When we launched Gopher Caddy in December, we weren’t sure what to expect.
We’d spent years designing and refining a product that solved a real frustration on the golf course: the bulky, leaky sand buckets that get in the way of a great walk. Craig, a product designer by trade, building a smarter solution and launching a physical product came naturally, but running a business, reaching courses across Australia and learning the ropes of social media, and raising two little kids at the same time? That was always going to be a ride.
And wow—it really has been.
The Wins: Small Moments, Big Energy
We hit “go” right before Christmas, and the response from our network was incredible. Friends, family, and fellow golfers jumped in to support the launch. Those first sales meant the world to us—not just because they helped cover costs, but because they showed us there was real belief in what we were doing.
Since then, we’ve connected with an amazing community of golf walkers, club members, small business owners, and content creators. Each reel shared, each photo tagged, each message of “finally—someone made this!” has kept us fuelled.
We started getting organic sales from strangers who found us online or saw someone using it at their local course. And while paid advertising had its challenges (more on that below), we’ve started to see results when we’ve found the right mix of messaging and audience targeting.
The Fails: Costly Lessons (Literally)
One of our biggest hurdles? Meta ads.
In the early days, we were spending as much on advertising as we were making per sale. Not ideal. As designers, we’d built something we were proud of. But as first-time physical product marketers, we underestimated just how much testing and refining it would take to make ads profitable—especially on a platform as nuanced and temperamental as Meta.
Then there was time. We came in with the mindset that we could do it all. Design the product, run the business, shoot the content, write the copy, pack the orders. But we quickly learned: time is not infinite—especially with a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old underfoot.
Social media was another curveball. We didn’t grow up as creators. We came from the world of strategy, client meetings and user journeys—not trending audio and hooks in 3 seconds. That shift in mindset and medium took some real adapting.
The Lessons: What We Know Now
Looking back, we wouldn’t change much. Every frustrating ad click, every reel we hesitated to post, every time one of us packed orders at midnight while the other chased a toddler around the house—those were all building blocks.
Here are a few lessons we’ll carry with us into the next phase:
- You can’t do it all—and you shouldn’t. Delegating, automating, and getting help has been critical.
- Community is everything. The early supporters, local golf clubs, and mates who shared our product—those are the wins that matter most.
- Keep it scrappy. Sometimes the rougher, realer videos outperform the polished ones. People connect with people, not perfect content.
- Persistence beats polish. We're still learning and experimenting every day. We’re not trying to look like a big brand. We’re a small Aussie team doing our best to bring something useful and thoughtful to the game we love.
What’s Next?
We’re growing steadily and working on more ways to connect with golfers who walk the course and care about their setup. If that’s you, thank you for being here. Your support helps us keep going—and keep building better things.
And if you’re a fellow Aussie startup, or a golf lover with an idea brewing—we’d love to chat. There’s room for more good design on the course, and we’re always up for a conversation over a coffee or a round.
Thanks for being part of the journey.
Craig & Alyce
Founders, Gopher Caddy