"Thank You Troops"

David Westin follows up on Ping's rapid response to its military discount debacle, with the entire episode proving that it pays to have well-compensated executives who can quickly address the P.R. disasters created by those very same well-compensated executives.

In a ground-breaking move, active-duty and reserve members of the U.S. military now can receive rebates on Ping golf equipment.

It is the first time Karsten Manufacturing Corp., which makes Ping clubs, has offered a discount of this nature. The Phoenix, Ariz., company was established in 1962.

The company announced its "Thank You Troops" rebate program Tuesday. It is retroactive to Monday, said Bill Gates, Ping's director of distribution and associate general counsel.

According to Bonaventure Discount Golf owner L.D. Waters, who has been in the business since 1955, this is the first time a golf-equipment company has offered a mail-in rebate.

Mr. Gates said the mail-in rebate is a dollar amount based on the purchase price. For instance, he said there would be a rebate of $80 on a set of eight Ping irons.

The cost of that set at Bonaventure Discount Golf is $748, so the rebate is 10.6 percent off the retail price.

That's 10% coming out Ping's pocket now, instead of the retailers! A small price to pay for protecting the brand!

Okay, see if you can read this without laughing:

According to a statement from Ping Chairman and CEO John Solheim, the rebate is a continuation of Ping's support of the military.

"For the last year, we've been looking for additional ways to support the troops," Mr. Solheim said in the statement. "On three occasions we've sent hundreds of free clubs for the troops to enjoy during their limited leisure time, but we wanted to provide them additional benefits.

"The reaction of some individuals to the issue reminded us it was time to do more," Mr. Solheim added.

Mr. Solheim disputed some media reports that the military was targeted because of the discounts, but added that "a lot of good is coming from the issue. We have the highest admiration and respect for those fighting for our country."

But this is peculiar...

According to Mr. Gates, Ping wanted to go the mail-rebate route because "we don't know what the retailer may be charging for the product. We want instead to provide the rebate from Ping directly. So it doesn't matter what they're charging out there."

Well, it does matter. That's what prompted this little debacle. 

"Thirty-, 40-year-old friendships have dissolved over this"

Hector Becerra in the LA Times looks at the possible precedent-setting situation with Glendora Country Club, where a developer made a land swap deal with club members and then took approval of a prospective club move to a special election.

But some land-use experts say the situation in Glendora is unusual because the developer, NJD Ltd., is proposing radical planning changes to the upscale suburb — moving a landmark country club, building a new golf course and creating a new community — through a ballot measure carefully crafted by a developer rather than city planners.

"That's extremely clever and creative," said Paul Shigley, editor of the Ventura-based California Planning and Development Report. "I have never heard of a land swap like that. That's very novel."

The developer has raised eyebrows by offering $10 Ralphs gift cards to residents who vote in the special election. City officials questioned the propriety of it.

But a consultant for NJD — whose owners live in Colorado and California — said they have had to mount an aggressive campaign because the city has placed numerous roadblocks.

And...

Opponents have waved signs along streets and charged that the measure would ruin the neighborhood around the 100-acre country club and scar the picturesque hillside.

The developer owns about 400 acres in the hills above Glendora and nearby San Dimas. But it has struggled to build houses on the land because of tough zoning restrictions.

"They have always known what our rules were, but they didn't like the rules," said City Manager Eric Ziegler. "So their proposition is for the 50,000 residents of Glendora to change their rules so they could meet their profit margin."

Mayor Doug Tessitor said passage of the initiative would result in a loss of local control.

"They've concocted an initiative which completely negates our hillside ordinance, all our zoning codes and our building standards," he said. "It basically gives them a blank check."

And... 

But Davis said the measure would actually protect the hillside because it would mean building a golf course on about half of the 400 acres rather than more invasive homes. He said the country club and golf course would be integrated as much as possible in the foothills' natural terrain, adding that one way or another, homes will be built somewhere.

"They try to make it sound like we're going to go up there and flatten hills and drop a golf course on top," Davis said. "We're going to build into the terrain. It's not going to be green fairways the whole way."

The idea of the land swap first surfaced early last year, said Terry Beal, president of the Glendora Country Club. Beal said the idea of having a new country club and golf course to replace a facility dating to 1955 was attractive.

Earlier this year, most of the club's 455 equity members voted on the proposal, Beal said. Sixty-one percent voted to support the plan.

"It was a big mandate to move forward," Beal said. "We'd get a new facility for nothing. It's a good deal."

Beal complained that city officials have sent letters implying that the city would try to seize the land.

Ziegler said eminent domain was not considered but that the City Council did call for an appraisal of the country club in order to study whether the property could be purchased. But the city does not have the money, he said.

Dennis Winn, a longtime Glendora resident and club member, said the issue has split friendships in the community and at the country club.

"Thirty-, 40-year-old friendships have dissolved over this," he said. "Families stopped talking over this. It's really a shame that it has divided not only the club but the city."

Update on 2006-10-06 16:46 by Geoff

From the LA Times:

Glendora voters rejected the measure by a 10 to 1 ratio Tuesday, causing developer Kim Scott to speculate that he might try to sell his property to the city or another developer.

"The vote was clear," said Scott, whose firm, NJD, owns the parcel. "The citizens of Glendora did not like our plan."

Here V Go Again

The table of contents for Golf Digest's November issue has been posted and this caught my eye:

Here V go again: The USGA eyes a ban on U-grooves.  By Mike Stachura

This reminded me of an interesting bit from Frank Thomas's "Frank Talk" column in the October Digest (not posted).

Now, the USGA is looking at banning U-grooves because they are afraid of addressing the distance issue, afraid to acknowledge that there has been a significant distance increase since they issued their "Joint Statement of Principles," and still too angry about players hitting driver-wedge even when they present silly-narrow fairway widths in the 21-25 yard range.

So to stop the players from bombing drivers and hitting wedge approaches, they apparently believe that changing the grooves will force players to lay back off of tees, and voila, distance issue solved!

Ignoring the ridiculousness of advocating high rough and narrow fairways as a partial solution to the distance problem (that cat's out of the bag), just consider the logic and science of claiming that grooves are actually allowing players to spin the ball out of tournament rough.

Here's what Thomas said about balls, grooves and spin (underline added for emphasis):

From light rough (up to two inches), a ball will spin 40 percent less than it would from dry conditions. This is because the water in grass serves as a lubricant between the ball and the clubface. Because the cover never penetrates more than .005 inches into the groove, which is limited to a depth of .02 inches, this is the only condition in which groove configuration matters. Out of light rough the groove depth can carry away more water and decrease the effects of lubrication on spin. However, from rough of four to five inches, it doesn't matter what type of ball or grooves you are using.

So the USGA is going to have to make a strong case that U-grooves are spinning balls out of the rough.

But even then, they still won't address distance and spin of the ball, so it's all really just a big bluff. 

More On Faldo Hiring

Regarding the exciting news that CBS has hired Nick Faldo, Richard Sandomir in the NY Times shares this quote from a CBS exec:

Tony Pettitti, the executive vice president of CBS Sports, said Faldo's short period of work at ABC demonstrated an "easy ability to analyze, to vary his approach and explain and analyze things in different ways."

And now you know why Bobby Clampett still has a network job.

Peter McCleery at Golfoberver analyzes the surprise hiring, saying that it likely means Ian Baker-Finch may not be in CBS's plans now, and he raises this interesting point about Faldo covering the Masters (no, not the riveting question of whether he'll wear his green jacket on the air...):

His honesty may have the Masters folks on edge; he may have a hard time not telling us what he thinks of the course changes on a few holes. That delicate topic was nicely sidestepped on CBS in recent years as the crew fell into a unanimous chorus of approval.

Faldo In At CBS, TGC, ABC, BBC, Sky...

Jeese, where isn't he?

Thanks to reader Philip for this story on Nick Faldo replacing Lanny Wadkins at CBS, which was in dire need of new announcing life. Lanny declined a reduced role in order "to devote more of his time to playing on the Champions Tour."

Where Did All Of The Imagination Go?

My latest Golfobserver.com column has been posted...

Harig: WGC's Not Working For PGA Tour

Bob Harig in the St. Petersburg Times takes a tough stance on the "success" of the WGC events:

The WGCs have been great for the 60 or so players who qualify for the no-cut tournaments that offer a guaranteed payday.

They have been great for fans who attend and watch on television, because the WGCs are all but guaranteed to bring together the best players in the world, something that rarely happens outside of major championships.

And they certainly have been great for the PGA Tour, which has a management arm under its corporate umbrella called Championship Management which runs - and profits from - these tournaments.

But are these big-money tournaments good for the rest of golf?

The answer, after seven years, is probably not.

Why? Because too many rank-and-file tournaments - the backbone of the tour - suffer from their existence.

"There's a reason why you never see a TV shot of the clubhouse on Sundays"

Robert Bell reports that Forest Oaks may be losing some of its luster with the Greensboro folks, but not necessarily for reasons you might expect. Says tournament director Robert Long:

"We have a fiduciary responsibility to look at all of our options -- whether they relate to Forest Oaks or somewhere else," Long said. "Nobody's questioning that Forest Oaks is a great golf course. But any good steward of the tournament would want to know their options. What we need to determine is if (Forest Oaks) is the best fit for where we want to take this tournament."

What these guys will do for their charities!

No, actually this may be about the most vital attribute of a PGA Tour site, the clubhouse amenities.

Publicly, tournament officials say Forest Oaks, which has played host to the championship since 1977, has the best golf course in the Triad for a PGA Tour event -- for now.

Privately, they wonder if they can do better. Forest Oaks' clubhouse and locker rooms are beginning to show their age, officials said. Neither has had significant renovations since the clubhouse opened in 1967.

"There's a reason why you never see a TV shot of the clubhouse on Sundays," said one tournament board member, who asked not to be named. "The physical amenities are outdated or are close to being so."

Or, maybe we never see the clubhouse because we are watching a golf tournament?

Even the course is being called into question. After opening to rave reviews three years ago, Davis Love's redesign has lost some of its luster with golfers.

"They made a great course good," PGA Tour regular Robert Gamez said after playing the course last year.

Sergio Garcia, who recently helped lead Europe to another Ryder Cup victory, said the new course was "a bit too gimmicky," a common lament among the pros.

"Somewhere in the exchange, the pro swatted at the gentlemen's hat..."

Sylvain Metz reports on the type of player-fan interaction that you don't normally see on the PGA Tour.

PGA Tour player Bill Glasson withdrew from the Southern Farm Bureau Classic Saturday after he was involved in a physical altercation with a spectator, tournament officials said Monday.

Glasson, 46, allegedly struck an “elderly gentleman” Saturday morning after the men got into a shouting match over a driving incident on the way to the tournament, said Madison County Sheriff Toby Trowbridge.

Glasson withdrew from the tournament, said Randy Watkins, the SFBC tournament director.

“He was advised of the position of both the tournament and the Tour and how they felt about the matter and he willfully withdrew on his own,” Watkins said. “I agreed with Bill's decision. He needed to leave. It was best for him and everybody, that he put it behind him and withdraw.”

And his agent definitely earned his 10% with this defense:

His manager, Dennis Harrington of Links Sports, said Glasson argued with a man in the Annandale Golf Club parking lot whom Glasson said cut in front of him at an intersection. He did not strike the man, said Harrington, but did “flip his cap off his head” after the man did not apologize and a passenger in the car “taunted” Glasson.

“Hindsight is 20-20,” Harrington added. “I'm sure Bill wishes that he didn't go up and say something, but he still feels he has the right to say something to somebody when they almost caused an accident. The bad part was they didn't apologize and then they provoked him.”

Oops, left out one detail.

“Somewhere in the exchange, the pro swatted at the gentlemen's hat, hitting him in the face and knocking off his glasses,” Trowbridge said.

At that point, sheriff's deputies were called, the sheriff said.

The spectator declined to press charges although he was told he can file them at a later date, Trowbridge said. “Had we been there (to witness this) we would have arrested the pro,” he added.

A Rush Of Blood To The Pedal

Lewine Mair notes that Monty will be driving his Bentley to the Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews, cranking up his beloved Coldplay to help pass the time.

I bet there aren't too many Bentley's where Coldplay has been played at full blast. That's our Monty! Man of the people.

And he'll probably wash the car when he arrives.

Reforming the Advisory Council

It's kind of fun to see who Carolyn Bivens has surrounded herself with after reforming the "Commissioner's Advisory Council."

The new council is comprised of 22 individuals from the corporate, academic, political, philanthropic and cultural arenas and is co-chaired by Bivens and Charles S. Mechem, Jr., the commissioner emeritus of the LPGA.

The council convened for the first time in early September and will continue to meet periodically each year. Its role is to provide expertise and guidance in all aspects of the LPGA's business, while also serving as a sounding board as the LPGA continues to grow and evolve. Members will offer expert counsel and insight in their respective areas and will assist Commissioner Bivens and her staff in optimizing opportunities for the LPGA's future growth and long-term success.

Among the members of the council are Edwin L. Artzt, retired chairman and CEO of the Procter & Gamble Company; Alice Dye, golf course architect; Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association; Nancy Lopez, LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member; Steve Mona, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America; Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association; and Sheila Tate, vice chairman of Powell Tate/Weber Shandwick.

Powell-Tate surfaces again! These lobbyists pop up everywhere: as USGA media consultants, PGA Tour lobbyists...wow, they must be good.

Well, unless they're the ones who suggested that Walter Driver do that ESPN.com live chat.

PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 38

The PGA Tour driving distance average held steady at 289.6 yards following the WGC event in England and the stop in Mississippi.

No 400-yarders were hit, but the Tour average remains headed for something in the high 289 area, meaning a 10-yard increase since 2002 when the USGA drew a line in the sand. Well, in theory anyway.

"we're looking at different options, different ways to determine the best way as a corporate citizen..."

It is fun how quickly things turn in the Internet age. In the old days, Ping would have had two weeks to milk this brand building campaign, but here they are on Monday already doing their research as a "corporate citizen" to "demonstrate that appreciation" for how stupid they were for military personnel.

David Westin follows up his initial story with this Augusta Chronicle piece titled, "Ping works on plan for military."

Karsten Manufacturing Corp. is formulating a plan that will show its support for active-duty military personnel who buy the company's Ping golf clubs, a company official said.

The Phoenix, Ariz.-based company came under fire last week for cutting off the accounts of two Augusta-area golf shops that discounted Ping clubs. The discounts were limited to the military.

"Right now we're looking at different options, different ways to determine the best way as a corporate citizen to demonstrate that appreciation to military personnel," said Bill Gates, Ping's director of distribution and associate general counsel.

Ping plans to respond with a plan for the military as early as this week, Mr. Gates said.

"We're going to have something we're going to roll out to fully show our appreciation (for the military)," he said. "We look forward to the opportunity to work with military leaders for the best way to communicate this appreciation."

Where does one learn to speak like that? Is there a school?

An e-mail to The Augusta Chronicle pointed out the area's military ties to the Masters Tournament, noting that "Arnie's Army," the name for Arnold Palmer's fans, came from Fort Gordon servicemen who followed him at Augusta National Golf Course.

In the golf business, a pro shop at an area country club that still has a contract with Ping dropped its prices on three styles of Ping putters by as much as $45.

Other media picked up the story.

"We certainly understand that," Mr. Gates said of residents' concerns. "We have had some calls. We understand people feel very passionate about this issue, and we do, too."

Ping has said from the outset that it cannot make changes in its pricing policy for a particular group.

Mr. Gates said the new plan will not be "an exception to the policy. Right now, we need to maintain the consistency of our policy. But there are other things we can do that ... will show our appreciation to the military."

Mr. Gates defended Ping's record with the military, saying Karsten Manufacturing Corp. holds jobs for those stationed overseas, employs veterans and has sent free Ping clubs to Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq in the past.

"We have never targeted the military in any way," he said. "We've had hundreds of closures of accounts that had nothing to do with the military."

The Dreaded Streak Debate

Tim Rosaforte writes today at GolfDigest.com:

The question came up last week, and it'll be all over The Golf Channel and ESPN and will no doubt create Blogomania on a slow news week: Is this still a streak? After all, Woods lost in the openin g round of the HSBC Match Play to Paul Casey ** [Shaun Micheel], then went 3-2 at the Ryder Cup. Both are non-PGA Tour events, and both were match-play competition. Making it even move conceivable to buy into the streak is that the HSBC, while official on the European Tour, was a 16-man field and barely more than an exhibition in the scheme of tournament golf.

Tiger says no, it is not a streak. But the Palm Beach Post ("Sweet No. 6 for Tiger") and every golf website I hit Monday refers to it as a streak, so it is what you want it to be. To me, it's kind of like the Tiger Slam. Stuff from another planet.

There was just the mild hint of a reference by Woods on Sunday that he's now starting to think about extending this, whatever it is. Comparing his run to Byron Nelson's 11 straight, Woods said, "It's still a long way to go. If you look at it, I'm barely halfway. What he did was absolutely remarkable, and I'm just thrilled that I've been able to win six in a row twice. That to me is a pretty neat accomplishment in itself."

It kind of sounds like he's treating it like a streak now, doesn't it?

Yes Tim, it is looking like a slow week in this little slice of "blogomania," and peering ahead at the remainder of the 2006 schedule, Tiger figures to play maybe 2 or 3 more times (Disney, Innisbrook, Tour Championship The TOUR Championship). Assuming he only plays Disney and the Tour Championship The TOUR Championship, and wins both, where would the streak possibly continue in 2007?

Well, first things first. This is the PGA Tour he's currently playing. Starting in January, it's the Fed Ex Cup. Deal with that, historians!

But getting ahead of ourselves, the streak will not be easy to maintain no matter how well Tiger plays or how little the competition steps up.

In '07, Tiger will likely play the Mercedes, followed by the Buick at Torrey Pines and the Nissan at Riviera. Assuming he wins all three after getting win Nos. 7 and 8 this year, Riviera would be the site for win No. 11 (and his first win there).

And the following week he'd go for No. 12 at the WGC Match Play in Tucson.

Win No. 13...oh okay, it's not that slow of a news week.

Putting Ping's Position In Perspective

To put Ping's brand-protection position into perspective, I pulled out my copy of John Strege's USGA award winning book When War Played Through (Golf During World War II), and enjoyed this passage related to support of Augusta area troops back then:

Soldiers had undertaken the task of building a nine-hole course at Camp Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, to go along with the practice range and putting green that the Augusta Natonal continued its support of the camp by providing the expertise required to build the nine-holer, which became the Enlisted Men's Golf Course.