Not April Fool's Files: Tiger Rebrands To Not Create A Dependency That Would Undo Longevity!

It's been way too long since we've been blessed with a unique blend of authentic, frontier gibberish-speak.

But then we also didn't see Tiger Woods picking the Monday after his Safeway enter-and-the-WD to launch a rebranding and business expansion. Maybe he just felt that threatened by the Great White Shark transitioning redirecting to a single-color logo as he continues to pursue his love of hurricane-induced fitness, chainsaws and shirtless golf tips (and that's just in the last week!).

Elizabeth Segran of Fast Company got the exclusive lowdown on TGR, Tiger's new Magic/Lebron/Jack/Arnold-like empire of brands complete with a new logo "made up of three triangles that look like a tiger's stripes and also resemble a W."

Key word, resemble.

The story includes plenty of photo gallery fun and no shortage of prime B-speak. But why, oh why a rebranding now?

Though Woods's overall brand has been tarnished by highly publicized personal-life scandals, TGR will give him a platform from which to launch the next stage of his career. He had been thinking about building this kind of umbrella operation for several years now, but only began nailing down the details last December, shortly after his 40th birthday. Woods and key executives from his existing businesses started strategizing ways to create a brand that would take advantage of his position as one of the world's most recognizable athletes, but would not necessarily be directly tied to golf. They brought in Sub Rosa to help define what TGR would stand for and how it could scale across a wide range of industries. "If chapter one began when he was first on national television playing golf, now it's Tiger, the enterprise or Tiger, the portfolio activator," says Kempler. "He has a really clear mind-set about what his personal brand means."

Portfolio activator. I'm just going to give that gem some time to breathe.

Ok, continue on sir...

Sub Rosa was tasked with incorporating these ideas into the TGR narrative, so that as the brand scaled and entered new markets, it would be instantly identifiable as an extension of Woods. But they also wanted to create a business that could exist apart from its namesake, like, say, Paul Newman's food empire. "How can Tiger's global fame and recognizability both empower the new brand, but not create a dependency that would undo longevity?" says Kempler, describing the kinds of conversations he's had with Woods.

Translation: when you move on the Big Cat's Big 18 In The Sky, we want people to be able to keep making money off of your name, because we know how much you love that.

And there was this story ending...

Of course, Woods could, at the age of 40, still have many years ahead of him as a competitive golfer. Given his famously intense training regimen and diverse business interests, how will he manage everything? "I pride myself on being efficient," he says. "I also don't sleep much."

The story also speculated Woods might use the Nike equipment demise to start a club company. Mike Johnson considered that and the many other nuggets from the story in this GolfDigest.com assessment.

With the golf club business stagnant, it’s not clear how Woods could make a golf startup buck the current trends. That said, it’s also not clear how Woods could hope to negotiate a golf endorsement contract anywhere similar to the deals current top players like Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy are bringing in, let alone the last deal he signed with Nike in 2013. So starting his own golf club company could have a certain appeal.

Still, Woods hasn’t tipped his hand that he’s exploring other golf equipment deals yet. In footage from a charity outing at Pebble Beach last week, he was still clearly using Nike clubs. And while he’s still apparently a few months from competing again, that’s not enough time to start a new golf club company.

But the Nike deal is set to expire 2018, which gives Woods time to explore his own equipment brand.

Boston Globe: Acushnet's IPO Next Week, Ticker Symbol GOLF

Dan Adams of the Boston Globe reports that Acushnet Holdings will be valued at $1.7 billion and is hoping to raise $435 million with the sale of 19.3 million shares. A whole bunch of people will get rich!

Adams writes:

The offering is expected to raise roughly $435 million with the sale of 19.3 million shares priced between $21 and $24. Previous investors, not the company, will reap the proceeds.

Thanks to a series of related transactions in advance of the offering, the majority of voting shares will go to Fila Korea Ltd., which has owned Acushnet since 2011.

The long awaited IPO may also accelerate the sale of Taylor Made and Golfsmith.

Update on 2016-10-18 03:23 by Geoff

**Steve Pike says this is the "most anticipated IPO since Callaway Golf Founder Ely Callaway took his company public in the early 1990s – a move that sparked a Wall Street run (with varied results) on golf equipment companies."

Tiger: "It was the ultimate capitulation."

As John Strege notes, the combination of rain, an already oversaturated product re-starting way too soon, and Tiger's WD has the new PGA Tour season dragging.

But as he always does, Tiger still overshadows the week. The SI gang kicked around his WD in this week's Confidential, with Alan Shipnuck declaring the end nigh and the WD the ultimate capitulation.

I also thought this from Gary Van Sickle is a key point for those trying, a week later, to understand how someone enters a tournament on Friday and WD's on Monday.

Johnny Miller said he wasn’t convinced Tiger would play give how gingerly Tiger got in and out of the carts at the Ryder Cup. Back surgery isn’t knee surgery, and knee surgery is no snap. Maybe Tiger is so used to being able to cobble together a game in a few days that he forgot that everything — his age, his body, his desire — is different now.

Trending: Sand Coming (Back) To St. Andrews!

We saw it at Troon and Turnberry and the world continued to revolve on its axis. So it is with great delight that Adam Lawrence reports on a New Course at St. Andrews effort to remove the gorse that so annoyed Old Tom Morris, and restore it to the sandy/grassy aesthetic of old.

This news is fun on multiple levels: this makes for a better looking course, better playing and better functioning. And what happens in St. Andrews has the potential to influence countless other links that have been compromised by gorse and the loss of dunes.

Lawrence quotes Graeme Taylor, course manager for the New and Jubilee.

Taylor told GCA that the reason for converting the gorse areas back to exposed sand was primarily ecological. “Bob Taylor, our ecologist from the Sports Turf Research Institute, actaully first suggested the exposed sand areas back in 2005,” he explained. “Bob explained that exposed sand was a habitat common to linksland and was ecologically important. We tried a few areas then, but nothing like the scale of what we are now doing. Bob visited us again after last year’s Open, and again suggested that creating open sand areas would be very beneficial ecologically, restore natural habitats, and be an interesting feature to otherwise scruffy areas.”

The news of an architect's involvement at St. Andrews is also intriguing given Ebert's fine work at Turnberry, Troon and presumably based on the track record of he and partner Tom Mackenzie, Portrush.

Could this be leading to a consulting role for The Old Course? Given the many disappointing tweaks in recent times and the overabundance of gorse that would have Old Tom fuming, let's hope so.

Se Ri Pak Retires In Style

To many players she's the Tiger Woods of women's golf, a pioneer/all-time great and class act extraordinaire. Se Ri took one last turn around the links before calling it a career following round one of the KEB HanaBank Championship.

Beth Ann Nichols filing from Incheon, Korea with a nice Golfweek send-off handled in first rate fashion.

Generations of Se Ri Pak fans filled the grandstands as moving tributes played on the big screen and the angelic sound of a children’s choir filled the air.

It was a farewell fit for a queen.

“I must be the only athlete ever to be sent off with such a moving and beautiful retirement ceremony,” Pak said.

Pak’s first loop around the Ocean Course at the KEB HanaBank Championship was the last of her career. It had to end here on home soil, even if a nagging shoulder injury kept her from completing 72 holes. Pak cleared the stage for the next generation of “Se Ri’s” kids. She’ll hang around Sky72 the rest of the week signing autographs and making everyone – from CEOs to eager fans – feel like they matter most.

“She’s got class you can’t teach,” said Mo Martin.

An LPGA tribute video:

Greg Norman Redirects! World Grapples With New Shark Logo

Sam Weinman talks to Greg Norman about the big change from Great White Shark Enterprises to the Greg Norman Company, which will fascinate, shock and interest almost no one.

But why, oh why Shark is there a logo change when we were so attached to the multi-color shark...

"If I didn't redirect, it was going to die on the vine," Norman said by phone on Tuesday.

Hence the announcement earlier this month that Norman would be re-branding and transforming his business in 2017. Say goodbye to Great White Shark Enterprises, say hello to the Greg Norman Company.

Norman's repositioning of his company from a mostly consumer-facing brand to one that will expand to business-to-business services was an idea that began some 18 months ago, and has involved everything from the influx of new personnel, to a new partnership with Verizon that will revolve around educational technology.

And you think this blog doesn't bring you life-changing news.

FYI, Shark's gramming his way to a new beginning with this inspiration...

#mondaymotivation Amen!!!

A photo posted by Greg Norman (@shark_gregnorman) on Oct 10, 2016 at 3:54pm PDT

And btw, a hurricane to most people is not an opportunity to brand your fitness devotion and love of chainsawing shrubbery. Unless you are the Greg Norman Company.

I have picked up 851 of these palm fronds with more to go 2days after #hurricanematthew brushed by my property. #workout

A photo posted by Greg Norman (@shark_gregnorman) on Oct 8, 2016 at 8:37am PDT