The First Call 10-08-2021

FIRST THOUGHT

Founded in the 1920s, Penfold Golf has a storied golf ball history. The brand grew to become one of the most played golf balls by European pros in the 1960s and 1970s. A fictional character, however, helped the brand's popularity. During an iconic match-play round in the 1964 movie "Goldfinger," James Bond mentioned to villain Auric Goldfinger that he was playing a Penfold Heart On Thursday, in advance of the 25th movie in the Bond series, Penfold Golf announced that it has partnered with the 007 franchise to create a special-edition Heart golf ball.

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READ, WATCH, LISTEN

> Fred Couples says he'd like to serve as Ryder Cup captain, but he may be too late
[Gary Smits | Florida Times-Union | Read]

> Nimble approach sets Sub 70 Golf apart in land of clubmaking giants
[Mike Purkey | Morning Read | Read]

> Walk a golf course with designer Gil Hanse and you’ll see the game differently
[Michael Bamberger | Golf.com | Read]

> The surprising history of pumpkin spice
[Nina Friend | Food and Wine | Read]

'Go before you're ready' is DNA to excellence

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor and visionary for American Dunes GC, shares lessons that are applicable to business, golf and life

Listen

Fact of the Day

DID YOU KNOW?

The top five most common public golf course names are:
1. Lakeside Golf Course (13)
2. Rolling Hills Golf Course (12)
3. Riverside Golf Course (11)
4. Lakeview Golf Course (9)
5. Twin Lakes Golf Course (9)

Source: Longitudes Group Green Grass database

INDUSTRY NEWS

The Golf Performance Center, Junior Golf Hub to host college prep series

Recruiting, game assessment summit scheduled for Nov. 5-7

Sweetgrass GC receives Michigan's top course honor

Island Resort and Casino’s original course selected as the 2021 Michigan Golf Course of the Year by the Michigan Golf Course Association

LPGA's Walmart NW Arkansas Championship sets 2022 dates

Championship week to return Sept. 19-25 to Pinnacle CC; Japan’s Nasa Hataoka is reigning champion

Troon selected to manage The Golf Club At Fiddler’s Creek

Naples, Fla., club names Sean Gradomski as the club's executive director of hospitality, overseeing golf operations, agronomy, and merchandising

Bear Trap Dunes GC hires Saul Schwartz as GM

Schwartz will oversee golf operations, food & beverage, agronomy, sales and marketing and maintenance operations for the 27-hole Ocean View, Del., club.

The Fountaingrove Club reaches membership cap

4 years since Tubbs Fire swept through Santa Rosa, Calif., community, destroying 1,700 homes, clubhouse, golf shop and more, the club reaches 368-member cap

Circling Raven Golf Shop sets record merchandise sales in 2021

Worley, Idaho, Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel amenity tops $1 million in revenue for first time

FEATURES

How your personality, not your game, may affect equipment buys

A research study of introverts and extroverts determines that a golfer's typology may be the difference in preferring a particular brand of equipment

ROUNDS AND WEATHER

> Rounds for the week continue to pace behind last year and are up versus 2019. Rounds were down -19% versus last year and up +59% versus 2019 rounds played.

> Warmer temperatures over the past week helped drive strong demand as seasonal closures throughout parts of the country begin to approach. Precipitation also increased nationally versus last year, with certain days seeing double the amount of precipitation than the same time last year.

> For the week, no particular areas outperformed 2020. However, the Mid-Atlantic and Mountain Pacific regions were just slightly behind prior year. The Mountain Pacific region continues as one of the strongest areas of the country over the past few weeks.

> Warmer temperatures are expected to continue over the next few days and most parts of the country are expected to remain consistent week over week. Florida may be the exception as it is forecasted to improve over the next seven days.

#QOTD

"I could either watch it happen or be a part of it."

— Elon Musk

TUNING IN

PGA Tour: Shriners Children’s Open
Site: TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas.
Television: Today-Sunday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel).

LPGA: Cognizant Founders Cup
Site: Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell, N.J.
Television: Today, 2-5 p.m. (Golf Channel); Friday-Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. (Golf Channel).

PGA Tour Champions: Constellation Furyk and Friends Invitational
Site: Timuquana Country Club, Jacksonville, Fla.
Television: Today-Sunday, 3-5 p.m. (Golf Channel).

European Tour: Spanish Open
Site: Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Television: Today, 6:30-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel).

CALENDAR

NOVEMBER
9-10: National Golf Course Owners Association Multi-Course and Resort Operators Retreat 2021, Monterey, Calif. | Info
21-24: World Golf Expo 2021, Hainan, China | Info

JANUARY
25-28: PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, Fla. | Info

FEBRUARY
5-10: GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, San Diego, Calif. | Info

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

LAST CALL

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