The First Call 11-30-2021

FIRST THOUGHT

On Monday, the Asian Tour's new Saudi International announced its field for the Feb. 3-6 tournament. The list includes marquee names — Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott and Bubba Watson. The draws are appearance fees and a new $5 million purse. The loser appears to be the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which is played the same week. This appears to be the first showdown for elite players between the PGA Tour and the Asian Tour, which has received a $200 million infusion with a 10-event series backed by Saudi interests who are looking to challenge the PGA Tour's supremacy.

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READ, WATCH, LISTEN

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Muni course, junior golf putting New Mexico city on map

Hobbs, N.M., has become a golf hotspot because its 27-hole Rockwind Community Links is filling a void in the West Texas, New Mexico junior golfing community

FACT OF THE DAY

DID YOU KNOW?

Florida ranks No. 1 for most tennis courts at private golf clubs with 1,792 total courts.

Source: Longitudes Group Green Grass database

INDUSTRY NEWS

Troon names Kendall Murphy to new role

Murphy becomes company’s first director of diversity, equity and inclusion to help lead and manage the company’s initiatives in those areas

NBC Sports Next adds U.S. Army golf to tee-time marketplace

Agreement with the United States Army to provide tee-time distribution technology and promotional opportunities through NBC Sports Next's affiliated brands to golf courses located on 33 U.S. Army installations throughout country

Dumbarnie Links named World’s Best New Golf Course

Daily-fee links course in Fife, Scotland, receives honor at the World Golf Awards, which celebrates world-class golf courses and golf destinations

Indian Wells Golf Resort's new academy focuses on development

Indian Wells, Calif., club's recently opened The Academy at Indian Wells is a golf instruction program geared toward helping golfers improve by minimizing mistakes, while developing consistency and enhancing enjoyment

Zoom touts Focus X laser rangefinder as holiday gift

Rangefinder features high-class optics, 6 times magnification, 600m range and continuous flagpole scanning mode

Golftec's Josh Fleming earns PGA teaching award

Fleming, director of instruction at the Calgary Beacon Heights center, received the PGA of Alberta Teacher of the Year award

#QOTD

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it."

— William Durant

CALENDAR

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.

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