And while the sport has been around for a while, but I would say it is still in its infancy.” The social media component is crucial to understand if players want to see themselves and their personal brands grow alongside the World Long Drive. Matt Stubbs has clearly shown his understanding of personal brand growth, with his social media accounts having close to 50,000 followers between Tik-Tok and Instagram, as well as being an Adidas signed athlete. As is evident by the results, Matt Stubbs has been able to maximize his own brand, and now is providing resources for his fellow competitors and athletes to do the same.