THE TOUR EDGE GOLF HOT LAUNCH-Now available to be put in your bag. Today. Get fit, get your clubs in 48 hours. TourEdgegolf.com The SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB has a pro shop sale running through the end of the month. Visit SchaumburgGolf.com _____________________________________________________________________
THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or friend him on facebook. At Top Golf Schaumburg
IS THIS IT. For the northern region and golf in 2020.
This week the temperatures will sore into the mid to upper 60’s. 70 could happen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Next weekend several courses are hosting their annual Turkey-Shoot or Turkey-Trot outings. Sign up today or tomorrow, so you get in the field.
If you have bought new equipment in the recent weeks, get out and test those clubs in better conditions while you can. One week from tomorrow is expected to be the end of warmer weather, before a steady diet of low 30 degree weather returns.
What will people do, who have relied on golf as on outlet during the pandemic. Hard to say, hopefully golf domes won’t get shut down by local or state government. But who knows. I’m anxious to see the new dome shell at the Mistwood Golf Dome in Bolingbrook, that is currently being put up.
TOPGOLF is now fully bought out by Callaway Golf. People are asking if this is a good thing. It should be. The biggest fault I find when hitting balls at Topgolf, is that the balls aren’t great, and the clubs aren’t much better. A full infusion of a “Top Flight” golf ball made by Callaway would be better, and so would giving Topgolf customers some form of Callaway Clubs.
In the modern world companies are always looking at how they are going to hook the younger generation, or where they find the next generation of future customers. I think both companies just found the answer they are looking for. Callaway previously owned 14% of Topgolf, and now after near a 2 billion dollar buyout, Callaway owns Topgolf. Callaway CEO Chip Brewer feels great about what both companies can accomplish together. Topgolf will keep it’s corporate offices in Dallas, Callaway stays in California.
GOLF EQUIPMENT SALES set a new record for the third quarter of any year, going over the 1 Billion dollar mark for only the second time in history, for a 1 quarter sales number. The number could have been higher, but golf ball shortages, led to a lack of sales in that area. Only one other time in history has the quarter number been over a Billion Dollars, and that would be the second quarter of 2008.
This sales number, represents a 42% increase in sales over this time period of 2019. The question now is how can golf sustain this growth in 2021. Golf bags, Irons and Wedges were the big sellers. Maybe future growth will have to come from drivers, fairways woods, hybrids and putters next year. It will be interesting to see what area’s, and what companies will deliver on sale prices during 2021, in these area’s.
THE UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS has received a $5 Million dollar grant from a donor so the university can go forward with renovations to it’s Atkins Course at the University of Illinois. The course was donated to the university earlier this year by the Atkins family. Architect Drew Rogers is expected to work with the school on the course renovations.
LEN ZIEHM AND I talked during our recent podcast about new clubhouses in the area that are under construction, such as the Preserve at Oak Meadows, Fox Run in Elk Grove, Sportsman’s in Northbrook, and at Settlers Hill in Batavia. The new clubhouse for the Glencoe Golf Club still needs some additional funding before construction can begin. A group calling itself “Friends of the Glencoe Golf Course” is trying to assist with raising the money needed. Let’s hope they can raise what’s needed as soon as possible, and Glencoe can build it’s new clubhouse.
GOLF BALL SHORTAGES. A story that has not got a lot of attention in recent months was the golf ball shortage that was affecting the country. Certain brands and higher end golf balls were affected the most, says several Midwest professionals and managers at PGA Tour Stores. Titleist Pro-V’s were apparently right at the top of the list, but they were not the only company that had issues keeping up with demand. The reason why, seems to be golf ball producing plants being shutdown for Covid, then reopening without a full staff, and finally the huge demand for golf equipment and products such as golf balls, as participation in golf sky-rocketed in the last several months. As a result of shortages that are still happening, most of the top golf ball producing companies will not be offering late fall or holiday discounts on purchases of a dozen balls, or multi-dozen purchases in the end of 2020.
The Gog Blog will be back all week long. I know I’m a bit behind after being shutdown for a week, but I’m catching up with all the great golf stories that need to be told.
SPEAKING OF TELLING GOLF STORIES or NOT. The Chicago Tribune is now without a golf writer as Teddy Greenstein moves on to the editors job at SportsBetsUSA. Good luck with the new gig Teddy, I bet you will like it. Now only the suburban Daily Herald has a golf writer (Len Ziehm) on staff, with columnist Barry Rozner and Blackhawks beat writer John Dietz both chipping with golf coverage from time-to-time. RS