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| Friday Feb 13, 2026 |
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Rates are now in the $675 range; Anthony Kim continues his comeback; Cricket or the NFL?; Gary Player is upset — again.
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BUSINESS
2nd Skin Labs: Introduces its PowerFlex Arm Sleeves, which are made with Energy Skin technology that provide muscle support and promote better blood circulation. The sleeves also provide advanced skin protection against ultraviolet radiation and heat.
GMS Agency: Renews its partnership with Laguna Golf Phuket in Thailand. As part of the new agreement, GMS will also support Laguna Golf Bintan in Indonesia, becoming the international public relations and marketing partner for both properties within the Banyan Group.
Korean Golf Club: Partners with Amazingcre, a Korean golfwear brand recognized for engineering apparel around actual golfer movement. Korean Golf Club will compete in the brand’s performance apparel throughout the 2026 LIV Golf season. The team’s apparel is built on a nine-axis body mapping system designed to reduce resistance and maximize rotational freedom during the swing.
Evergreen Partners: Acquires Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minnesota. Somerby Golf Club features an 18-hole championship course designed by Tom Lehman and John Fought that has been consistently ranked by Golf Digest among the top courses in Minnesota and has hosted numerous Minnesota Golf Association and USGA competitions.
Bernardus: Appoints GMS Agency as its international public relations and communications partner, as the Dutch championship venue prepares for the 2026 Solheim Cup and continues to strengthen its global profile. Bernadus is located in the province of Noord-Brabant, near the historic city of ’s-Hertogenbosch and the Van Gogh National Park, Designed by American architect Kyle Phillips, the club's heathland-style course has hosted the DP World Tour’s Dutch Open in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
RangeGoats Golf Club: Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers will become the official quick-service restaurant partner of RangeGoats GC. The food chain’s logo will be featured on the golf bags for all four players throughout the 2026 season, as well as on captain Bubba Watson’s bag during the Masters. Also, Freddy’s and the RangeGoats will activate the relationship through the team’s Goats Give Back program, with direct support benefiting its impact partner, Convoy of Hope.
World Long Drive: Partners with Pinnacle to establish the Pinnacle World Long Drive Tour beginning with the 2026 season. The season will feature multiple events across domestic and international markets, beginning in May and culminating with the World Long Drive World Championships in October. Also, featured televised events will air on Golf Channel and ESPN2, while every tour event will stream on the Pinnacle World Long Drive YouTube Channel. Pinnacle will be the golf ball of choice.
Oculus R Golf Partners: Acquires a 1,300-acre land asset in the greater Ocala area of Marion County, Florida. The property encompasses IronCrest, which features a golf and country club and an approved planned unit development with more than 200 builder-ready homesites, supported by completed road and utility infrastructure. Formerly known as Club Adena, the club will operate as The Club at Iron Lake, featuring a 37,000 square foot clubhouse, spa, fitness and pool facility, and a racquets complex with eight tennis and four pickleball courts.
Upper Deck: Announces that to mark the 25th anniversary of Upper Deck Golf, this year’s set of trading cards pays homage to its very first release in 2001, which featured a star-studded checklist headlined by Tiger Woods, a brand ambassador, and his rookie card. 2026 Upper Deck Golf will again be headlined by Woods, with a unique buyback program. There will be 25 Tiger Woods rookie cards that are signed, numbered and stamped with a commemorative 25th anniversary stamp. There will also be 25 sets each of the ‘Tiger’s Tales’ insert and the entire 200-card base set that are numbered to 25 and stamped with the 25th Anniversary stamp. 2026 Upper Deck Golf releases on Feb. 18.
COMPETITION
LIV Golf: Confirms that LIV Golf New York is scheduled for Aug. 6-9, 2026, at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, New Jersey. The tournament will be the league’s third visit to Bedminster and first since the 2023 season. Tickets are currently on sale at LIVGolf.com.
COURSES
Evergreen Partners: Acquires Somerby Golf Club in Byron, Minnesota. Somerby Golf Club features an 18-hole championship course designed by Tom Lehman and John Fought that has been consistently ranked by Golf Digest among the top courses in Minnesota and has hosted numerous Minnesota Golf Association and USGA competitions.
Bechtol Golf Design: The Austin, Texas-based golf architecture firm expects to break ground on more than a half-dozen projects in 2026 with several others likely to begin the permitting process. The firm has plans drawn and contracts in process for courses and practice facilities in and around the Austin area — Jarrell, Leander, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Bastrop and near the Austin airport — as well as facilities in rural West Virginia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Charleston, South Carolina; and Huntsville, Brownwood, Fulshear and Beaumont, Texas. Projects already in process include Atlas Ranch (Jarrell, Texas), Crystal Falls Golf Course (Leander, Texas), Carson Creek Ranch (formerly Austin Beach Club, Austin, Texas), Scheff’s Kitchen (The University of Texas Golf Club, Austin, Texas), The Nelson (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Bastrop River Club (Bastrop, Texas) and Moonrocks/Corbin Valley (Allegheny Mountains of southeastern West Virginia).
GEAR
L.A.B. Golf: Introduces the DF3i putter. Milled from 6061 aircraft aluminum and bonded to a fly-milled, stainless-steel insert, DF3i offers more responsive feedback at impact and creates faster ball speeds. DF3i is available at LABGolf.com and will be in authorized retailers on Feb. 27. The stock model is available for $499, with custom versions starting at $599.
Zero Friction: Men's Victory Tour Glove and Victory Tour Golf Balls receive positive feedback at last month's PGA Show in Orlando, Florida. "This year's show exceeded all expectations," said John Iacono, Zero Friction founder and president. "We had incredible engagement with both longtime industry partners and made many new connections who were excited about what we bring to the market." The glove ($19.99) and golf balls ($34.99) are available at retail.
PEOPLE
Bernhard and Company: Appoints Rod Mortimer as technical sales manager, Northern North America. Mortimer will provide technical guidance, product support and expertise across Bernhard and Company’s grinding solutions.
Balsam Mountain Preserve: Appoints Kirk Fiore as the Sylva, North Carolina, club's new executive chef. Fiore, who most recently served as the executive chef at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in North Carolina, brings over 25 years of leadership and creativity to the culinary team.
Golf Writers Association of America: Names Brandt Snedeker as recipient of the Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a playing professional for “unselfish contributions for the betterment of society.” Snedeker, 45, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, and his wife, Mandy, created the Snedeker Foundation in 2012 to assist underprivileged children and provide child abuse support in the Middle Tennessee area. Snedeker, the PGA Tour's 2024 Payne Stewart Award winner, also hosts a Korn Ferry Tour event in Franklin, Tennessee, that benefits his foundation.
Golf Writers Association of America: Mark Rolfing, Bud Cauley and Stacy Lewis were voted by GWAA members to receive three of the association’s top annual awards. They will be honored on April 8 at the 52nd ISPS Handa GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Georgia. Rolfing will receive the William D. Richardson Award, which recognizes an individual who has consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf. Cauley, a 35-year-old PGA Tour professional, will receive the Ben Hogan Award, which goes to an individual who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. Cauley missed more than three years of competition because of complications from a 2018 car crash that left him with five broken ribs, a broken left leg and a collapsed lung. Lewis, a 40-year-old LPGA player, will receive the Jim Murray Award, which recognizes a professional player for his/her cooperation, quotability and accommodation to the media, and for reflecting the most positive aspects of the working relationship between athlete and journalist.
TECHNOLOGY
Soil Scout: Launches Happi100, a wireless sensor capable of measuring soil oxygen alongside moisture and temperature, for turf professionals. Happi100 provides real-time insight into soil conditions below the surface, allowing superintendents and turf managers to identify oxygen stress before turf quality declines.
