Features

The First Call: A look back at Year 1

Launched a year ago on Aug. 9, the golf industry newsletter looks back at its top headlines of the past 12 months ... and not surprising LIV Golf was peppered throughout

To celebrate The First Call newsletter's first anniversary, we look back at each month's most read headline. In February, we started The First Call Inbox, which allows readers to offer their opinions on current trends in golf, so we have also added those respective month's top talking points.

JULY
Q&A: Atul Khosla | LIV Golf COO
Khosla, who came to LIV Golf from an NFL franchise, discusses the startup's sponsorship vision, helping to fight players' legal battles, format changes and applying for world ranking points
> Read

TFC Inbox: The memories of British Opens past
Readers of The First Call share their favorite remembrances of the Open Championship; LIV Golf remains a hot topic
> Read

JUNE
Nick Faldo calls it a career in the booth
Six-time major champion will end CBS Sports lead golf analyst role in August; Trevor Immelman elevated as successor in 2023
> Read

TFC Inbox: Pace of play tops list of golfers' pet peeves
If there is one issue that touches a nerve with The First Call readers on a golf course, it's slow play
> Read

MAY
Nicklaus Companies sues its namesake
A complaint filing by the company against Jack Nicklaus claims an alleged breach on a 2007 services and licensing rights agreement
> Read

TFC Inbox: Majors, popularity, LIV, gambling ... Phil Mickelson's legacy is complicated
Readers of The First Call offer a varied range of opinions on how the six-time major champion's career will ultimately be viewed
> Read

APRIL
Q&A: Bob Parsons | PXG founder / CEO
The 71-year-old billionaire-entrepreneur discusses PXG's latest line of Gen5 clubs and the unorthodox approach to creating golf clubs and doing business
> Read

TFC Inbox: The sound of music on course is not always in tune
The First Call readers sing out their praise and disdain for whether music has a place on the golf course
> Read

MARCH
Russia-Ukraine conflict crimping golf in U.S.
The cost of keeping up a golf course — from fertilizer for turf to gas for maintenance equipment — is rising, but The First Call’s Bradley S. Klein believes it’s a small price as part of a broader picture
> Read

Who are golf's Elite Eight?
The First Call readers' opinions vary on who are golf's eight greatest players, but two names were consistent — Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus
> Read

Cologuard Classic
Phil Mickelson and Workday reached an endorsement agreement in April 2017.

FEBRUARY
Sponsors split with Phil Mickelson, Workday next?
KPMG, Heineken ended respective relationships with Mickelson within hours of his prepared statement on Tuesday, Workday not expected to renew deal in March
> Read

TFC Inbox: Did the WM Phoenix Open's 16th-hole celebrations cross a line?
The First Call readers express varied opinions on the fans' reactions to two hole-in-one shots at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open's par-3 16th stadium hole
> Read

JANUARY
Proposed California law targets municipal golf
California Assembly Bill 672 puts approximately 177 of the state's publicly owned golf facilities at risk of being converted into land for affordable housing
> Read

DECEMBER
Year in Review: The First Call's 10 top stories of 2021
Though The First Call launched in August, quite a few stories caught our readers' attention. We count them down to No. 1
> Read

NOVEMBER
PopStroke not your Daddy’s miniature golf experience
In modernizing a longtime family pastime, PopStroke has created an experiential atmosphere that merges casual dining and technologically-advanced competitive golf
> Read

Course Maintenance

OCTOBER
The cost of everything just went up … if you can get it at all
From general managers to superintendents, hard decisions are having to be made due to rising prices across the board. How could that affect the bottom line — and you?
> Read

SEPTEMBER
How to make the course superintendent’s job easier
As the demands of the course superintendent's job increase, so do the pressures. The First Call’s Bradley Klein offers practical solutions to help ease the growing stress points
> Read

AUGUST
Why golf’s toughest job is growing harder
A golf course superintendent’s job is never easy — and has been made even more difficult by the pandemic — but, as 'The First Call' columnist Bradley S. Klein writes, a better understanding of the role might temper what can sometimes be unrealistic expectations
> Read


Share