Dan Hershberg

Post-pitch story

Dan Hershberg pitched Amateur Golf Society on the show's "Venture Capital vs. Private Equity" episode in September 2023. His idea was a membership community and competitive tour for everyday golfers, the people who love the game but will never play a pro qualifier. After the show, AGS grew the old-fashioned way: by partnering with Allied Golf Associations, the regional bodies that run amateur golf. Hershberg says those partnerships took the society to 10 U.S. markets. Growth didn't turn into a lasting business, though. Hershberg ended his run as CEO in December 2025, and PitchBook now lists the company as out of business. He stayed in golf: in mid-2026 he joined Golf Genius Software, a major tournament-management platform, as Director of Strategic Partnerships. The episode's title asked whether AGS was a venture story or a private-equity story. In the end it may have been neither, but its founder landed in the middle of the industry he set out to serve. If you know more about how AGS wound down, send us a tip.