Over the Green

The second annual United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship is scheduled for Feb. 20 with each player using authentic or replica pre-1930 equipment provided by Dr. Jay Harris of Pinehurst, N.C. and balls by McIntyre Golf in San Diego, Calif.

The tournament is dedicated to preserving and honoring the history of golf in America and to the memory of John Shippen with the winner’s name engraved on the John Shippen Cup.

The Championship will be played over the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club course site of the 1925 Florida Open that had a field of the best golfers of the time including Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen. The 1922 Tom Bendelow design will play to 6,400 yards, to the same as in 1925.

In 2011, the first U.S. Pro Hickory Championship was won by Leroux Ferreira of Kingwood, Tex. with a score of 79 beating Champions Tour veteran David Frost by two strokes. For his victory Ferreira earned $1,500, the same first place money as Leo Diegel for his 1925 win. The 2011 field of 26 included one female professional, Jennifer Cully of Apollo Beach, Fla.

John Shippen (1879-1968), the man who is honored by the John Shippen Cup, was a groundbreaking golf professional with an enduring love of the game. As the son of a black minister of the Presbyterian Church and a Shinnecock Indian mother he persevered the prejudice of the time and became a top player. He began as a caddy while his father was serving on the Shinnecock Reservation located on the eastern tip of Long Island. Young Shippen drew the attention of the club’s professional Willie Dunn, a fine player and one the many expatriate Scottish professionals who migrated to America, who taught him to play. Shippen played in five U.S. Opens and spent more than fifty years as a club professional.

The American Lakes Wounded Veterans Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash. will receive a donation from the proceeds from this years Championship. The United States Professional Hickory Golf Championship is the creation of Mike Stevens, teaching professional at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. and the 2010 National Hickory Open Champion.

The biggest buzz at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando last January was not that TaylorMade Golf returned to the Show after an absence of several years but the immense display area they used. It was big enough to allow TaylorMade, adidas Golf and Ashworth (all owned by adidas) to introduce and showcase their new products for 2011.

The white headed R11 line of drivers and fairways of course caused a stir amongst the Show attendees and in hindsight it was the start of the domination of that category by TMaG this season. The clubs were pooh-poohed by some (mostly competitors) but have taken about half of the wood-segment pushing Callaway and the others into the status of pretender. Being fair though, Titleist has also been able to carve out more business and they seem to have a firm grip on number two with their 910D2/D3 line.

Not to belabor the point but it is worth noting TMaG will sell more than 2 million white headed clubs this year including the Burner Superfast 2.0. As I said, domination.

Back to the Show, how big was the display space used by TaylorMade? Well, it took up the entire north end of the Orange County Convention Center and had its own restaurant and its own indoor driving range.

So the word is now out that the company will again exhibit at the Show in January 2012 and from every indication will again make use of the same large space as a “clubhouse” for its customers.

It’s still six weeks to the opening of the golf industry’s “rite of spring,” the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. scheduled for Jan. 27-29, 2011. The doom and gloom prevalent in the industry however may be giving way with some signs pointing to an improvement, if not in business perhaps in attitude. This could be especially true in golf equipment sales, which along with golf travel has been experiencing an extended downturn.
This is not to say the sales of putters and drivers or bookings on resort courses from Scottsdale to Fort Lauderdale will spurt upwards but more a credible possibility business will not continue downward despite the ongoing golf participation decline. As yet there are no hard numbers but some indications may be read as positive and attendees at the industry-only PGA Merchandise Show could see more.

Show attendance at what some have called a “golf nuts candy store” is limited to PGA Professionals and golf equipment buyers. They search the 10 miles of aisles and 1 million square feet of exhibit space in the Orange County Convention Center for everything golf related from concrete tee markers to the latest in ladies on-course fashions. Not to be missed of course are the exhibits by a plethora of large and small equipment companies, whose financial health is can be considered the prime indicator of the state of the business. MORE…

To golfers Florida is a wonderful place to live or visit or watch their favorite professionals tee it up and with more than 1,200 golf facilities the state has the largest golf economy in the country. It is instructive to look at the numbers of this $7.5 billion Florida golf economy as much for what they tell us as what they do not. The numbers and a couple of related points are particularly important for those who love golf to understand in light of the disingenuous image of the game as a “rich man’s sport’ being pushed by politicians with other agendas.

During the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla. last month two items on the agenda has particular significance. First the Florida Golf Impact Task Force showed the golf industry as a major employer which generates in the Sunshine State a significant amount of revenue for hotels, restaurants and other tourist related businesses. Second, with truly long range national significance was the announcement of WE ARE GOLF by four golf organizations to improve golf’s image in the eyes of national leaders. MORE…

The 57th PGA Merchandise Show closed Saturday and the Monday morning QB sessions can now begin.

The Show is much more than equipment manufacturers, clothing purveyors and accessory makers all trying to get noticed. The annual gathering in Orlando, Fla. is the most important event for communication within and between the varied segments of the industry. This particular attribute is important in, as the Golf Channel says, “2k10” considering the many challenges being faced by golf both as a game and a business. These range from declines in the number of golfers and consumer sales to the ongoing controversy over changes to the Rules of Golf. MORE…

We play the greatest game ever invented in spite of its maddening frustrations. Now it’s pay back time and how better to kick off 2010 but with a resolution?

No not to fix your slice or promising to never three putt again, but something really worthwhile.

Bring someone who used to play golf back into the game. There are millions of Americans who once played but no longer have the time or some other good reason to have given it up.

That first time out doesn’t have to be a full 18-hole round. It could be inviting a neighbor to go the driving range or for a quick nine after work. Encourage them to get in to it again, to bring their family and watch the results.

Golf in a game that teaches us self reliance, rewards individual achievement, relies on personal honesty and pits us against a foe as tough as any we will ever face…ourselves. Need some help? Go talk to a local PGA professional. He and the PGA of America have ideas and programs waiting for you.

Do yourself and a friend a favor and reintroduce golf.

Golf in the Olympics

With the announcement yesterday golf will join the list in 2016 of sports contested in the Olympics (along with rugby sevens) the work of a lot of golf people and organizations has borne fruit. All that remains is for the expected final approval by the International Olympic Committee.

According to Ty Votaw, the spear carrier in the battle to obtain approval and a vice president of the PGA Tour as well as executive director of the International Golf Federation Olympic Committee, “We’re obviously thrilled that the IOC Executive Board has recommended that golf should be added to the 2016 Olympic Program, We believe we have presented a compelling case as to why golf should be added and we look forward to the IOC’s final vote in October.”

The problem is I have yet to see a proposal from the PGA Tour or the USGA as to how another 72-hole tournament will fit into the schedule. If you have read previous columns on this topic you know I’m not real happy nor is everyone in golf with one more high profile “must play” championship especially since tournament sponsors are dropping out left and right from every pro tour.

The people who want Olympic golf say it’s about growing the popularity of the game and as I said in an earlier column, proponents assume “presumably dozens of national governments will start funding golf programs with tax payer money creating millions of new golfers around the world.”

Right.

The presentation to the IOC selection committee was in part predicated on of course Tiger, Lefty, Michelle, Paula and even Natalie competing. Wonderful for those big names and shoo-in members of team USA , but what happened to the idea of amateurs and the Olympics? I guess you can call me old fashioned but after watching the USA basketball team…well, you get my point.

The Olympics is held at the end of July and the beginning of August so the Open Championship, Women’s British Open and the PGA will be effected to say nothing of the other five professional majors (The Masters, men’s and women’s U.S. Opens, The Kraft Nabisco and MacDonald’s Championship). Not that a major can’t be moved but how about the trickle down to regular tour events? (See comments above concerning tournament sponsors.)

Next, do the all those countries supposedly waiting to taxpayer fund new golf programs after the attainment of its exalted Olympic status know the cost of building and maintaining not just one golf course but dozens and maybe hundreds, not to mention the expense of golf equipment for hundreds, thousands or even millions of players? My guess is not.

Finally Olympic engendered grow around the world will be a boon to golf equipment makers and perhaps to tourism though I’m struggling to see plane loads of Albanian hackers flocking to Florida or Arizona for a winter break.

Don’t get me wrong, I would like to see Olympic golf and even Tiger has made positive comments concerning his participation but there are real concerns yet to be addressed. And if they have why have the powers-that-be not been forthcoming with answers?

Cynic that I am, in my experience if it squeaks you pay attention to it, so just call me the squeaky wheel.

Watson and the Ryder Cup

Here’s an interesting thought.

Tom Watson playing on the 2010 Ryder Cup team.

His second at the British Open puts him number four in the points standings, ahead of Kenny Perry , Chad Campbell, Ricky Barnes, David Duval, Hunter Mahan and oh yes, Tiger Woods.

Never happen, right? And there’s a long way to go until September 2010 but Watson does have an outstanding Ryder Cup record and if he finishes well in a couple more regular Tour events plus the next Master’s (which most likely he will play) and maybe the British Open, it could happen.

And he won’t be a captain’s pick. Next comes the speculation on David Duval’s chances.

Easy to Say – Hard to Do

The mantra of many looking to solve golf’s ills is, “Grow the Game.”

A wonderful sentiment no doubt but like a lot of things in life, easy to say – hard to do.

As anyone in the business can tell you, the whole idea is fraught with problems at the day-to-day level. No organization however is doing more day-to-day than the PGA of America, the association of golf’s club and teaching professionals, as well they should since their livelihood is intertwined with the overall success of golf attracting new golfers.

The PGA uses as the centerpiece of their “Grow the Game” effort, Play Golf America (note the cleverly mimicking initials) which includes several innovative programs – “Take Your Daughter to the Course Week,” “Family Golf Month” and the far and away most popular, “PGA Free Lesson Month” to name a few.

Of course junior golfers are a big part of the Play Golf America idea and to help them and their families find local area facilities offering discounted rates the PGA recently launched a special search engine on the PlayGolfAmerica.com web site.

Give it a try…more courses are signing on all of the time. It’s nice to see another constructive idea being made into a reality.