Two golfers. One shared frustration.
We grew up competing on the course. We knew golf would be a lifelong sport. We just didn't know it would become a lifelong mission.
Meet the founders.
Jae Yoon
Co-Founder
Senior @ UNC Chapel Hill
Economics & Data Science · AI/Tech
0.6 Handicap
I've been competing in golf since high school. When I started recruiting, I did the same thing everyone else does: cold emails, coffee chats, LinkedIn messages. Most of it never went deeper than small talk. But on the course, conversations just happened. That gap is why I built Putly.
jaeyoon1@unc.edu
Jonathan Jackson
Co-Founder
NC State '26 · MBA Candidate @ NC State
Business Administration · Accounting Minor
8 Handicap
I grew up playing golf competitively and ran into the same wall when it came to networking: forced conversations, surface-level connections, and interactions that felt more like transactions than relationships. Jae and I shared that frustration, and we knew we could build something better.
jsjackso@ncsu.eduWhy golf?
It's not about the sport. It's about what happens during four hours on the course.
Time
A round of golf is 4 hours. That's 16x longer than a coffee chat. Enough time for real conversation, not rehearsed elevator pitches.
Environment
No desks, no conference rooms. Walking side by side outdoors breaks down the walls that make traditional networking feel forced.
Shared Experience
Golf is a universal equalizer. A student and a managing director both hit bad shots. That vulnerability creates authentic connection.
The story behind Putly.
We both grew up competing in golf through high school. It was always more than a sport to us. And like everyone told us, it would be something we'd play for the rest of our lives.
When it came time to think about careers, we did what every ambitious student does: cold emails, LinkedIn messages, coffee chats. And most of it felt hollow. Half the time you're sitting across from someone trying to force a common interest that isn't there. The conversations stay surface level. You leave with a business card and nothing real.
But on the golf course, things were different. Four hours walking side by side, no agenda, no script. The conversation happened naturally because the shared interest was already there. Those rounds led to real connections that cold outreach never could.
That's when it clicked. We had something we wished existed when we started recruiting. Why not build it for the next generation of students who love the game? Putly is our answer: a platform that gives avid golfers a real edge in building the relationships that move careers forward. Starting in the NC Triangle, and growing from there.
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