The First Call’s Scorecard, a compilation of the golf industry’s news for April 15-21, 2023.
BUSINESS
▪️ PGA Tour, Discover South Carolina: Announce a five-year marketing partnership that designates South Carolina's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism as an official tourism sponsor of the PGA Tour. The agreement, through 2027, will see Discover South Carolina engage across the PGA Tour landscape, including through digital activations and creative content as well as at PGA Tour and DP World Tour tournaments. The International Association of Golf Travel Operators named South Carolina among the top five golf destinations in the world for 2023, the only U.S. destination to make the global Golf Destination of the Year list. … PGA Tour: Announces a four-year partnership with Bushmills Irish Whiskey, which has been named the official whiskey of PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Bushmills will launch a new national retail suite, full-service digital campaign, branded onsite activations and consumer sweepstakes. The Tour also extends its agreement with parent company Proximo Spirits to make Maestro Dobel Tequila the Tour's official tequila partner through 2026. … PXG: Opens PXG Cincinnati, a 6,297-square-feet retail and clubfitting facility that houses three fitting bays with guest seating, golf simulators powered by TrackMan technology and a practice putting green. … LPGA: Announces an expansive partnership with Legends, a data-intelligence-fueled company, to drive fan engagement and growth. Legends Golf, a division of Legends, will oversee e-commerce, licensing and select on-site event retail, in addition to working with the LPGA to develop and produce product lines and expand merchandise offerings on the LPGA e-commerce shop. … Malcolm DeMille: Handcrafts the RBC Heritage champion’s trophy and pro-am prizes. The champion's trophy is a 16-inch-tall patinaed bronze sculpture, while pro-am winners were awarded 8-inch bronze replicas. … Golftec: Opens training centers in Dubai and South Africa. State-of-the-art technology and instruction will aid golfers of all skill levels. … Teesnap: Offering a 60-day money-back guarantee Father’s Day promotion on its marketing services. The all-inclusive promotion provides a range of services such as email campaigns, social media and online store management. … SwingU: Dubsdread Golf Learning Center director of instruction Steve Brewer adds the Coach platform to the Orlando, Florida, club's services. Brewer will use Coach’s analytics platform to deliver advanced statistical reporting to his students.
COURSES
▪️ Broken Sound Club: Boca Raton, Florida, club unveils its Rees Jones redesigned Old Course following a multimillion-dollar renovation to improve sustainability and overall playing conditions.
GEAR
▪️ Srixon/Cleveland Golf: LPGA rookie Grace Kim wins the Lotte Championship for her first Tour title. Kim played with 13 Srixon/Cleveland Golf clubs in her bag and the Z-Star golf ball.
PEOPLE
▪️ Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch: Lakewood, Florida, club's head golf professional Michael Tuohy was honored as the 2023 Merchandiser of the Year for public golf courses and with the 2023 Professional Development Award by the North Florida PGA. … Troon: Congratulates Team Troon member Matthew Fitzpatrick on his RBC Heritage win.
PHILANTHROPY
▪️ Amateur Players Tour: North American tour will support the Folds of Honor with fundraising and partner membership offerings, while raising awareness for the nonprofit's mission.
TECHNOLOGY
▪️ 2K: Official NBA gear for all 30 NBA teams will be introduced into PGA Tour 2K23 over the next six weeks. Team hats, tops, shorts and gloves will be made available by divisions, starting with the Pacific Division and unveiling additional divisions each Friday through Thursday through May 19. … Ace Indoor Golf: Reid Colson, founder of Yardstick Golf, will host a free webinar Q&A on how to set up a simulator on April 17 at 7 p.m. ET. Colson will be joined by Ace Indoor Golf co-owner Joe Neumeyer and president Trevor Faust.