For Bryan Harris, the world of golf has always been close to his heart. Starting from a very young age, he has understood the intensity of the sport and how the game could change for any player within a stroke or two.
“You can be really good at golf and good at managing the club and still not know exactly where [the ball] is going to land,” Harris said. “It is an extremely mental sport.”
Working with Jackson-Spalding, a small public relations firm based in Athens, Ga., has allowed Harris to take on projects with both the business and athletic sides of golf.
“At the first [public relations] firm I worked for didn’t write about sports at all. When I interviewed with Jackson-Spalding, I told them I had a background with golf and they were very interested [in me], since they were talking to the Athens Regional Foundation. They were putting on a golf event. I was hired on March first and had exactly one and a half months to prepare for this tournament,” he said.
For seven years, Bryan Harris has been managing Jackson-Spalding’s sports clientele. Sitting in his cramped office, he has new golf products scattered on his desk as well as files for potential clients. Several pictures of golf courses and a family photo hang on his walls, solidify the importance of family and golf in his life.
It was only natural for Harris to work in an environment where golf was involved. His mother was an LPGA National golf professional and taught the sport for many years. His father also played the sport for leisure, which bonded the family to golf further.
“I played football, baseball and golf in high school. The offers I got for football scholarships were for very small schools, so I went with a golf scholarship,” Harris said.
Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., seemed like the perfect school for Harris to pursue his love of golf since their team was nationally ranked. However, after one year of school at Huntingdon, he transferred to the University of Georgia.
“I just didn’t like going to a school with only 800 kids. I wanted to go to a big school,” he said frankly.
One of Harris’ favorite aspects of working with Jackson-Spalding is the new gear that clients ask the firm to support. Harris shows off a new grip for clubs that will be displayed at the PGA show and a new pair of golf cleats while sitting at is desk.
“Pure Grips will tested out this season, which is huge for us,” Harris says. “These new golf shoes are called True Linkswear. They are minimalistic and weigh only 11 ounces. It is the new, hot brand of golf shoes,” he continues.
Harris has also worked with ProType Tour Series Putters, which caught the eye of Golf Digest.
He says, “Getting these products noticed is what puts them on the map. For example, Golf Digest will allow these products or companies to get noticed and then they become name brands.”
In one day alone Harris has dealings with five or six clients. Projects with these clients can last from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on how big the client’s name is. Harris admitted he has to be very organized when it comes to managing each project.
“I make a master calendar starting in January so I can make sure that each project gets worked on in a timely manner. We have big clients, so we have to be like entrepreneurs, to a degree,” Harris said.
Harris says any time spent on the golf course is a great day. He would trade any day with any golfer since their job is to be on the green for hours.
“I would love to have been Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus when they were the best of the best. For even the most seasoned golfer, it’s hard to have complete control [on where the ball will land], but they did. It would be amazing to be in their shoes at that point in time,” he said.
When it comes to expanding clientele with Jackson-Spalding, Harris says he would love to work within the baseball world.
“I haven’t had the chance to work with baseball clients and I think that would be a lot of fun. I just love sports, in general,” he said.
During the days when he is off, Harris can be seen at a Gwinnett Braves games with his wife and two young children. “I played baseball in high school, so it is a sport I really enjoy to watch,” he says.
When it comes to mixing work with pleasure, Harris says the best part of his job is going to events to watch the golf rounds. Without hesitation, he said that his favorite event to plan is the Stadion Classic.
“It’s like cheating!” He laughed. “I’m getting paid to be at the golf course and not in the office. It doesn’t get any better than that. The downside is I don’t see my family much during that week,” he added with slight sheepishness.
The love of golf has not passed down to his children quite yet. “They are only two and four, so they don’t really know what golf is,” he said laughing. “They just love running around on the course. But we still have time to turn them into golf lovers.”
For Bryan Harris, father, golf lover and entrepreneur, the sun on the green can only get brighter.
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