The Brand Promise

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logo_header_LPGA.gifNew LPGA Commish Caroline Bivens rolled out the 2006 LPGA schedule and served up an MBAism that only Tim Finchem could love.

We're launching the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT next year, which will add only more drama and excitement to our Tour on a weekly basis, and when you combine all of that with some new and challenging host venues, we are certainly fulfilling our brand promise of showcasing the very best of women's professional golf.

And there were other fine moments from the transcript.

We love the fact that when you look at those 10 first time winners, they come from a variety of different countries; with our first time ever winner from Colombia and from Chile.

Hey, don't forget Korea!

But what you are also going to see is an effort to improve what we're calling the stages that these women play on.

You will see us upgrading the quality of the golf courses at every opportunity that we have.

Why couldn't you just say courses the first time? Sorry, carry on.

So some of the things that you'll see, some of things that you won't see, but what has happened with the LPGA over the course of the last eight months, has put them on an incredible trajectory. I'll call it the old hockey stick, where they've gone along and a lot of people invest in a lot of years and a lot of effort, including Ty and the previous five commissioners before him.

The old hockey stick? Okay.

The Longs Drugs moves from Sacramento to Black Hawk. That's one of the courses that illustrates what I'm talking about when I talk about elevating the level of the courses that the women play.

Hey, what about the Office Depot played at Trump National LA, the course that's better than Pebble Beach?

Q. Did you lose any events from last year?

CAROLYN BIVENS: Office Depot.

Well you didn't have to be all succinct about it. But the gals had so much fun there!

Oh here's a new one that Commissioner Finchem may want to add to his list:

...what most affects our ratings, and we an absolutely go back and track, where is it prepromoted? Where are the programs that come before and after that, somewhat similar. And that people know where to tune in.

Nobody these days we don't have a viewer in the world that if they can't find their program, whatever their program is, nobody is going to sit there and flip through all of the channels and try to find you. So we've got to be able to prepromote and be easy to find.

I've always said, you're nothing if you don't prepromote. And cross promote too:

I have been quoted as saying that there is something for every one on the LPGA. I believe that.

You've got the Pat Hursts and the Carin Kochs who are balancing raising kids on the Tour, and who are very good inside the ropes, rank at the top of the Money List.

You've got Rosie Jones, who I don't believe for a second I'm not going to let her retire. Rosie Jones is a huge RV enthusiast.

Golf 20/20 Summit

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AnnualConferenceButton.gifI haven't seen any substantial media coverage of the 6th annual Golf 20/20 meeting that concluded Monday. Just a few years ago Tim Finchem predicted at the first 20/20 summit that they hoped to grown the game to 55 million by 2020, and people actually were interested in what this gathering of minds had to say.

This press release appears on the Golf2020.com site and gives an overview ofthe 2005 event:

The two-day symposium began with a look back at the past five, and where the industry has come in that time in terms of its fan base, participation, rounds played, facility development, retail spending and international growth.

While the decline of rounds played that occurred so sharply in 2002 has leveled off, that continues to be the area of greatest concern. But at the same time the fan base continues to develop and broaden demographically, there are more participants in golf than ever before, retail spending will hit an all-time high in 2005, and expansion of the game internationally is happening at an unprecedented pace, which is having an impact on many businesses based in the U.S.

Looking back through past press releases (yes, scary), I noticed this major objective in 2001 for Golf 20/20, a topic that does not get mentioned in this year's summary of accomplishments and goals:

Affordability is critical to growing the game. Affordability/value is by far the most important factor that influences play. Nearly 60% of golf’s best customers believe affordability is one of the three most important factors that influences play, and that an 18-hole round of golf is a good value at about $35. A round begins to get expensive at about $55 and too expensive at $117.

McDonald on Golf Digest/Tour Deal

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Tim McDonald at Travelgolf.com writes about the new media partnership between Golf Digest and the PGA Tour, and wonders if this will water down Golf Digest's coverage.

...to sum up, we know what the corporate partners, the PGA Tour and the magazine (not to mention its sister publications in the Conde Nast family: GolfWorld, Golf For Women, GolfWorld Business, etc.) get out of this new marketing agreement. What do we readers get out of it? Well, I can tell you what we probably will not get out of it: any negative coverage of the PGA Tour, and maybe not even the whole story. That isn't what partners do.

Thanks to reader Stu for passing along the Travelgolf newsletter where managing editor Mark Nessmith slams me and other bloggers (including his own Travelgolf blogs) for not looking harder at this deal and questioning Golf Digest's integrity (guess he didn't see my recent Golfobserver column).

Nessmith suggests that I'm a "contributor" to the publication, which theoretically explains why the story was not posted here (actually, I didn't think it was news...these relationships are standard in golf):

A few reported the deal when it went down, some even dutifully posting the press release. But none - not one - thought to expound on the ramifications of such a cozy "partnership." Not engolfed, not Brent Kelley, not Geoff Shackelford (go figure, since Shack  is a contributor to Golf Digest  among others), not Golf Fore Golfers, not Going For The Green (go figure, since Robert Thompson is a contributor to PGATour.com and a course rater for Golf Digest), not Just-For-Golf  ... and none of the TravelGolf.com bloggers either. I couldn't find anyone who thought to stick up his or her hand and ask: Hey, aren't journalists supposed to offer critical coverage of what's going on, not just sanitized pap that their "partner" has vetted!? Not even the Rebel Blogger could be roused from his (welcome) silence of late to take on the Big Boys.

I'd email Nessmith to find out where my contributor's check has been going all these years, since it was six years ago that I last appeared in the pages of Golf Digest. But for some curious reason all of the Travelgolf people don't want to be contacted (it does help cut down on the emails when you can't get your facts straight).

Monty's Musings

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Thanks to reader Phillip for this reminder that they still have room for fluff in the British papers.

From Colin Montgomerie, writing some kind of diary and sharing this rationale behind his move to a new home closer to the great St. George's Hill course:

...it was a good hour's drive simply to pick [the kids] up. Much the same applied to my visits to the Wisley. The urge to practise can disappear at the end of a lengthy drive. But it is not just these bigger issues which prompted me to sell up. This may sound trivial, but I wanted my own front door and, above all, I wanted to be able to wash my car as I had always enjoyed doing in the past. You can't be trailing from a sixth floor apartment to the basement with a bucket of water. It just doesn't work.

No, not trivial. Ridiculous maybe, but not trivial Monty.

In next week's installment, Monty talks about how he approaches his washing schedule on those 12 days a year it doesn't rain in Britain.

2,059 and Counting

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PGA_TourLogo.gif2,059. That's how many PGA Tour drives finished over 350 yards in 2005 according to the Tour's stat gurus.

You may recall that last week the longest drive stat was looked at here, and it was pointed out that ShotLink was now tallying all long drives hit this year (unlike in past years where only drives hit on the pair of measuring holes counted toward the longest drive stat).

However, the 2005 list ended at 978 drives of 357 yards or more. 2,059. I had 1,500 in the pool.

Architects, change those turning points! 300 is out, bring on 340!

Shoot, might as well go with 350 just in case the guys really start hitting the weights this winter. 

Get This Man Some Exemptions

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David Drysdale, who withdrew from the Dunhill Cup with a rib injury when he could have taken one swing and earned a check that would have secured his 2006 European Tour card, failed at Euro Q-School...by one shot.

Here's Lawrence Donegan's column that initially drew attention to Drysdale's situation and how he passed up the chance for a check so someone else could play at the Dunhill.

And Now A Word For Our Sponsors

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Better late than never! My October 28 Golf World arrived today, five days after the Nov. 11 issue found its way into my mailbox. (My postman found himself captivated by Ron Sirak's account of the Wie DQ).

In the same issue, E. Michael Johnson writes about equipment sponsors who are frustrated that players are not dropping product or corporate names enough during interviews, ala NASCAR.

That's not a surprise, but this part was:

Even the tour has recognized that its constituents could use help, hiring a public speaking authority, The Speaking Specialists, to address players earlier this year.

"We told them to remember they're always on, and to take advantage of every opportunity to talk up their sponsors," said Sue Castorino, president of The Speaking Specialists. "Sometimes they take [the sponsors] for granted."

Nice that the Tour is looking out for the player sponsors, isn't it? 

The PGA Tour regulates the size and number of logos a player can have on his clothing, yet has consultants encouraging players to plug their new driver like some NASCAR dude thanking Goodyear for FedExing those new high grip tires that would look great on your Chevy?

Pro golfers and their manufacturer ties are taken more seriously by golf fans because the players do NOT shamelessly plug stuff at every opportunity.

HOF Induction Ceremony

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Golf Channel airs the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at (9:30 pm est and at other times in the night). I understand from a very good source that there is a video with testimonials to Alister MacKenzie from modern player-architects that is not to be missed. :)

It will be fun to see if there is a Bernard Darwin video and if so, who they got to talk about his legacy. Here's the World Golf Village home page with more on this year's nominees.

Tiger On A Rollback

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Kelly Tilghman interviewed Tiger Woods September 28th. Because a transcript was slow to appear and I was more interested in his surprising comments that he'll be getting in the course design business soon than expected, I missed this bit where he says there is "no doubt" that Hootie, the USGA and R&A want to roll the ball back. Thanks to reader Tom for the reminder.

And credit Tilghman for asking some fine questions in a tough environment (Nike plugfest). The entire interview is much more interesting than Tiger's usual game of press room Dodgeball. (Not that I blame him.)

Anyway, here's what should have made headlines:

Tiger Woods: Here's the deal, I have talked to Hootie and talked to the heads of USGA, also to Peter Dawson, they want to roll the ball back, no doubt about that. They want to put a speed limit and there is one now but they are making golf courses so long that you can't play some of the old championship venues. That's what they are afraid of. They are trying to protect the integrity of some of these major championship venues and the great golf courses, where they can still provide a great championship but not have us shoot 20 under par. But also to have it so that the average golfer can enjoy a round of golf. Well, that's the dilemma. New technology has helped the average golfer hitting balls slightly further and slightly more accurate. But for professionals, we have made leaps and bounds because our proficiency and to be able to make contact and launch the ball correctly each and every time. If you take the average consumer and they hit a driver, they have probably got old equipment five years ago to now maybe 10 yards, 12 yards carry, and we're carrying it to 25, 30 yards further than some of the guys. The further you hit, the more technology is going to help you. That's what they are looking at. They have got all these lists of numbers especially at Augusta, where we're landing the golf ball versus three years ago, and three years ago guys are hitting it 12 to 15 further in the air easily, everybody. That's what they are afraid of. That's one of the reasons why Augusta made some changes each and every year and are probably a leader in that.

I am sure there will come a point in time where they will have to slow it down because we can't play Merion anymore. You can play U.S. Amateur but a professional I think would probably shoot a little lower scores than they did. St. Andrews, if they have to change the course there to accommodate us, then you know things are changing. Hey, I am one of the guys that if they did roll the ball back, it would help me out a little bit. I would have an advantage. Any long guy who hits the ball long and high would have more of an advantage because now we're having to hit longer irons in the greens, other guys are having to hit hybrids and woods, so you have an advantage.

From a personal standpoint and competitive standpoint, I won't mind them rolling the ball back because I would have an advantage.