Chris Koske becomes Chief Product Officer; Ryan Liberty takes over SKYTRAK as Chief Revenue Officer and Brad Thorberg leads marketing for both brands
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – GOLFTEC Enterprises, the parent company of GOLFTEC and SKYTRAK, today named Nick Clearwater its Chief Operating Officer and Head of Innovation, one of four promotions that put leaders with roots across the entire golf business in charge of operations, product, SKYTRAK and marketing. Chris Koske is the new Chief Product Officer, Ryan Liberty becomes Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of SKYTRAK, and Brad Thorberg is now Senior Vice President of Marketing for both brands. All four appointments are effective immediately.
The move reinforces GOLFTEC’s central promise: Improvement never stops. GOLFTEC delivers coaching, swing analysis and club fitting at more than 260 locations, and SKYTRAK puts launch-monitor data and simulation anywhere a golfer can make swings—from a garage or basement to the course or practice range. Now one leadership team is responsible for connecting the two, so what a coach diagnoses in the hitting bay carries into the practice a golfer does anywhere else he or she plays.
“For more than 30 years, GOLFTEC has grown by putting great coaches together with technology that makes improvement measurable. Nick joined us in 2012 and advanced the way our coaches teach, and he’s at the front of all the ways our business is growing and evolving. I’m excited to see what he can do in this expanded role. Nick, Chris, Ryan and Brad have spent their careers close to the golfer—on the lesson tee, in product development, in golf retail. They know our coaches, our technology and our customers, and they’re ready to help us move faster across both GOLFTEC and SKYTRAK.”
—Joe Assell, CEO and Co-Founder, GOLFTEC
Clearwater, previously General Manager of GOLFTEC and Head of Product for GOLFTEC Enterprises, will oversee operations across both businesses and lead the company’s research and development, with a focus on tying GOLFTEC’s coaching data to SKYTRAK’s launch-monitor and simulation technology. He is also one of the most accomplished teachers in the game. Clearwater has been ranked among Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers in America since 2019 and among GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers in America since 2021, and he built the teaching and club-fitting program GOLFTEC coaches use in every center. He has also helped develop proprietary and patented technology in GOLFTEC centers and SKYTRAK launch monitors, including OPTIMOTION, the swing analysis system seen regularly on golf telecasts since 2024.
Koske, who joined SKYTRAK as Senior Vice President of Marketing in January 2023 and became Chief Marketing Officer two years later, will build and run a single product organization across GOLFTEC and SKYTRAK, responsible for product strategy, design, user research and development planning. He spent more than 20 years in golf and sporting goods before joining GOLFTEC, including leading product strategy at Callaway and Odyssey—where his portfolio covered putters, irons and wedges—and holding executive marketing roles at SuperStroke and Edel Golf.
Liberty, previously Senior Vice President of Commerce, is now responsible for day-to-day operations and financial performance at SKYTRAK. Liberty has spent more than 25 years in golf retail and e-commerce, including co-founding Budget Golf, which he later sold, and leading e-commerce at Worldwide Golf Shops. He learned the business one golfer at a time, trading posts with customers himself on forums like The Hackers Paradise during his Budget Golf days. Since joining SKYTRAK, he has run its commercial strategy across direct-to-consumer, retail and emerging channels.
Thorberg, previously Vice President of Marketing, will lead brand strategy, demand generation, customer lifecycle marketing and CRM for both GOLFTEC and SKYTRAK. A PGA Professional, he has been a GOLFTEC coach, franchise owner, operator and marketing leader across nearly 20 years with the organization, which gives him a comprehensive and sophisticated read on what golfers, coaches and franchisees need from the brand. His job is to show golfers what happens when the lesson and the practice session can talk to each other.
“Golfers want a clear path to getting better, whether they’re working with a coach, getting fit for clubs or practicing on their own. Our job is to connect what a GOLFTEC coach sees with what SKYTRAK measures, so every player who spends time with us knows what to work on, practices with a purpose and can see the progress wherever they play.”
—Nick Clearwater, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Innovation, GOLFTEC Enterprises
About GOLFTEC Enterprises
GOLFTEC Enterprises is the parent company of GOLFTEC and SKYTRAK. Founded in 1995 and based in Englewood, Colo., GOLFTEC is the world’s largest golf coaching and technology company. With more than 260 locations and more than 1,000 Certified Personal Coaches worldwide, GOLFTEC combines expert instruction, proprietary swing-analysis technology and custom club fitting to help golfers of all skill levels play better. On average, GOLFTEC students improve by seven shots and gain more than 20 yards off the tee. SKYTRAK, acquired by GOLFTEC in 2023, develops personal launch monitors and golf-simulation software for practice and play at home. For more information, visit golftec.com and skytrakgolf.com.
Media Contact
Matthew Rudy, Senior Director of Content and Communications
mrudy@golftec.com | (203) 904-4468
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