An ancient earthling with a keen eye for the movement of celestial objects cleverly deduced that our world did a complete rotation around the sun every 365 days. Ever since then we’ve celebrated New Year’s.
For some, the Dec.31 to Jan.1 changeover is time to party hardy, to get well-lubricated with drams of single malt as we raise a toast to the patron-saint of excessive living, Robbie Burns, Scotland’s gift to poetry and songwriting. His ode to the new year, Auld Lang Syne, is trotted out on the moment the clock slips from December to January.
In the days after the night before, our resolutions firm up. Cut out the booze. Lose weight. Eat better. Fix that wonky putting stroke.
For others, the new year is a time for reflection. It’s about closure and renewal. To journalists, the new year is summation time; it’s when our bosses ask us to take the stories we’ve compiled in 2018 and pick out the ones that portend change. To put the year into context. It’s my chance to shamelessly drop names. So, pass me a wee dram, and away we go.
Let’s start where thousands in the golf industry start their year, in January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. It’s an annual migration of the herd, and to some, the source of the golfing Nile. This is where golf is writ large, a three-day orgy of consumerism. It’s where you might spy Jack Nicklaus or Hank Haney; Nancy Lopez or the entire cast from the Golf Channel.
My colleagues at this magazine – John Gallaugher, and the Mc-Mac boys, Randy McDonald and Ross Macdonald – love the buzz of the show, and the daylong focus on golf. We visit the booths, and lean in when the veteran golf writers wax poetic about a bygone era in the media room. It’s a time to reacquaint with the industry stalwarts, the sellers and buyers who mull over the goods that will fill the pro shops this spring. The show is a teaser, an aperitif, a small taste of what’s to come.
A highlight is visiting the TaylorMade booth. The word booth doesn’t do it justice. It’s like a cathedral, a city-block big. It’s filled to the brim with everything the manufacturer produces. Thousands of visitors are awestruck. Sadly, in 2019, TaylorMade will not be at the show. They’re reassessing their priorities. Finding new places to spend marketing dollars. Putting resources into things like social media outreach.
Does its no-show in Orlando portend more industry cutbacks, or is TaylorMade making a practical move, a chance for them to get more street cred and promote things like their state-of-the-art Canadian headquarters just northwest of Toronto? Whatever, I’ll miss their booth In Orlando.
There were other significant industry happenings in ’18 that will impact ’19. Dwayne Boecker was the head of merchandising and ran all the buying at Golf Town. Everyone in the industry knew him. He’d been with the iconic super retailer for over 18 years. But in ‘18, Golf Town merged with Sporting Life and Boecker made his move.
He’s now the chief of operations for Cobra-Puma Canada. He’s gone from retail, to supplier; from the seller, to leading a team pushing one of the most popular lines in the industry. I had the chance to interview Boecker in the days after his move, and he was pumped about the products, his team, and the prospects for growth in 2019. He says he didn’t leave Golf Town because of the takeover, but because the opportunity to run a company on the ascendency was too tantalizing.
He also said he has learned his craft from the best minds in the business: Dan Ladd, VP of sales and marketing Cobra-Puma; Dave Bradley, TaylorMade; Dave Wilson, Ping; Bruce Carroll from Callaway, and of course, Stephen Bebis, founder of Golf Town. Remember my promise to name drop? Here’s a few more.
Ted Fletcher acquired the distribution of Cleveland Srixon and XXIO, which will now be distributed by Mint Green Group. Adam Cox slides over from Cobra to General Manager of Cleveland.
My favourite event of 2018 was the 30th (and last) RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville. I wrote at length in our last issues about talking with Lee Trevino. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious, and even at 79, he is a high-octane, fun-loving gem. This non-stop jabberer is still a fan favourite. For me, he is everything the mechanical, stoic, unsmiling, standoffish pros on the PGA Tour are not.
News that this was Glen Abbey’s swan song created a wistfulness at this year’s event. And we still don’t know if Golf Canada will name a permanent home for the RBC Open. We know it does have a new date, just before the U.S. Open, and this year, the tourney will be at the iconic Hamilton Golf Club in Ancaster.
My favourite moment in ‘18 was Brooke Henderson’s win at the CP Women’s Open at Wasana Club in Regina. She was the first Canadian to win in 45 years. Seeing the crowd serenade her with O Canada was lump-in-your-throat stuff.
One more thing before I grab another dram. This past year was amazing, literally a life-changer. I survived open heart surgery at Trillium Health Centre in Mississauga thanks to a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Bhatnagar, and a professional staff. There was another medical challenge just weeks later, but I survived that too, and came out on the green side of the grass. My takeaway: I’m so grateful we live in a country that has Medicare, and takes care of its sick. Thank you, Tommy Douglas.
Getting a second chance at life allows me to play a game I love, but something I took for granted. No more. I cherish every tee time. I don’t care if I hit my 8-iron fat and into the sand or the water. I shrug off missed 3-footers. I drink in the surroundings, and enjoy jabbering with my partners, Trevino-like.
Yes, I missed last year’s PGA show in Orlando because of my illness. Yes, I missed Johnny G and the Mc-Mac boys, and the buzz of the PGA Merchandise Show. I missed chatting with people in the golf industry. And yes, I’ll miss the TaylorMade booth. But I’ll be there in 2019, happy and healthy!
The game of golf is the most democratic of games. No matter your age, sex, or financial situation, you can play, whether it’s a private club, or Joe’s Driving Range. It’s a game that keeps us human, and offers up gifts, like Lee Trevino and Brooke Henderson.
My resolutions for 2019 are these: play more golf and finally book that golf vacation to Cabo.
