Spartan Profiles: David McDevitt

TEAM GOLF

            Team Golf in Dallas, TX, is the country’s biggest supplier of licensed college golf accessories, offering 85 unique golf accessories related to more than 1,000 schools.  One of the items often used by the company’s founder, David McDevitt, ’84, is a golf tee shaped like MSU’s mascot Sparty.  “They are 2 ¾” tees, made of PVC,” says McDevitt.  “They hard enough to work but soft enough they won’t damage your clubs.  The mascot tee sales have been spectacular.”  David says MSU fans can either tee off on Sparty mascot tees or “take your aggression out on Wolverine tees.” 

            A native of Farmington Hills, David chose to attend MSU over Michigan partly because he could play on the tennis team.  But an ankle injury cut short his collegiate career.  “I loved MSU,” he says.  “Great school, great sports, and great friends.” 

            After graduation, he did play pro tennis in San Antonio for a year before obtaining his law degree at Wake Forest.  He became a securities trial attorney in Dallas.  But in 1996, he switched careers.  “I had an idea,” he explains.  “Looking at golf accessories, I figured that if designed correctly, packaged correctly and merchandised correctly, it could be a great business.”  So he designed some basics—head covers, towels and logoed balls—and took them to the PGA merchandise show in Orlando, FL.  He was inundated with orders. 

            Today, he has products in more than 4,500 retail outlets and dominates 85 percent of the college bookstore business.  “We’ve also come up with rival tees, like George Bush and John Kerry,” he notes.  “They’ve sold really well.  We’re coming out with a Bill and Hillary Clinton package.”  David spends his summers in Northern Michigan and does play golf.  “Yes, without a doubt, I use the Sparty tee. It doesn’t help my game, but it doesn’t hurt either.”