The First Call 11-11-2021

FIRST THOUGHT

The Asian Tour has bolstered its 2022 schedule with a 10-event series that will have total prize money in excess of $200 million. The European Tour will rebrand itself in 2022 as the DP World Tour and nearly double its overall prize money to over to $200 million. And the PGA Tour, which has already formed a strategic alliance with the European Tour, is contemplating its own next move. And what will become of the Australasian, Sunshine and Japan Golf tours? The jockeying among tours seems far from over.

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READ, WATCH, LISTEN

> From obscurity to superhero: Chief supply chain officer is now the toughest job in the C-suite
[Phil Wahba | Fortune | Read]

> Saudi golf investment not a Norman conquest, says Asian Tour chief
[AFP | Read]

> Building something big
[Guy Cipriano | Golf Course Industry | Read]

How golf is bringing veterans together

Nonprofits like Patriot Golf Foundation and Folds of Honor are among many that are connecting, assisting America's soldiers and their families

FACT OF THE DAY

DID YOU KNOW?

Seventeen of the top 20 metro areas with the most golfers per hole are in the western U.S. Nine of the areas are in California, two each are in Colorado and Maryland, and one each in Alaska, Washington, Utah, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and Georgia. The cost of real estate and water in the west, especially California, has prompted golf course owners to allow for higher intensity of the land use. Consequently, fewer holes of golf are available to serve the highly-populated west.

Source: Longitudes Group Market Value Model 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

Troon adds Bubba Watson as ambassador

Watson, a 12-time PGA Tour winner and two-time Masters champion, joins a growing list of ambassadors that include Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Matt Kuchar, Alex Noren, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Colin Montgomerie and Cheyenne Woods as Team Troon members

Troon to manage Eau Claire GCC

Troon Prive, the private club operating division of Troon, will manage golf and club operations, food and beverage, golf course agronomy, and membership marketing and programming of the Altoona, Wis., club

OnCore Golf's new special edition golf balls to benefit F Cancer

Charity-designed logo golf balls supports F Cancer, a 501(c)3 organization providing equitable access to those affected by the disease

Appointed: By ClubCorp, Peter Kent as its new chief commercial officer. Before joining ClubCorp, Kent served as chief commercial pfficer for Ilitch Sports and Entertainment. He also previously worked as a regional sales manager at Nike Golf in 2002 and then spent 11 years with the PGA Tour as senior vice president of global business development and tournament revenue.

Appointed: By Liv Golf Investments, the newly formed entity, Will Staeger, as chief media officer; Slugger White, as vice president of rules and competition management; and Jane MacNeille, as vice president of communications.

Named: By the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Marion Hollins as an honorary member of the organization. On Nov. 9, an honorary member plaque was presented in California to Hollins' nephew, Tony Grissim, by the ASGCA's Brian Costello and Forrest Richardson. Hollins won the 1921 U.S. Women's Amateur, captained the 1932 U.S. Curtis Cup and designed the courses at the noted Cypress Point Club and Pasatiempo Golf Club.

NEWS AND FEATURES

European Tour rebrands to DP World Tour in 2022

DP World, a Dubai-based logistics company, makes the latest move in the global restructuring of the professional game

Topgolf, Callaway’s newest business, leads way to ‘Modern Golf’

The merging of Callaway Golf's traditional golf businesses with the trending entertainment business is creating a positive financial effect

#QOTD

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training."

— Archilochus

TUNING IN

PGA Tour: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open
Site: Memorial Park Golf Club, Houston.
Television: Today-Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel).

European Tour: Aviv Dubai Championship
Site: Jumeirah Golf Estates (Fire Course), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Television: Today-Friday, 3-8 a.m. (Golf Channel), Saturday-Sunday, 3-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

LPGA: Pelican Women’s Championship
Site: Pelican Golf Club, Belleair, Fla.
Television: Today-Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 7:30-10:30 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay).

PGA Tour Champions: Charles Schwab Cup Championship
Site: Phoenix Country Club, Phoenix.
Television: Today-Sunday, 4-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel).

CALENDAR

NOVEMBER
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
19-23: CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo, San Diego, Calif. | Info

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

When your playing partner shows up with the yardage stamped on the club.
I didn’t have the guts to question why it’s 40 yards or less. pic.twitter.com/Rk9Er44Xay
— Society of Golf Historians (@SHistorians) November 10, 2021