Thursday, May 19, 2022

Pasatiempo Golf Club Unveils Plans to Restore Greens and Bunkers on Iconic Alister MacKenzie Course

The Pasatiempo Golf Club has announced, based on a Shareholder vote, plans to restore the original “push up” greens complexes and restore bunkers using modern construction methods. Located in Santa Cruz, California, the world-famous course was designed by Alister MacKenzie in 1929.

During the restoration, scheduled to begin in April 2023 and be completed in December 2024, the greens complexes and bunkers will be restored to resemble Alister MacKenzie’s original design, and intent, of the golf course.

New Galvin Green Collection Puts Pink in the Spotlight

Leading high-performance apparel brand Galvin Green is introducing a classy limited-edition Pink Collection that offers serious golfers the chance to update their Spring season wardrobe with long-lasting garments designed to enhance performance in warmer playing conditions.

The Pink Collection features a choice of four distinctly stylish polo shirt options, two versatile sweaters, a lightweight short-sleeve windproof jacket and a pair of fashionable shorts that can complement each and every one of the selected garments.

True Spec Denver Re-Opens for Season

True Spec Golf, the global leader in custom club fitting and club building, announced that its seasonal Denver studio will open on Tuesday, May 24th for the 2022 season.

Customers interested in improving their game with custom equipment can learn more and schedule a fitting session today at  www.truespecgolf.com/denver.

LIV Golf Announces Franchise and Player Relations Leadership Team

LIV Golf has announced it has appointed two sport industry veterans in Matt Goodman as President of Franchises and Laurence Miller as Vice President, Head of Franchise Operations. The addition of Goodman and Miller strengthens LIV Golf’s player relations team that is establishing the franchise model launching this summer as part of the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

As President of Franchises, Goodman will lead strategy and operations for LIV Golf’s 12 teams, including developing league and team policies, revenue, branding, and innovation throughout the business. Goodman previously served as COO/CCO at NYCFC, overseeing all commercial functions including corporate partnerships, ticket sales, premium seating, consumer and brand marketing, business intelligence and analytics, as well as youth programs. Over the course of his career, Goodman has held key roles with the NBA, Cleveland Browns, Madison Square Garden Company, and Mandalay Sports and Entertainment.

Titleist Introduces New 2022 Tour Soft Golf Balls

Titleist introduces its third generation Tour Soft golf ball, responding to golfer feedback with a new aerodynamic design for longer distance off the tee combined with a large, fast core for a responsive soft feel.

“The Tour Soft golfer prioritizes feel and seeks the softest possible, but they are also looking for all around performance,” said Jeremy Stone, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “The new Tour Soft has been reengineered for improved performance from tee through green.”

Titleist introduces Next Generation 2022 Tour Speed Golf Balls

When the original Tour Speed was introduced two years ago, it was the first Titleist high performance, multilayer golf ball with a proprietary Titleist Performance Urethane (TPU) cover, and immediately provided golfers the fastest, best performing model in its category.

The reformulated Tour Speed continues to produce consistently fast speed, penetrating flight, and exceptional short game control golfers have come to trust and expect from this model. All of this was accomplished while adhering to the rigorous quality and consistency standards required to be stamped with the Titleist script.

U.S. Adaptive Open Set to Welcome a Global Field to Pinehurst in July

The full field for the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open – a new national championship that will showcase the world’s best golfers with disabilities on Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 6 from July 18-20 – has been set by the USGA.

The USGA received 299 entries for the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open’s 96-player field, and the field includes competitors from 29 states and 12 countries, including five competitors from North Carolina. The championship’s youngest competitor is 15-year-old Sophia Howard from Hudsonville, Mich. Judith Brush, 80, of Alexandria, Va., is the championship's oldest player.

Wilfong, Womble Rally to Claim Four-Ball Title in Birmingham

There is no more medalist jinx in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. A pair of Wake Forest alums, Chad Wilfong and Davis Womble, became the first side to medal in stroke play and go on to win the championship with a dramatic, come-from-behind, 19-hole victory over Drew Kittleson and Drew Stoltz on the West Course of the Country Club of Birmingham.

It was the second consecutive year that the championship match was decided in extra holes.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Alternates Kittleson, Stoltz Among Semifinalists in Birmingham

Seven days ago, Drew Stoltz was preparing to fly to the PGA Championship in Tulsa, Okla., to host his SiriusXM Radio show, and Drew Kittleson was scheduled to be in Austin, Texas, for business. But one phone call from the USGA changed their itineraries, and on Wednesday, their lives could significantly change as well.

The two last-minute alternates from Scottsdale, Ariz., have taken full advantage of their unexpected entry in the 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Country Club of Birmingham. Kittleson, 33, and Stoltz, 37, won two more matches Tuesday on the West Course, including a dramatic 1-up quarterfinal win over co-medalists and top seeds Torey Edwards and Bret Parker, to put them two wins away from a national championship.

Duca del Cosma Partners with PGA Magazine

Award-winning Italian lifestyle brand, and golf footwear trendsetter, Duca del Cosma, has been designated by PGA Magazine as its Golf Shop Owners exclusive footwear company.

“We are thrilled with this appointment. Duca del Cosma is relatively new in North America, and to have partnered with PGA Magazine is an honour. Their influence with the PGA Golf Shop Owners, PGA Professionals, PGA Assistants, Buyers, and Merchandisers is vast. We intend to engage with these influential professionals weekly and monthly,” said Evelien Lauwers, Managing Director North America for Duca del Cosma. “This is a terrific opportunity.”

Golf Central Live from the PGA Championship at Southern Hills - 30+ Hours of Coverage

GOLF Channel will surround the 104th PGA Championship with more than 30 hours of studio coverage this week on GOLF Central Live From the PGA Championship on-site from Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

GOLF Central Live From the PGA Championship will provide comprehensive pre-Championship coverage Monday-Wednesday, followed by post-round analysis and insights each night on GOLF Channel following the conclusion of play.

Club Champion Continues Expansion with New Facilities and HQ Additions

The growth is continuing for at least one golf retailer in 2022 — Club Champion is seeing record expansion in every category, both domestically and internationally. In just under five months, the globe’s top custom club fitter has created a new base of operations in Arizona, expanded its Illinois build facility and headquarters, acquired three international partners, and hired new corporate leadership.

Nearing its twelfth year of business, Club Champion is recognized as the top custom club fitter in the USA and has recently expanded beyond domestic borders to claim the title worldwide. The brand offers Tour-quality club fittings and custom-built clubs for every level of golfer. Each state-of-the-art fitting studio houses over 50,000 hittable head and shaft combinations from over 60 golf manufacturers, alongside the best technology and talent the industry has to offer. Club Champion’s brand-agnostic approach has propelled them from a regional business to an award-winning international chain on an unprecedented growth trajectory.

Monday, May 16, 2022

Thrice as Nice: Medalists Roll into Round of 16 in Birmingham

Being the medalist in a USGA championship can sometimes add a burden of expectations. The common belief is that the great performances from stroke play will continue in match play. But as most golfers at the elite level fully understand, match play can be fickle.

All three sides who shared medalist honors in the 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Country Club of Birmingham were tested in Monday’s Round of 32 on the venue’s West Course. But fortunately for them, they did not see an abrupt end to their weeks.

Golf Datatech Research Estimates Gambling on Professional Golf to be Close to $5 Billion Market

With golf season in full-swing, Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent market research firm for retail sales, consumer, and trade trends, today unveiled the first-ever “Gambling & Golf Study,” providing insights into the state of wagering on the game, both during every day recreational play, as well betting on professional golf tournaments.

Gambling and golf have always gone hand in hand, and betting on the sport has entered a new phase that transcends buddies betting on their weekly match to wagering over the 40-week professional tournament season. This study provides insights into the current state of this new world order in golf gambling, based on a survey of 1,000 Serious Golfers.

Introducing the Spring 2022 FootJoy x Todd Snyder Collection

How would golf’s most iconic players from the Sixties and Seventies dress if they stepped onto the links today?

The answer is this spring’s Todd Snyder x FootJoy Collection. Building on FootJoy’s almost 100 year history as a leader in performance and comfort, Snyder designed a capsule collection of polos, windbreakers, hoodies, cardigans, shorts, joggers, caps, and golf shoes that are inspired by vintage golf style yet reinvented for the modern gent.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Going Low: Trio of Medalists Shoot 128 in Birmingham

Go low or go home. That’s a motto often heard at PGA Tour events, but it also applies for the 7th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at the Country Club of Birmingham.

Following 36 holes of stroke play on the club’s East and West courses, a score of 8-under-par 133 was required to qualify for match play, a championship record by two shots. In all, 95 of the 128 sides posted under-par totals for 36 holes.

Ace Indoor Golf Gimme Simulators Names Trevor Faust President

Ace Indoor Golf and Gimme Simulators, the industry’s leading builder, designer and installer of golf simulator hardware and technology, has named industry veteran Trevor Faust its new president. Faust brings more than 15 years of progressive entrepreneurial management experience, from general manager roles to executive sales posts with strategic and business development responsibilities focused on revenue growth.

“We’re excited about the direction Ace Indoor Golf and Gimme Simulators are poised to take with the direction, experience and industry savvy of our new company President Trevor Faust,” says Co-Founder Joe Neumeyer. “We couldn’t have asked for someone more ideally suited to this role. Trevor knows how to sell, market and fulfill world-class indoor experiences like few others in this business. His energy and ingenuity will help drive our success as the Ace and Gimme become more household names in indoor golf.”

Lawsuit Filed Against PGA Tour and Fortinet Championship

The Dovel & Luner law firm on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against PGA TOUR, Inc. and Fortinet, Inc. for failing to compensate Plaintiff 1440 Sports Management Ltd. for its role in creating the Fortinet Championship, a major golf tournament in Napa, California.

The Complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that PGA Tour and Fortinet broke their promises and were unjustly enriched after refusing to compensate 1440 Sports for securing Fortinet as a sponsor for the PGA’s Napa golf tournament.

GOLFFOREVER Signs World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler as Brand Ambassador

GOLFFOREVER – the leading at-home golf fitness training system that helps golfers play without limits – is proud to announce a new partnership with world-No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler.

The newly-minted Masters champion, who leads the 2022 FEDEX Cup Standings with nearly twice as many points as his closest chaser, has won four times on the PGA TOUR since he began using GOLFFOREVER’s groundbreaking training system that pairs the first-ever multi-use golf fitness and warmup tool with video-streaming routines for flexibility, speed, power and injury recovery in the GOLFFOREVER app. Scheffler will represent the brand by appearing in GOLFFOREVER video content and advertisements, using the GOLFFOREVER Training System in a similar capacity to how he uses it in his own daily routines.

Bonita National Golf Hosts Dog Reception to Benefit Els for Autism

Bonita National Golf and Country Club recently concluded a month of fundraising events to benefit the Els for Autism Foundation with a one-of-a-kind Dog Reception. 25 dogs (and their owners) attended the reception, which featured samples of Ernie Els Champion Pet Products as well as prizes donated by PetSmart and Sunshine Ace Hardware.

The fun, dog-themed reception capped off a month of fundraising activities by the club to benefit the Foundation. In total, Bonita National raised $3,000 from events that included a 5k walk/run, golf events, a South African-themed steak night, golf tournament raffles, and artisan market contributions. The Dog Reception alone raised $287 through donations and contributions.