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| Thursday Feb 23, 2023 |
Golf equipment sales got off to a rocky start in 2023, according to Golf Datatech. Total sales were down 12.9% for January vs. the same period a year ago. Distance devices (-21.2%) and shoes (-19.4%) were the biggest deficits. For a bit of perspective, despite the seemingly poor numbers, January sales still represented the third best January ever.
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> Question of the week: What characteristics do you look for in a golf hole and what is an example of a well-designed hole?
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 city and state of residence. Read last week's responses.
> PGA Tour holding last Honda Classic as a new sponsor awaits
[Tim Reynolds | Associated Press | Read]
> Judge rules that PGA Tour may add Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to countersuit
[Alex Miceli | Sports Illustrated | Read]
> LIV Golf announces first corporate sponsor for Saudi-backed league
[Joel Beall | Golf Digest | Read]
> LIV's Dustin Johnson, Adidas end 15-year sponsorship deal
[Mark Schlabach | ESPN | Read]
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The merging of the contemporary artist's passions — golf and art — took a while, but once they did her career pivoted in a fulfilling direction
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LPGA: Announces a multiyear partnership making Goodr, a performance eyewear maker, an official licensee of the Tour. The partnership includes on-site tournament activation with a dedicated fan experiential space.
PGA Tour: Announces a new five-year partnership with Pacific Life, a global life insurance and retirement solutions company, through 2027. Pacific Life will amplify its brand via broadcast and online advertising through multiple Tour-owned media platforms, and will support various tournaments on the schedule.
USGA: Online entry applications are available for the 123rd U.S. Open, scheduled for June 15-18 on The Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course in Los Angeles, California. Non-exempt players will compete in one of 109 local qualifiers hosted throughout the United States (with one in Canada) between April 17 and May 22. Nearly 1,000 players will then compete in final qualifying, scheduled at 13 sites worldwide May 16 through June 5.
LPGA: In Gee Chun, Lizette Salas and Mariah Stackhouse are finalists for the LPGA Velocity Global Impact Award, which celebrates players who have helped to grow golf and inspire the next generation of athletes through their actions. Fans will be able to vote at LPGA.com through March 6, and the winner will be announced on International Women’s Day on March 8. The winner of the award and her charity of choice will each receive $100,000.
Annika Foundation: To begin its 2023 Share My Passion clinic series with Annika Sorenstam on Wednesday, March 8, at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Along with The First Tee of Northern Florida and the North Florida Junior Golf Foundation, the Foundation will invite 50 girls between the ages of six and 14 to participate in a clinic that will feature instructional stations and sessions with Sorenstam., followed by a photo and autograph session. Then, the groups will rotate through stations taught by local instructors covering the fundamentals of driving, putting and the importance of fitness.
"The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody put a flagstick on top."
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Tripp Davis to renovate Ridgewood Country Club in Texas; Art Schaupeter to create Bella Ridge in Colorado
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GOLF INNERVIEW WITH ANN LIGUORI
How Alexa Phung, Ava Estrella earned tickets to Augusta National
The girls qualified for April's Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals and join host Ann Liguori to talk about their experiences and expectations
[Listen | More 'Golf Innerview with Ann Liguori' episodes]
BEHIND THE GOLF BRAND
How 'The Par Train Podcast' is growing followers by unlocking golf's mental game
Co-founder Evan Singer shares with host Paul Liberatore the wild ride of becoming the No. 1 golf mental game podcast with over 900,000 downloads
[Listen | More 'Behind the Golf Brand' episodes]
THE MODGOLF PODCAST
McMahon mother-daughter duo push limits of golf's glass ceiling
Lesley and Clare McMahon join host Colin Weston for a conversation about being women in the golf industry and their wide-ranging experiences
[Listen | More 'The ModGolf Podcast' episodes]
PGA Tour: Honda Classic
Site: PGA National (Champions), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Television [ET]: Today-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).
Leaderboard | GCSAA Fact Sheet
LIV Golf: LIV Golf Mayakoba
Site: Mayakoba Golf Resort (El Camaleon), Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Television [ET]: Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (CW Network).
LPGA Tour: Honda LPGA Thailand
Site: Siam Country Club (Pattaya Old), Chonburi, Thailand.
Television [ET]: Today, 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. (Golf Channel); Friday-Saturday, 10:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Leaderboard
DP World Tour: Hero Indian Open
Site: DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India.
Television [ET]: Today-Friday, 3-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3:30-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 3:30-6:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).
Leaderboard
FEBRUARY
24-26: Chicago Golf Show, Rosemont, Ill. | Info
24-26: Kansas City Golf Show, Overland Park, Kansas | Info
24-28: CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo, Orlando, Fla. | Info
To submit events for the calendar, please include the event name, date, location and informational link to info@firstcallgolf.com.
