Author Matthew E. Adams is one of those people that are hard to pin down. Ask him what he does for a living and “Matt”, as he prefers to be called (he publishes under his full name), will tell you that the answer depends on when you ask him. What cannot be denied is that for a man that wears many hats, any one of his multiple jobs would be one that most people would love to have.
Adams is a New York Times best selling author, with his most distinctive literary successes coming from his co-authoring multiple books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Adams is also an expert in golf equipment technology by virtue of spending many years on the manufacturing side of the game, having built and/or designed golf clubs for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Nicklaus, MacGregor, Ram and Wilson. He is also a professional sports broadcaster, speaker, golf historian and golf travel writer. What does he do? Maybe the question should be, what doesn’t he do?
In 2002, Matthew co-authored Chicken Soup for the Soul of America, Stories to Heal the Heart of Our Nation, with Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. The book quickly rose to the top spot in book rankings around the world and it was printed in multiple language translations. Proceeds from the book benefited the New York Area Relief Fund. Matt described the experience of writing and compiling this book as one of the most emotional and rewarding experiences of his life. “In the face of such horror, we saw such nobility. As the worst of human nature was revealed we also saw the triumph of kindness, caring and love,” said Adams. “Even at Ground Zero, immediately following the attacks, the people of New York were so heroic and resolute. The events of September 11, 2001 did not make all of these people heroes; it just exposed their heroism for the entire world to see.”
Matt calls the golf industry his “primary profession” and he has mastered his craft in the sport for over twenty years in golf club operations, golf equipment manufacturing and golf media. As such, he has become a well respected and recognized expert in many facets of the business. “Most people choose to work in the golf industry as a life style. It takes a long time to forge a path to financial stability in any profession and golf is no different and probably even harder because so many people would literarily do it for nothing if they could. I have always believed in following your passion first, and then the money will follow. I am extremely fortunate to have made a career in the game I love. Making it in any vocation takes hard work. You may not be the most talented, most experienced, well connected, or smartest, but nobody can stop you from being the hardest worker. If you can’t outshine them, out work them, because in the end hard work beats out glamour every time.”
For as long as he has been working in the golf industry, Matt has even deeper roots in sports media. Matt began working in sports radio while still in high school. He would go to the radio station at 5:00 AM, edit and file his reports, then race off to school. After college, Matt began is career working in the production department at ESPN where his assignments were the NHL, NFL, and SportsCenter. Matt left ESPN to pursue his primary passion of working in the game of golf. However, he maintained his dual passions of media and golf, establishing himself as a person who not only understood the complexity of modern golf equipment technology, but he could speak to it in simple, easy to understand terms to millions of viewers all over the world. “You have to make yourself distinctive. You must establish yourself as a unique authority, as an expert in something. That gives you credibility and the ability to use your forum as a basis of expansion to other areas where you have an interest or passion.”
Matt has followed his own recipe in the world of golf media. Matt can be seen regularly on the Golf Channel where he is a Golf Central reporter and columnist and has conducted player interviews as part of the Network’s Champion’s Tour broadcasts. Matt is also a member of the broadcast team on the PGA Tour Network where he does on-course play-by-play and he hosts his own show on the Network and Matt writes golf travel reviews that are syndicated around the world. All of this is in addition to his “everyday” job of managing golf courses. “Yea, it’s busy,” he explained, “but what I’ve tried to do is fill my life with things that interest me. Basically, my various jobs are really my hobbies, so I never feel like I work a day in my life.”
In 2003, Matt co-authored Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, a book that quickly became the best selling NASCAR book of all-time. In 2005, he combined efforts on The NASCAR Xtreme Race Journal for Kids and The Fast and Lean Racing Cookbook. In 2006, Matt authored Fairways of Life – Wisdom and Inspiration from the Greatest Game. In a testament to Matt’s widespread respect, the book features a Foreword written by none other than the legendary Arnold Palmer. “Fairways uses golf as a metaphor for life. There is so much that we can learn from the game that carries over to every aspect of our lives. Lessons about humility, perseverance, overcoming adversity and facing our fears are just a few examples,” explained Matt.
In 2007, Adams returned to his Chicken Soup for the Soul roots with the release of Chicken Soup for Women Golfer’s Soul, a book that celebrates the trail blazing women of the game.
In 2008, he released In the Spirit of the Game – Golf’s Greatest Stories.
Adams loves to bring his message of liberty, perspective, humor and empowerment to audiences all over the world as a highly sought after professional speaker.
Author, golf expert, sports broadcaster and speaker, so which one does Matt like the best? “Whichever one I am doing at the moment,” he reasoned. “Life is about doing what you like to do and I like to do a lot of different things.”