Over the Green

If the true test of a man’s intelligence is how much he agrees with you Michael Johnson, equipment writer for Golf Digest, is a genius.

In his June 20 online column he lays out the case against the USGA’s illogical and unfortunate reasoning when it came up with the ban of U-shaped or square grooves. The argument is similar to that made by this writer for over two years.

The Association concluded by mandating grooves with smaller cross section on irons of more than 25 degrees loft touring professionals and top amateurs would have to throttle back their tee shots to avoid hitting the ball in the rough. Smaller groves are less efficient imparting spin to a ball when the grass is of medium length as in the rough. The 1,000 or so elite golfers this change was aimed at therefore would have a harder time stopping their approach shots on the green.

Their logic continued that since there would be a “penalty” for hitting the ball in the rough the elites would then be forced to use a club less than a driver from the tee in order to keep the ball in the fairway. From the fairway they would be able to put the correct spin on the ball with the new grooves so distance could be controlled and it would stop close to the pin.MORE…

On Memorial Day, before the beer, hotdogs and fireworks, the Golf Channel broadcast the first big time golf event played under the rules of PowerPlay Golf – a relatively new and potentially significant tournament format.

Unfortunately an unknown (at least to American viewers and for the sake of media attention) player, Caroline Hedwall won though her finish didn’t lack anything in the way of excitement…it was birdie-birdie-birdie. There were some interesting aspects to this 9-hole tournament contested on the Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor in Wales other than the modified Stableford scoring.
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“You’ll use every club in the bag,” is a compliment pertaining to a golf course’s design and playing characteristics and taken to mean that in order to score well you will need a variety of shots not just, “Hit it hard. Go find it and hit it hard again.”

Or, put another way, it could be a fun course to play.

Golfers also seem to like layouts that require a range of tee shots, i.e., not every hole is a tree-lined bowling alley. Maybe there is a bunker or two to be carried or avoided or a dogleg with the fairway sloping in the opposite direction…you know, fun stuff.

Secondly, the guys and gals who make a living playing this game are better at it than we are. Obvious you say but, (drum roll please) since they are so much better than average players and the rulers of the rules are concerned these few elite golfers are too good and hitting the ball too far, why not roll back the number of clubs they can carry to ten or 12?
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Former technical director of the USGA, Frank Thomas, told me several years ago the average golfer is deluding himself about how far he hits his tee shots. When asked, most will answer a typical blast travels in the 225-yard (or better!) range.

Thomas however had done a study which showed the average was under 200-yards so, aside from the potential ego inflation benefits from not being truthful with himself or his fellow linksters, our average weekend warrior sets himself up for several hours of frustration, interminable playing times and possible financial loss. This is presumably why a club professional of my acquaintance says many of his lessons are not so much in swing mechanics but anger management.

A few months ago another solon of the game, Barney Adams, suggested one of the ways to attack the no-growth problem golf faces was to make the game more fun. No, not with bikinied caddy girls or windmills on par-3s, but by shortening the time spent and letting the average hacker do his hacking thing but still have a good time.

Among Adams suggestions was to have everyone play a shorter course or if you normally play from 7000-yards, move up to say 6700. Adams assumed the average drive was between 205- and 230-yards (different than the Thomas study but the principle is the same) and therefore some 70-yards shorter than elite players such as those on the PGA Tour. This means with 14 non-par-3 holes in a round the average players is giving up at least 70 times 14 or roughly 1000-yards not counting the distance advantage pros have with their iron play.

Put another way it’s like the pros attempting to play an 8000-yard course each week. Ridiculous you say? But, that what recreational players are doing almost every round.

Now in what may be a minor miracle golf’s two premier organizations, the USGA and the PGA of America (who don’t see eye to eye very often), are cooperating in a program named Tee it Forward and pushing for all golfers to try a shorter set of tees based on the distance they drive the ball. The request is only for a limited time, July 5 through July 17, and is meant to serve as an experiment for golfers to use tees more suited for their game and ability.

As the press release put it, “With TEE IT FORWARD, golfers can potentially speed up play and have more fun by utilizing tees that provide the greatest playability and enjoyment.”

There’s even a chart showing guidelines for 18-hole yardage:
Driver Distance Recommended 18 Hole Yardages
PGA Tour Pro……7,600 – 7,900
300………………..7,150 – 7,400
275………………..6,700 – 6,900
250………………..6,200 – 6,400
225………………..5,800 – 6,000
200………………..5,200 – 5,400
175………………..4,400 – 4,600
150………………..3,500 – 3,700
125………………..2,800 – 3,000
100………………..2,100 – 2,300

This seems like a neat idea and definitely worth a try.
Who knows it night catch on because its makes golf faster and more fun.

Below is the text of the annoucement by Fortune Brands that Acushnet and its Titleist brand have been sold to Fila Korea, Ltd. and a private equity group, the largest in Korea.

There’s not doubt this sale will have repercussions on the golf ball market which Titleist dominates and the golf equipment business in general. Acushnet is the largest golf equipment company in the world. As more details come out we will keep our readers informed.

“ACUSHNET COMPANY TO BE ACQUIRED BY GROUP LED BY
FILA KOREA LTD. AND MIRAE ASSET PRIVATE EQUITY
Agreement Reached for World’s Leading Golf Equipment Company to be Purchased from Fortune Brands

Fairhaven, MA (May 20, 2011) – Acushnet Company announced today that its parent company, Fortune Brands, Inc., has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of the company to a group led by Fila Korea, Ltd., the owner of the Fila brand globally, and Mirae Asset Private Equity, the largest private equity firm in Korea.

Acushnet Company is one of the largest golf equipment companies in the world with annual sales of more than $1.2 billion in 2010. Its premium and storied brands include Titleist, the #1 ball in golf and a leader in high performance golf clubs, and FootJoy, the #1 shoe, glove and performance outerwear brand in golf.

“The Acushnet Company has long been the trusted steward of two of golf’s most revered and iconic brands, and has perpetuated the longest running records of golf equipment success in the game,” said Wally Uihlein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Acushnet Company. “The Fila Korea and Mirae group understands and appreciates our golf industry leadership, passionate associates, and unique and enduring culture. Together, with our new owners, our team is looking forward to strengthening and building upon the global success of the Titleist and FootJoy brands.”

After the acquisition, Acushnet will remain as a standalone company through separate operation from Fila Korea, with its worldwide headquarters remaining in Fairhaven, Mass., and led by Uihlein and Acushnet’s current management team.

The Acushnet Company has a history of successful growth and evolution. The Golf Division was founded in 1932, with the first Titleist golf ball brought to market in 1935. Fortune Brands acquired the Acushnet Company in 1976, and Acushnet acquired FootJoy in 1985. Acushnet’s net sales in 1975 were $51 million and with the combined strength of both brands have grown more than twenty-fold over the past thirty-five years.

The Titleist golf ball embodies product performance and quality excellence, and has been the #1 ball in golf for over sixty years and still counting. Titleist golf clubs have also earned broad acceptance with golf’s pyramid of influence through an unwavering commitment to performance, quality and fitting.

FootJoy has been the unequivocal leader in the golf shoe product category for more than seventy years and has owned the #1 position in golf gloves for more than three decades.

“We appreciate what Fortune Brands has contributed to the growth of our business over the last thirty-five years,” said Uihlein. “The support, encouragement and guidance they provided helped fuel our leadership position in the industry and marketplace. Together, we achieved record-setting milestones.”

Established in Italy in 1911, Fila is a leading sport and leisure footwear and apparel brand that is distributed worldwide. The group, led by Fila Korea and Mirae, also includes the National Pension Service of Korea, the fourth largest pension fund in the world, and Korea Development Bank, Korea’s largest government-owned bank.

“The acquisition of Acushnet transforms our platform with a stable of premier world class brands,” said Gene Yoon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fila Korea, Ltd. “We are equally excited to embrace Acushnet’s exceptional management team led by Wally Uihlein. With our extensive knowledge and reach in Asia, we believe that the Acushnet brands have incredible new opportunities for growth in the emerging markets in Asia.”

“We are very impressed with what Acushnet management and employees have accomplished so far,” said JH Ryu, CEO, Mirae Asset Private Equity. “We will fully support the company to remain focused on its core golf expertise and continue driving the growth of the industry.”

“Titleist and FootJoy are powerful global golf brands,” said Uihlein. “The fact that Asia Pacific represents over 30% of the world’s total golf equipment spending, and that South Korean golfers are among the most passionate and organized in the game, is testament to the significant investment in the Acushnet Company by the Fila Korea and Mirae group. They recognize the strength of the brands and opportunities for growth particularly in golf’s emerging regions.”

The sale is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and the transaction is expected to close this summer.”

By CAROLYN FLINN MCCOOL

A legend has left the arms of earth for the portals of another world. I read the news from a young friend, he himself a possible heir to the golf world someday, that Severiano Ballesteros had died. Many people’s deaths pierce me, but this one just a little deeper.

You see, Seve, is my age, just shy a year to be exact. I feel like he is MY family. I grew up with him, because I grew up with golf while he was making an international name for himself. I sat at the table next to Seve at the 1980 US Open at Baltusrol where he was dining with Sandy Lyle at the Springfield Hotel. He missed his tee time at this Open, after being the Masters Champion earlier, when he was on his way driving on the Garden State Parkway. He was like a brother to me, though I watched him on television, not in a shared family home.

First of all, Seve was amazingly handsome to a young girl who still had dreams of the handsome prince, though I had snagged one not so long before. His wild and playful spirit on the golf course seemed just as wild in his personal life. He was charismatic and charming, energetic and effective.

He will be known for his golfing prowess. Oh, did he have it. A Masters Champion at 23 followed by US Opens and another Masters. Remember the trees, the rough, the “you can’t hit it from there?” Seve, didn’t know he couldn’t do that, and you got the pleasure of seeing the impossible become possible. I will remember Seve for bushes, branches, and brashness! Nick Faldo referred to him as, “The greatest show on earth.” Wow!

His life was not perfect, really whose life is when you are under scrutiny for your every move? He ran into questionable actions and attitudes on and off the course from time to time. I heard the stories, even from some who said they really saw or knew those stories to be true, but sometimes, just sometimes, jealousy can write another story. Who knows? I leave those “truths” to a greater judge, and I have certainly learned I am not that judge.

After hailing from Europe and Spain (and being a superstar in residence while I lived there), Seve brought his wave of good looks and good gifts to America. It was a European revolution that has come to stay! Golf’s greatness imported, just like the many fine beers that have inspired American craftsmen today.

When it was learned he had a brain tumor in 2008, it hit many people very hard. Seve, a seeming immortal in the golf world, was mortal…and so were we all. Lots of love, goodwill, and good press came forth from his surgeries and difficulties. Those who were always in his camp stayed and those who maybe questioned him, returned. Illness, disappointment, and death have a way of working things out, especially the way we feel about another.

Seve, just like his incredible golfing genius, fought a creative and determined fight off the course, now with those close to his camp. The world received a star and now he is returning to shine down on us with all the gifts he came to give us and leaves us. Seve, we will miss you. We surely enjoyed the game of golf more fully with you!

Carolyn Flinn McCool is a freelance writer and authors a line of greeting cards, “Sharing a Word Fitly Spoken.” She loves writing, the awesome outdoors, and joining you in conversation. She is married with college age twin sons.

An assignment for New England Golf Monthly concerning long putters prompted me to ask a friend and scratch handicap golfer, Ted Sheppe, his experience converting from a regular putter. You will find this interesting and perhaps it will provide the impetus if you have putting woes to give a belly or broomstick a try.

Here’s what he said:

The best way I can describe my transition to the long putter:

After a back scare last fall (I’ve had 2 back surgeries), I had to take 2 months off. To simply have something to do and to amuse myself, I bought a long putter to fool with and experiment with. I can say that it was apparent to me at Edwin Watts, there was something special about the roll of the ball off the long putter. It was very natural to me, and I could see the potential instantly. People who watched me early on were amazed – all my friends were encouraging me to stick with it. What started as an experiment while I was not allowed to play grew into new life into my game.

For background, I have always been a 4 or better handicap, since age 15. Played in college at Marshall, etc. Bill Campbell was my mentor. [Note: Campbell is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and two time president of the USGA. He had an outstanding amateur career including winning the US Amateur, two US Senior Amatuers, selection to eight Walker Cup teams and was only the third American to be named Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.]

Very traditional golf upbringing. What has kept me from being an elite player, other than back pain, is putting from inside 10 feet, and more importantly, from inside 5 feet. I just missed too many putts. My right hand just often got in the way, especially under pressure. I’m not talking yips – I’m talking making 50% of putts inside 6 feet, versus the tour level of 70%. That’s a lot of shots being left out there.

While I was resting the back last fall, I toyed with the long putter. It was largely to amuse myself, but I left Edwin Watts wondering if I had not stumbled on to something. I went to the course on weekends and putted with it, and while I could not play, I went onto the course with my buddies and “played” the last 5 holes with them, putting only. They were all amazed – they thought I had been doing it for years.

Immediately, my short putting became a STRENGTH, not a liability. I got healthy and got back on the course. I track my results. I am making far more putts inside 10 feet, more from 5-6, and making basically everything inside 3. It was immediate and very natural to me.

Here is the key point for me: The pendulum stroke – the logic of it – gave me confidence as I watched putt after putt go in. The old way, I’d make putts and feel lucky, not confident. My traditional stroke never quite felt comfortable (inside slightly or square to square? Short or long? Etc) , and especially under pressure I missed too many putts to be elite. With the long putter, I feel the stroke itself is flawless – I no longer question my stroke – all I have to do is read it right and speed it right. That is a huge game changer for me.

I have touched +1 briefly each of the past 2 summers. I truly believe I will get to +1 again this summer – I was under par for April – and I know I will sustain it, and hopefully get to my goal of +2. I truly believe I will shoot under par for the summer, knowing that I can make the putts inside 10 and inside 5. It has also given me substantially more confidence on 20-30 footers, as I know I can make the comebackers. The criticism of the long putter is that it is harder to control distance on long putts – I have only found that on 40-50 footers, but I believe I have resolved that with practice. In any event, I am more aggressive with longer putts, because I am so confident on the shorter ones. I’ve made more long putts and have cut my three putts as such.

In mu club championship in November, I did not miss a putt inside 5. This was a major improvement for me in tournament play. Despite some back issues lingering from the ruptured disk, I won, and it was all due to the long putter. I KNEW I was going to make the short ones.

Here’s a few of the more interesting announcements from club makers that recently hit my in-box:

YES! Good news
Adams Golf bought the assets of YES! Golf in January in bankruptcy court and at the time I said this was a very good move for Adams. They have now “re-launched” the brand with eight models, three of which are new to the U.S. market. YES! is known for the C-Grooves lathed into the putter face to impart top spin and minimized skidding.

Adams also has a new Redline series combing irons hybrids in a customizable set aimed at giving players maximum yardage. The Redline Super Hybrids have a larger head, an ultra-thin steel face and longer shaft length and a tri-level sole to reduce turf interference. Redline irons take the best attributes of hybrid design to increase distance.

Cobra White S3 driver
A perhaps unanticipated benefit to TaylorMade Golf making the heads of their R11 and Burner Superfast 2.0 drivers an easily identifiable white color is the instant recognition of the TMaG products being used, even by those like Luke Donald who have another equipment company’s logo on their bag. Not to worry though since Cobra had a limited edition white headed driver used by Ian Poulter last year and now a white-edition of their S3. Too bad TMaG will still probably get the credit.

TMaG Ghost
Speaking of TaylorMade and white headed clubs, the original Corza Ghost putter attracted a lot of attention especially when Justin Rose used it to win twice on the PGA Tour last year. Now with a name change to just Ghost he newest additions to the series are available; the TM-110 (blade style), TM-770 (mid -mallet) and the TM-880 (small-mallet). All have the titallium face insert and were designed with the help of Dave Stockton, probably the hottest putting guru on Tour.

The end to a long series of law suits?

With the golf business continuing to see few gains, it makes sense for major equipment companies to spend their resources finding new and better products. However, while all the big guys (and the small ones too) have been battling it out for the hearts and wallets of recreational players with impressive research and flashy marketing one nagging irritant has had a long life.

Callaway Golf decided the old fashion method of earning additional market share by building a better mousetrap wasn’t the right path to compete with Acushnet Golf’s industry-standard golf ball, the Titleist Pro V1. Five years ago Callaway sued Acushnet saying Acushnet was violating four Callaway patents. Acushnet of course said they weren’t infringing and that the patents were invalid. Callaway must have been particularly interested in pursing this case since the patents had to do with the manufacturing of Acushnet’s number one selling Titleist Pro V1.

After the convolutions, rulings and counter-rulings things might be close to being settled once and for all…maybe. MORE…

For the fourth year National Golf Day was held in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday past. The lobbying effort has the avowed purpose to, “to share stories and data that illustrate golf’s diverse businesses and employees, the tax revenue it creates, the tourism it spawns, the charity it generates, and the environmental leadership it provides.”

In other words make sure our solons on Capital Hill don’t take golf for granted or worse pass legislation that further weakens the industry.

The group behind this showing golf’s flag at the country’s seat of power is an industry group WE ARE GOLF made up of the Club Managers Association of America, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, National Golf Course Owners Association, The PGA of America, and the World Golf Foundation.

National Golf Day set up an exhibit in the lobby of the Rayburn Office Building and explained to any Congressman who stopped by the impact of golf in America economically and environmentally. Among those golf industry names there were Joe Steranka (PGA of America CEO), Steve Mona (World Golf Foundation CEO), Jim Singerling (CEO Club Managers Association of America), Michael Hughes (CEO National Golf Course Owners Association) and Rhett Evans (CEO Golf Course Superintendents Association of America).

PGA Professional Jim Estes, founder of the Salute Military Golf Association started the day giving a golf lesson to (Ret.) Sgt. Ramon Padilla, who has used the program as part of his rehabilitative therapy following wounds received in Afghanistan. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Ranking Member Bob Filner (D-CA) attended the lesson and spoke about the inspirational nature of Estes’ program.

The Foyer exhibit also included swing analysis from PGA Teaching Professional Michael Breed, host of Golf Channel’s The Golf Fix, and a Republican vs. Democrat putting challenge.

One curious statement in the National Golf Day press release trying to explain the sponsoring organization’s purpose was, “…WE ARE GOLF is a broad-based coalition aimed at maximizing the industry’s synergy and reducing redundancy.” One wonders what redundancy is being referred to; courses, people, three-putt greens?