Divot Mix

"...the crowd behaved in the most disgraceful manner, running in before the players and completely blocking up the entrance to the hole. Considerable delay took place before the green was, with some difficulty, partially cleared." -- Bernard Darwin, recounting an 1870 match between Young Tom Morris and Willie Park

Golf 20/20 publishes annual report

GOLF 20/20, the golf industry initiative on the growing the game, has published its annual Industry Report, available in its entirety at www.golf2020.com.

The report examined the state of the game at the end of last year by gathering information on facility development, rounds played, interest, and participation from a variety of sources. The objective is to look at the information collectively to determine areas of opportunity and concern.

"All of these issues are interrelated, and this process helps us determine logical courses of action for the growth of the game," said GOLF 20/20 Executive Director Ruffin Beckwith. "It's the third year we've done this, and it's provided an enlightening perspective."

Among the report's conclusions are:

• Interest in golf remains very strong. "Over the past seven years no other sport has experienced as big an increase in the number of people claiming to be fans than has professional golf, and in fact only one other sport has shown an increase at all."
• The decrease in rounds played from 2002 to 2003 was 1.5%, just half the decrease from 2001 to 2002, indicating that as the economy rebounds, rounds played can be expected to rebound also.
• There were 37.9 million participants in 2003, and 27.4 million golfers, both all- time high numbers. This includes junior golfers ages 5-17, and those participants who utilize only short courses or golf ranges.
• The pace of golf course development has slowed in reaction to the marketplace. Fewer golf courses are being planned and opened than at any time in the past 16 years.
• The three golfer segments -- occasional (1-7 rounds annually), core (8-24 rounds) and avid (25+) -- all increased in 2003, but core and avid totals remain short of all-time high levels.
• Both research and recent trends indicate that women represent the most significant opportunity for future growth, and that golf must focus on reaching ethnic minorities, where interest has grown tremendously over the past seven years.

The report also confirms the industry's need to focus on how often participants play. There are more participants and more golfers than at any time in the past, yet over the past three years there have been declines in rounds played.

The report states, "Golfers have been playing less. Yes, the weather has been especially bad the past two years. Yes, rounds played tend to track the economy. But it would be a huge mistake to sit back and wait for the weather and the economy to improve. The point is not just to approach the levels of the past, but to grow, to achieve new levels of participation, and that will only happen if there are concerted, strategic efforts to increase the levels of play among those who already do so."

"In 2003 we began to see some positive signs that have continued through the first quarter of 2004, so we are optimistic that golf is trending in the right direction," Beckwith said. "Interest remains high, as does the number of participants, and rounds are beginning to come back a bit.

"But as we continue to work together as an industry to insure golf's long-term vitality, we have to do a better job in two primary areas," he concluded. "We have to meet the needs of our current players in ways that encourage them to play more. And we have to reach out to previously underserved demographic segments of our society, which remain our most abundant source of new players."

Shivas Irons Society launches The Journal

The Shivas Irons Society says the inaugural issue of The Journal of The Shivas Irons Society is now available. The semi-annual publication, described as “golf's new voice” is intended to be a vehicle for all the creative arts inspired by the game of golf.

"The mainstream golf media do a great job of covering the tours, travel, equipment and instruction," said Will McCulloch, editor. "But we believe there's a niche opportunity to offer golfers and collectors a high-quality publication that focuses on content and perspective they won't find anywhere else."

Like the society itself, The Journal draws inspiration from Michael Murphy's classic 1972 novel, Golf in the Kingdom , one of the best-selling golf books of all time. Just as the Society has its own identity and contributions to the game, The Journal offers diverse perspectives that aim to can deepen readers' experience of the golf.

"A key aspect of the Society's mission is to help enrich the culture of golf," explained Steve Cohen, president of the Shivas Irons Society. "We believe that providing our members and subscribers with in depth explorations of golf, its culture and its contributions to personal development is right in line with that goal."

The 80-page inaugural issue features a special tribute to the late British golf writer, Bernard Darwin, with an introduction by Jeff Silverman. The tribute is followed by a conversation on Darwin and golf writing between Silverman and Michael Murphy.

The first issue also revisits the golf watercolors of the renowned artist Harry Rountree. And it's not without a critical voice. In his essay, “Increased Distance / A Con Game,” former USGA Executive Director Frank Hannigan gives failing marks to golf's ruling bodies on their handling of the current golf ball controversy. “The story of the USGA and the new golf balls,” he writes, “would be funny if it weren't so sad.”

For more on the journal, visit http://www.shivasjournal.org/.

Memorial Putt-Putt event to aid K.C. Charity

This Friday, June 11, the John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center in Lenexa, Kansas is holding a Putt-Putt golf event to benefit the Kansas City Chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.

The event will be called the John Deere Wake Memorial Putt-Putt in memory of former GCSAA staff member John Wake.Wake was an advertising copywriter for Deere when he lost the battle against sickle cell disease last year.

John Deere employees, their families and a group of GCSAA employees will form teams to design, create and host a unique one-day mini-golf course. Prizes will be awarded for the best design and theme.

Friends, family and supporters of this cause are invited to play the course for a donation to the SCDAA. In addition, a motorcycle rally around the lake will kick off the event.

The event is scheduled for 3 – 6 p.m. at the John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center, 11145 Thompson Ave., Lenexa, Kan. Contact Carole Jahn, 913-310-8250, mailto:JahnCaroleA@JohnDeere.com .

Chinese course gets Guinness World Record

According to PGA.com, China's Mission Hills Golf Club, about 30 minutes from Hong Kong, has opened its 10th golf course and has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest golf club.

The newest course, designed by Greg Norman, joins layouts by Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and David Leadbetter.

Founded in December 1992, Mission Hills has helped open China's door for sports-related tourism, as well as attracted foreign direct investment into the Pearl River Delta region.

"Not only does a project of this prestige and scale provide impetus for the enhancement of China's status in the sports tourism industry, Mission Hills has become a benchmark for a burgeoning industry providing employment for 5,000 people," said Mission Hills Chairman Dr. David Chu.

Despite Mission Hills' popularity and success, golf remains a relative newcomer compared to smaller Asian nations such as South Korea, Thailand and Japan.