Divot Mix

"The basic formula is going to be get it on the fairway, get it on the green, get your par and move on. You've got some choices, but they are tough ones. You've got to think so much it gives you a headache." Loren Roberts, on Whistling Straits, site of the PGA Championship

Fall PGA Expo registration up 20 percent

In what could be viewed as a positive sign for the golf industry, PGA Golf Exhibitions says registrations for its Fall Expo are up 20 percent.

Many of the top golf equipment manufacturers are among nearly 300 exhibitors who will participate in the expo, Sept. 20-22 in Las Vegas. In addition, major retailers such as Austad's, Golfer's Warehouse and Sports Authority/Garts have joined PGA professionals and golf buyers to increase attendee registration over last year at the same time.

“Steady improvements can be seen across industry sectors, and the PGA Fall Expo is a reflection of that,” said PGA Golf Exhibitions vice president and show manager Ed Several. “We also have undertaken significant efforts to improve the value of the PGA Fall Expo by offering new participation options, special events and education programs. We are beginning to see results and are optimistic that exhibitors and attendees will reap substantial value through their participation.”

The PGA of America, organizing partner for PGA Golf Exhibitions, is offering several continuing education seminars, hosting association meetings and presenting member programs in conjunction with the 2004 PGA Fall Expo.

Broadcast to debut Green Grids and Virtual Caddy

TNT and Turner Sports broadcast of the PGA Championship this week will feature enhanced graphics, including the Virtual Caddy System by Sportvision Inc.

During the networks' 17 hours of coverage Aug. 12-15, it will use "Green Grids" to provide green animation overlay for Whistling Straits' third and twelfth holes, indicating dips and ridges on the greens, while incorporating animated arrows that will reveal the roll of the ball. These effects will enable TNT announcers to creatively detail the greens, providing viewers with a first-hand look at the true contour, undulation and slope of the greens.

"We are excited about utilizing these innovative new graphics during our extensive coverage of the 2004 PGA Championship," said Lenny Daniels, senior vice president/coordinating director.

Hank Adams, CEO of Sportvision, said, "Green Grids not only enable the analysts to read the flow of each green, but they can also reveal the true configuration and difficulty of the greens to the millions of fans that will be watching."

In addition, TNT will use Sportvision's Virtual Caddy to animate key elements of the holes at Whistling Straits, as viewed from a helicopter flying over the course. For each par 4 and 5 hole, Virtual Caddy will animate desired landing zones, hazards and other notable elements via virtually inserted graphics that will be superimposed on the course.

World Golf Hall of Fame begins transformation

The World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla., is undergoing a design transformation this summer that will be the first significant change in the hall's six-year history.

The Hall of Fame will remain open throughout the project, which will conclude in November. The World Golf Hall of Fame has hired the Jacksonville-based architectural firm Rink, Reynolds, Diamond, Fisher, Wilson to assist with the project.

The design transformation will focus on four primary elements:

• A member recognition wall, featuring a handcrafted bronze relief for each of the Hall of Fame members, with space for new inductees.
• New permanent exhibits that feature World Golf Hall of Fame members. A locker room exhibit will showcase memorabilia from each of the members and a theater will offer videos highlighting members' accomplishments.
• Added space to accommodate additional galleries. The design will feature five new gallery spaces, providing the necessary flexibility for the Hall of Fame to prepare new exhibits while featuring others.
• Reorganization of existing exhibit content to provide a more compelling and emotional guest experience. The new layout will offer a more defined pathway for guests.

"Guests who have visited the World Golf Hall of Fame up until this point have really enjoyed the experience," said Jack Peter, COO. "Our intention is to enhance the guest experience, provide more emotion to the visit and open up space for future exhibits."

"The success we have seen with Inductee Exhibits, plus the Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson exhibits have further validated our decision to provide new exhibits on a regular basis about our members and significant stories in golf. "

The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more about the museum or adjacent IMAX Theater, contact (904) 940-4123 http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org.

PGA decides to play it down in bunkers

This year the issue of discriminating between bunkers and waste areas on PGA Tour golf courses has made the news. It stayed in the news because this week's PGA Championship is being contested on a course with upwards of 1,400 bunkers.

Suggestions that all of them could be played as "through the green," which would allow players to ground their club and remove loose impediments, have apparently been ignored.

According to reports from Wisconsin, all of the bunkers at Whistling Straits will be played as hazards, including those in gallery areas that are likely to have footprints in them. The PGA's response to what that means was, "Such irregularities of surface are a part of the game and no free relief will be available from these conditions."