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.
A Cool Way to Display A Corporate Logo – 140,000 Golf Balls!
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!
At last week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, fans and players alike were treated to a truly unique golf tournament.
The theme is to raise awareness of how everyone can reduce waste and recycle basically anything, including golf balls. Tournament organizers added some real personality to the event with a creative display on the 18th hole.
Waste management had to use over 140,000 golf balls to make that Waste Management Corporate Logo. As the time-lapse video shows, tournament employees had to go through a painstakingly slow process to make it happen. A second floating design was used on the 15th hole at TPC Scottsdale, this time consisting of 75,000 recycled golf tees. Pretty cool stuff.
The water holes at TPC Scottsdale presented a challenge for the PGA TOUR pros—and an opportunity for us to celebrate the tournament’s green initiatives. On 18, we created a floating logo that repurposed 140,000 used golf balls, later donated to a local youth charity. On 15, we built a second floating display, this one incorporating 750,000 tees made from recycled plastic. Next year, they’ll use them again.
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.”
New Golf Wipes – Cool way to Clean Clubs & Balls While Playing!
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!
Gila Golf Wipes were designed by golfers for golfers.
They are pre-treated with a cleaning solution and feature a soft, smooth side to clean your ball and a textured side to effectively clean your club faces.
Quick and easy! I will get some of these for my next round instead of relying on a dirty towel and minimal access to water on some courses.
How to Organize a Charity Golf Tournament – Tips for Success!
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!
Most of us have played in at least one tournament, which raises funds for a worthy cause.
In the last 3 years, I’ve seen a great increase in the number of charity tournaments. My golf school donates lessons to at least 25 of those events every year. In the rare instance that I’m not teaching on the tournament day, I will also play in it. The camaraderie of friends and other golfers make it a fun, feel-good experience.
Recently, a relative of mine was charged with setting up a charity tournament, and she has learned a great deal about committees, volunteers, sponsors, and more.
To learn all you can about raising the most funds possible, getting players and sponsorships on board, etc. fast-track to these 15 videos provided by Mike Becks at eHow.com:
Cookouts are an integral part of a successful charity golf event.
Learn all about organizing a charity golf tournament in this free video series.
Series Summary
Golf is a social sport. It brings people of all ages together to share in the same frustration: getting a little ball into a hole. Like most sports, golf is enhanced with companions. For instance, who will believe you made that birdie on the 4th hole if no one was there? Friends not only promote bragging rights, they also help you cope with your tipple boggy.
For this reason (and many others), golf has evolved into one of the most popular games around. Golf has been played for centuries, and though there is the obvious appeal of competition, it is by no means the only reason to play the game. Today, charity golf tournaments are extremely popular and very successful.
People love coming together to play the game especially if it is for a good cause.In this video series, learn about how to organize a charity golf tournament. Mike Becks offers great advice to plan your own charity event. He illustrates the importance of locations, committees, and volunteers. Mike also helps you realize how you can get sponsors for your charity golf tournament.
With his tips, you can raise more money for your charity than you ever thought possible. So, before you start your next fund raising activity, watch these tips and learn how to organize a charity golf tournament today!
Listing 1-15 of 15 videos
How to Organize Volunteers for a Charity Golf Tournament.
Learn about organizing volunteers for a charity golf tournament.
Soliciting help, positions to fill, and how many volunteers you will need in this free video clip. Read More
How to Raise More Funds in a Charity Golf Tournament
Learn about the value of a super ticket in organizing a charity golf tournament by simplifying the number of tickets required to participate in events in this free video clip. Read More
Award Ceremony Advice for Charity Golf Tournaments
Learn what to do at an award ceremony in a charity golf tournament in this free expert video clip. Read More
Top 12 Golfing Villains – I would not mess with #7!
There will always be villains among us.
They are greedy, selfish, good for nothing people who try to benefit from other peoples misfortune! When I find out that these people are also golfers it really sticks in my craw. To me, golf is an honest game featuring people with integrity and selflessness. Every day I teach golfers from all walks of life, and almost all of these will fit into the categories I have listed above. Those that don’t fit on this list have no place on the course. Here are the top 12 villains brought to you by Josh Sens writing for GOLF.com
Golf likes to cast itself as a great game of honor. But its sunny reputation runs against this hard reality: through its history, golf has also drawn its share of despots, murderers and thieves.
Sure, there was Ben Hogan. But there was also Bernie Madoff. Yes, Bryon Nelson played. But so did Kim Jong Il. We could go on. And come to think of it, we will!
Here’s a look at 12 of the most unsavory characters to ever swing a club.
Bernie Madoff.
Of the estimated $18 billion Bernie made off with in the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, more than $1 billion came from fellow golfers at private clubs along the East Coast, where the fraudulent financier maintained close ties and, in some cases, his own membership. Madoff’s index was listed as a 9.4, but when the scandal broke, word got out that he hadn’t posted a score in years. It was just another number that was too good to be true.
Kim Jong Il.
Never mind the cartoonish South Park depictions of him. There was nothing comical about Kim (above, right), the so-called Supreme Leader of one of the world’s most murderous regimes. Well, actually, this is kinda funny: in 1994, in his first and only attempt at the game, the North Korean tyrant supposedly fired a 38-under 34 at Pyongyang Golf Club, in a round highlighted by 11 holes-in-one.
Allen Stanford.
Sir Allen Stanford was the formal title of the knighted financier, and did he ever turn out to be a royal sleaze. His umbrella company, the Stanford Financial Group, didn’t merely sponsor a PGA Tour event as well as such top players as David Toms and Vijay Singh. It was also part of a shady business empire through which Stanford perpetrated a multi-billion dollar financial scam. Stanford is currently serving a 110-year prison sentence. Among the investors he bilked was Henrik Stenson, who lost a reported $8 million to Stanford’s scheme.
Nicolae Ceausescu.
The genocidal Romanian despot met his death by firing squad in 1989. Years before that, in the early 1970s, he met his match on the golf course when he played–and lost–an 18 hole exhibition against another national leader. Ceausescu’s opponent? Richard M. Nixon, who claimed not to be a crook but, in the eyes of many, was.
O.J. Simpson.
At the time of his implication in the grisly Brentwood double-murder, Simpson was a member in good standing at nearby Riviera Country Club. Nowadays, of course, he spends his time at a less prestigious institution: Lovelock Correction Center in Nevada, where he’s serving a 33-year sentence for multiple felonies, including armed robbery and kidnapping.
Karl Henkell.
Adolf Hitler had countless yes-men. One was Henkell, aka “the golf fuhrer,” the scion of a wealthy wine-making family who served as president of the German Golf Union. In the early 1930s, in preparation for a propagandist amateur golf tournament held in Germany in advance of ’36 Berlin Olympics, Henkell toured the eastern seaboard of the United States, visiting marquee country clubs along the way.
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
