The First Call 01-20-2023

FIRST THOUGHT

Some things never change. On Thursday, Annika Sorenstam, 52, a 10-time major champion, found herself atop the leaderboard at the LPGA's season-opening
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Florida. While the leaderboard in question was on the celebrity side of the field, Sorenstam was sharp, carding no bogeys and posting 39 Stableford points to lead Mardy Fish by two points. As for the main tournament? World No. 7 Brooke Henderson leads at 6 under, two strokes ahead of world No. 2 Nelly Korda.

> Question of the week: How interested are you in watching ‘Full Swing,’ the Netflix docuseries that follows golfers on and off the course, including the LIV Golf drama, throughout the 2022 PGA Tour season and debuts Feb. 15?

Send replies on this question or other topics to shall@buffalogroupe.com. For your response to be published, you must include first and last name, along with city and state of residence. Read last week's responses.

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

> What's the secret to La Quinta Country Club's pristine greens once compared to Augusta National's?
[Judd Spicer | Golfweek | Read]

> Augusta National, Bandon Dunes (!) and Tara Iti (!!) highlight A+ course list in new EA Sports PGA Tour video game
[Christopher Powers | Golf Digest | Read]

LIV Golf, The CW Network strike multiyear broadcast deal

Network will reach more than 120 million households across the U.S. as second-year tour seeks stronger foothold

The Drop: Titleist expands Vokey Design SM9 with shaft options

Lightweight offerings make popular wedges accessible to wider range of golfers

TFC PODCAST NETWORK

GOLF INNERVIEW WITH ANN LIGUORI
Realizing the Azores' understated beauty
Pilar Melo Antunes, Azores Golf sales and marketing director, joins host Ann Liguori to tell the story of the nine-strand Portuguese archipelago — and why it's ideal for golf
[Listen | More 'Golf Innerview with Ann Liguori' episodes]

THE 19TH HOLE WITH MICHAEL WILLIAMS
65,000 and counting: Club Champion has a club for everyone
Casandra Bausch, Club Champion's director of marketing, joins host Michael Williams to discuss the company's explosive growth and the array of available club combinations it offers
[Listen | More 'The 19th Hole with Michael Williams' episodes]

BEHIND THE GOLF BRAND
Power Tee is changing how golfers practice
CEO Martin Wyeth joins host Paul Liberatore to tell of his journey to create an automatic teeing system for indoors, driving ranges and country clubs — and, perhaps, golf's future
[Listen | More 'Behind the Golf Brand' episodes]

THE INDUSTRY

All signs point to vibrant 70th PGA Show week

PGA pros, golf leaders, industry executives and retailers will meet with more than 800 golf companies at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida

Epson Tour, OnCore Golf partner for 2023 season

OnCore will be the official golf ball of the LPGA’s qualifying tour and company representatives will support Epson Tour players at tournaments throughout the season

Honma Golf debuts next generation of Beres

New Beres Nx family of drivers, woods, hybrids and irons makes brand more accessible to golfers who seek luxury equipment without the ultra-premium price of brand’s marquee Beres

Radmor to showcase sustainable golf apparel collections at PGA Show

Seattle-based brand gears up for Orlando with new on- and off-course apparel, including men’s and women’s polos, pants, shorts and outerwear

Bernhard Langer going for history at 2023 Chubb Classic

Reigning champion, hall-of-famers and past champions headline early commitments for the tournament, Feb. 17-19 at Tiburon Golf Club's Black Course

True Linkswear to debut True Apparel Collection at 2023 PGA Show

Performance-based pants, joggers, polos, quarter zips and t-shirts highlight the new line from the Pacific Northwest brand

Ecco Golf showcases newest collection at 2023 PGA Show

Collection features new Classic Hybrid and updates to several of the brand’s most popular shoes — from sneaker style to street style

Batcaddy introducing new remote-control caddy at PGA Show

The X9R and X9R Carbon feature lightweight, stealth-like frame designs that weigh under 25 pounds and have quiet motors, Forever Tread wheels and advanced stability geometry

Introduced: By Biion Footwear, the Trainer golf shoe for adults and kids in a variety of colors and patterns.

Announced: By Sensible Weather, that it has closed a strategic investment to extend the company’s Weather Guarantee coverage to PGA-affiliated golf facilities in partnership with EP Golf Ventures. Sensible Weather is a climate technology and insurance company.

Introduced: By Titleist, the Vokey Design SM9 wedges, which feature new lightweight shaft offerings. Featured shafts include KBS Tour Lite 95, a steel shaft for players seeking additional spin and precision control, and Tensei AM2 Red, a graphite, high-launching shaft for players looking for more control. The wedges will be available at retail beginning March 10.

Announced: By the International Network of Golf, six support sponsors for its ING Hospitality Room at the 2023 PGA Show, Jan. 25-27 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The sponsors are CertiFresh Cigar, Makefield Putters, PGA Show, Proud 90 Apparel, Sycamore BioPharma and former LPGA Tour Commissioner Charlie Mechem.

Announced: By LIV Golf and The CW Network, entered into a multiyear U.S. broadcast television and streaming agreement. Beginning with the 2023 LIV Golf League season, The CW will air all 14 global events and stream the events live on The CW app. The CW Network is 75% owned by Nexstar Media Group Inc. and reaches more than 120 million households across the U.S. [For more, read story]

Announced: By PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com, that the South Carolina destination totaled a record of more than 2.4 million rounds played at 59 Golf Tourism Solutions member courses along the Grand Strand in 2022, as recorded by the Omni Golf Tee Sheet. It is estimated that more than 3 million rounds of golf were played in the entire Myrtle Beach market in 2022.

Introduced: By TaylorMade Golf, its 2023 Spider putter lineup, featuring the all-new Spider GTX and Spider GT Max. The putters include True Path Alignment for precise alignment to the target and a deep center of gravity created by a heavy 154g stability bar at the rear of the putter. The Spider GTX is available for preorder and will be at retail beginning Feb. 24 and will retail for $349. The Spider GT Max will be available at retail in late spring with a retail price of $449.

Announced: By NBC Sports, it will to provide more than 50 hours of television coverage to the World Long Drive as part of a multiyear agreement with GF Sports and Entertainment, which recently bought the tour. Ten hours will be aired annually by NBC Sports on Golf Channel. The length of the agreement was not disclosed. GF Sports and Entertainment also acquired the Pro Long Drive Association in December 2022.

Introduced: By Shot Scope, Shot Scope Academy, a game-tracking system designed specifically for PGA professionals, golf coaches and teachers. The system uses advanced technology to establish unlimited connectivity between instructors and golfers to track and analyze performances during a round using the company’s V3 Smart Watch or Pro LX+ Rangefinder models. All data captured is seamlessly uploaded where the instructor can view and analyze the round, and can instantly send game-improvement recommendations or lesson plans.

Started: By Tripp Davis and Associates, along with golf course contractor Course Crafters, construction on Green Tree Country Club's West Nine in Midland, Texas. The East Nine was completed in 2022. TDA will focus on redoing all of the West Nine's tee complexes, fairways, bunkers and greens. Most of the irrigation will be upgraded and Tif 419 Bermuda will be used in the roughs and fairways, and the greens will have .007 Bent Grass. Construction is expected to be complete this summer.

> More Industry News

#QOTD

"Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."

— Oscar Wilde

ROUNDS AND WEATHER

> Rounds played finished this past week up 1% vs. 2022 due to significantly warmer temperatures across most of North America. Some markets saw increases as high as 10 to 15 degrees warmer than last year. That was partially offset by continued heavy rain in California.

The Northeast markets finished up 382% to last year due to the weather improvements, while California experienced the largest rounds decline vs. 2022, finishing down 48% due to continued heavy rain throughout the week.

> Pacing over the next seven days is projected to finish up 31% as higher temperatures are continued to be projected across most of North America and rains are projected to subside in California.

The Northeast region is projecting to have the highest finish over the next seven days at 419% due to significant temperature improvements vs. prior year. Not surprisingly, California is forecasted to have the worst performance over the next seven days, though projecting to finish up +10% as rains begin to subside across the state.

> Weekday golfers as a percentage of total golf business finished at 61%, which is the lowest rate over the past month.

TUNING IN

PGA Tour: The American Express
Site: PGA West (Pete Dye Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament), La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California.
Television (ET): Today-Sunday, 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Leaderboard | GCSAA Fact Sheet

LPGA Tour: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Site: Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Orlando, Florida.
Television (ET): Today, noon-3 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-5 p.m. (NBC).
Leaderboard | GCSAA Fact Sheet

DP World Tour: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Site: Yas Links Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Television (ET): Today, 2:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 2-8 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Leaderboard

PGA Tour Champions: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Site: Hualalai Golf Club, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Television (ET): Today-Saturday, 7-10 p.m. (Golf Channel).
Leaderboard

CALENDAR

JANUARY
23-25: Golf Business Conference, Orlando, Fla. | Info
24-27: PGA Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info
28-29: Columbus Golf and Travel Show, Columbus, Ohio | Info

FEBRUARY
1: Women Fore Hire Virtual Career Fair | Info
3-5: Philadelphia Golf and Travel Show, Philadelphia, Pa. | Info
6-9: GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info
6-9: Golf Industry Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info

> View complete calendar

To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.