The Golf Watch

Singh pens deal with Srixon

2009-01-07T23:46:45-05:00

It was announced earlier in the week that Vijay Singh would start using a Srixon golf ball to compliment his Cleveland Golf equipment. Singh said in a statement about the decision:

I’ve thoroughly tested Srixon balls and I’m convinced that they’re better than what I’ve been playing. This also virtually assures that I will be playing Cleveland Golf clubs, a Never Compromise putter and Srixon golf balls for the rest of my PGA Tour career, and I am very happy about that.

Even though Titleist has endorsement deals with so many upper echelon players, I would still consider this a pretty big loss.

Ogilvy: I don't blame (Daly) at all

2009-01-07T23:20:00-05:00

In a story from The Age, Geoff Ogilvy admits that he doesn't blame John Daly for smashing a spectator's camera last month in Australia.

I think every player on tour would have snapped, putting up with what he was having to put up with because it was horrible behaviour, apparently.

A guy with a flash less than three feet from his face for 20 minutes, just going bang, bang, bang, right in his face, trying to get J.D. to snap, and he did…

The guy wasn't even supposed to have a camera. I don't blame (Daly) at all.

FBR Open officially "sells out"

2009-01-06T23:38:00-05:00

The FBR Open and the Thunderbirds had something great in the late 1990's. They had a hole that fans could call their own. A hole that was accessible for all spectators--even those without connections to the corporate sponsors.

But now, according to the Arizona Republic, the famed 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is on the receiving end of yet another corporate makeover, and will become the PGA Tour's "first-ever fully-enclosed 'stadium' golf hole." The hole will be completely enclosed by bleachers and skyboxes, with an expected capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. There will also be a video board display at the west side of the hole.

Over the years, the overriding sentiment among fans seems to be that the hole has lost its charm. As one commenter writes on the azcentral.com site:

The 16th hole is not what is once was. For anyone that saw the hole in the early to mid 90's, there is no comparison today. The hole is now corporate and boring...

I have no doubt that the hole will still be loud and boisterous, but should a golf hole look like Jobing.com Arena?

Sponsorship guessing game

2009-01-05T23:56:56-05:00

Already this week, people are starting to speculate about the future of the Mercedes Benz Championship. With the current economic climate, will we be doing this for every tournament that has a sponsorship deal ending in 2010?

Golf Central--New sponsor in Titleist, new time at 6

2009-01-05T23:48:21-05:00

Tonight was the debut of the 2009 season of Golf Central, now sponsored by Titleist. Vince Cellini and Kraig Kann anchored the telecast, which aired at its permanent new time, live at 6:00 p.m, with a replay at 11:30 p.m. Last year, the show aired at 8:30 p.m.

Most of Golf Central's graphics stayed the same, but it is now broadcast in HD.

A few other notes about Golf Channel programming:

* Despite several rumblings in the rumor mill, Kelly Tilghman is staying on board for play-by-play of Golf Channel's live coverage.

* It seems that The Approach with Callaway Golf will continue to air at its normal time on Tuesday nights. Fingers crossed they change the format and cut out the hokey banter.

* No clue if Sprint has stayed on board for the Pre Game and Post Game shows, but there was no indication on The Golf Channel site that they have.

"The dawn of a new era"

2009-01-05T09:17:34-05:00

More posts will be coming tonight, but in the meantime, it looks like Golfweek will be introducing a new design beginning January 17. They recently added a top banner ad on their site that indicates the "dawn of a new era."

Daly welcome back to Aussie land

2009-01-01T23:44:59-05:00

John Daly has been suspended from the American PGA Tour for 6 months, but according to PGA Tour of Australia Director of Tournaments Andrew Langford-Jones, Daly is more than welcome to play down under. Langford-Jones said:

We would be more than happy to have John back. He was fantastic with doing kids' clinics. He must have signed a thousand items for charity. He donated his driver and three or four signed shirts … I hope he would want to come back. John came here to play one tournament, the Masters. He walked into our office and asked if he could get a start in the PGA. Then he played the Open. He's a complex character, a genuine, good character who occasionally crosses the line.

Even though he is welcome back, the PGA Tour of Australia did punish Daly for the throwing of a spectator's camera. All in all, the Australian Tour must love this extra publicity.

As for the Daly-US PGA Tour ongoing saga, I'm guessing Commissioner Tim Finchem doesn't mind the extra publicity during this two week lull either. You know the Fall Series sponsors will be welcoming Daly with open arms after the suspension has been served.

Sam Snead Golf Trail legal woes surface

2009-01-01T23:16:00-05:00

My colleague at The Daily Record, Brendan Kearney, files a story about the failed plan for a "Sam Snead Golf Trail" and the legal woes for the two out-of-state developers, as ruled by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mercedes without Tiger and Phil...again...

2008-12-30T23:58:00-05:00

With the added pressure to play later in the year--namely due to the FedEx Cup--interest has waned among the game's elite to play in the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Jason Sobel of ESPN.com reports that the top four players in the world--Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington--are all out. Although 33 of the 37 eligible participants are expected to play, the tournament continues to struggle to bring in the likes of Tiger and Phil.

Golfweek Editor Jeff Babineau suggested last year that the Mercedes-Benz could draw a better field if it was played at the end of the year--somewhat like the Pro Bowl. Moving the tournament to early-mid November could give the tournament a jolt, but either way, it will be a tough sell to viewers.

Golf Digest ad follow-up

2008-12-30T23:48:09-05:00

I received a number of responses to the post "Golf Digest ad showing up everywhere," and I thought I would publish this comment from reader Brian. He writes:

It is sad that Golf Digest believes this is the way to get a new and refreshed readership. Golf Digest, which purportedly was going to pick up where Golf for Women left off (have you seen any content even remotely similar to the GFW target), is so tired it's insulting. I do not believe that they can gain a new, younger audience without a content facelift to go with it. Golf Digest is viewed as old school and traditional, however the game is changing, but I really don't think their view of it has. Golf players are getting younger, we have more women playing everyday, minorities now have many more opportunities to get involved and the golf community is now Global not just US and British centric. In order to speak to this ever changing community magazines like Golf Digest need to change WITH them, not try and keep things the same. Having an advertisement on Twitter, Facebook and other places that this new audience lives will not mean a hoot if the content that goes with it does not change as well.

Thanks for covering this topic.

Here's the question: Is Golf Digest doing enough to appeal to younger readers? I'm sure we'll touch on this issue in the months to come...