We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shane Wieters a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

During the beginning of 2023, I found myself golfing more frequently as it was enjoyable, quickly becoming my new passion and hobby, and I also used it for business. I was a Registered Representative and Financial Advisor, a somewhat new career that introduced me to golf.

I originally came up with The Tee Clip as a means to solve a minor inconvenience of a good place to hold tees on me. Since there was no solution online that I could purchase I decided I would make something for myself.

The prototype, which looks vastly different from what is on the market today, was essentially a holder that slid up the side of a hat that held a single tee. However, it was difficult just to make the first one and it didn’t securely hold the tee. Plus I didn’t want to “fish” for a tee hole in a holder on my hat and figured that I would constantly be taking my hat off and on to use it, and since it was made from stainless steel, it wasn’t easily adjustable. I knew that people wore ball markers on their hats, which I did the same, and figured there was a play on that and the magnetic ability. Along the way I had to teach myself machining and manufacturing which came faily easily, I’ve been working with tools since I was young and have a natural ability to envision the mechanics of engineering. I may not have gone to school for it, and may not know the math behind it all, however, I feel there’s nothing I can’t figure out how to make.

So I went to work, prototype after prototype (which I still have every rendition) until I developed what you see today. Most of the work went into developing our patent pending barrels as well as an ability to house them securely to a flat surface in a strong enough fashion that they wouldn’t break off and don’t get me started on packaging. I had some outside opinions help and also have to be thankful I stared at it for 10 years as a store manager for Guitar Center. My retail experience no doubtedly has helped in many ways.

After it was completed, I had a thought. Remember, I made this just for me, because there was no solution out there. That thought was – If I was having these same frustrations then others probably are as well. If there was no solution for me, then there wasn’t any for anyone else. People buy on convenience. Benefits really. How will this product benefit me. I had already an immediate benefit. It was the solution. I drafted then I submitted my provisional patent.

A month later, I was laid off. I had another thought – I’m going to dive right into this and not look back. I had my sights on the US market which the previous year had 44.5 million amature golfers play a round of golf which meant if I could get even half of them to buy a tee clip, I was in business. I decided to self-manufacture. I wanted a USA brand and product.

Being USA Made was important to me not only as having my own USA business, employees and products, but I grew up believing USA Made was the best quality, long lasting, and extremely durable. This is what I wanted in my product.

From there I launched in October of 2023, after getting my website up and products loaded, and of course making some of them. It took 3 days to sell one then I sold out week after week until the new year. During that time I remember that there were big conventions that took place for b2b buyers and found the PGA Show and debuted the product line publicly at their 2024 show in the Inventors Section. While I was there I did the pitch to the pros which I stood in an area and pitched to 5 people that had done deals years before on Shark Tank. That was a lot of fun. Flash forward a year to 2025 and we are looking at distribution in potentially 20 countries, just penned a partership with 30 pro players between LPGA, PGA and the Kornferry Tour, and are working on custom branding jobs for pro shops and country clubs.

That’s only

Shane, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into the industry of golf simply by starting a new career. I was exiting 10 year retail career as a Store Manager into a Financial Advisor role. Every one golfs in finance apparently and I found out. So I hit some goals, got a set, and then played my first round. I didnt have a passion or a hobby before golf, and it checked all the boxes and sucked me right in. Ourside for 4-5 hours, playing with a group of friends, not drinking at the bar aimlessly, physical exercise and of course the mental aspect of the game. It was challenging and I love a good challenge. Along the way I developed The Tee Clip because I was tired of trying to get my golf glove covered hand into my pocked to get a tee, then pulling my whole pocket out and still fumbling. The Tee Clip and my company Lost Wedge, LLC was born.

Being USA Made and being of the upmost quality is important to our brand. We build products to last, that are innovative, and useful and that is differenciated from every other golf product or accessory on the market making us unique. Oh and also to mention that the magnetic ability is a major part of our fully submitted patent which covers the hat, belt or waistline. Also a major player in the game for us.

We are big listeners as well. We welcome feedback on the products which have lead to a stronger more durable product, The Tee Clip MINI, The Tee Clip Hip Clip, The Tee Clip Tether and lastly, the sought after Duo Clip. Our designs are user friendly, made from high quality stainless steel, and use natural motor functions to use. Not only that, most of our products are multi use – eliminating the need for multiple accessories. That’s why we say The Tee Clip Is The Most Convenient Way To Hold Your Golf Tees and More.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot two major times in career based on life circumstances. I’m a fond believer that we live multiple lives in our life time and that any day you can choose to start a new one.

my exit as a store manager was because I had the extrodinary luck of having my daughter born the week of black friday. Her actual due date was black friday although she was born that monday instead. As you may or may not know, the week of Black Friday as a retail Store Manager means longer days, closing to set up for black friday wednesday night before thanksgiving, then working Friday- Monday. This wasn’t a problem before my daughter was born and not really when my son was born, that is until they got older. I want to say it was when my daughter was going to turn 8 that she hit me with the “You’re going to miss my birthday again arn’t you?” I promised her then and there that the next year and every year after, I would never be working or miss her birthday again. I had already been studing finance and by april the following year had a new career.

The second time was when that new career ended and I had my provisional patent filed for The Tee Clip. I decided to use my reitrement, severance, and whatever money I had left to pursue Lost Wedge & The Tee Clip as a make it or break it, no plan B endevor. I had pursued countless entreprenurial endevors since I was 18 that made it a natural choice to commit to.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The Store of Lost Wedge & The Tee Clip

Being an entrepreneur… it’s just who I am really on the inside. It’s really hard to describe what goes into being one and even more when you have your own business, and product line, and you are a solo entreprenuer that makes all his products by hand. I sleep at most 4 hours in a row, I have dealings in Europe and the Middle east and their 9am or 11am is my 12am and they call whenever they feel like.

Every day I wake up and I already know it is not going to be easy and the money isn’t always there, I’ve spent more time on the underside of a bank account and probably a small salary on over draft fees. It’s a startup ha! Some days it’s quite the opposite. I wear every hat a company could wear and everything Lost Wedge & The Tee Clip you see or have seen or may see in the short term future, all the products ever made, every show exhibited at, and 99% of the marketing content is done by me. Just me. Just one person. But the real kicker, is why … It’s just who I am really on the inside. I couldn’t begin at all tell someone how it feels, because in the hard times, I shut off the feeling and turn on the persistency. I compartmentalize most emotional aspects of the business and have made organization and process flows a priority. However, knowing I don’t have a plan B, knowing no one else is going to do it for me, no one else is going to pay for it, is really what drives me. It’s the unknown, it’s the adventure, the strangers and relationships I’ve created along the way. It’s the sence that I’m actually living and not dying behind some desk in a box somewhere.

The last thing I’ll say is people are going to dislike and even hate your brand, product or even you for doing something with your life. I say troll the tolls, stick up for your brand, and never ever have time for negativity. At all. Things are going to suck at times, like really suck, and then there will be times you feel like the #1 person on earth. Level it out find a center line and just go, and don’t stop for anything. The only thing that really kills a business or a person is not a lack of funding – its giving up. Like I tell my kids – ” If you start with I can’t, you never will. If you start with I can, you’ll at least try.” Give it your best shot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theteeclip
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/theteeclip
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/theteeclip
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/lost-wedge
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theteeclip
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@theteeclip