OK, they were not exactly being held hostage, but it sure seems like it....
The LPGA returns stateside to the mainland (finally) this week for the J. Golf Phoenix International. Played at the newly renovated Papago Golf Course, Lorena Ochoa returns to defend her title. This event will enjoy some great TV exposure as well, with play being televised on The Golf Channel Thursday - Sunday evenings (yeah, I know it's not LIVE coverage, but let's not get too greedy, ok ?). The super strong field includes Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Erica Blasberg, Michelle Wie, Angela Stanford, Pat Hurst, Natalie Gulbis,Leta Lindley, and a host of other LPGA stars.
Along with the veterans, 10 rookies are in the field, nine of whom have their eyes set on becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner. Rookie Jiyai Shin won the HSBC Women's Champions earlier this year in Singapore - her fourth overall LPGA Tour victory - but first as an official member of the LPGA Tour.
The event pays a total purse of $1.5mm, and drew over 159,000 spectators in 2008.
Oh, and if you make it to the event be sure to pay close attention to Erica Blasberg's caddie (wincing under the weight of her bag) - he is none other than our buddy Shane B (aka stylist to the stars). If you see him, give him some water and a cookie .... I think he will need it ! (for those of you watching on TV, online donations can be made at www.sendshaneacookie.net)
My prediction - Cristie Kerr wins by two over Lorena and Angela Stanford.
Bushwood Country Club is rapidly becoming known as home of some of the coolest interviews in the golf blogosphere. I've got a lot of catching up to do before I am at the level of my personal "Yodas of Golf Blogging" (Armchair Golfer and Golf Girl) - but I am a grinder...
Anyway, we have a total SCORE here - In what looks to be a FIRST in the sports world, Bushwood CC has nailed an interview with the guy previously known only as "the eTrade baby". It took some real negotiating, and a serious chunk out of my rapidly dwindling cash balances (dealing with Parent/Agents is a beyotch!!!) ,- but the lil' guy finally signed on the line that is dotted (ABC - always be closing...) and stopped by for a chat. Things were really going great for a long while, until we got sort of, .....well, lets just say this will be a two part interview because we did not quite finish.
Here is how it went down amid the plushness that is BCC's 19th hole....
The Basics Cash: Welcome to Bushwood, uhhhhhh, eTrade baby...
eTrade Baby: Thanks, dude....how about a beverage, a guy could die of thirst around here.
Cash: Ok, sure - what'll you have ?
eTrade Baby: hmmm, it's early...maybe just a little brewski in my bottle here, ok...Mom will think it's just apple juice or something
Cash: No problem, here you go (incredulously - jeez, it's only 8:30 am)... so, before we get started, ummmmm, what should I call you, I mean what is your name ?
eTrade Baby: Everyone asks me that, y'know... it's a long story, just call me ""e" , ok bunny.
Cash: No problem, "e". Is your bottle ok, before we get started ?
e: "burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp" - "ahhh, why don't you go ahead and top me off there ok - yeah, that's good. I'm ready to go
Cash: Ok - first, tell us a little about yourself.
e: "Well, my people are trying to keep this very hush hush, but screw 'em, I'm letting it all hang out today. I'm 2 1/2 years old, a Saggitarius, and I'm working on getting my own pad down in South Beach (hot chicks there, y'know...). I'm a day trader by profession, but my passion, my craft, my reason for being, is golf. I've been playing for a little over a year now, and am a plus 1 handicap.
Golfing Skills
Cash: Wow - That's pretty amazing - tell us about your game.
e: Well, I am long off the tee for sure - I can lay it out there about 340 most of the time. Everybody thinks this Rory dude is long...let's just say his beatdown is coming. Bunker play is the toughest for me, because at 2' 10", it's damn hard to see over the top of the bunkers. Getting fitted properly is a pain too because I am still growing. I keep the fitters at TaylorMade pretty busy.
Cash: Understood - TaylorMade, huh ? We noticed the visor in your SuperBowl commercial - are they a sponsor ?
e: Oh yeah, they ponied up some serious jack in our first meeting, and just would NOT take no for an answer. We're talking Tiger money, baby - mid 7 figures right out of the chute. I'm set up with the latest and greatest that they have to offer, including Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis on my speed dial.
Cash: Paula and Natalie, hmmm- not too shabby. So you like the ladies, do ya ?
e: Absotively.....hot chicks and kewl sticks, that's how I roll...
The Ladies
Cash: Wow - well, speaking of the fairer sex, we all remember the "bad girl" who texted, and then called you while you were filming on of your famous spots. Who was the naughty one ? Anyone we know ?
e: Awwwwww man, don't press me on that ....Well, ok...it's on the major down low..., but I guess I can let you in on it. You know, I sort of have this thing for older chicks - I mean girls my age just can't handle me. Anyway, it was ....Madonna. How about a refill - this is making me thirsty...burrrrrrp.
Cash: WHAT ? Madonna ?
e: Yeah, she got tired of that A-ROID - I mean, he's like always sticking needles in his butt and stuff, and he still could not keep up with her. Let me tell you, she is hot, my man...Loves the game, too....I've been working with her on her ballstriking, and she is really coming along.
Plan for World Domination
Cash: What do you see in your future ?
e: Well, I've banked a ton of cabbage doing the day trader thing, and my game is almost tour ready - so I am about to BLOW UP. I plan to continue my market mastery for another year, play the Nationwide Tour when I turn 4, and then press Tim Finchem big time to let me on the big stage no later than my 5th birthday. I figure by the time I'm 25, I will have done all I can do on the links and broken all of the records. Then, I plan to climb all 7 Summits, win the NYC marathon, and start training for the Tour de France.
Cash: You certainly have your goals laid out clearly for someone who was born in 2006... Anything else on the horizon ?
e: Actually, yes, a couple of pretty big things. My hip hop record drops July 15th - HOLLA ! Snoop, Fiddy, and T.I. are all over it - (had to tell Kanye "no way"). I've also got a book which will be out in the fall. Beer me, will ya bunny ?
Cash: A book huh - well, our members are of the studious sort, tell us about your book.
e: It's kind of the story of my life - it's called " How to Throw Up and Still Hook Up". I am prolly the world's foremost authority on that...
Mommy Interruptus !!!!
The interview ended abruptly when "e's" Mom, startled by the belch-fest, enters the room and tells us it's time for his nap....It's all good, until she pickes up his bottle of "apple juice" and notices the frothy head on it. Mommy is, er, not thrilled - I may be in a little trouble here...
Postscript: Mommy settled down, and agreed to Part 2 of the interview. Check back soon for more revelations about the Life of "e"...
My trusted advisor and star of Fox Business News, Talented Blonde, is reporting that Golfsmith and TaylorMade (never one to shy away from a product promotion) have launched what could be the most costly promotion ever...
According to news reports, Golfsmith plans to REFUND the full purchase price of ALL R-9, R-7 Classic, and Burner drivers sold between today and April 11th. The press release states "Starting today and ending April 11, golfers who purchase one of three new TaylorMade drivers at any Golfsmith store or online at www.golfsmith.com will have the purchase price of their TaylorMade driver fully refunded by Golfsmith.
"We're excited to combine the No. 1 selling driver brand in golf, TaylorMade, with one of the very best golfers in the world, Sergio Garcia, into one event only at Golfsmith," said Martin Hanaka, president and CEO of Golfsmith. "TaylorMade's new R9 driver is the hottest driver in the marketplace, and this promotion will only add to that excitement as we kick off the season in Augusta."
"We are extremely excited about this promotion and for the opportunity to highlight our revolutionary driver technology at Golfsmith, said Bob Maggiore, TaylorMade's vice president of marketing. "Sergio has a lot of fans in the United States.
To learn more about Golfsmith's promotion with Sergio Garcia and TaylorMade-adidas Golf, stop by any Golfsmith store or visit www.golfsmith.com/gosergio.
What's Sergio's role in this promotion ? Ahhhhh, good question. You see, Sergio has to WIN THE MASTERS in order for the refunds to be issued... Sorry, gotta go buy my Powerball tickets now...., you see, I've got a FEELING....
Beginning in April, Bushwood CC will be playing host to three lovely ladies who all possess a wealth of golf talent (as well as being smoking hot!!!!). Kim Kouwabunpat,Blair O'Neal, and Caroline Larsson will be three of the contestants on the latest edition of The Golf Channel's "Big Break" franchise. We have selected these three from the entire BB-PEI stable beacuse they are all new members of Bushwood, and are also part of the super friendly and talented team at Play Golf Designs, a really cool company run by our friend (also a BCC member) Nisha Sadekar.
And now, let's hear it for the ladies !!!!
Kim Kouwabunpat----------------Blair O'Neal ------------------Caroline Larsson
Check back often - because leading up to the airing of the first episode of The Big Break - PEI, Bushwood will offer EXCLUSIVE profiles on each of these three golfers - all equally lovely AND talented....in other words, they can kick your butt on the links, and then make everyone envy you at the 19th hole ! The profiles will be everything you have come to expect at Bushwood - fun, funny, and engaging. Thanks in advance to Nisha, Kim, Blair, Caroline, and the whole team at Play Golf Designs - we are glad to count you among the members at Bushwood !
P.S. - For more about the ladies featured above, check out :
A few random observations for those of you who could not catch the final round of the WGC at Doral
- Tiger Woods (once again) displays amazing patience: Jimmy Roberts, immediately following Tiger's round asks him "how high is this on the frustration meter" ? Tiger. always cool, handles the question with class. (FWIW, the dude shot 7 under - not the winning score, but clearly a strong showing for his second event back) - Jeev Singh is pretty much unflappable. He had a lot of chances to get really frustrated and he never seemed to bat an eyelash. - Jim Furyk is ON FIRE on the last 6 holes...I am gonna attribute that to his change to a more stylish color palette this year (no more beige, thank God) - Phil and Nick Watney are trading punches like two heavyweight boxers - it's really great entertainment. They are both playing some balls out golf...and looking a little worn out on the last few holes after a slugfest in the middle of the round. - Watney has hit some magical shots today - ones which TW would envy...but he has also hit some I haven't seen since....I played Friday afternoon - some real stinkers for sure... - Those are some REALLY FUNKY looking bunkers....and they are eating Watney up. Seriously, for a PGA player, his bunker shots are weak. - Phil has a pretty good RIGHT handed swing - better than most you see in your weekend foursome. - The NBC crew is pimping "Celebrity Apprentice" hard, and nary a mention of Natalie Gulbis being on the show...huh ??? - I get it that Rory is the next Sergio(or Tiger,Jack, Ben,Arnold, etc.), but damn he hit some ugly shots this week. The rough around the greens seemed to especially confuse him. - Hard to figure the greens in South Fla not being in better condition than they are this week - lots of brown spots for a marquee track. - For the ladies, Camilo is rockin' a RED belt today - matching his red shirt - Tigeresque, no ? - To the dude who yelled "Go in the water" when Phil hit his tee shot on #18 - you suck - I hope you are making some new friends in the county jail tonight... - #18, Phil leads by one - both he and Watney split the fairway with their tee shots. Both safely on (the fringe)....and PHIL WINS !!!!
If you were watching the WGC event at Doral yesterday, you got a heaping dose of Philly Mick doing his thing. I've been somewhat critical of Phil in the past for two things:
Bad Fashion Sense - The wide (white, FGS) belts and the tight shirts (with shorter sleves,no less - see above) are not made for people built like Phil. Sorry dude, I know you lost some lbs and are proud of your new physique - but you aren't there yet....TRUST ME. Leave that stuff to the under 30 flat bellies and go for a little less form fitting look. I just read today that you get your gear custom made in the UK, so please ask your sartorial squire to make 'em a bit larger, ok ?
Lack of Sincerity and being a bit "Fake": I get the whole "little curly haired blonde girls running into Daddy's arms when he wins thing". The same thing happens to me , so I am SO USED TO IT (laughing inside...). Seriously - every golf fan in America has seen it and knows the message you are putting out - and maybe, just MAYBE, it IS sincere...but for some reason I cannot buy it. It just seems like a thin veneer over the top of a completely different feeling that you have inside - sort of like a chocolate covered, uh, worm or something. Maybe it's just me, but it all looks so damn contrived.
Anyway - this post is not about hating on Phil. Instead, it's about something that I think represents a REAL decision that he has made. Watching him yesterday, it really looks like after struggling with the "aggressive Phil / conservative Phil" internal debate, he has finally decided to be the player that he feels most natural being - and that's the aggressive Phil. You have heard this discussed in countless interviews - but the way he played yesterday, the shots he hit, his responses to good and bad shots, his entire approach spoke to me of a man who has really resolved some inner issues (one example - the new approach to tee shots "tee it high and hit it really far").
It could be temporary, and I could be entirely wrong....but as Ben Crenshaw once said, "I've got a feeling about this one"... I'm going to take a stance here, and predict a big win for Phil today and big season for him - regardless of how well Tiger, Rory, VJ, Sergio, and the rest of the guys play.
If I am right, you heard it here first. If I am wrong, well, I guess I will blame it on the English tailor..
It seems that Henrik Stenson was a little pissed at Laci Underall and her gang of fabulous golf babes for being left off the recently published list of the PGA's hottest golfers. So angry was the Swingin' Swede that he decided yesterday to let his freak flag fly and "show the world" what he is really made of. Check him out in the photos below:
When questioned, Stenson only muttered "I'll show little Laci and her crew what a REAL man looks like - this is only my 9 iron !" ! When reached at her palatial estate, Ms. Underall could only respond "My,my...what a silly LITTLE man". No doubt, the ever immaculate Ben Hogan is turning over in his grave at this very moment.
Seriously - yesterday, on the 4th hole rather than getting all muddy while playing an errant shot in his tight,shiny "Euro Suit", Henrik stripped down (almost) to his birthday suit. Fortunately, after hitting the shot, he wiped off and put his gear back on (much to the dismay of Calvin Klein, who was prepared to offer Mr. Stenson a modeling gig at the turn if he would switch into some CK boxer briefs !)
The story ended rather happily, however, as he posted a very respectable 69.
(Ed Note: in a similar sitch in Dubai, the clothes stayed on. Something tells me that the Arab world is not quite ready for Swedish, er, uh, "beefcake")
Last week, I posted about what an absolute farce the 'World Golf Rankings" are. To my knowledge, there had not been much of a dust up over this, as no one else seemed to be talking about it. I guess most people just sort of scratched their collective heads, maybe muttered under their breath, and then went back to watching some reality TV show. Certainly, the golf media did not seem to care much about it- seemingly because as long as TIGER was #1, what the hell could possibly be wrong ? I mean he IS the best player in the world, right ??? (let's forget the inconvenient fact that he has played 36 holes of competitive golf since June, shall we...). Don't get me wrong - I am not hating on TW, but come ON - these rankings have to mean something.
Weeeellllll - it seems that FINALLY, the 8 month layoff is catching up to the rankings. I heard last night that the #2 player, Sergio Garcia, -(himself a winner of only six events, which is like 135th on the all time list) is poised to overtake Tiger this weekend. The funniest part about this was the absolute OUTRAGE that the on-air talent expressed at this - why how could ANYONE stake a claim to #1 except Tiger ? Oh, I get it - so NOW we notice that maybe there is a teeny problem with the rankings ???
Yet another example of the sheer comedy of this is the #16 ranking of wunderkid Rory McElroy of Norrthern Ireland. As pointed out by my pals at Fanhouse - the media has annointed Rory as the next coming of Eldrick the King - eerily similar to the treatment they gave el nino a decade ago. No doubt the kid has enormous talent, and is a welcome addition to the tour - but he is NINETEEN years old, with ONE win under his belt ( and a couple of, er, premature collapsications, shall we say). Can we at least wait for him to do a little more, maybe win at least two or three more times before we mention him in the same breath as a dude who has won 65 times ?
My point is this: the World Golf ranking methodology (God, what a stretch that is) is just as much a joke today as it was a year ago - all that has changed is that after 8 months of relative inactivity, someone has finally accumulated enough momentum (ha!) to overake Tiger. However, this change at the top of the list is what it took to illuminate how completely Fecked the process is. Trust me - as soon as Sergio passes Tiger (as soon as this weekend!!!!!), we will be FLOODED with stories, analysis, interviews, statistics,graphics (and maybe even a short game tip or two from Dave Pelz) ... all telling us how to fix the World Golf Rankings. Consider this, perhaps, a seismic moment in the world of golf...
P.S. - For those of you who would dare to defend the rankings as "scientific", you need only take a gander into the recent past - 'memba when M. Wie was ranked #2 on the LPGA tour's Rolex rankings - how did THAT work out... ???
As many of you know, although I am the primary editor of Bushwood CC, I also have a guest editor - none other than the lovely and uber-talented Laci Underall. Laci is not only smoking hot, she is also a great golfer who can hold her own for 18 holes, and then hang with the best of us at the 19th hole - in other words, she is the PERFECT WOMAN.Since Bushwood is a great place for golfers of both sexes, I decided to turn the reins over to Laci for a post - on whatever topic she chose.
Being the kind of woman we all love, Laci has chosen to "rank the talent pool" on the PGA tour - from a uniquely female perspective.... So for all you female readers out there, here is the OFFICIAL PGA HOTTIE LIST, replete with specific "attributes" that Laci finds appealing (and for the guys, sit tight - Ty Webb and I are working on the LPGA list....ladies first, y'know. So, withou further adieu, I give you Laci Underall....
Laci: "Well Cash, I've put a lot of thought into this and as cliched as it may sound, "Hotness is in the eye of the beholder". I spoke to a number of girls who though my choices were "not up to par" ...so to speak... and I spoke to girls who find extreme sexiness in guys who leave me cold. I mean, since when did Heath Slocum ever make a girl's heart race? I don't know, maybe it's his last name...phuleez. So, before I even start I acknowledge that my hottest guys won't be everyone's. However they're boys who turn me on and I'm perfectly willing to tell you why. The fourth runner up is: Camillo Villegas - You knew he'd make the list, but you probably thought he'd come in at the top of it. Not in my book. There's no denying that Camillo is ripped, and he dosn't hide the fact .Those lips! Those BROWS! The HAIR. That smoldering latin gaze...This Columbian Casanova had us at "Hola" with his fashion flair. A man that can rock the White Belt gets two thumbs up in my book. He's the Anna Kournikova of Golf. the fact. But I can't help thinking of him as ...I don't know....fragile? To me Camillo is the type of guy you want to protect and that takes away a bit of his appeal. The fact that he still made the list shows that I'm pretty sure he could make up for that lost appeal in other ways.
Stuart Appleby - I like my Aussies and Stuart Appleby is one who's often overlooked where hotness is concerned. Sexy , shaggy, blonde bed head . . .Other Aussies get more buzz, well of course you're going to get buzz when you're a serial movie star dater, but Mr. Appleby is the real deal. A warm, rugged everyman who doesn't over expose his social life.
Stewart Cink - Second runner up is another Stewart with a different spelling and from a different continent. Stewart Cink is an old-fashioned American boy with Southern charm to spare. He's tall (6'4") and handsome and seems a perfect gentleman. But he's definitley got a wild side ... so far he's the only PGA player on Twitter. That's pretty daring if you ask me.
Tiger Woods - You didn't think a hottest golf list would be Tigerless did you? I mean, it's TIGER. Nuff said. No way any list of hot guys in any field could NOT include Eldrick Tiger Woods. The competetive nature, the fist pumps, the perfectly tuned body all of those things = major sexiness, but it's more that that. It's because he's Tiger Woods, and I think that's all I really need to say on the subject. Many will say he belongs at the top and I can sure see their point but when something too obvious, it's probably not going to be what we're ultimately "lusting" for.
And the Hottest?..you're probably wondering, and many will undoubtedly disagree ...strongly...but the winner, in my book is none other than ...
Sergio Garcia. He has a Tom Cruise/ Richard Gere thing happening that is definitely working for the ladies. No, I don't mean the brat who carried on for years when he didn't win I don't mean "el spoiled, sulky niño". The Sergio I'm talking about...the sexy Sergio.... is the grown up who only actually came to the game in '08. He's not afraid to laugh at himself and he's openly appreciative of his fellow players. His once neon colored outfits have been replaced by darker shades - notably signature black on Sundays. Another reason I'm calling this one for Sergio is that I think, despite a lackluster start, '09 is going to be Sergio's year. The year he wins a major. And I think it's going to happen at Augusta National, my that's just my opinion and I'll keep it to myself. I just know what I know and what I know is that el niño has finally become el hombre and in my book, that's Sexy. A few Honorable Mentions:
Andres Romero-Does Argentina make anything but super studs?
Fred Couples-The thinking woman's sex symbol on the green. The bad back makes him fallible, attainable. We want to snuggle . . .
Adam Scott- Aussie Aussie Aussie!! Smoking hot. Has a Heath Ledger-esque quality, hopefully sans the nasty drug problem. The guy oozes SEX. What's good enough for Kate Hudson is DEFINITELY good enough for us. We likey!
Greg Norman- The Golden Boy of Golf. Come on.
Aaron Baddely- A Cougar's delight. This young little bunny is just precious. Just fix that banged up grill and you're in business.
Ian Poulter- The NEW Payne Stewart, Ian is like the Alexander McQueen of Golf--a fashion bad- boy. and we LOVE IT. As if we needed ANOTHER reason to check out his pants . . .
Luke Donald-the Hugh Grant of Golf. We love his boyish looks and charm. And the painting thing gives him that sensitive -guy thing. Yummy.
Retief Goosen- Channels Russel Crowe. Rough Rugged South African looks and . . .I just like saying Gooooooooooooosen with a throaty purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Laci: "Well, that's it, Cash - and I all worn out from this"
Cash: " "Ummm, Laci, you are, er, I mean you look sort of worked up ...
Laci: "Yes, and I think I need a smoke, too"!
Cash: "Ok, Laci - Thanks (thinking she should thank ME) I think that wraps us up here...your work is done"
OK GUYS - GET READY FOR THE "HOTTIES OF THE LPGA" COMING SOON - YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED !
....or so the song by Cracker goes. Actually, the world needs a LOT more than another ol' Blue Eyes - but we need to focus,dammit , so focus we will. Let's start small, and meaningful to those of us at Bushwood. Let's start with some MEANINGFUL World Golf Rankings, shall we.
The current system is a flat out mess, and is more confusing than...., well than ANYTHING. Consider these factoids:
Tiger Woods has played 36 holes of golf in the last 8 months, and is STILL #1. He's the best, no doubt - but does Jack Nicklaus still get consideration ?
Rory McElroy has won ONE event and is ranked # 17.Huge talent, and seemingly a great kid, but aren't we crowning him a wee bit early ?
#5 is missing cuts faster than a cornerback in concrete shoes. I know he dominated the majors last year, but he is as cold as a mother-in-law's love in 2009.
#13,#16 and #17 have never won on the PGA tour. I know it's supposed to be the "world" rankings, but can we not agree that the PGA is where the best competitors play - and shouldn't people in the top 20 who have played 50+ PGA events have at least won ONCE ?.
Goosen is #37 and Boo Weekly is (barely) in at #50 - I will take ALL bets on that head to head matchup. Retief last won when blue dresses from the Gap were fashionable at the White House.
#26 has never played a PGA event - Do ya think the 26th best player (who ladies swoon over) would get at least a LITTLE encouragement to cross the pond and play ONE event on US soil ?
Whaaa ? The first one leads you to believe it's long term performance...but the second suggests it is current performance. The others are just ridiculous
There can be no arguing these facts:
The current system is completely un-understandable.
It is completely UN -EXPLAINABLE. Even if you profess to understand it, lets see you explain it to 3 people and have all of them get it.
It is,as an old Scottish caddie once said to me, "fecked up". I could absolutely bury you with more examples if I did the research - but just check out the World Golf Rankings and see what you think. Methinks you will agree with the highlands looper, it's fecked.... -
As you can tell from the name of this blog, I like golf movies - old and new. One of the latest to be somewhat interesting is "Tin Cup" - complete with a lovable hero (Kevin Costner) and a SMOKING hot female lead (Renee Russo). It's a sentimental tale for sure...
However, fashion consultant to the stars, Shane B has called Tin Cup out as being a little, er, less than accurate. Check out his post over at one of my favorite golf sites for the full analysis - it's pretty funny and shows you how a LITTLE research by the filmmakers could have made this one a lot more believable.
Now, about that Met Life commercial where the dude hits driver onto the green of the par 3....and all FOUR balls are within 6 feet of the cup...
There is no doubt that the economic slowdown is impacting the golf industry - however much of that talk centers around the sponsorship withdrawals of events on the various tours. Meanwhile, in many towns across America, the retailers from the Golf Mega Marts to the local repair shops are getting impacted in an equally significant manner.
This is not a topic that's getting a lot of mention from the mainstream golf media - but it's sort of like the elephant in the room.....everyone knows it is there, but is unwilling to talk about it. For those of you who regularly visit Bushwood CC, you are aware that I am an equipment "fan" (fanatic,some would say) - I change clubs frequently, read equipment reviews thoroughly, am always in search of the perfect ball, and write equipment reviews from time to time. This translates into my being a frequent visitor to 3 or 4 golf stores in my area (from the mega marts to the local guys). I typically stop in each of them once a week to chat with the staff, practice putting, check out any new stuff, etc. I'm also a pretty good customer, because I prefer to buy locally rather than via the web. Based on my visits and purchasing behavior over the last 6 months, I have noticed three things: (1) Traffic in general is down in all of the stores, but less so for the "local" guys: I attribute this to a loyal customer base who use these guys exclusively, and have been long time (10+ years) customers. To validate this, I asked the manager of my favorite "local" golf store - which he confirmed, He also said their repair and shaft/grip replacement trade is up about 20% in the last year. (2) Inventories are down: From golf clubs, to shirts, to caps, retailers are really cutting back on inventories. I'm a fan of Titleist gear (esp headwear), and I have noticed that the re-order frequency is WAY down. The same caps and visors that were there after Christmas are still there - and none of the new 2009 stuff has made it's way to the shelves yet. Dick's Sporting Goods now has a better selection of said headwear than the golf specialty stores. (3) Discounts to steady customers are fewer and far between: Back in the day (like, 12 months ago) I could expect to receive a discount of 10 to 20 % on anything I bought at my favorite nationwide golf retailer - the higher discounts on clothing, lower on golf clubs,balls, etc . Starting last fall, I noticed that only my favorite salesperson still gave me the discount, and that percent was less than before. Fast forward to last week - I found a couple of shirts that caught my eye. I took those, as well as a box of my current favorite balls to the register - expecting at least 15% off on the shirts and 10% off on the balls. When the dude handed me the charge card receipt, I glanced down at it - and noticed right away that I received ZERO discount. Not wanting to be a b&ll buster, I signed the receipt and walked out - no big deal. Later in the week, I went back in the same store - wanting to see if my theory was correct. I talked to one of the senior guys, who confirmed that their "ability" to discount to good customers had been reduced by the overall slow down in sales - simply put, they needed every dollar of revenue/profit that they could muster.
I really feel for these guys,because it was cool to go in the stores and be surrounded by golfers, loads of new gear, and the sound of good old commerce - hopefully those days will return soon. Until then, be patient with the retailers and support them whenever and however you can.
P.S. - There is a happy ending - I went back on Saturday and bought a sweet pair of shoes..and got discount of almost 20%. Let's hope this is a good sign...
