Author: Sofia
2024 is upon us, and so, too, is another year of golf. In this article, we look at 6 golf trends likely to dominate the sport’s landscape over the next 12 months. 1. EquipmentThe golf ball rollback will dominate equipment chat in 2024, even though it won’t come into effect for another four years at least. Manufacturers will be already scheming to work out how to combat the new regulations and be assured you’ll hear the drip, drip, drip of information (and misinformation) from all sides of this contentious debate.But there will be other developments too—there always are—and AI could well…
PGA in England (South) Region Members can look forward to an expanded competitive calendar in 2024, with more events and more prize money up for grabs than ever before, as well as a host of exciting new venues to play. Kicking off the year sees the launch of the new Winter Pairs Pro-Am Series in association Titleist & FootJoy, with the number of tournaments increased to seven, while the Order of Merit prize fund will rise to £2,100 (subject to a minimum 30 pairs entering per event.) Open to entries from all South Region PGA Professionals and Registered Trainees, the…
It’s that time of year again!Veganuary is an annual challenge that started in 2014, encouraging people to give up meat, fish and dairy and adopt a vegan lifestyle for the month of January.More than 700,000 people officially signed up for the challenge in 2023, and now—on the tenth anniversary of this plant-based tradition, we caught up with nutrition expert Phil Holmes on how golfers can make the switch to vegan living.Phil talks us through the best vegan snacks for golfers, some general vegan dietary advice, and how to shape a plant-based lifestyle around your golf. Veganuary for golfers The night before a…
Invitations to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament started landing on the doormats of a select group of professional golfers over the last week, providing a welcome addition to the usual of collection of late Christmas cards and flyers for local pizza delivery companies and gutter repair quotes. It’s an especially exciting moment for those for whom it marks their first appearance at Augusta National, while even seasoned campaigners who have beaten a well-trodden path up Magnolia Drive never get tired of opening up that dark green envelope which contains the key to one of the most cherished experiences in…
Negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) to agree on a merger and create a new for-profit entity are looking likely to drag into the spring of 2024. News that the PGA Tour plans to announce an extension of its self-imposed December 31 deadline to complete merger negotiations with the PIF emerged shortly after Christmas, and while no official statements have been issued by any of the parties involved, it has been widely reported that any potential alliance is going to require further negotiations that could possibly take until the end of March. The future of…
Tiger Woods tackles a wide variety of subjects – from the state of his leg to the state of his swing, and from the state of the professional circuits to the state of the stadium where he had hoped to launch his new indoor golf league, and why he’s against one rule for all players when it comes to the golf ball With all the success you’ve had in your career. What drives you, at the age of 47, to still go out to the practice range and hit golf balls? What drives me is that I love to compete.…
Payne Stewart US Open, Pinehurst 1999 The picture of Payne Stewart celebrating holing the putt that won him the 1999 US Open is one that inspires and horrifies in equal measure.At first glance, the sheer joy written large on his face, and the typically over-the-top response from a man who wore his heart and his emotions on the sleeve – and his plus fours – was what stood Stewart apart from his fellow players.But afforded the benefit of hindsight, as we are, the image is both chilling to the casual observer and heart-rending to friends and family, knowing that just over…
Nike’s partnership with Tiger Woods is one of the most iconic deals in sports history, Tiger’s initial contract was worth $40 million over five years — the largest golf endorsement deal at the time — and Nike has paid him over $500 million in total. Tiger Woods Endorsement Deal History With Nike 1996: 5 years, $40 million 2001: 5 years, $100 million 2006: 8 years, estimated $160 million to $320 million 2013: 10 years, $200 million Nike also opened the Tiger Woods Conference Center on its Beaverton, Oregon campus in 2001, and the world’s largest sportswear company stuck by Woods…
Two significant changes to the Official World Golf Ranking system which will affect tournament winners and the PGA Tour’s ‘elevated’ events have been announced. Coming into effect on January 1, 2024, the first change relates to tournaments with less than 80 players, with the OWGR distributing a greater percentage of ranking points to the top finishers. Currently, a winner receives around 17-18% of the available points, with that figure set to increase to 21% in limited-field events. In addition, for limited-field events that don’t feature a cut, the OWGR will no longer give ranking points to the bottom 15 per…
New golf participation data for the third quarter of 2023 in the UK has revealed that more rounds of golf were played between July and September than in any previous year with the exception of 2020. After a slow start to the year, mainly caused by bad weather, rounds played across the UK remain well above pre-pandemic numbers, in the latest sign that golf’s pandemic participation boom has reset the baseline appetite for the game. According to a report issued by Sporting Insights, only January of the first nine months of the year saw a dip against 2019 figures, while…
