Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
You just have to see a product with an umbrella on it, and you know immediately Arnold Palmer has put his stamp of approval on that item! Branding has become a big business worldwide, and an outstanding logo will definitely set you apart from your competition. My Favorite? Gary Player’s “Knights Head” logo. Simple but says it all about the man. Which is your favorite logo on the PGA Tour? Comments, please.
If you’re not building your brand in today’s world, what are you really doing? Well, as it turns out, golfers are their own brands and some of the most iconic names in the sport are synonymous with bears, umbrellas, or in Phil’s case, themselves. Here’s a look at the 10 of the best Tour pro logos over the years.
Air Phil
Representing Phil’s masters Win!
Phil threw his hat into the logo game ring at the start of his 2017 season by introducing us to “Air Phil.” By far one of the most hilarious on this list, it’s of course, a tribute to his 2004 Masters win. Thumbs up, Phil!
The man, the myth, the legend John Daly uses this lion as his logo. It screams business in the front and party in the back, kind of like Long John himself. Grip it and rip it!
The Shark has been a longtime favorite in the logo world. Its sleek design and unique colors always stood out, especially when Greg Norman wore that phenomenal straw hat.
The Golden Bear
A Lasting Image.
via walczy.com
The Golden Bear is a timeless classic. Jack Nicklaus was truly the man to carry that name. With his golden flowing locks and ferociousness on the course, it just was perfect.
Jordan Spieth
A Very New Image
via golfdigest.com
Jordan Speith unveiled this logo not too long ago, but you already see grown men wearing the initials of 23-year-old’s initials on their caps. What a world! It is pretty sweet looking though.
The 3 Best Business Lessons we can all learn from Arnold Palmer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Every single golfer on the planet loved Arnold Palmer! That is a statement I can make with confidence. And Arnold amassed a fortune with his swashbuckling style, good looks, and magnetic personality! But Arnold was smart enough to know that just playing golf and winning money was not enough. So he slowly and methodically built a huge business empire of products all across the spectrum through TV commercials and magazine ads. If you want to learn about business, learn from this great man! Thanks to Tanner Simkins for Entrepreneur for sharing this educational article!
One of the last pictures of Arnold!
In September earlier this year the world lost golf’s patriarch, Arnold Palmer. His stellar playing career aside, Palmer’s biggest achievements stretched well beyond the game. Known today as the originator of sports marketing, Palmer was one of the first athletes to turn his name into a brand. Using his image and business acumen, Palmer’s empire was valued at approximately $700 million upon his death.
Here are three lessons business owners can learn from Arnold Palmer.
1. Take measured risks, explore new opportunities.
At a time when athletes focused simply on their performance, Palmer opted to create a brand out of who he was on and off the fairway. This approach was not only entirely new to golf, it made him one of the most successful athletes of any sport well after his playing days ended. In his lifetime, he earned almost $4 million on the golf course; while earning more than 100 times that off it. In 2013 alone, Palmer made $40 million despite not playing a round of competitive golf since 2006.
It was was unheard of for golfers to become household names, but Palmer was the first golfer to successfully break out of the golfing mold and gain widespread popularity among a variety of people. Later in life, Palmer attributed his brand equity to his willingness to stretch his business endeavors outside the narrow realm of golf.
Business Ventures.
Palmer’s business ventures and diverse portfolio of endorsements all flowed through parent company Arnold Palmer Enterprises. This enabled Palmer to put his branded signature on golf clubs, lawn mowers, sunglasses and other products from cardigan sweaters to cigarettes and everything in between. Over the years Palmer was endorsed by Coca-Cola, Rolex, Cadillac, Hertz, United Airlines, Penzoil, Heinz, Callaway and many more. Palmer’s branding genius even extended to his self-made lemonade/ice tea blend dubbed “an Arnold Palmer”; now commercially licensed to AriZona Beverage Co. In 2015, the “Arnold Palmer” beverage alone eclipsed $200 million in sales.
Early stage companies can look to Arnold Palmer as a model of effective diversification.
5 Top Reasons to Buy Refurbished Golf Balls – Love #5
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Retrieving lost golf balls is a huge business, and Gary Kreuger’s company Lost Balls are no exception.
Collecting lost golf balls, cleaning them, repainting them and then reselling them has been a profitable business for Gary. After playing on the PGA Tour for a few years, Gary decided that finding others people’s golf balls were far more profitable and has not looked back since. Check out this interesting interview with Gary, discussing the refurbished golf ball business presented by Golf Digest Stix!
PUT ME DOWN FOR 5
Q&A: Gary Krueger
Mostly by contracting divers to go into ponds and lakes at golf courses in 43 states, Lost Balls sold 43 million recycled balls in 2015. In the company’s 24-year history, they’ve recycled more than half a billion balls. CEO Gary Krueger, who played on the PGA Tour in the 1980s, answered five questions from Keely Levins.
Ball manufacturers say balls that have been submerged underperform. The majority of your golf balls come from the water—are manufacturers wrong?
Wet golf balls aren’t a bad thing. We’ve done independent testing of recycled and refinished balls with the Iron Byron. And there’s virtually no difference off a driver—just a yard or two. Sometimes the recycled and refinished go further. I think it was more of an issue back when we had balata balls. With liquid centers and winding, if you left them in a hot trunk they’d become egg-shaped. But now with two-, three- or four-piece construction golf balls, you don’t have those issues.
How can you make an old ball as good as a new one?
We take balls with discoloration or scrapes, and we take those balls and strip the paint off of them and repaint that surface. This happens in a factory that makes new golf balls—with all the same equipment. We paint the balls, stamp them with the original logo and sidestamp with the word ‘refinished,’ so everyone knows. Thecompany coats the balls with polyurethane to seal it. Cosmetically, it’s brought back to its original condition. It’s not exactly like new, but they perform virtually like new.
Do you use Golf to improve and Grow your Business?
The dying art of customer golf!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
It seems to me that customer golf or business golf is in a big decline.
Too bad, because it is such a powerful business tool to help build relationships that will carry over into the sales office or boardroom. To join a golf club and not use it for business purposes is like joining a health club and not working out.
To show how powerful golf can be when you need something to happen business-wise, I would like to share a story that happened to me, which shows how powerful golf can be in a business setting.
I was the Head Professional at Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and I had ordered a consignment of golf caps from the USA. When they finally arrived in SA, I received a notice from the Customs Office that I had to pay for both the caps and the customs duty to have these caps released. This amounted to a fairly large sum of money that I did not have at the time. I immediately requested assistance from my assistant bank manager, a non-golfer, who turned down my request for a loan. If I did not pay for my caps within 1 week, the caps would be returned to the US.
Playing golf with my bank manager saved my business.
A round of golf on the course with my bank manager.
Knowing that the Bank Manager was a club member, I requested the club secretary to schedule me with the bank managers foursome on Saturday afternoon. I did not know him personally and had only met him very briefly at a function at the club. While we were playing golf (and after giving him a helpful tip), I mentioned that I had a shipment of caps that I needed to get out of customs. “How much do you need?” he said. I told him. “Go ahead and write a check on Monday. The funds will be in your account” Wow, it was that easy. I got my caps, they sold extremely well, and I could repay the loan within 30 days.
Without that round of golf on the course with my bank manager ( who now was also someone I knew I could approach in the future), I would never have had the opportunity to sell those caps!
Use your golf club membership to take your business to another level!
A Nightclub – Putt-Putt Course and WWII Bunker all in one!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
This is the type of place that golfers are going to swarm to!
A bar, restaurant, and putt-putt in a great setting of an underground WWII bunker! The perfect place for a corporate outing or upscale birthday party, the uses are endless. The next time I am in London, I will definitely seek this place out!
Thanks to Matt Grech-Smith for the video and Swing by Swing for the interesting article. Be sure to check out the link below to see additional pictures of this establishment!
Swingers – the 9 hole crazy-golf pop-up – was the first venture brought to you by the Institute of Competitive Socialising. Located at Factory 7, Hearn Street, London E1, it ran from September 2014 to February 2015.
This putt-putt course that’s coming to London in early 2016 may be one of the coolest we’ve ever seen. Housed in an old WWII bunker, the 16,000 sq. foot venue will feature:
9 holes of golf in a ballpark – What a great idea!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
What a fantastic idea! 9 holes of golf in a ballpark.
Not just any ballpark, but Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. Partnering with Callaway Golf, these two corporate giants have come up with a marketing scheme that is a home run! Hitting from 9 different spots within the stadium to designated greens, 144 golfers will get a chance to have some fun! Thanks to Chris Chaney, Wrong Fairway for back9network.com for this fun piece!
Links at Petco Park.
If you’re a true golf nut, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself daydreaming at a Major League Baseball game about the sport you love. You imagine the perfect lie you’d get on Augusta-like grass, perfectly manicured in the outfield. You do the math that straight away center field, at around 400 feet, seems forever away for a ballplayer, but really is only about 130 yards and a wedge or 9-iron for you to clear.
Well, snap out of that daydream because Callaway and the San Diego Padres have teamed up to create The Links at Petco Park, a 9-hole golf experience that will allow golfers to hit shots from around the Padres home ballpark to greens situated in the outfield of the stadium.
“San Diego is a premier golf destination and Callaway is a premier golf brand, so partnering on this event makes perfect sense,”
Padres Vice President of Corporate and Event Revenue Jeremy Horowitz said in a press release. “The opportunity to play golf inside a Major League ballpark does not come along every day. We are looking forward to working with Callaway to make this an unforgettable experience, and to seeing our partnership grow over the coming years.”
“We’re always trying to provide authentic golf experiences with our products that are unique and engaging, and that’s exactly what this partnership with the Padres is about,” said Callaway Sr. VP of Marketing Harry Arnett. “Playing a nine-hole course at a venue like Petco Park with Callaway golf clubs and balls will be a once-in-a-lifetime round, and we are excited to be a part of it.”
What are the Important Keys to Reversing Golf’s Decline?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Having member participation events like a putting contest at cocktail hour is a way to get the members out and enjoying the experience!
Andrew Wood of Legendary Marketing has always been outspoken about getting bigger participation in golf at every level of the game.
From junior golf to private country clubs, golf needs to be revived. And he thinks he has the answers to golf’s decline. On his LinkedIn page, Andrew gives us a unique insight into what he thinks needs to be done.
Promoting Junior Golf at the Club level is critical to sustaining growth in the game!
Back when I was in the karate business two decades ago I quickly cracked the code on how to attract new customers.
I simply changed the story I told. In my school martial arts was not about fighting, fitness or self-defense as every other school of the day was promoting. Instead my school was about personal development. Mentally and physically being the best you could be using martial arts as the vehicle. While others talked of sparring and katas. I talked of self-esteem and confidence particularly for children. It worked and it worked in a big way, I went form one school to an organization of over 400 in just seven years.
That was just the beginning, my personal development story attracted students in droves, but they didn’t stay.
The average lasting only 3 months. Before the kids moved on to little league, soccer or swimming. I figured out quickly that if I could just make every student stay another month I’d increase my income by 25%.
The answer was a simple one page letter reminding parents of the reasons they signed their kids up in the first place. The letter also talked about the value of persistence and seeing things through at least to their next belt!
The results where astonishing, my reminder of the focus, self esteem and improved self-discipline I provided to their children increased my retention and income not 25% as I had hoped but over 50%.
How does this relate to declining participation in golf?
Business Golf for Women is now more important than ever!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Corporate America has been dominated by men for years.
But the days of the “good old boys” are slowly but surely coming to an end. Women are running America’s Corporations, sitting on Advisory Boards, and becoming entrepreneurs. Playing golf can be a huge stepping stone into this world. Leslie Andrews, writing for forbeswoman.com, gives a unique insight into women using golf to climb up the corporate ladder.
Women are finding golf not only a sport but a ladder to corporate success!
It’s really not the golf that matters, truth be told. It is the secret club. The secret language. And, it’s being in the game, being where decisions are made. And that means being on the golf course.
By Leslie Andrews
Catalyst, a prestigious research firm dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in business.
They found that 46% of women surveyed noted “exclusion from informal networks” as the biggest impediment to reaching their career goals, with golf being one of the leading informal networks from which women felt excluded. The obvious question being: Why are women excluded from golf? Are women being purposely excluded, or are women sometimes excluding themselves? The answer to both is yes.
Take the most obvious recent case of Virginia Rometty, CEO of IBM. IBM is one of three sponsors of The Masters which takes place at Augusta National, arguably the best and most prestigious golf course in the U.S. Historically, the CEO of IBM is automatically granted membership to Augusta, but not so this year. Rometty, who was named CEO in October 2011, was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine in 2012. That wasn’t good enough for Augusta National – as a woman, she was denied membership to the club – the ultimate club for CEOs.
But not every golf story of exclusion is as dramatic as that of Rometty and Augusta, yet women still feel excluded from the secret society that is golf. In my experience with executive women, there are two primary factors that keep women off the golf course: intimidation and fear of embarrassment. And while being denied access to Augusta is currently uncontrollable, intimidation and fear of embarrassment are most assuredly addressable with a few easy steps.
Starting girls off at a young age provides a strong foundation for the future wherever it may take you!
Most importantly, women need to understand that many of their assumptions about what it takes to play business golf are myths.
And that those myths need to be replaced by a sense of reality. For example, most women assume that the men who play in corporate outings are good golfers. Not so! Many women assume that the men who play golf do not want to play with women. With a few exceptions, not so!
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
And so it is with golf. The business benefits of golf — primarily the ability to develop relationships and to be where decisions are made — are so powerful that by allowing themselves to be excluded, women are doing themselves a disservice. I am by no means saying that diving into the world of business golf is simply mind over matter.
There are some rudimentary skills one needs to play golf – you need to have the ability to get the ball in the air more often than not, and you need to have a basic understanding of rules and etiquette. You do not, however, need to play as well as the LPGA or PGA Tour pros that you see on television each weekend – another myth embraced by women that needs to be crushed. I mean, really, do you think you have to sing like Aretha Franklin in order to make singing part of your life?
Woman’s golf has taken a strong foothold in the world of business.
Women don’t control the whole equation.
The Virginia Rometty episode provided a stark reminder of that. But we do control part of the equation, and it is imperative that we do our part to seize the opportunity that golf affords.
Source : Leslie Andrews recently released her first book, Even Par: How Golf Helps Women Gain the Upper Hand in Business, published by 85Broads. A successful Fortune 500 marketing executive turned golf professional, Leslie is dedicated to helping businesswomen learn to use golf for business. For more on Leslie, check out www.LeslieAndrewsGolf.com or follow @LAndrewsGolf. http://www.forbes.com/forbeswoman/
Do not like dragging your clubs through the airport?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Golf is unique for many reasons.
One of these is that no other sport spurs its’ players to travel, more than golf.
A huge percentage of my golf school visitors make the trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, by air flights. Many are Americans and Canadians, but we also host golfers from Europe, South America, and Asia.
Because of the hassle of dragging your clubs through airports, a few of my students ship them in advance to our golf facility by FedEx. I have just learned of an alternative, reputable service called ‘Luggage Forward,’ which gets your golf clubs to your destination, making even convoluted travel plans simple.
Luggage Forward delivers them, on time, anywhere in the world that you require. This top-notch service also removes the worry about the clubs fitting into compact rental cars, taxis, or small hotel rooms. And it ensures that you play the courses with your own clubs, rather than a second-hand rental set. Rates are apparently less than other shippers, also.
It is no fun dragging one of these through a busy airport!
Here’s a scenario that doesn’t come about every day, but perhaps you can imagine something similar:
Heading from out-of-the-way Savannah, Georgia to out-of-the-way Lake Como, Italy, to play half-a-dozen of the lakeside gems upon arrival.
However, several days of sightseeing in Rome and Venice precede the aforementioned golf dates, not to mention smallish urban hotel rooms, packed trains, and compact taxis. Lugging the sticks from place to place is an inconceivable option.
What’s a Vagabond Golfer to do? It’s simple – use a top-notch service such as Luggage Forward to quickly, easily, and reliably get your sticks (or skis, bicycle, scuba gear, etc.) from where you are to where you’re headed.
In my case, the clubs were waiting for me at our rented lakeside cottage in a tiny Italian burgh, this after flying to Atlanta, then Rome, then by train to Milan, then by rental car (again, too small to accommodate the rolling coffin that is my travel bag) all the way to sparkling Lake Como.
Luggage Forward makes even the most convoluted travel itinerary that much easier to deal with, particularly if you want your own bag of “weapons” to do battle with the courses you encounter. Or you can take your chances with a dusty, decades-old rental set, if they have them, and get gouged on the rental fee to boot.
The choice is yours, but it doesn’t sound like much of a choice at all from where I’m sitting.
10 Reasons to use Golf as a Powerful Business Tool!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
In today’s tough economy, every business deal is vital, every customer is important.
Retaining customers and getting new business is an art, and using golf to achieve those ends is more of a necessity now than it has ever been.
Anyone reading the mainstream media and their constant efforts to trumpet the demise of golf could be forgiven for thinking that golf as a business tool is a little passé. Sure participation is down, but 25 million players in the USA alone, is not exactly a small number. Then when you look at the number of top CEO’s, sports stars, movie stars and entrepreneurs who are avid golfers, those numbers are actually pretty impressive. An estimated 90% of Fortune 500 CEO’s play golf as have almost all of the US presidents since Ike. Better still, executives who play golf make an average of 17% more than those who don’t.
Yes, business golf is not just surviving it’s thriving and for the sake of your business or career here are ten reasons you’d better get in on the action!
Face Time:
Where else can you spend four quality hours with your company CEO or valued customers? With today’s busy schedules most of us are lucky if we can get five minutes! There is simply no other sport with the amount of quiet time between shots that allows for wide-ranging conversations and mutual interests to be discovered.
Serene Surroundings:
You can plan a client meeting in an office surrounded by water, nature and sand instead of four white walls. This instantly creates a more relaxed and friendly environment in which to do business without the normal distractions.
Business Intelligence:
You can learn more about a person in four hours golfing than a lifetime of meetings. Not just be what they say but by how they handle themselves on the course. Do they play by the rules and control their emotions? Or do they fudge and blow a fuse.
Friendships Forged:
An interest in golf alone can be enough to move your friendships several notches up the corporate ladder. Best of all, the friendships built around golf tend to last a lifetime so as people move around new opportunities will open up for you.
Open Doors on the Road:
When you travel, golf is a great way to open doors by letting prospects know you are in the area and up for a game. I have had many amazing relationships around the world by looking on LinkedIn and suggesting a game to someone in the area I am planning to visit.
Perfect Gifting:
When someone is a golfer it’s easy to give a small gift that makes an impact. A golf book, logoed hat or towel from St Andrews can quickly and cheaply enhance a relationship.
Game for Life:
It’s a sport that suits all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Thanks to the handicap system, people of widely different abilities can play together and still compete. So the 60 something CEO can still beat his 30 something prospect or employee. While the 30 something executive can look forward to decades of on-course meetings and deals. Try doing that on the squash court!
Advantage Women:
If you are a businesswoman, playing golf is an even greater advantage. Adrienne Wax, co-author of Even Par: How Golf helps Women Gain the Upper Hand In Business says “Outside the office, you can communicate differently with your higher-level peers and get to know one another in a way that the office can’t provide. Being able to talk golf in the office gives you a chance to bond with the bigwigs. If you can talk about golf, suddenly you have reasons to talk with the CEO.
Networking:
One of the great things about golf is you can just show up at a club and get a game. Depending on your business, you could be looking at three prospects each and every time you tee it up! Either way, golf is the ultimate networking environment for all kinds of professionals and services.
The 19th Hole:
After your round, the 19th holes provides the perfect setting to take your newly enhanced relationship to the next level or indeed go ahead and ask for the order!
So don’t wait any longer, get out of the office and head to the course, to boost your business today!
Phil threw his hat into the logo game ring at the start of his 2017 season by introducing us to “Air Phil.” By far one of the most hilarious on this list, it’s of course, a tribute to his 2004 Masters win. Thumbs up, Phil!
via walczy.com
via golfdigest.com
