8 | AUSTRALASIA NEWS
NSW Golf and
Womens Golf NSW
agree on merger
Golf administration in NSW
received a tremendous boost last
month when a Merger Agreement
was signed by representatives
of both Women’s Golf NSW
and NSW Golf Association. The
Merger Agreement sets out an
agreed framework and should
see GolfNSW established in
2010. Talks of amalgamation
between the two organisations
commenced over six years
ago and along the way, many
a frustrating hurdle was
encountered. However, recent
discussions have resolved all the
previous impediments allowing
the amalgamation to progress
without any further delay.“The
signing of the Merger Agreement
doesn’t entirely seal the union,
but it does set out the guiding
principles that will underpin the
new entity, GolfNSW” said NSWGA
,
President, Stuart Cox when
asked about the momentous
breakthrough. Cox continued,
“Everyone now has a clear view
of what has been agreed and
although there are a few matters
to sort out, they are not expected
to hold up proceedings.”
President elect of Women’s Golf
NSW, Sue Fabian commented,
“We are delighted with the
progress made recently and
look forward to the future with
great optimism. The new, merged
organisation will bring greater
benefits and opportunities and a
stronger profile for golf in NSW.”
A steering committee has been
established to finalise the new
constitution which is expected to
be ready for distribution to clubs
and other relevant stakeholders
for comment in December. The
member vote for the merger is
scheduled for March 2010.
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international news
Local club secures
Nationwide pro
The Geelong Advertiser reported
that Barwon Valley Golf Club
has secured former Nationwide
Tour pro Brad Lamb as its club
pro. Lamb will juggle a coaching
role at the public course with a
hectic summer playing schedule
which kicked off at the Australian
Masters. After indifferent form
on the Australian Tour early this
year, Lamb, 32, is keen to focus on
coaching.“I haven’t been playing
badly as a tour player but I
haven’t been playing well enough
to justify spending another year
playing at this stage,” Lamb
said yesterday.“An opportunity
opened up at Barwon Valley
and I thought it was too good
an opportunity not to start
coaching.” Lamb has toured the
US and Asia after turning pro in
2000 on the back of a spectacular
amateur career. In that year he
claimed the amateur Australian
Open and Victorian Open and
represented Australia in the
Eisenhower Cup.
Global recession costs golf
hundreds of millions in 2009
taken for granted. But Acushnet is
behind 2008 sales by a stunning
$165.3 million. That’s an awful lot
of golf balls. TaylorMade adidas
Golf is holding up better than
Callaway on the sales side, but its
unable to duplicate Acushnet’s
feat of making money. The
company is currently in arrears
to the tune of €23 million. At
the same time last year it was
standing on a profit of €54 million.
The old adage of “Its not so
much what you make, but what
you keep,” isn’t something the
equipment business has delivered
in 2009. If the big kids on the block
are having their troubles, what
does it imply about the smaller
brands?
Hull inducted to Hall of fame
Katherine Hull, a past member of the Pepperdine University
Women’s Golf Team, is one of seven individuals that were inducted
into the Pepperdine University Athletics Hall of Fame. The
induction ceremony took place last month in California. Hull’s Hall
of Fame class did not include any other golfers. Highlighting her
six-year LPGA Tour career was Hull becoming a Rolex First-Time
Winner at the 2008 CN Canadian Women’s Open. She has also
become a leader along with Betsy King in the LPGA Tour member
initiative Golf Fore Africa through World Vision.
www.CliveEndiveOgiveIV.com
|9
No one knew what 2009 had in
store. Hope was being disguised
by denial as the US was grappling
with an economy plummeting
into a recession. A historical
change in leaders was the
backbone for hope. However, it
hasn’t turned out that way, at least
not yet.
Its been said that through
adversity arrives opportunity.
Many in the US golf industry
would like to know when
the latter is coming since the
challenges have been plentiful in
2009 as discretionary spending
by consumers has dwindled. The
year started off for many golf
companies as it has in the past
except for the fact the economy
wasn’t going to be anyone’s friend.
It’s been an extraordinary
sequence of events leading
up to where we are today. Too
numerous and depressing to
mention but business as usual
wasn’t happening in 2009. As the
recession struck, unemployment
levels rose and discretionary
spending for those fortunate
enough to maintain a job was
reserved on a needs only basis. It
quickly became a buyers market,
but finding a buyer proved to be
harder than usual to find.
Despite a wealth of equipment
deals, sales at the big three club
www.golfindustrycentral.com.au
companies (based on published
sales reports) are not what they
once were. Golf retailers quickly
resorted to promotional deals
to try and generate interest. It
helped but it didn’t exactly hit
the mark. Golfsmith, a national
retailer reported nine-month sales
are down $36 million in 2009. In
part, an 8.5 percent decrease in
comparable