2009 – The Year of the Melt Down

A year ago I was sitting in my car listening to the second installment of a Planet Money series on NPR and realized the USA was moving into the vortex of a financial melt down. The shock of that realization woke me up every morning for the next nine months.   

I’ve had a similar, albeit less dramatic sense about golf that started with The Masters tournament and has grown with each major.  New equipment sales have taken a beating alongside the declining stature of the star players.   

Cleveland drivers and wedges have suffered a similar fate as Vijay Singh; Cobra has struggled along with Camilo Villegas and J.B Holmes; Wilson is doing even worse than Padraig Harrington, and Nike’s equipment is in the same choppy waters as Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim.  (Note: Nike’s staff winners, Stuart Cink and Lucas Glover, are great players but blanc mange for club sales). 

The Titleist staff has produced a winner or two, but Adam Scott is not one of them.  Titleist is losing tour players to other golf ball companies (notably Srixon) and if Tiger Woods continues to struggle with his Cameron putter there is a real possibility that the new Cameron putter line will be affected. 

Callaway leads the pack in giving away clubs this season, but Phil can’t buy a top ten finish and Ernie Els has been a major disappointment. To be sure, Callaway has done the most to market its clubs and the proof of their success is in the sales numbers.  However, the profit margins are in melt down. 

The LPGA Tour might as well be on another planet for all the influence it has at our shop, especially since Anika Sorrenstam retired. And who knows when that will get better. 

So, can something positive come from all this?  The front page of the Chicago Tribune today featured a story about a teen caddy from Ghana whose devotion to golf and her caddy job are genuinely inspirational.  (www.chicagotribune.com/ghanacaddy).

“Leannette Pokuwaah started caddying at the suggestion of her pastor, who promised it would help her better understand the game of golf and improve her spirituality.  It has done both things.”  Dan Simmons, reporter

Maybe it’s time Tiger Woods and the rest of the tour stars get in touch with the Zen of golf again, rediscovering patience, humility and service to others. Ditto for the equipment companies and the USGA. 

The USGA Senior Amateur Championship is taking place next weekend at Beverly Country Club and the BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open) is playing at Cog Hill that same weekend.  I’ve decided to go to both events (Saturday at Beverly and Sunday at Cog Hill) to rekindle my enthusiasm for the game and its best players.  It can’t happen too soon.