Scorecard: November 18 – December 1

+ Names, news and notables in the golf industry.

Nov 18, 2023

The First Call’s Scorecard, a compilation of the golf industry’s news for November 18 – December 1.

BUSINESS

▪️Troon, Bally's Golf Links at Ferry Point: New consulting, sales and marketing partnership will provide support with operations, procurement, sales and marketing, retail merchandising, and agronomy for the Bronx, New York, course. … ASGCA: Design Boot Camp to be held Sept. 10-13, 2024, at Erin Hills Golf Club. Attendees will receive hands-on design experience from course architects, including Dr. Mike Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten. … KemperSports: Selected to manage The Golf Club at South River in Edgewater, Maryland. … PGA Golf Exhibitions, Jim Beatty Golf Ventures: Award Golf Marie US free exhibit space at the 2024 PGA Show. The women's apparel start-up won the third 'Share Your Story' contest for exhibitors of the 2023 African American Golf Expo and Forum, Aug. 19-22, in Louisville, Kentucky. … PXG: Opens a 3,500-square-foot store in south London, England. It’s the company's first brick-and-mortar store in the UK, and houses two custom-fitting bays, simulators powered by TrackMan technology and a dedicated putter fitting area. … Troon: Indigo Sports, a Troon company, will oversee golf operations at Max A Mandel Municipal Golf Course, a daily-fee golf facility in Laredo, Texas. … PGA of America: Selects T-Mobile as its 5G wireless innovation partner. A hybrid network from T-Mobile’s 5G advanced network solutions will be used at the PGA of America's headquarters and Coaching Center in Frisco, Texas. … Malcolm DeMille: Creates the World Wide Technology Championship trophy, which was won by Erik van Rooyen and features a distinctive granite rock formation cast in bronze with heavy textures and a bright rhodium plate finish to give an iridescent feel. … LIV Golf: Asprey, a British manufacturer of luxury silverware, jewelry, timepieces and goods, agrees to a multiyear partnership to serve as the official trophy provider of LIV Golf. … PGA Show: Award-winning country music artist Jake Owen to headline new Winter Jam concert, an after-hours event on Jan. 25, 2024. Registered PGA Show attendees will receive complimentary admission.

SkyGolf: Partners with Chris Trott, a golf industry content creator and social media personality known as Trottie Golf. Trott, a former professional golfer and professional club builder, will work with SkyGolf as a product consultant and content creator using SkyCaddie products. … Concert Golf Partners: Acquires two private clubs in the Houston, Texas, area — Northgate Country Club and Walden on Lake Conroe Golf Club — from private club industry veteran Dan McIntyre. This acquisition marks Concert Golf’s entry into the Texas market and are the 31st and 32nd private clubs within the Concert portfolio. … Golftec: Opens a 2,500-square-foot facility at the World of Golf in Johannesburg, South Africa. … PGA Show: Education Conference will feature over 50 sessions. Experts in business, golf operations, teaching, coaching and retail will present and cover a range of professional development topics. … OnCore Golf, Flightpath Golf: Announce strategic collaboration that will combine OnCore’s golf ball design knowledge with Flightpath Golf’s patented tee technology for an improved golfing experience. … Golf Live: New platform delivers in-person remote instruction and allows students and coaches to interact as if they are at an in-person lesson. Coaches can expand client base as distance and time are no longer factors.

COURSES

▪️Vaquero Club: Unveils architect Andrew Green’s transformation of the Westlake, Texas, course. The redesign included more variety off the tees, added width and rerouted a few holes for flexibility. … Hyperscapes GC, Nicklaus Companies: Rocabarra Cliffs to become the first virtual-only course and will be based on terrain located on the western coast of Scotland. … Kaua'i, Go Golf Kaua'i: Kaua‘i, Hawaii, community and its courses will be featured on the “Breaking Par” show across multiple regional sports networks through Dec. 31 and anytime online. … Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills: On Dec. 1, the Tempe, Arizona, course will become the state's first fully lit course; venue is also adding a hilltop bar, patio bar, renovated clubhouse and more. … LPGA: Announces that Bradenton Country Club in Bradenton, Florida, will host the 2024 LPGA Drive On Championship. The 72-hole event will be held Jan. 25-28 and feature a field of 120 players competing for a $1.75 million purse. … Waccamaw Golf Trail: Collection of 12 award-winning courses rebrands as the Hammock Coast Golf Trail, Comprised of six coastal communities in Georgetown County, South Carolina — Garden City, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield Beach, Pawleys Island, Georgetown and Andrews — the Trail features Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue Golf Club, TPC Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club, Blackmoor Golf Club, Founders Club, Litchfield Country Club, River Club, Tradition Club, Wachesaw Plantation East, Wedgefield Country Club and Willbrook Plantation Golf Club. … Woodlake Country Club: Expands partnership with Bobby Jones Links. Consulting relationship to include Bobby Jones Links' turnkey management of the Vass, North Carolina, club. … Invited: Completes the second phase of a multimillion-dollar reinvention project at Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, Texas. Now extended to 7,037 yards, Canyon Creek will play as a par-72 course that has been lengthened with new tee boxes added to cater to a broader range of players. Also, the project lengthened the driving range and enhanced features, including a laser-leveled tee, premier turf, new targets, and practice accessories. … Wellman Golf Club: Renovated Johnsonville, South Carolina, club opens after being closed for more than a decade. Rees Jones and his design associate Bryce Swanson oversaw the project. The club has been closed since 2010 and will now operate as a municipal city course. … Boyne Golf: New nine-hole short course will be named Doon Brae. The course and Himalayan-style putting course will highlight the new golf attractions at The Highlands in Harbor Springs, Michigan. … Old North State Club: Unveils a $3 million restoration of its Tom Fazio-designed course. The project at the New London, North Carolina, course was overseen by club owner McConnell Golf.

PHILANTHROPY

▪️ClubsHelp, Els for Autism: Introduce a Golf Pro Shop vocational lab at The Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter, Florida. The facility will create opportunities for individuals with autism spectrum disorder to explore careers in the golf industry. … GCSAA: GCSAA Foundation part of Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28. The Foundation secures funding and support to strengthen advocacy, education and research that advances the work of golf course management professionals. … Golftec, PGA HOPE: Announce a partnership for the Drive for HOPE initiative. A $1 donation will be made for every lesson taught at Golftec throughout November to support veterans and introduce them to the benefits of golf. … The American Express: Surpasses $65 million in charitable donations since 1960 with the donation of $1 million from the 2023 PGA Tour tournament. Donations benefit select Coachella Valley, California, organizations. … KemperSports: Properties eclipse $2 million in donations for Folds of Honor. Since 2013, the company has worked closely with the nonprofit to host events, fundraisers and competitions, and has funded more than 400 Folds of Honor scholarships. … OnCore Golf, PGA HOPE: Launch a limited edition golf ball, dozen-ball box. Custom logo PGA HOPE golf ball and dozen-ball box are designed to support veterans. $5 from every dozen sold will directly support PGA HOPE's mission. … BallenIsles Country Club: BallenIsles Charities Foundation awards a $72,000 grant for the purpose of remodeling an unused wing at the Safe Harbor Shelter, adding 12 additional beds for youth ages 10-17.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING

▪️Ace Indoor Golf: Publishes its golf simulator holiday buying guide, which offers choices for best home simulators for 2024, answers questions and provides factors to consider when purchasing and installing an at-home simulator. … Rain or Shine Golf: Announces its Black Friday deals and Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide. Sale offers savings on launch monitors from brands like SkyTrak and FlightScope; top golf gifts include the SkyTrak+ launch monitor, SwingTurf golf mat, and FlightScope Mevo+. … GolfTrainingAids.com: Announces a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion that will discount up to 50% off on some of the site’s most popular items Nov. 20-27. Included in the sale will be the Striker 3000, Putting Stick, Home Putt putting mat and Pelz Putting Mat. … OnCore Golf: Limited-time Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion allows shoppers to buy two dozen OnCore Golf balls and receive one dozen free on all models, including best sellers. … Troon: Debuts the 2023 Troon Holiday Gift Guide. Digital publication features deals and offers from leading companies and brands in the golf and travel sectors. … The Indoor Golf Shop: Starts holiday shopping season with 18 Days of Giveaways, offering chances to win prizes from top golf brands over nearly a three-week campaign that starts before Thanksgiving and continues into December. … True Linkswear: Unveils its "Breaking Eighty"-themed Black Friday campaign. The brand's Black Friday special, which will run Nov. 13-27, will feature over 15 items, all being offered for less than $80.

SkyGolf: Begins its holiday promotion on Nov. 13 with discounts through Dec. 31. The SX400 and SX550 handheld rangefinders and the stylish LX5 and LX5 with ceramic bezel smart watches will be offered at a $50 discount. The LX2 smart watch with cradle will be $20 off. The promotion runs through December 31, 2023. The discount is only available on new SkyCaddie products, not pre-owned, open box or refurbished products. The offer is open only to U.S. residents and U.S. shipping addresses. … MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com: Unveils its Black Friday special that runs the through Nov. 27 and provides savings of up to 60% off golf on 20 Founders Collection courses and accommodations. Headlining the list of courses featuring deeply discounted rates are Grande Dunes Resort Course, Pawleys Plantation Golf Club, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Pine Lakes Country Club, World Tour, Avocet at Wild Wing Plantations, Aberdeen Country Club, Burning Ridge Golf Club, Colonial Charters, Founders Club, Long Bay Club, Litchfield Country Club, Palmetto Course at Myrtlewood Golf Club, PineHills Course at Myrtlewood Golf Club, River Club, River Hills Golf Club, SouthCreek at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club, Tradition Club, West Course at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club and Willbrook Plantation Golf Club. … GolfForever: Offering special holiday savings during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Through Nov. 28, consumers will receive $100 off, plus free shipping, on purchases of the GolfForever Swing Trainer, along with one-year access to the GolfForever app.

PEOPLE

▪️GCSAA: Dottie Pepper to receive the Old Tom Morris Award. Former LPGA Tour pro and current TV golf broadcaster to receive the award for helping mold the welfare of golf in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris. … PGA of America: Twelve golf professionals are honored as National Award recipients, including Jeff Kiddie, Golf Professional of the Year; Kevin Weeks, Teacher and Coach of the Year; and Bernie Friedrich. The awards were presented at the 107th PGA Annual Meeting. … Invited: Announces Eric Yeager, of Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia, as its Chef of the Year, and Joshua Guzman, of Silicon Valley Capital Club in San Jose, California, as its Mixologist of the Year. Both winners were honored at the inaugural Casa de Campo Food & Wine Festival at Casa de Campo Resort in the Dominican Republic. … PGA of America: Elects Joel Burger, Tim Fries, Cathy Matthews-Kane and David Reasoner to its Board of Directors, while Dawn Neujahr is named the third-ever at-large director. … PGA Tour: Joe Gorder, executive chairman of Valero Energy Corporation, is unanimously approved by a vote of the PGA Tour Policy Board to join the board as an independent director, effective immediately. Gorder succeeds Randall Stephenson, who resigned in July 2023 after more than 12 years of service. … Aon, LPGA: Angel Yin wins the 2023 Aon Risk Reward Challenge, and will receive the Aon Trophy and a $1 million prize. The award is presented to the player who performs the best statistically on the most strategically challenging holes throughout the LPGA Tour season. Yin went for the green on 46% of this year’s Challenge holes, compared to her overall percentage of 12% on all drivable par-4s and second-shot par-5s. As a result, Yin reached the green successfully 24% of the time on the Challenge holes. … PGA Tour: Chris Kirk receives the recipient of the 2023 PGA Tour Courage Award. Kirk, 38, took a leave of absence from the Tour in May of 2019 to address issues of alcohol abuse and depression. He returned to the Tour later that year after a break of more than six months, regained exempt status in 2021 through a Major Medical Extension and in 2023, earned his fifth PGA Tour title and first since 2015. The award, established in 2012, is presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity. … LPGA Tour: Hae Ran Ryu clinches the 2023 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award after finishing in a tie for 12th at last week’s The Annika. Entering the CME Group Tour Championship, Ryu has earned 893 total points and holds an impassable 274-point lead over Grace Kim in the standings. Ryu is the sixth player from the Republic of Korea since 2015 to earn the honor, and first since Jeongeun Lee6 in 2019. She is the 14th Korean to earn the award since Se Ri Pak in 1998.

TOURNAMENTS

▪️LPGA: Announces an extension of the CME Group Tour Championship and the season-long Race to the CME Globe through 2025. This two-year title sponsorship agreement will bring an enhanced total purse of $11 million, including a record $4 million first-place prize, and $1 million for the runner-up. Also, every player who qualifies for the 60-golfer field will be awarded at least $55,000. … PGA Tour: Tickets are now available for the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School, Dec. 14-17 at the Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Tickets can be purchased at PGATourQSchool.com, and there is an option to donate a minimum of $5 per ticket to one of three Jacksonville-based charities. Fans 15-and-under can enter free with a ticketed adult, and parking at TPC Sawgrass will be complimentary for all spectators. … Duca del Cosma: Partners with the PGA of Alberta, one of the nine district zones within the PGA of Canada, and will become the presenting sponsor for three PGA of Alberta Players Tour events for the 2024 and 2025 golf seasons. … Golf Tourism Solutions: Announces Keiser University College of Golf as title sponsor of the Palmetto High School Golf Championship. The tournament, renamed the Keiser University College of Golf Palmetto Championship, will be played March 28-30 at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue Golf Club and Tradition Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. … PGA of America: The Assistant PGA Professional Championship is set for Nov. 16-19, at PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Florida. … LIV Golf: Confirms that LIV Golf Adelaide will return to The Grange Golf Club, April 26-28 in Adelaide, Australia. Last season's tournament was named World’s Best Golf Event of 2023 by the World Golf Awards. Hospitality tickets for LIV Golf Adelaide go on sale Nov. 15 at LIVGolf.com. … PGA Tour, Bermuda Tourism Authority, Butterfield: Announce a multiyear extension as co-title sponsors of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, which debuted in 2019 as the PGA Tour's first official event on the island. The extended partnership will see the Butterfield Bermuda Championship featured as part of the FedEx Cup Fall and will include a $6.5 million purse.

Myrtle Beach Classic: Launches its official tournament logo and brand look in preparation for its inaugural PGA Tour event, May 9-12 at Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The logo features a subtle fusion of colors found along South Carolina’s Grand Strand, including deep ocean blue, fairway green, sunrise orange and sand, all of which blend seamlessly to pay homage to the Dunes Club’s coastal location. The Royal Tern, a distinctly unique seabird native to the Myrtle Beach area, flies in front of a warm Carolina sunrise. MMGY Global, an international marketing agency, crafted the design. … Epson Tour, Carlisle Companies: Announce a contract extension for the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, a 72-hole event that will increase its $335,000 to $400,000 for 2024. The purse and the $60,000 first-place prize will be the most in Epson Tour history. Carlisle Companies has served as title sponsor since 2021 and will continue to support the event through 2026. … World Champions Cup: K.J. Choi, Alex Cejka and Brett Quigley are the final Chairman’s Selections added to the inaugural tournament, Dec. 7-10 at The Concession Golf Club in Florida. …

TOURS

▪️LPGA: Announces that its 2024 schedule will include 35 events (33 official events) for a total prize fund of more than $118 million, with $116.55 million in official money. The 2024 total prize fund represents the highest ever in Tour history, up from approximately $70 million in 2021, a 69% increase. A record 16 tournaments will have purses of at least $3 million. The global schedule will also include two multi-event swings in Asia and three new events — the LPGA Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Florida, in January, the Arizona Championship in March and the FM Global Championship in Norton, Massachusetts in September. … Future Champions Golf: To begin using the Clippd golf data platform for its tournaments. Clippd currently provides golf scoring and ranking services for the NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA and in-depth performance insights for over 120 Division I, II and III college programs.

MEDIA

▪️PGA of America, Sky Sports: Agree to a three-year broadcast rights extension that will continue live coverage of the PGA Championship and KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship on Sky across the U.K. and Ireland. … LPGA, ESPN: Sign a new two-year agreement to stream Featured Group coverage at eight LPGA Tour events live and exclusively on ESPN+ through the 2025 season. ESPN+ will cover each day of selected LPGA Tour tournaments with one feed showcasing the rounds of four Featured Groups, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. The agreement includes this week’s CME Group Tour Championship.

TECHNOLOGY

▪️SwingU: Rogers State University men’s golf team chooses to use the SwingU Coach platform for advanced statistical reporting. … SwingU: Derek Hooper, director of instruction at The Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, to use the SwingU Coach platform.

GEAR

▪️Whiskers: Launches a new golf shoelaces, matching socks subscription box. Collectors will receive new, hand-selected, seasonal coordinating styles regularly. … PXG: Launches a line of officially licensed military hats and PXG Xtreme golf balls. United States Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Air Force products are now available online and in store. … Orca Golf: Unveils its Guy Harvey Golf Bag Collection. Limited-edition bags feature marine species artwork and proceeds will benefit the marine conservation and education work of the Guy Harvey Foundation. … Edison Golf: Doubles its standard offering of KBS premium shafts for its line of Edison 2.0 wedges. The standard offering of KBS steel shafts has increased from the current KBS Tour 110R, 120S and 130X to include the KBS Hi-Rev wedge shaft in both R and S flexes, and the KBS Tour V in S flex. On the graphite side, the KBS PGI series of standard shafts has been expanded from the PGI 70, PGI 80 and PGI 90 to include the PGI 50, PGI 60, and PGI 100. … SuperStroke: Five-time PGA Tour champion Camilo Villegas uses SuperStroke’s Tour 3.0 17-inch putter grip to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. … Sun Mountain: Brand’s best-selling C-130 golf cart bag is now available in a stand bag version. The bag offers nine pockets plus cart-friendly features like a leg-lock system, quick-release carry strap, cart strap tunnel and a cart-friendly bottom. The C-130S offers a 15-way top, including a putter well, and is available in five colors with a retail price of $289.99.

Golfzon: Hokuala Social Club opens Nov. 20

Timbers Kaua‘i opens golf simulator lounge featuring the first Golfzon TwoVision in Hawaii