Golfweek

Nickent Golf, which just a few years ago gained acclaim for its popular hybrid clubs, is preparing to liquidate its business.

Struggling with cash-flow issues since the first quarter of this year, Nickent’s mercurial run in the equipment market has come to an end.

“Our bank has refused to fund any future operations of the company,” John Hoeflich, Nickent’s president, told Golfweek on Nov. 19. He said the company has been in receivership since May and that when efforts to find additional capital failed, Nickent found itself with no other options.

The equipment maker’s fortunes turned in early 2008 when it made an ill-fated gamble on the nascent adjustable-driver market. Hoping to make inroads into the driver category, Nickent pushed aggressively to be among the first to unveil a conforming driver that could easily swap shafts for immediate play.

At the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show, the company unveiled its adjustable driver package – a clubhead, two shafts and a wrench – for $479. But neither its driver, nor the product category as a whole, captured much consumer interest. Then, in the second half of 2008, the economy tanked. The combination proved fatal for Nickent.

“We bet heavily on the ...

The combination of a brutal economy and big golf retail chains expanding their domains means “mom and pop” shops soon may become an endangered species.

Evidence to support that theory comes from an annual study by industry research firm Longitudes Group, which reports more than 245 off-course golf stores in the U.S. closed in the past 12 months – the highest tally recorded since this research began six years ago.

The closures represent more than a 17 percent decline in store locations and a 9.6 percent shrinkage in total retail square footage.

Meanwhile, so-called “big-box” stores, or golf retail chains, continue to increase their market share: Big-box retailers now account for 24 percent of all stores and occupy 60 percent of all available retail space.

“Many of the mom & pops that could not survive the economic downturn had been in business for 20-plus years. . .” said Sara Killeen, president of Longitudes Group, in a statement.

Of the nearly 200 retail markets that Longitudes tracks, seven of them since 2008 have lost the only golf store they had in their respective towns. Among the store-less markets: Bangor, Maine; and Paducah, Kentucky.

Other findings from the 2009 Market Trend Report on USA ...

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem’s Asian adventure is under way, further confirming the region’s growing importance in the golf hierarchy. Finchem is spending 18 days in Asia, visiting five cities to meet current and potential sponsors. He reportedly will stay the weekend at the World Golf Championship event in Shanghai. Finchem said he could not remember a longer trip since he became commissioner 15 years ago.

“I haven’t been to Japan in three years, and we have a lot of existing customers,” Finchem told the Associated Press in October. “We have a WGC in China. There are other things I need to do in China and Korea. I would say 80 percent of the trip is seeing existing customers and potential customers, partners, possible sponsors, possible official marketing partners.”

The ramifications of the trip could be significant. As one industry observer put it, once Finchem sees the potential of the Asian market for himself he is going to want the Tour to have a larger stake there.

It’s a testament of the growing stature of the game in the region. The golf craze in Korea is well documented. China and India, where golf is becoming popular ...

In short order, this week’s Barclays Singapore Open has garnered a reputation for showcasing a star-studded field. But its transformation hasn’t come without turmoil.

Indeed, in 2007, participants in the field earned more World Ranking points than those who competed in the PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic held in the same week.

That same year, the Singapore tournament’s date conflicted with the European Tour’s season-ending event. Ernie Els infuriated European Tour officials when he skipped the Volvo Masters to honor his contractual commitment to play in Singapore. To some, it was the equivalent of Tiger Woods passing on the FedEx Cup finale to play an event abroad.

Such conflicts, however, have been resolved. For the first time, “Asia’s major” is co-sanctioned with the European Tour and is part of The Race to Dubai. As you might expect, some welcome this development while others view it with open skepticism.

Absent from the golf calendar for three years, the Singapore Open was reborn in 2005 as Asia’s richest full-field event. In its effort to raise its profile and sell real estate, Sentosa Island, a former fishing village transformed into Singapore’s premier island ...

Bruce Parker, the former Callaway Golf executive who helped generate billions of dollars in revenue for the company during his 15-year tenure as its top sales chief, died Oct. 24 from heart failure at his Los Angeles home. He was 53.

Parker stepped down as the company’s senior executive vice president of U.S. sales in 2000 and then agreed to a four-year deal to provide counseling to then-CEO Ely Callaway and company president Chuck Yash.

The late Ely Callaway regarded Parker as one of his top confidants, and at the time of the executive change said in a statement: “In the fifteen years Bruce Parker has been our chief merchant, we have sold over $3.7 billion worth of golf clubs and accessories. . . . Bruce’s drive, instincts, and talents have contributed greatly to the success of Callaway Golf and its retailers.”

On Oct. 26, Steve McCracken, the company’s senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer, paid tribute to his former colleague.

“When Bruce joined Callaway Golf in 1984 to direct the company’s sales efforts, Callaway was privately held and virtually unknown in the golf industry,” McCracken said in a statement. “By the time he left ...

Robert Lang was a visionary, according to Mike Davis of the USGA, but his vision became clouded with what many golf course developers say is their No. 1 problem in ownership: debt service.

When Lang built Erin Hills in 2006, it caused many to fall in love with the beauty of the links in the middle of Wisconsin.

Part of that group was the USGA.

Lang said many times he never envisioned a major championship at Erin Hills, but as the possibility of a U.S. Open started to develop, Lang became singularly focused on the event.

While short of an obsession, Lang’s desire to host a U.S Open in Wisconsin became a passion. To feed his desire to host a major, Lang had to make numerous changes to Erin Hills, the latest of which were completed this summer.

It was those last changes, amid a stumbling economy, that refocused Lang’s desire from hosting a U.S. Open to trying to find away to became financially whole again. He sought a buyer that shared his passion and could afford Erin Hills at present and through any other necessary changes the course would require if it were to ...

Targeting a growing fan base in India, the PGA Tour announced a six-year extension for its tournament broadcast rights with NEO Sports.

The two parties have been partners since 2008, but the lengthier new deal that runs through 2015 indicates a strengthening of the business relationship. India’s burgeoning middle class and the Tour’s push to globalize the game have made the country a vital market.

“Our association with (NEO Sports) will help us reach the ever-growing Indian golf audience and fulfill its expectations of access to top-quality golf,” said Tim Leisure, the Tour’s senior vice president, international television.

The extension with NEO Sports, an all-sports channel that is part of NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt. Ltd., begins in January.

In addition to televising live tournament action, NEO Sports will offer two weekly Tour programs: A one-hour highlights show replaying action from the previous week’s events, and “Inside the PGA Tour,” a magazine-style TV show with features about players and Tour activities.

According to the Tour, its tournaments are being broadcast this year to more than 589 million households in 231 countries and in 30 languages. By comparison in 2004, the Tour’s international reach was 350 million ...

Back-to-back.

Titleist announced it will make its second consecutive appearance at the PGA Merchandise Show in 2010.

In January, Titleist returned to the industry’s largest trade show for the first time since 2002. The company had skipped the annual event, in part, over escalating exhibition costs and questions about the show’s relevance in an evolving marketplace.

In response to such concerns, show officials placed a premium on offering educational programs in an attempt to make the event a must-attend for PGA members. The changes clearly are resonating with exhibitors, too.

“The PGA Merchandise Show continues to evolve in a positive direction by shifting the show's emphasis to a more educational platform for its membership,” said Jerry Bellis, president, Titleist Golf Balls Worldwide, in a statement.

Titleist has committed to exhibit its new products on the show floor during the event in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 28-30. In addition, Titleist is planning a variety of seminars featuring keynote speakers. The company also will participate in the expo’s prelude – the Outdoor Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Center on Jan. 27.

In a year when golf tournament sponsors have been crucified for excessive spending on Sheryl Crow concerts and the like, one company is making the case that sponsoring golf still is good business.

To coincide with the opening day of the Barclays Singapore Open on Oct. 29, Barclays will host over 400 clients at a business forum with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the keynote speaker. It is the firm’s flagship conference in Asia and has become one of the most popular elements of tournament week.

“We bring our clients from all around Asia for two days in the Barclays Asia Forum,” explained Barclays president Bob Diamond. “Last year I chaired it with Dr. Henry Kissinger. . . . We have speakers on economic events and politics. It's a great event.”

Clearly, tickets, a beverage and a hot dog no longer get it done as a form of client entertainment, but not even TMZ.com or The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd can raise an eyebrow at a conference to discuss global issues confronting markets, businesses and governments.

Look out Baskin-Robbins, there once again are 31 flavors of TPCs.

Two high-profile resort courses, the Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami and the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., joined the TPC network through a licensing agreement announced this week.

David Pillsbury, president and chief operating officer of PGA Tour Golf Course Properties, said this is the beginning of a licensing strategy to sign 10 to 15 resort destination facilities into the TPC family, adding between two to five annually for the next three years. In 2007, Pillsbury orchestrated the sale of several underperforming TPC courses.

“We decided we’re better off trading on our brand strength and management capability and ability to drive incremental business to clients rather than use equity to buy golf courses,” Pillsbury explained.

The name and logo changes at the two courses occur immediately, and the changeover takes effect Nov. 1. There are now 19 privately owned TPC facilities (20 when TPC San Antonio opens in January) and 12 licensing agreements. TPC Cancun is currently under construction, and Pillsbury said his division plans to launch an international club concept in 24 to 36 months in five or six ...

Libba Galloway, the LPGA’s deputy commissioner, is one of several casualties of an LPGA downsizing that occurred Oct. 7.

In a staff meeting held shortly before noon at the tour’s Daytona Beach, Fla., headquarters, acting commissioner Marty Evans told employees that a shrinking tournament schedule in 2010 – and resulting revenue decline – forced the job cuts. In addition to the deputy commissioner, who will remain onboard through the end of the year, seven staff members lost their jobs, a source told Golfweek. It was not known if their terminations were effective immediately.

According to a source, Evans, who is serving as the tour’s chief only until a permanent replacement is found, told the staff that she made the cuts now because she didn’t want the incoming commissioner to inherit staffing concerns.

In addition, Evans said she was in a position to evaluate personnel needs more efficiently than her successor, freeing the new commissioner to tackle weightier issues facing the tour. She declined to release the names of the seven employees. The LPGA had a similar downsizing in January.

Former commissioner Carolyn Bivens brought back the position of deputy commissioner in 2007 and promoted Galloway to the post ...

Heading into last month’s Samsung World Championship, the LPGA thought negotiations with the longtime sponsor were dead.

Then things went swimmingly at Torrey Pines and there was renewed hope.

It didn’t last long.

LPGA officials were surprised to hear Oct. 2 that Samsung would not renew its sponsorship for 2010, Golfweek has learned.

This year marked the 29th edition of the elite tournament. Tournament owner IMG is expected to begin the search for a new title sponsor.

The Samsung news comes on the heels of earlier announcements this week that Navistar and State Farm will be back next season. The LPGA aims to have 25 events on the 2010 schedule.

Is golf in trouble after the International Olympic Committee’s stunning decision in picking Rio de Janeiro over Chicago for the venue of the 2016 Summer Olympics?

That was the first question I had once I heard the news.

Chicago was the favorite going into today’s vote in Copenhagen, Denmark, but the favorite last time around lost to London for the 2012 Olympics.

So I texted Ty Votaw, executive director of the International Golf Federation, who is in Copenhagen all week preparing for next week’s vote on golf’s inclusion in the 2016 Games.

Votaw, who was just leaving an IOC reception, doesn’t think the vote will influence golf’s inclusion in the Games, negatively or positively.

“It's great for the region and it's great from golf in South America,” Votaw said of Rio’s selection as the 2016 host city.

Still, you have to wonder whether such a stunning turnaround, with the apparent favorite going down in the first round as Chicago did, if those in golf shouldn’t be a little worried.

However, it dawned on me that golf really isn’t the favorite. Rugby sevens was the first sport moved forward by ...

Tiger Woods gave Chicago golf courses – specifically Cog Hill No. 4 – a thumbs up as a venue for the 2016 Olympics, but apparently no one in Copenhagen, Denmark, was listening.

That’s where IOC members gathered today to select a host city for the Summer Games in seven years, and in the first round of voting eliminated Chicago from consideration. Next Friday, the IOC will consider adding golf as an Olympic sport in 2016.

As unpredictable as IOC voting may be, Chicago’s quick dismissal was unexpected, to say the least.

The city’s ouster left local golf leaders wondering what might have been.

“It would have been tremendous to be able to have golf reintroduced to an Olympic Games that’s being played in Chicago,” said Robert Markionni, executive director of the Chicago District Golf Association.

Indeed, interest in golf’s possible addition to the Olympics, as well as Chicago’s candidacy as a host city, spiked at the BMW Championship when Woods said this about Cog Hill, where he is a multiple winner: “I think you have to have it at a public venue because of the nature of what the Olympics are all about. And certainly this ...

Evaluating the success of the FedEx Cup playoffs can be somewhat of a subjective affair, but there’s little doubt it is meeting one of the Tour’s top goals: Driving viewership well past the season’s last major.

Overall, final weekend ratings for the four playoff events – though up 85 percent compared with a year ago – didn’t top 2007 levels.

But Tour officials maintain ratings from the first three years of the playoffs have shown “dramatic increases” over the three-year period before the playoffs were introduced.

Weekend ratings for each of the four events posted significant increases from a year ago (when Tiger Woods sat out recovering from knee surgery): The Barclays, up 93 percent; Deutsche Bank Championship, up 33 percent; BMW Championship (up 120 percent); and the Tour Championship (up 86 percent).

The final round ratings for each:

• The Barclays: 3.2
• Deutsche Bank: 2.2
• BMW: 2.3
• Tour Championship: 3.0

Though the increases are impressive, the actual ratings can be put in some context when compared with data from the broadcasts of other recent sporting events (held Sept. 19-20). A sampling from the final Nielsen ratings published in Sports Business Daily:

• NCAA football: Tennessee ...