Archive for the National Golf News Category
Pebble Beach Open for Play Except During U.S. Open Week
4. June 2010 by admin.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (June 1, 2010) – As history waits its turn at Pebble Beach Golf Links, host of this month’s U.S. Open Championship, there is no wait to reserve a time to play the fabled course. Rounds are available now through July 6, with the exception of the championship week (June 14-20), giving golfers a chance to experience this national treasure under ultimate playing conditions.
Regarded as one of the greatest venues in U.S. Open history, Pebble Beach has been the site of four previous U.S. Open Championships, as well as the PGA Championship, crowning a Who’s Who of major champions – Jack Nicklaus (1972 Open), Lanny Wadkins (1977 PGA), Tom Watson (1982 Open), Tom Kite (1992 Open) and Tiger Woods (2000 Open).
Under the direction of Arnold Palmer, the Pebble Beach Golf Links has been strengthened and lengthened to 7,040 yards. With fairways now pushed closer to the coastline, the Pacific Ocean is no longer just a beautiful backdrop, but a prominent feature on all coastal holes. Enhancements have been made to four greens, 11 tees and 16 bunkers. In addition, six holes have had trees added or repositioned to add strategic value to the layout.
Palmer’s goal was simple: maintain the integrity and historic shot values of this American jewel while challenging today’s standard of players and equipment.
And that jewel is available to anyone who wants to know what it’s like to play championship golf on a U.S. Open course – one that also just happens to be one of the world’s great golf venues (recently ranked No. 1 on the list of “Tour Courses You Can Play” by Golfweek magazine).
To inquire about playing availability at Pebble Beach Golf Links and to book a stay at Pebble Beach Resorts, visit www.PebbleBeach.com or call (800) 654-9300. More information on California Golf Courses can be found at www.californiasgolf.com .
Acushnet Company Agrees to Sell Cobra Golf Brand to Puma AG
10. March 2010 by admin.
Fairhaven, Massachusetts - Acushnet Company, the golf business of Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO),
announced recently that it has signed an agreement for the sale of Cobra Golf to PUMA AG. The sale includes the Cobrabrand, as well as related inventory, intellectual property and endorsement contracts, and is subject to customaryclosing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Acushnet also announced plans to continue to provide services for an agreed upon period of time beyond the closing
of the sale to facilitate a seamless transition. Services such as production, distribution, field sales and customer
service will ensure that Acushnet Company’s Cobra trade accounts and golfers continue to receive industry-leading
service during this transition period.
“With the sale of Cobra, we have the opportunity to devote all of our resources to the global growth of our industryleading Titleist and FootJoy brands,” said Wally Uihlein, Chairman and CEO of Acushnet Company. “At the same time, is a strong brand with a heritage of innovation, and we wish the quality associates guiding the brand future success. Golfers and our valued partners will remain the key focus throughout the impending sale and we are
confident that our customers will continue to be serviced to our high standards.”
Pending regulatory approval, the effective date of the sale of Cobra Golf to PUMA is expected to be early in the second quarter of 2010, and all business will continue to be conducted by Acushnet Company until that time. All Acushnet Company associates dedicated to the Cobra business are expected to become employees of PUMA. Financial terms of the pending transaction were not disclosed.
“Titleist and FootJoy are powerful golf brands that are poised for long-term growth,” continued Uihlein. “This laser
focus and our longstanding commitment to deliver superior performance and quality will strengthen golfers’ trust in the Titleist and FootJoy brands in all global markets.”
Massachusetts area golf course information can be found at Connecticut’s Golf and New Hampshire’s Golf.
NEW CELEBRITY SPOKESPERSON FOR DIXON GOLF
11. February 2010 by admin.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Dixon Golf CEO William Carey announced today that award-winning actor and producer Don Cheadle has joined Dixon Golf as its celebrity spokesperson. An avid golfer, Cheadle will play the Dixon Earth golf ball in the upcoming AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week.
“Dixon Golf is proud to be associated with Don Cheadle,” Carey said. “Not only is he a great actor and artist, he is an avid golfer and a genuine person who truly wants to make a positive impact on the environment for future generations. We are excited to work with Don and feel that he will have a positive impact on our eco-friendly initiatives.”
Cheadle, who is starring in “Iron Man 2” due for release in spring of 2010, has appeared in hit movies such as “Oceans 11,” “Traffic,” “Crash,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “Boogie Nights” and “Devil in a Blue Dress.” He was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his role in “Hotel Rwanda,” and he starred and co-executive produced “Crash,” winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture.
“I love the game of golf and want to do my part to educate golfers how to be more environmentally responsible, even when it comes to the golf balls we use,” Cheadle said. “I have been playing the Dixon Earth ball for a while and love the fact that not only is it eco-friendly, but it is a high performance golf ball as well. I am a single digit handicapper and feel that the Dixon Earth ball fits my game as well as any ball out there. It is refreshing to be associated with a company that shares my love of golf and the environment.”
Cheadle also has been heavily active with the crisis in Darfur, co-authoring a book called “Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond;” co-producing and starring in the Documentary “Darfur Now!;” and co-founding Ante Up For Africa, a charity to raise money for relief efforts in Darfur. In three years, Ante Up For Africa has raised more than $2.7 million for the people of Darfur.
Dixon Golf is the manufacturer of the world’s first high performance, 100% eco-friendly golf ball. The Mesa, Ariz.-based company is dedicated to raising the standard of environmental consciousness and golf performance by not only introducing “Green” products into the golf industry, but by minimizing its own carbon footprint and ecological impact through various eco-friendly initiatives. Dixon Golf’s Earth ball line is made from reprocessable materials and is 100% recyclable, while maintaining the high performance that golfers look for in a golf ball. Dixon’s golf ball recycling program is the first of its kind in the world, and allows consumers the opportunity to get cash credits good for any Dixon Golf ball purchase, while also helping to protect the environment. For more information go to www.dixongolf.com
Apple Tees Up Golfshot GPS with International Promotion
4. December 2009 by admin.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Following a successful national U.S. advertising campaign, Apple is now promoting Golfshot, the popular Golf GPS and Scorecard application for golfers, in commercials across Japan and Australia.The international TV ads come as Golfshot: Golf GPS© releases its latest version (v1.4) which features 11 languages and more than 25,000 fully mapped golf courses worldwide.
Along with English, versions in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish and French are also available. “We have seen a huge increase of Golfshot users worldwide since our launch just five months ago. With the rapid growth and appeal of golf in Europe and
Asia, it was only natural to add additional languages for our international members,” said Michael Hall, President of Shotzoom Software, the creators of Golfshot. “We believe the localization of this app for our golfers worldwide is unprecedented.”
Golfshot, released on Father’s Day in June 2009, has been used on 6.5 million holes. It has become one of Apple’s top 50 grossing iPhone apps among the more than 100,000 apps on the Apple iTunes Store. A few months ago, Golfshot was part of a
U.S. national Apple Commercial “Avid,” which also promoted Major League Baseball’s “MLB.com At Bat” app.
The Golfshot app can be downloaded on Itunes a one-time fee of $29.95, with no additional monthly or annual fees. Golfshot’s GPS features include a rangefinder that shows distances to greens, up to 40 professionally mapped targets per hole, and a GPS aerial view option. Golfshot’s scoring feature provides detailed scorecards for every course, and easy-to-use scoring that leads to in-depth stat tracking and analysis of each individual’s game and can be viewed at www.golfshot.com.
ABOUT SHOTZOOM SOFTWARE Founded in 2007, Shotzoom Software, the creator of Golfshot: Golf GPS is a leading mobile application development company based outside Reno, Nevada., with satellite offices in
Scottsdale,
Ariz
Hershey Country Club to Host 2011 PGA Championship
23. November 2009 by admin.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Hershey (
Pennsylvania) Country Club, the former home to two of golf’s legendary players and the host of the 1940 PGA Championship, has been named the site of 2011 PGA Professional National Championship.
The showcase event for PGA Professionals, the 44th PGA Professional National Championship will be conducted June 26-29, 2011, over Hershey Country Club’s West and East Courses, with the final two rounds contested on the East Course.Founded by chocolate company magnate Milton Hershey, Hershey Country Club’s West Course was designed by Maurice McCarthy in 1930 and set an early standard for excellence in American championship golf. The par-72 West Course will play to 6,847 yards, while the East Course, designed by George Fazio, opened for play in 1969 and will play to par-70 and measure 7,039 yards.PGA Champions and World Golf Hall of Fame members Henry Picard and Ben Hogan each served terms as host professionals at Hershey Country Club. Picard, the 1939 PGA Champion, was the club’s PGA head professional from 1934 to 1941, while Hogan, who captured the 1946 and 1948 PGA Championships among his nine career major titles, served from 1941 to 1951.
Another golf legend, Byron Nelson, captured the 1940 PGA Championship on Hershey’s West Course by defeating Sam Snead, 1-up, in the 36-hole match-play finale.“The merge of a rich tradition of championship golf at Hershey Country Club and the great PGA Professionals who have served its membership forms a most appropriate setting for The PGA Professional National Championship in 2011,” said PGA of America President Jim Remy. “We are very pleased that we can bring our National Championship to Hershey Country Club and we anticipate a great National Championship.”The 44th PGA Professional National Championship field will feature 312 players representing the 41 PGA Sections. The Championship’s Sunday through Wednesday format will be televised live by Golf Channel. The field will be trimmed to the low 70 scorers and ties to compete over the final 36 holes.“It is truly an honor to be chosen as the host site for this Championship and an exciting opportunity to showcase the quality golf offerings in Hershey,” said Ted Kleisner, president & CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, which owns Hershey Country Club as part of its Hershey Golf Collection. “In its early days, Hershey Country Club was home to two of the leading professionals in the world with Henry Picard and Ben Hogan, and we feel we are coming full-circle in welcoming today’s finest professionals to our club and courses. I am confident the players and The PGA of America will see why Hershey is The Sweetest Place On Earth.”Hershey Country Club’s West Course, which also hosted the LPGA Lady Keystone Open, is a classic American parkland design demanding the best in shot-making, while providing a view of the nearby city.The East Course, a modern parkland layout, has hosted Nationwide Tour’s Reese’s Cup Classic and is considered the most challenging of the courses on the property.
For more information, including photo images of Hershey Country Club, contact Kay Maghan at (717) 534-3396, or kmmaghan@hersheypa.com.
Established in 1968, The PGA Professional National Championship roster of Champions includes past and present Tour professionals Sam Snead, Bob Rosburg, Don Massengale, Ed Dougherty, Larry Gilbert and Bruce Fleisher.
The PGA Professional National Championship is presented by Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra; and Club Car. Golf Channel is an exclusive media partner, and the PGA Tour is the Supporting Sponsor of PGA of America Member Championships. The 41 Section Championships and the National Championship offer a combined purse of $1.5 million.
As the winter quickly approaches, Arizona Golf Courses offer a great escape from the cold northern climates. Visit Arizona as travel prices have never been better.
Golf Like Tiger - Play the Reds!
1. September 2009 by admin.
You may not be able to hit 300 + yard drives like Tiger can but you can still learn to play a course like Tiger Woods. All you have to do is play a forward set of tees. Whenever I play golf with my dad (he’s in his 70’s), we play from the red tees. I’ve played them enough times to know that it doesn’t always translate into a low score but if I’m hitting it well, it can be a lot of fun and I can actually experience golf similar to that of Tiger (except for winning all that money).
Playing the forward tees may make a few par 4’s nearly drivable (like they are for Tiger), it may make par 5’s reachable in two (like they are for Tiger), and it may make most par three’s a short iron shot (like they are for Tiger). It can also help you better think your way around the course giving you the choice of hitting a 5 wood, hybrid club or even an iron off the tee instead of driver. For most players, this often leads to more balls in the fairway and less in the desert which can translate into better scores.
While you may not want to play every round this way, it’s a great way to enjoy the course in a new way and maybe you’ll even feel like Tiger. Golf is a game to be enjoyed – make sure you enjoy it! Take care, Dale SamarGeneral ManagerRancho Manana Golf Club
Top Girls Junior Golfers in Logan, Utah
23. July 2009 by admin.
PHOENIX, Arizona (July 20, 2009) – In an effort to foster friendships on and off the golf course, the Girls Junior Americas Cup began in 1978 and through its rich history has attracted some of the most talented female golfers in the country. Golfers that participate in the Girls Junior America’s Cup exemplify not only outstanding skill and experience, but also true sportsmanship, discipline, courtesy and strength of character. The 2009 tournament, supported by the Junior Golf Association of Arizona and the Arizona Women’s Golf Association will be played on July 26 – 30 at Logan Golf & Country Club in
Logan,
Utah.
This year’s Arizona squad features Mieke Canan of Tacna, Jacquie LeMarr of Chandler, Scottsdale’s Anna Kim and Brittany McKee of
Tucson. “The Girls Junior Americas Cup is the direct result of determined individuals who are passionate about the game of golf. Each year, we strive to improve this event to continually elevate its place among other national events,” said Rose Nehring, Arizona Team Captain. Former participants of the Girls Junior Americas Cup who went on to play on the LPGA Tour include, Joan Pitcock, Pat Hurst, Brandi Burton and current LPGA Player-of-the-Year Lorena Ochoa. Ochoa won this event three straight years, from 1997-99. Recent Arizona team members have included Tara Bateman (Baylor), Priscillia Hunt (Texas Tech), Lauren Todd (Stanford) and Erin Tone (
Arizona
State). Other Arizona teams have included the late Heather Farr, Missy Farr-Kaye, Kay Cornelius Jeanquartier and the sister tandem of Dina and Danielle Ammaccapane.
Teams in the 54-hole tournament will consist of four players with each team counting its best three scores from each round. The highest score from each squad will not be counted towards its team’s total. Participating teams in this year’s tournament include Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, San Diego, Southern California, Southern Nevada, Utah, Washington, Wyoming along with the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta as well as
Mexico.
Southern California is the event’s defending champion.
The Girls Junior America’s Cup also includes a practice round, opening and closing ceremonies similar in presentation to that of the Olympic Games, a tournament banquet and a barbeque. The Girls Junior America’s Cup is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of team captains from each of the participating states. Each year, the team captain from the hosting state acts as Tournament Director while each state determines its own method of selecting its team members.
Arizona’s team selections are based on points earned in events conducted by the Junior Golf Association of Arizona. For more information on the 2009 Girls Junior America’s Cup, call (602) 944-6168 or visit the event’s web site at www.gjac.org .
2009 Senior PGA Championship Starts May 21st
13. May 2009 by admin.
The 70th Senior PGA Championship begins May 21 – 24th, 2009 at Canterbury Golf Club in
Beachwood,
Ohio.
The area offers some of
Ohio’s best golf courses including the
Quarry Golf Club in
Canton. Bring your sticks and tee it up during your stay as
Ohio is a great golf destination as both a spectator and a golfer.
The 71st Senior PGA Championship will be played in 2010 at the Colorado Golf Club in
Denver,
Colorado on May 27 – 30, 2010.
Late Spring is an excellent time of year to enjoy any of the
Colorado golf courses in the
Denver area.
Golf balls definitely go farther in this mile high city so club down before you fly the green with that sand wedge!
91st PGA Championship Tickets Available
13. May 2009 by admin.
The 91st PGA Championship will be held Aug. 10-16 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. In its effort to promote the game of golf, The PGA of America and Hazeltine National Golf Club will offer complimentary access to juniors (17 of age and younger) into the Championship. Two juniors per ticketed adult will be allowed to experience the excitement of a Major Championship.
To purchase tickets online, www.pga2009.com has all the information needed. For ticketing questions or to order tickets by phone, please call (800) PGA-Golf. For information on other Minnesota golf courses, visit www.minnesotasgolf.com .
Golf Industry Association Leaders Respond to USA Today
28. April 2009 by admin.
Dear Editor,
A recent spate of satirical articles including one by Robert Lipsyte (USA Today, April 6) has created an unwelcome distraction for many of the 28,000 PGA Professionals, 20,000 GCSAA Superintendents and 7,000 CMAA Managers at a time we can least afford it. Contrary to the ramblings of Mr. Lipsyte, golf is a vital part of America’s fabric as a sport and, most importantly in these times, as a source of stable employment.
Together our 55,000 members are on the front line of a work force of one million Americans who work at the nation’s 16,000 golf courses, 1,300 golf ranges and hundreds of related golf businesses. Your local golf course is the embodiment of the small business sector which President Obama rightly recognizes as the backbone of American enterprise — employing a multi cultural mix of professional and service personnel who rely on the sport and business of golf to provide food and shelter to their families. In 2005 it was estimated that golf also enabled another one million jobs for the tourism and real estate industries, and all told generates some $61 billion in annual wages.
Our “offices” are also good for the communities they serve. Golf facilities are professionally managed by individuals who have achieved various levels of certification, they serve as managed open green space which provides wildlife habitat, and they help to generate $3.5 billion charity dollars each year.
Finally, we’re equally proud of the values of our sport which sees our greatest athletes compete without referees and call penalties on themselves. Athletes such as Masters’ runner up Kenny Perry, whose courtesy and dignity under trying circumstances, make them role models for the three million kids in America who play golf. Still, our members have been drawn into a dialogue questioning golf’s virtues as a result of articles such as the one USA Today prominently placed in its editorial pages, distracting us from our core duties of serving the 28 million plus people who play golf for fun, health and recreation.
On behalf of all of us who work in golf, let us get back to our real work.
Sincerely,
Jim Remy, PGA
President, PGA of America
Mark Kuhns, CGCS
President, Golf Course Supertintendents Assoc of America
Michael Leemhuis, CCM, PGA
President, Club Managers Assoc of America
