{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"David McDonald | Owner of Escalante Golf | Entrepreneurship, Stewardship, and Building a Golf Culture Rooted in Service","description":"David McDonald is the owner of Escalante Golf and a third-generation car dealer originally from Roswell, New Mexico, raised in the Denver area. A former college tennis player at the University of Oklahoma, David carries deep work ethic values shaped by family, faith, and decades of business leadership. Today, he leads Escalante Golf with a long-term stewardship mindset, building private clubs and experiences that prioritize customer service, culture, and community. Brad sits down with David to explore how Escalante Golf was born out of a simple observation: golfers, especially young golfers, weren\u2019t always treated with appreciation at public courses. David shares how his family\u2019s business background in automotive (dating back to 1926) helped shape his operational discipline, while his entrepreneurial wiring and Christian faith pulled him into golf with a bigger purpose than profit. He walks through the early days of starting Escalante in the early 1990s, learning to \u201ctrust God\u201d in uncertainty, and later using the 2008 market crash as a window to acquire and improve properties with strong operational fundamentals. David also explains the vision behind Icon Golf (\u201cmembership in the sky\u201d), the story of acquiring Canyata (built on a family farm, with zero revenue at the time), and the unique home-office culture where employees are invited, not required\u2014to read the Bible together every morning. \u201cWork really creates strengthening, understanding your purpose in life, building your own self-esteem, it\u2019s a great life teacher.\u201d \u2013 David McDonald \u201cI thrive off of uncertainty\u201d \u2013 David McDonald  \u201cWe\u2019re really in a lot of ways a very old school fundamental, disciplined company, it\u2019s not a house of cards. It\u2019s really built on solid, solid rock.\u201d \u2013 David McDonald This Week on The Wow Factor: David\u2019s upbringing across New Mexico and Colorado, and how tennis, family, and faith shaped his drive The McDonald family legacy in the car business (since 1926) and seeing business as a platform for service Why Escalante Golf started: noticing a lack of customer appreciation and wanting to treat people differently Learning the car business on his own, the power of commitment, and giving his best effort for years Launching Escalante independently and the leadership lesson behind \u201cgo figure it out on your own\u201d The 2008 crash as a turning point: operator mindset, buying opportunities, and scaling through discipline Canyata\u2019s origin story: a world-class course built on a family farm, acquired with zero revenue, and transformed through vision Icon Golf explained: access + curated experiences, community, couples travel, and long-term membership connection David McDonald\u2019s Word of Wisdom: David challenges leaders to think bigger than their own limitations and to enjoy the ride. He believes we\u2019re often constrained by what we can see and predict, but growth comes when we step into uncertainty with trust, discipline, and joy. He also emphasizes teaching stewardship, of time, resources, and responsibility, because when people learn to steward well, they multiply the mission and the results far beyond what leadership could do alone. Connect With David McDonald and Escalante Golf: Escalante Golf Website Icon Golf   Connect With Brad Formsma: WOW Factor Website   Brad Formsma on LinkedIn   Brad Formsma on Instagram   Brad Formsma on Facebook   Brad Formsma on X   ","author_name":"The Wow Factor","author_url":"https:\/\/www.thewowfactorpodcast.com","html":"