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Finnish Company & Audi Introduce Nationwide Tournament (with App)

by Annie Latham on June 7, 2011 in News, Contests, Technology with No comments

Anyone who has spent time playing video games knows that a huge part is knowing how you are doing against others. Thanks to Internet-enabled console, the others could be anywhere on the Web. A company from Finland has taken that head-to-head scoring concept and applied it to the world of golf — REAL golf (like on a course with grass and divots and bumpy greens).

Their flagship product, also named GameBook, is a real-time scoring system and ground breaking social technology platform for golf, intended to make golf more social, fun and enjoyable for all. The GameBook product family includes the GameBook iPhone App, available from the Apple iTunes App Store.

  • The iPhone application includes an intuitive real-time score card, built-in traditional and fun game formats and well as statistics.
  • The GameBook Clubhouse is a free online community for golfers that takes the social and sharing aspects of the iPhone application to the next level. At the Clubhouse, you can follow and comment on your friends’ games real-time from wherever you are, share photographs from the course as you play, store your scores, and compare your golf statistics with those of your friends.

    • Seems like the only thing missing is trash talking…

    To demo/promote how it works GameBook teamed up with Audi Finland to launch of Audi Super Saturdays. The inaugural event was held 4 June. According to the company’s press release, “it was the first time ever in the world of golf” that players (open to anyone) could compete against each other nationwide on any golf course. Audi is kicking down prizes too and not just for good results. For example, there is a prize for the “most number of bogies.” The intent is to make everyone’s Saturday game more enjoyable. To participate, a player must log-on and record their Saturday score on the GameBook iPhone application or register at the GameBook Clubhouse and enter the score manually in the player’s Clubhouse profile.

    The concept is innovative. It will be interesting to see how the pilot run in Finland goes. This could be coming to golf courses near you in the not so distant future.

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    Cleveland Golf Champs are All Right…

    by Annie Latham on June 1, 2011 in News, Golf Equipment, Cleveland, Drivers, Srixon with No comments

    Over the weekend, Cleveland® Golf/Srixon’s rookie staffer Keegan Bradley won the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship.  Bradley, a PGA TOUR rookie and nephew of LPGA legend Pat Bradley, got his first professional win nine just days before his 25th birthday.  The week before, David Toms took first in the Crown Plaza Invitational — winning on the PGA TOUR for the first time since 2006.  To Todd Harman, president of Cleveland Golf/Srixon® -U.S.A, these victories are excellent endorsements of the company’s lightweight products.

    “When two distinctly different types of players leverage our Right-Weight Fitting Technology to earn back-to-back victories, we know we’re onto something special,” he said.

    The timing is perfect too as Cleveland Golf/Srixon has just announced significant investments toward bolstering their club fitting initiatives for 2011. Chuck Thiry, brand manager for Cleveland Golf, said “Our 2011 products push the limits for weight reduction and distance. We have invested heavily in our fitting resources to prove to our customers that Cleveland Golf can improve their game and lower their scores. We guarantee it.”

    Number one on their “New for 2011” list is the Right Weight Guarantee.  This year’s Ultralite drivers come in three different weights so every player can find his right weight driver – regardless of swing type or performance preference. The Right Weight Guarantee offers consumers a 60-day guarantee on all driver sales enabling golfers to exchange their driver free of charge for another weight, flex or loft.

    Other initiatives include:

    • A massive capital investment in the most sophisticated and portable launch monitors in the market.
    • The most comprehensive custom shaft offering ever, featuring the latest custom graphite and steel shafts from golf’s most trusted shaft brands.
    • Expanding their fleet of fitting vans traveling nationally. Each van is driven by an expert fitting professional with tools to guarantee the best fit for golfers of all levels. The Cleveland Golf/Srixon fitting fleet is powered by Trackman and GC2 launch monitors, ACTIONFIT Lie Boards and SCUBA club bending technology.
    • Introduction of the SCUBA (Self-Contained Universal Bending Apparatus) to go along with its tour inspired GAP fitting philosophy. With the SCUBA, irons and wedges can be adjusted to the loft and lie angles at the range while fitting a player. As a result, the player can walk away from a fitting session with a completely customized set of clubs (perfect lie angles and distance gaps) delivered the same day.

    You can find the complete list of initiatives here.

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    Thomas Sets the Record Straight on Golf Equipment with New Book

    by Annie Latham on May 29, 2011 in News, Golf Equipment with No comments

    There’s a new book out that is a comprehensive history and analysis of golf’s equipment regulations and their effects on the game. Written by Frank Thomas with Valerie Melvin, From Sticks and Stones ($24.95) dissects all the equipment-related provisions in the Rules of Golf, and explains why they were written, what they were meant to achieve and evaluates their relevance today.

    As the Technical Director of the United States Golf Association for more than 25 years before resigning in 2000, Thomas conducted or oversaw the testing of every technological advancement in golf balls, clubheads, shafts, grips and accessories during the most active and turbulent time in the history of golf.  He definitely has his finger on the pulse of this subject.

    Thomas and Melvin give the reader an inside look at how golf’s governing bodies – the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the U.S.G.A. – have dealt with equipment innovation and the Rules of Golf from the first mention of “Form and Make of Golf Clubs” in 1908 to the ultra-sophisticated calibrations of today.

    “The object of this book,” writes Thomas, “is to provide a written document of how, why and when equipment had been regulated and to consider the effect of these regulations.”

    From Sticks and Stones is available now and can be purchased for $24.95 USD plus shipping and handling directly through Thomas’ website at the following link: http://www.franklygolf.com/fromsticksandstones.aspx.

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    Read full announcement here.

    PowerPlay Golf to Get Its Close-up on Monday, May 30

    by Annie Latham on May 28, 2011 in News with No comments

    There’s a new game in town or rather, on the Golf Channel.  It is called PowerPlay Golf which has just 9 holes per round.  The breakout is that there are two flags on every green: a White Flag and a Black (‘PowerPlay’) Flag.  There is a risk-reward decision to be made on each hole, as golfers have to decide on whether to go for the regulation hole placement, designated by a White Flag, or try to score extra points by playing to the more difficult placement, or Black Flag. Each player is required to designate three PowerPlays for the first eight holes. The ninth hole provides the chance to score bonus points, but also to lose more points than on previous holes.

    For its television debut, the Golf Channel will be showing a star-studded tournament which features an international field playing The Twenty Ten Course at The Celtic Manor Resort (site of the 2010 Ryder Cup and the Saab Wales Open European Tour event).  Start-to-finish coverage  will take place on Monday, 30 May.

    Hall of Famer Gary Player heads the field, which also includes reigning men’s and women’s U.S. Open champions Graeme McDowell and Paula Creamer, plus Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.

    Here’s a video that explains the concept:

    Launched this year, PowerPlay Golf creates an exciting new strategic spin on scoring, adding drama and a new look for golf on TV. Two other similar PowerPlay Golf events are scheduled for later in the year, one in Singapore in early November and the other in late November in the U.S. at a site to be determined.

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    Trion:Z Announces Promo Tied to US Open

    by Annie Latham on May 28, 2011 in News, Style & Fashion with No comments

    This week, Trion:Z, manufacturer of award winning magnetic and negative ion technology, announced they have developed a promotion specifically for the 111th US Open being held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.

    Trion:Z professional staff members Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy both will be teeing it up on the Blue Course as they participate in the 2011 US Open. To create excitement around the prestigious event and to introduce golfers to the Active™ Series, Trion:Z will be giving out 1,000 Red, White, or Blue Active wristbands if either of their team professionals win.

    To participate in the Trion:Z US Open promotion and win a Trion:Z Active wristband, visit the company website at www.trionz.com and click on the enter button which will take you directly to the voting page of the website. Simply fill out your name, email address and choose either Rickie Fowler or Rory McIlroy to win the US Open.

    No purchase is necessary. The entry dates are from May 16th through June 17th, 2011. One entry per person. Winners are randomly chosen and will notified by email within seven days of the tournament’s completion.

    Suggested retail value appears to be $19.99.

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    Group Led by Fila Korea Buys Acushnet (Titleist and FootJoy brands) for $1.2 Billion

    by Annie Latham on May 20, 2011 in News, Titleist with No comments

    Today Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO) announced a definitive agreement for the sale of its Acushnet Company golf business, featuring the iconic Titleist and FootJoy brands, to a group led by Fila Korea Ltd., the owner of the Fila brand globally, and Mirae Asset Private Equity, the largest private equity firm in Korea. The purchase price is $1.225 billion in cash. Fortune Brands estimates it will realize net proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion after taxes and expenses.

    Fortune Brands Golf Businesses

    The press release states that Acushnet is the leading and most profitable golf equipment company in the world. Titleist is the #1 ball in golf and a leader in high-performance golf clubs. FootJoy is the #1 shoe and glove in golf and a leader in performance outerwear. Net sales exceeded $1.2 billion in 2010, with nearly half of revenues generated in markets outside the United States. Operating income before charges was $80 million in 2010, and operating income on a GAAP basis was $89 million.

    The sale is expected to close this summer.

    Plans to either sell or spin off the company had been in the works since late last year when Fortune Brands, which also owns a home and security business and a distilled spirits unit, approved a plan to divide the company into three distinct businesses. Wally Uihlein, chairman and chief executive officer of Acushnet Co., in a phone interview this morning with SouthCoast Today said there were many interested parties, but Fila Korea stood out from the beginning as good business men plus “they’re golfers.”

    Fila Korea and its partners intend to run Acushnet Co. as a standalone entity and have made it clear that they are relying on the current management to continue operations, said Joe Nauman, Acushnet Co.’s executive vice president for corporate and legal affairs.

    “This is not going to be a merger into Fila Korea,” said Nauman. “We’re going to have a new owner that is very much like the ownership under Fortune Brands. We’re stand-alone; we operate the business.”

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    Source: SouthCoastDaily.com

    PUMA Golf Partners with Cotton Incorporated to Create the Golf TransDRY™ 18 Hole Polo

    by Annie Latham on May 19, 2011 in News, Style & Fashion with No comments

    PUMA Golf and Cotton Incorporated have partnered to create a series of PUMA Golf performance shirts featuring TransDRY™ technology, a moisture management system that wicks away moisture and spreads it for faster drying and less cling to the body.

    Rickie Fowler sported one of the new styles, the Golf TransDRY™ 18 Hole Polo, during his Thursday round at The Players Championship® in Florida last week, keeping dry thanks to the TransDRY™ technology.

    In brief, key comes from applying the technology at the yarn stage. The new treatment wicks moisture from the inside of the shirt to the outside, benefiting the golfer by keeping the inside of the garment dry and less saturated; simultaneously, the treatment spreads the moisture horizontally, allowing for a faster drying time.

    In essence, cotton no longer kills.

    Here’s the video PUMA Golf and Cotton Incorporated distributed to accompany the announcement.

    For more information on the TransDRY™ technology, PUMA Golf Products or to keep tabs on PUMA Golfers, visit www.puma.com/golf.

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    Driving the Green Takes on New Meaning…

    by Annie Latham on May 10, 2011 in News, Courses with No comments

    A high speed chase that reached over 110 mph ended hen a man crashed his car through the security gate at Hazeltine National Golf Club located in Chaska, Minnesota. The speeding Toyota Camry slammed into a curb, went airborne and landed on the golf course green.

    The police with the help of a K-9 and a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter, found 22-year-old Eduard Farmanyuk hiding under a tree in a wooded area. He was booked into the Carver County jail for criminal damage to property, speeding, reckless driving, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

    As for the golf course, it is closed until June anyway, so there is no immediate impact on golfers.

    Hazeltine played host to the PGA Championship in 2009 (when Tiger lost to Y.E. Yang. It was the first time that Woods had lost a major after holding at least a share of first after 54 holes).

    Here’s a video clip from the local news about the chase:

    Car Gatecrashes Hazeltine Golf Club, Launches Onto Green in High-Speed Chase: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

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    Case Closed: Callaway Loses Patent Fight Over Pro V1 Ball

    by Annie Latham on April 26, 2011 in News, Callaway, Golf Balls, Titleist with No comments

    Acushnet Co, the parent company of Titleist, said it has won a long-running patent battle with Carlsbad-based Callaway Golf over the popular Pro V1 golf ball. On Thursday, a U.S. District Judge in Delaware denied Callaway’s request for a new trial and officially closed the five-year-old case.

    Callaway sued Acushnet, claiming that the Pro V1 violated four Callaway patents (these came from Callaway purchase of the Top Flite golf ball business from a bankrupt Spalding in 2003). Though initially, Callaway was victorious (partially) with the possibility of collecting nearly a quarter million dollars from past sales of Pro V1 balls, Acushnet appealed. Last year, a jury ruled that the four patents were invalid because they were not new. Callaway fought the ruling but was ultimately unsuccessful.

    The Pro V1 ranks as the most popular high-performance ball in golf. An interesting point that probably worked to Acushnet’s favor was that the company introduced the Pro V1 ball to professional players in 2000 — well before before the patents in question were issued in 2001 and 2003.

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    Oakley’s “Rolling O” Heading to Huge Golf Expo in Sacramento

    by Annie Latham on April 24, 2011 in News, Accessories with No comments

    We got a sneak peek of the Oakley Monster Truck. Dubbed the Rolling O, it is a demo mobile that got to Sacramento a week early.

    From Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 2011, the Oakley Rolling “O” Eyewear Lab will be at the Haggin Oaks Golf Expo to educate attendees about the technology behind Oakley’s eyewear.

    Per the Expo’s website:

    Get educated across the globe. Listen up and learn the stories and facts behind Oakley’s groundbreaking technology. Experience a self-contained 40-foot motor coach with front row seats at major sporting venues. Discover the truth about today’s eyewear marketplace of ideas at the Oakley HDO® Demo Tour. Not all sunglasses are created equal —they’re taking science to the streets to show you why.

    For more information on all of the events during America’s Largest Demo Days, go to www.HagginOaksGolfExpo.com.

    Wish we could have gotten inside for a preview.

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