Golfing News & Blog Articles

The National Golf Foundation’s Joe Beditz reports the biggest beginner boom since the start of the century in his latest report.

Over the past two years, the number of beginning golfers in the U.S. is higher than it was back when Woods was at his most dominant. Almost 30% higher. In 2021, a record 3.2 million Americans played golf on a course for the first time. This after 3 million newcomers picked up golf in 2020 as the pandemic unfolded and people sought out safe, outdoor activities that could provide a sense of normalcy with friends and family.

Like the “Tiger Effect,” there’s no question the “Covid Effect” has been a force in its own right in terms of fostering golf engagement. But other factors have helped boost golf trials, too, among them the increased interest created by golf entertainment venues and other off-course forms of the game, and a more favorable public outlook on golf in general. It’s now been six straight years that the number of on-course beginners has exceeded the 2.4 million newcomers Tiger helped introduce to the game in both 1999 and 2000.

Meanwhile in the UK the R&A released these numbers:

Two new participation reports show that 5.3 million on-course adult golfers – the second-highest number since monitoring began over 30 years ago – enjoyed playing on full length courses (9 or 18 holes) in Great Britain and Ireland in 2021. This includes a marginal increase in Ireland and a slight reduction in Great Britain.

But you better be ready to fork over eight figures given the starting bid of $25,000 already has things nearing $600k with two weeks to go.

Golden Age Auctions has a lengthy history of the irons and various affidavit’s certifying their authenticity.

It’s quite a story:

In the 12 years since they first surfaced in the collector market in our 2010 auction, the Tiger Slam irons have been displayed privately in a Houston office complex - appreciated only by the occasional visitor with a passing interest in golf. Over the past several years, we have repeatedly pleaded with Brock to let us showcase them to the world. Yes, the collector market has matured a lot since the dark days of 2010. But it was never about the money, even though these clubs will likely reset the record books. Instead, it was about timing. When was the collector market finally ready to appreciate the value of the very best golf collectibles, and ready to appropriately appreciate Tiger Woods and his position in history. 

After winning the 2001 Masters Tournament, Tiger held all 4 Major Championship titles at the same time - what we now call the Tiger Slam. 7 weeks later, at the Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club in New York, Titleist Director of Player Promotions Rick Nelson and Titleist VP of Player Promotions Steve Mata delivered to Tiger Woods the new set of irons and wedges that Titleist made for him. Tiger decided to put the new clubs into play that week, so Nelson brought Tiger's old clubs to the Titleist Tour Van to verify the specs of the new clubs would match his current gamers. Tiger then put those new clubs into play for the first time during the Wednesday Pro-Am that week. And the old clubs? The ones just used to complete the greatest feat on a golf course since Bobby Jones' Grand Slam in 1930? Tiger gave the clubs to Nelson and Mata, and Mata brought them home with him. It was widely known at Titleist, within Tiger's camp, and within the industry that Mata owned the Tiger Slam irons before he infamously put them up for auction in 2010. 

Application invitations have been sent to prospective Liv Golf Invitational contestants for the initial stop in London. As tends to happen with email, the link and password has been forwarded around and found its way to an inbox of mine.

Unless you meet the criteria, you cannot apply. But in the interest of making sure all worthy candidates have their fair shot at the $25 million purse, I’ll share the criteria below with carefully crafted insights in between. (Note the nice double dollar sign choice for the password.)

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL LONDON

WHEN: 3-day, 54-hole tournament taking place June 9-11, Thursday through Saturday. This ensures anyone competing in the U.S. Open the following week has the ability to travel back to the States on Sunday.



No chartered jet to Logan?

The USGA staved off, well, no one by securing Oakland Hills for future majors and top amateur events. The latest announcement adds to previously announced U.S. Women’s Opens for the fabled South Course.

For Immediate Release for championships not immediately happening:

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 22, 2022) – Historic Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has been selected as the host site for the 2034 and 2051 U.S. Open Championships as well as four additional prestigious USGA amateur championships, starting in 2024. 

“We could not be happier to bring six additional championships to such an iconic venue as Oakland Hills,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “Since its first U.S. Open in 1924, Oakland Hills has provided a supreme test for the game’s very best, and it will continue to do so for professionals and amateurs alike in the coming years.”  

Adding to the two U.S. Opens and the two U.S. Women’s Opens in 2031 and 2042 announced in January, Oakland Hills’ South Course will host the 2024 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2038 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 2047 U.S. Amateur. The club is set to host a total of eight USGA championships between 2024 and 2051. It will become the fifth club to have hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Pebble Beach set to join those ranks when it hosts the U.S. Women’s Open in 2023.