My State of the Golf Travel Business Address

My fellow golf travelers, why lie? The golf travel business is in the dumper. Occupancy is down. Rounds played are down. Revenues are down…

What is extremely troubling to me is the decline of the corporate market, which is such a large part of golf travel revenues. I write frequently for the corporate and incentive market and all I hear is nothing but gloom and doom. Corporations are now afraid of the golf course, so to speak. Afraid they’ll be labeled as wasteful and uncaring spenders during tough economic times. From the AIG fiasco last year at a golf and spa resort in California to President Obama lambasting destinations like Las Vegas, the corporate market is taking more hits than Rocky Balboa. Incidentally, that resort AIG had booked, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, was foreclosed upon by one of its lenders.

How bad is it?

Some resort operators are so scared of the perception problem that they’re dropping the word “resort” from their names. Among those who’ve dropped that oh so perceptively bad “resort” from their official names are Westin Stonebriar Hotel in Dallas, Loews Lake Las Vegas, Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Loews Coronado Bay and Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Everybody is paranoid these days. Now, event planners have to worry about arranging too good of a time for their clients. This is loony.

Adding to all the negative vibes corporations are experiencing with meeting and conventions are increased airline baggage fees, fewer flights, airport security hassles and a general malaise that the economy is not improving and you better horde a few bucks.

Wake me up, when this nightmare is over.

 

Tiger's First Tournament Back

The speculation about Tiger Woods returning to the PGA Tour has ramped up the last couple of days and it got me thinking about what will be different when he tees it up again.  Here are a few thoughts:

• Rest assured, Woods will be on his best off-the-course behavior. He’ll be so squeaky clean he’ll make Tim Tebow look like a party hound.
  
• Don’t expect any major mea culpa or press conference where Tigers spills his guts. It’s just not his style.  How about a staged, well orchestrated event where Woods is in control with no reporter's questions? Woods is all about “scoreboard”.
  
• While some players have lost respect for Tiger as a husband and a father, I guarantee they still regard him as the best golfer in the world. Woods has been playing the game since he was two years old. I don’t care how long he stays out, he won’t forget how to play and he won’t forget how to win.
  
• Get ready for the tabloid press to be lurking behind bushes and in trees everywhere. Forget about Lindsey Lohan and Lady Ga Ga, Tiger Woods is, arguably, the biggest celebrity in the world and there will be an army of paparazzi at the first few tournaments following Tiger’s return. After all, don’t we all need something new? How many times can we see that photo of Elin Woods coming out of the Thai restaurant in Orlando?
  
• I look for the golf media to be a little more daring in their questioning, but I’m not holding my breath. Even an image injured Tiger is imposing and intimidating.
  
• I predict golf television analysts will play up the big comeback from sex clinic story. The American public absolutely loves stories of redemption and if they bought it from Kobe Bryant and Bill Clinton, they’ll surely buy it from Tiger Woods.
  
• To be honest, I can’t wait till Tiger’s first tournament back. The sports world has never seen anything like this before. With the exception of Ali’s return to the ring, I can’t recall an event that had more anticipation surrounding it.
  
• I hope the best for Tiger Woods and I’m cheering for his redemption. I believe he’s a good person who made some absolutely horrific life choices.  But, if Russell Brand and David Duchovny can make it back from sex addiction, I guess Tiger can too.
  

Golf Musings

IS TIGER IN ARIZONA?

Tiger Woods might not be in Mississippi. Despite the tabloid reports that Woods is in a sex clinic in Hattiesburg, I’ve heard several rumors to the contrary. At the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando I talked with a couple of well-connected types who told me Woods has been in a clinic in Arizona since the beginning of the year. Apparently, the photo of the guy in a hoodie and baseball cap in Mississippi that was captured by the tabloids was just a plant to throw everybody off. It makes sense in a way. Woods and his handlers had to know there were telephoto lenses pointed into the Mississippi sex clinic compound, so they sent a look-alike out for a stroll with a cup of coffee. They’ve been very coy in hiding Tiger so far, so why would they march him around the grounds for an easy photo? When this thing plays out, it’ll be interesting to see where Tiger has been the past 90 days or so.

TIGER’S REALLY NOT PLAYING THE ACCENTURE, IS HE?

The latest report by an Australian newspaper that Tiger will play in the upcoming Accenture sponsored WGC event in Arizona is a curious one. If believed, that means Tiger will compete in an event where he will reward a sponsor for dumping on him. Just from a business perspective, I don’t see Tiger competing in this event. Furthermore, unless he’s been sneaking out for some sort of midnight rate at a lighted golf course, I’m not sure if he’s tuned up to play.

AMAZING NEW GOLF PRODUCTS

I’m always amazed at the wild and wacky products I see at the PGA Merchandise Show every year.  My nominees for, shall we say, most unusual 2010 products I saw are:

The Golf Flip Flop- Billed as the world’s first golf flip flop, the company called Golf Gators says in their promotional material that the “Spackler” offers golfers “ease, style and laid-back swagger”. Hey, we can all use a little swag on the links, but I’m not sure if I’ll rely on the flip-flops to do it for me. If you think differently and want to check them out, go to http://www.golfgators.com

Eiffel Tower Golf Tees—The originators of this product essentially turned the Eiffel Tower upside down and claim it makes the perfect tee. It’s made of some sort of plastic composite and is available in four colors. If you want to go ooh-la-la after every tee shot, go to http://www.vanitee.fr

Welded Golf Sculptures—Jeff Diamond, an innovative artist, takes old golf clubs and recycles them into unusual sculptures. They’re very different and certainly are conversation pieces.  For more information, you can reach Mr. Diamond at 561-379-9367.

Is Phil Mickelson a Cheater?

Phil Mickelson has long been rumored to be one of the least popular players amongst his peers on the PGA Tour. But now his popularity is dipping to new lows over his use of 20-year-old Ping Eye2 square-groove wedges that sidestep the new groove rule. "I don't like it at all, not one bit," Rocco Mediate said. "It's against the spirit of the rule...We have to get rid of those clubs, because they're square grooves - what else can you say?" According to Scott McCarron, "It's cheating, and I'm appalled Phil has put it in play."

Readers of this blog know that I'm no fan of Phil, but in this case I believe that he's getting unfairly crucified. In my opinion, it's perfectly fine to play golf with anything that the USGA deems to be legal. Heck, if the Iron Byron was legal, I'd be the first to use one. Since all square-groove Ping Eye 2 irons manufactured before April 1, 1990 are legal, Phil didn't do anything wrong by putting them in the bag. The USGA agrees. "The clubs are usable where USGA rules apply," said Dick Rugge, the USGA's senior technical director. "The rules speak for themselves and show it's not cheating to use them."

So the critics of Phil need to back down. He's certainly not cheating. If people have any beef, they should redirect their rage at golf's governing bodies. But more interestingly, I think that this controversy sheds light on other issues. For instance, what does all this say about golf club technology? The message I get is that 20-year-old technology is better than that of today. I've long believed that iron performance improvement through technology is limited and this is further validation. My conviction was so strong that I put a set of Mizuno MP-14s in my bag about a year ago. These irons are about 18-years-old and play just as well as my much newer Nike Blades. I'd hate to work in the marketing department at any golf club company when consumers watch that the pros are opting for clubs made two decades ago!

Golf Travel Trends 2010

ASIA BECKONS

While Scotland will always be a favorite international golf destination for Americans, there are a number of destinations vying for American golfer business. Foremost among the international competitors are China and Thailand. Both of these countries continue to build golf courses and resorts that appeal to American tastes. Not surprisingly, the Asia-Pacific region has overtaken North America as the world’s largest travel market with 647 million passengers in 2009, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In early May, the first Southeast Asia/India Golf Merchandise Exposition in Bangkok, modeled after the PGA Merchandise Show in the U.S., will debut.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY RESORT?

Back in 2008, AIG, which received $180 million in taxpayer assistance, was exposed for planning a high-end sales retreat at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California. That debacle set the stage for criticisms from government officials and others about luxury conferences. Suddenly, and wrongfully I might add, the word “resort” became a bad name, one that implied needless and opulent spending for business groups. The result is some properties are dropping the word “resort” from their official name. Among those who changed their name are Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge in Charlotte, North Carolina, Loews Lake Las Vegas, Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Arizona, Loews Coronado Bay near San Diego and Westin Stonebriar Hotel in Dallas.

FEWER NEW DOMESTIC COURSES

Golf course construction is flat in the United States. With the exception of a few courses that debuted last year, the Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort in Indiana and the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club in Orlando come to mind, there aren’t going to be a lot of new resort layouts to play this year. One worth waiting for is the fourth course at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon, the Old Macdonald, which is scheduled to open in June.

FRANCE, YES

France is quickly making its mark as a top golf destination in continental Europe. Several of its courses consistently make it into Top 10 lists, including Morfontaine, Les Bordes, Chantilly (Vineuil) and Golf National (L’Albatros).

WHAT THE EXPERTS THINK

The International Association of Golf Travel Operators (IAGTO) recently announced its 2010 rewards. The envelope, please: Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year: BRAZIL; Golf Destination of the Year-Asia & Australasia: THAILAND; Golf Destination of the Year-Europe: PROVENCE & COTE D’AZUR; Golf Destination of the Year-North America: ORLANDO; Golf Resort of the Year-Europe: DOONBEG, IRELAND; Golf Resort of the Year-North America: KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT, SOUTH CAROLINA; Golf Resort of the Year-Rest of the World: RAFFLES CANOUAN, THE GRENADINES.