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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

At last week's PGA Show, new PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague and president Don Rea both expressed their concerns with a proposed golf ball rollback that is to go in effect for pros in 2028 and recreational golfers in 2030. What are your thoughts?

Send replies on this question or other topics and questions you would like to have asked to shall@buffalogroupe.com. For a response to be published, you must include your first and last name, along with the city and state of residence.

> Responses to the previous question: What are your thoughts on LIV Golf's new media rights deal with Fox Sports? | Read

BUSINESS

Castore: Signs a multiyear agreement to become the official apparel partner of Majesticks GC, of the LIV Golf League. The brand will produce team, training, course and athletic wear, mono-branded items and golf accessories, along with managing and operating Majesticks GC's e-commerce team store on Castore.com. Products will also be available for sale in tournament stores.

LPGA: Announces its season-long celebration of the Tour’s 75th anniversary year with the launch of LPGA75.com. Founded in 1950, the LPGA has grown from a small group of 13 pioneering women golfers — the 13 Founders. The key goals of the #LPGA75 campaign involve showcasing the LPGA’s storied historic milestones and iconic moments; fostering participation among players, fans, sponsors and stakeholders; and highlighting the LPGA’s vision for growth, diversity and advancement of women’s golf globally.

PGA Tour, Penn Entertainment, ESPN: Launches live betting stream on PGA Tour Live on ESPN+. The ESPN Bet-branded stream that provides key data, insights and betting analysis will premier at the WM Phoenix Open and five other marquee Tour events as part of an agreement with Penn Entertainment. Throughout the coverage, host Jonathan Coachman, on-course reporter Michael Collins and analysts including Matt Every and Graham DeLaet will present content and discussion on hole-by-hole live betting and tournament markets.

COMPETITION

PGA Tour, Genesis Invitational: Moves the 2025 playing of the Los Angeles, California, area tour stop to Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego due to the ongoing natural disaster in greater Los Angeles. The tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, will be contested on Torrey Pines' South Course on its scheduled dates, Feb. 10-16. The Genesis Invitational is expected to return to The Riviera Country Club in 2026.  

LPGA: Cancels the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, scheduled to take place at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verde, California, March 20-23, due to the event underwriter failing to fulfill any portion of its payment obligations to the LPGA Tour for the 2024 and 2025 events. The LPGA will work with title partner Fir Hills, LPGA Hall of Famer Seri Pak and other tournament stakeholders to explore available options for rescheduling the event.

COURSES

Piza Golf: Commissioned to design a nine-hole golf course based on its award-winning Wellness Golf concept at the five-star The Residences at The St. Regis Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica. Wellness Golf enhances well-being with its serene design. Visitors use the course for meditation, while families and corporate groups enjoy its inclusive and sociable environment.


The Cabot Collection: Opens Cabot Citrus Farms, a 1,200-acre luxury resort and residential golf destination in Brooksville, Florida. The property features two revitalized 18-hole golf courses — Karoo and Roost — two unique shorter courses, luxury real estate and nightly accommodations and curated experiences. Karoo was designed by Kyle Franz, while Roost was a collaborative design between Franz and Mike Nuzzo, who also designed the 10-hole The Squeeze course and The Wedge, an 11-hole, par-3 course.

Dye Designs Group: Begins a project to update all 18 greens at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in South Korea. The mother-son tandem of Cynthia Dye McGarey and Matt McGarey has been tasked with redesigning and then shaping the course's 18 greens, plus two practice greens. Construction began in late December and is expected to be completed by the end of March. Woo Jeong Hills was designed by the late Perry Dye and opened in 1992, and has been a long-time host of the Asian Tour's Kolon Korea Open.

GEAR

Sunday Golf: Partners with Mossy Oak to launch a line of exclusive golf bags in outdoor-inspired patterns, including the iconic Mossy Oak Country DNA and original Bottomland patterns. The collection is tailored for weekend golfers and outdoor enthusiasts, and is sold directly at SundayGolf.com and various retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, PGA Tour Superstore, Golf Galaxy and WorldWide Golf.

MEDIA

PGA Tour: Tourcast to debut complete coverage of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the Tour's app and website. Every shot from Pebble Beach Golf Links and, for the first time, Spyglass Hill Golf Course will be available. Also, through Shotlink, viewers will get more data and visualization on Golf Channel, CBS and ESPN+.

LIV Golf: Announces a multiyear strategic partnership with Rick Shiels Media, making it the league's first official collaboration with a major content creator. Shiels, regarded as one of the most-followed golf content creators, will serve as a LIV Golf ambassador, offering his fans access to the league’s players, teams and courses through his YouTube channel and social media platforms.

NBC Sports: Will present more than 500 hours of live professional women’s golf coverage in 2025, featuring all LPGA Tour events — and all five major championships — across NBC, Golf Channel, USA Network, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms. The 2025 LPGA Tour season begins this week with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Jan. 30-Feb. 2 at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida. 


PEOPLE

Truist Championship: Names Adam Sperling as the executive director of the PGA Tour event, which will return to Quail Hollow Club in 2026 after being contested at The Philadelphia Cricket Club in 2025. Sperling, who led the 2022 Presidents Cup in Charlotte as executive director, will return to the Tour after spending the last two years as Quail Hollow’s director of professional Golf.

Northwestern: Signs Jon "Happy" Gilmore, a 2023 Ultimate Long Drive World Champion, as a brand ambassador. Northwestern was relaunched at the recent PGA Show in Orlando, Florida, and debuted reimagined versions of its Northwestern Thunderbird clubs and a range of other new products. Gilmore will represent the brand by playing its equipment at upcoming Long Drive Championship events.

International Network of Golf:  Honors golf media member Tony Leodora with the second ING Jan Stephenson Entrepreneur Award, which recognizes a person who has successfully utilized innovative and leadership abilities to develop a business idea into a successful venture in the golf industry. Leodora enjoyed an award-winning career as a sportswriter and editor at the Norristown Herald before starting his own public relations and marketing firm, TL Golf Services. Leodora also created and hosted "Golf Talk Live Weekly Radio Show" in Philadelphia and "The Traveling Golfer" television show. 

United States Golf Association: Announces the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team roster, the first-ever U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster and this year’s annual U.S. National Development Program grant funding. The U.S. National Junior Team roster features Kihei Akina, Alpine, Utah); Shyla Brown, McKinney, Texas; Ronin Banerjee, Irvine, California; Anna Fang, San Diego, California; Luke Colton, Frisco, Texas; Mia Hammond, New Albany, Ohio; Philip Dunham, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Ryleigh Knaub, DeBary, Florida; Henry Guan, Irving, Texas; Jude Lee, Walnut, California; Trevor Gutschewski, Omaha, Nebraska; Nikki Oh, Torrance, California; Will Hartman, Marvin, North Carolina; Emerie Schartz, Wichita, Kansas; Jessy Huebner, Port St. Lucie, Florida; Scarlett Schremmer, Birmingham, Alabama; Tyler Mawhinney, Fleming Island, Florida; Asterisk Talley, Chowchilla, California; Michael Riebe, Encinitas, California;Amelie Zalsman, St. Petersburg, Florida; Tyler Watts, Huntsville, Alabama; and Angela Zhang, Bellevue, Washington. The inaugural U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster features Max Herendeen, Bellevue, Washington; Gianna Clemente, Estero, Florida; Jackson Koivun, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Anna Davis, Spring Valley, California; Jacob Modleski, Noblesville, Indiana; Jasmine Koo, Cerritos, California; Farah O’Keefe, Austin, Texas; Catherine Park, Irvine, California; Kiara Romero, San Jose, California). Also, the USGA, through its 2025 USNDP Grant, will aid 100 athletes ranging in age from 13-18 with more than $795k to help cover actual and incurred golf and athlete development-related expenses, such as practice and green fees, competitive tournament fees, tournament travel, coach fees and equipment costs.

TECHNOLOGY

Bushnell Golf: Unveils Tour Hybrid rangefinder that combines the latest in laser and GPS technologies to provide compensated Slope data. The device helps in making correct club selections by simultaneously displaying the lasered distance to the pin and the GPS-derived front, center and back yardages. Its integrated GPS also delivers slope-adjusted distances when enabled, offering guidance for cart-path-only or blind shots. The Tour Hybrid will be available nationwide starting in April with a retail price of $399.99.

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