Philip Landes, known to golf enthusiasts as “Big Randy,” is the CFO (i.e., “Chief Fun Officer”), cofounder, and co-owner of No Laying Up, a golf media and lifestyle company that was born out of a group text message among friends and has evolved to a highly influential presence in the golfing community.
Now a full-fledged media company, No Laying Up produces two popular podcasts—the flagship No Laying Up Golf Podcast and the TrapDraw Podcast—along with a YouTube channel featuring a travel series, course reviews, and tournament coverage. It has also built a thriving merchandise business and fostered a community of golfers around the world through The Nest.
No Laying Up was named a Redhawk50 honoree at a gala on March 14, 2025, at Music Hall in Cincinnati. It’s a distinction given to the fastest-growing Miami alumni-led businesses. Three of the company’s founders are Miami alumni—in addition to Landes, Accountancy alum Chris Solomon ’08 and Todd Schuster ’08 (a History major) were part of the aforementioned group text message, which also included Schuster’s younger brother, Neil.
A “Circuitous” Career Path
“To say I’ve had a somewhat circuitous career path to this point would probably be an understatement,” Landes said. After earning his Accountancy degree at Miami, Landes began his career at Ernst & Young in Cincinnati, later completing his MBA before joining RSM McGladrey in Chicago.
His interest in sports soon led him to Winthrop Intelligence, a start-up providing data analysis for college athletics. From there, he pivoted to teaching and coaching high school basketball—a move that might seem like a detour but, for Landes, was a chance to reconnect with the sports world he loved. It was around this time that No Laying Up was born.
(L to R): Phil, Ben Hotaling, DJ Piehowski, Neil Schuster, Ludvig Aberg, Todd Schuster ‘08, Cody McBride, Chris Solomon ‘08
Enduring Business Foundation
“As I reflect on my career path to date, I can think of two big influences. First, my background and experience in the world of business and accounting gave me a great foundation which has helped facilitate starting my own company. As our CFO, I put the things I have learned through the years, both in school and out, to use just about every day,” Landes said.
He credits his father with his choice to become an accountancy major. “His point, and I think it’s spot-on, was that an understanding of accounting would allow me to begin to learn how businesses operate, on a foundational level. Accounting is the language of business, and I’ve found this advice from him to be more and more accurate as the years have passed. To get an accounting degree meant exploring a lot of different topics and problems within a lot of different types of businesses.”
Following a Passion for Sports
The second big influence in his career was his choice to follow his passion for sports.
“Whether it was going to Winthrop Intelligence, coaching high school basketball, or now working in the world of golf, I have always had a passion for sports and wanted to do something within the sports world. Taking chances and staying true to this passion has been vital for me.”
Lessons in Leadership and Collaboration
Landes also credits the role his Miami education has played in his career and how he tackles various challenges. “My Miami education allowed me to be a well-rounded thinker, teaching me just as much how to think about various challenges and problems, as it did give me the tools and information to work through problems … A lot of business challenges don’t come with black-and-white answers; instead it’s imperative to think through decisions and results with a more holistic approach, which Miami prepared me to do very well.”
Miami also offered a lot of opportunity to work in collaborative settings, and prepared him to seek help and guidance from others when he needed to: “I don’t always have all the answers, far from it actually, but starting with invested professors, both in the classroom and out at Miami, I learned how to seek assistance when I needed to, something that continues to pay dividends for me.”
Innovating for the Next Decade
No Laying Up recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and the 1000th episode of its original podcast. “When we began in 2014, there weren’t many golf podcasts at all. It was a barren marketplace for us to exist and grow within.” With the increasingly competitive and crowded market, Landes and his team are constantly thinking about what they could do to keep from becoming “stale and repetitive.”
As he looks forward to the next decade of podcasting, Landes thinks about how the company can evolve. “We have created and published several different types of new shows—narrative, storytelling podcasts; live reaction shows after the biggest pro golf tournaments; in-person shows in front of live audiences; and even making our podcasts a viewing experience on YouTube—challenging ourselves with producing better and more entertaining, and informative, shows. And it’s this same approach we take with everything we do, from original video productions to branded merchandise.”
Miami Memories
Landes was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the child of a Miami merger (Charles and Peggy Landes ‘74) and sister to Allie Goodman ’02, married to Eric Goodman ‘02, an Evans Scholar. Many of his fondest childhood memories involve going up to Oxford for football games in the fall, basketball games in the winter, and Miami basketball camps in the summer.
While a Miami student, some of his favorites included:
- Hanging out at CJs, the most memorable when Paul Otten would play.
- Going to Mac & Joe’s and Skippers to eat and watch a game.
- Having a late-night snack at Bagel N’ Deli.
- Participating in intramural athletics and going to the Rec Center
- Golfing at both Hueston Woods and Indian Ridge
- Studying abroad in Florence, Italy.
“I’d encourage all students to try and do a study abroad program if you’re able! My other piece of advice for any current or future student would be to spend a summer in Oxford taking a couple classes. It’s a very relaxing, fun place to hang in the summer, as I did twice.”
More about No Laying UP
No Laying Up was featured by New York Times’ subscription magazine The Athletic, and its founders have hosted a PGA championship show with ESPN. The company supports young and upcoming players through the Young Hitters program, and it hosts an annual Nest Invitational Tournament for members of its online community of avid golfers. Learn more from media coverage by Golf Monthly and Cincinnati Enquirer.