The First Philly Tech Golf Classic Is in the Books
After three years of planning and more than one attempt to get it off the ground, the first Philly Tech Golf Classic teed off on October 9, 2026 at Walnut Lane Golf Club in Roxborough.
It was by far the most complex event I’ve ever put together. It was also one of the most fun and rewarding. Every late night and weekend hour outside my day job and family time was worth it. This doesn’t happen without friends, our sponsors, a long list of people who "chipped" in, along with a big help from Claude.
A crowd that actually belonged together
The best compliment I heard all day: “This is a totally relevant crowd.” The next was a teammate saying, "This is the best day of work I ever had." The last was my team busting my chops calling me Keith Spieth. Bottom line was that everyone seemed to think that the pairups were relevant.
Plenty of golf outings put you in a foursome with random matchups leaving you hunting for common ground. This one brought together people from across the technology landscape: up-and-coming talent, established leaders in tech innovation and cybersecurity, and the partners, consultants and vendors who work alongside them.
Alongside the Philly crowd, we had guests from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New York and Chicago. Also a couple of founders, an executive director and a CEO came out to play and support the community. All told, about 40 people teed it up at one of Philadelphia’s most stolidly rugged public courses.
The course
Walnut Lane has made big improvements over the past couple of years. The headline is a new clubhouse with golf simulators, a full bar, plenty of golf swag and more. The greens were surprisingly well kept. The tee boxes could use a little love, but for a course that sees this much traffic, that comes with the territory. It was a day well spent.
A special thank-you to Kyle Spaulding and the Walnut Lane team for working with us through every change of plans and making the day run smoothly. Reach out to him if you need to do a tournament of any capacity. They will work with you.
My foursome (and my new nickname)
I had the honor of playing with John Walker of 7AI & Jeff Pala of Realm Security Both companies helped make this event possible. We rounded it out with the newest Philly Tech Council member, Lou Dignam.
You get paired with the wrong foursome, and it's a terrible afternoon. Fortunately, this crew clicked from the second swing of the day. After Jeff started off with the foul ball, we granted him an early mulligan, and he knocked one within a foot of the pin on a short hole. He should have just walked off and called it an afternoon! But I'm glad he didn't. This crew meshed very well. Lots of laughs, lots of encouragement, and some good stories told alongside the handful of other balls which will forever live somewhere deep in the Wissahickon.
Over 18 holes we did skip some fun and covered everything from AI’s place in the SOC, to the grind of working in startup life to sharing career goals and more. Most of the round, though, was old stories about where we’re from, family life, and how Philly can become known as a great tech destination.
What made the day
It was a great day catching up with people I know and respect, and meeting new friends who came as guests of others. Some people looking to hire got connected with up-and-coming talent. Seasoned pros met partners they can work alongside to grow their businesses. That’s exactly what the Tech Council is for.
Breakfast was courtesy of our friends at Dale Workforce, and cigars were courtesy of Verint. After the round, lunch was on me: cheesesteaks & hoagie trays from local notables Chubby’s and D'Alessandro’s. When with the Tech Council, you got to get the best of the best.
Congratulations to our first champions
Big shout-out to the winning foursome, who finished at 6 under:
Mike McKeown, SEVN-X
Mike Nichter, Verint
Kevin Needham, Dale Workforce
John Nichter, CertaPro
Security footage is still under review to make sure it’s accurate. Just kidding. They earned the first Philly Tech Golf Classic trophy and the green jacket, and I look forward to watching them defend the title next year.
Thank you to our partners & players
We had great representation from companies such as CSC Global, Parkway Corporation, City of Philadelphia along with partners at Consortium, Daylight Security, Cohesity, Infoblox, Realm Security, TachTech, Amplix, SecureX, Comcast, Expedient, SEVN-X, 7AI, Dale Workforce and Verint. Also big shout out to our friends at Beacon Hill staffing who helped with the logistics and details of the day to make things smooth.
Thanks also to everyone who wanted to be there but couldn’t get away from the office or the responsibilities of life. We’ll see you next time.
What’s next:
Next year I’m hoping to add an individual tournament to find out who’s the single best golfer in Philly tech. If you want to be on the list for year two, as a player or a sponsor, reach out.
Stay tuned for more from the Tech Council. Be sure to follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn.
