Tag: Seth Waugh

Schupak: How golf whiffed during quarantine

We are 50+ days into lockdow but golf has a chance to be the go-to sport post-COVID-19.

The news on Monday that four PGA Tour pros will be competing in a made-for-TV charity skins game warmed my heart like Linus from Peanuts being swaddled in his blanket. Oh, live professional golf – or at least something resembling it – how I’ve missed you.

How long has it been since I’ve gone over the birdies and bogeys with Hideki Matsuyama on his course-record tying 63 at TPC Sawgrass?

We can only watch marble races on the Ocho for so long, right? But it brings me to my larger point: how golf has whiffed during quarantine.

As one of my industry friends pointed out to me, how is it every musician has managed to play a concert in their living room but we can’t get one cameraman to follow one of her favorite players around the golf course for a day to play a match? Show us how you practice. Show our government leaders in the remaining states opposed to golf course openings that fresh air on the course isn’t a bad thing. We are 50+ days into lockdown and we have one match lined up and another Tiger-Phil match on the horizon. Is that really all the industry has to show for itself (plus a country club showdown in Dallas that we didn’t get to see)?

Billy Horschel and Rory McIlroy Peloton
Bill Horschel’s Peloton numbers are on the left. McIlroy’s numbers are on the right.

PGA Tour pros from Rory McIlroy to Billy Horschel to Charley Hoffman have promoted Peloton (not even a Tour sponsor!) more than the sport that has brought them fame and fortune. Kudos to NASCAR for pivoting and quickly launching an e-race series so we could see Ian Poulter in his favorite habitat behind the wheel. Why couldn’t the professional golf circuits jump on something similar? Why couldn’t Jordan Spieth just invite a few friends over to the house for a simulator match and ask his wife to film it on his phone? We’d watch.

Finally, the European Tour has hopped on board with the BMW Indoor Invitational, a series of five 18-hole virtual golf tournaments contested using TrackMan. What took so long? And where’s Tiger Woods playing some old-school EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour. So, the rights agreement ended six years ago; it would still be cool, and we’d watch. Instead, the only Tiger we’ve gotten is Netflix’s Tiger King. (Note: PGA Tour 2K21 video game debuts May 14. It’s. About. Time.)

Yeah, we’ve gotten a few chuckles from indoor putting videos and clever trick shots, and thanks to Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington for the golf tips, but other than that the world of golf gets an epic fail for creativity.

Brendon Todd said he tried to get a Georgia-Georgia Tech grudge match off the ground between he and fellow Bulldog Chris Kirk against Yellowjackets Roberto Castro and Stewart Cink, but couldn’t get the sponsorship necessary for a TV crew. Paging, Golf Channel. We’d watch.

[protected-iframe id=”f39a802a811100f9421100b5f84bf127-120918734-151533047″ info=”https://omny.fm/shows/the-forward-press-podcast-from-golfweek-com/adam-schupak-taylormade-driving-relief-the-legitim/embed” width=”100%” height=”180″ frameborder=”0″]

While we’re on the subject of Golf Channel, memo to schedule-makers: we didn’t want to see Big Break XI, or the earlier renditions the first time. Please, you’re better than that. But pretty soon, I’m going to run out of watching the vast library of old majors on YouTube and the like.

It had been so long since I had watched sports of any kind that when I went to punch in the digits for ESPN on my clicker to relive the 1986 Masters, I had the equivalent of brain freeze from a milkshake, and I couldn’t remember the three numbers that are usually my speed dial.

Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler pose together during a round of golf on March 19, 2020. (Justin Thomas/Instagram)

I’m picking on golf because that’s my passion, but as an ardent fan of anything with a winner and a loser, I’d say all sports have whiffed. Other than a poorly produced game of H-O-R-S-E and the Michael Jordan documentary, we’ve been binging new seasons of Ozark, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Money Heist. How about a backyard shootout with the NHL street-hockey style? Or give me a football toss through the tire swing with quarterbacks? Come on sports, we’re better than this.

Lady Gaga rounded up the whole music industry in two weeks. Half of golf’s tour pros live in Jupiter or Palm Beach, Florida. Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas gave us a taste with their Instagram match playing left-handed. But we’re craving more. Come on guys, stop killing brain cells watching TikTok, grab two carts, and get your significant others or best mate to tag along and have them live stream you hitting bombs and making it rain birdies via your phone. We’d watch.

Why does this matter?

Because golf has a chance to be the go-to sport post-COVID-19. It is poised to be the first major sport to go back to something resembling normal, and social distancing is built into golf. Our game is played outside, in small groups, and the necessary precautions of removing rakes and placing pool noodles in the hole already have been implemented at most courses.

Viewership for the Charles Schwab Challenge in June – if it comes off – will be gangbusters, but professional golf still will have to make a lot of adjustments to accommodate the same number of fans. The real opportunity is in recreational golf. Golf courses are opening around the country and there is pent-up demand, but also grave concern that courses won’t be able to survive the financial disarray caused by the global pandemic. Still, team sports are going to take a hit, especially with juniors. This is a time for golf to puff out its chest and remind sports fans why golf is the greatest game of all. Where are the PSA’s promoting the beneficial reasons to play golf?

“We will be launching a campaign in due course with a number of PSAs in a variety of ways to talk about the benefits of golf, and you will begin to see those come out soon,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America.

That’s a start because the golf industry tends to rest on its laurels – being on TV every weekend and having its own channel tends to do that – and doesn’t need to worry about exposure. Now would be a good time for the industry as a whole to actively seek and market to new golfers and support the people in the industry slogging it out and turning on the lights and cutting the grass at 15,000 courses nationwide.

It’s also a sensitive time and maybe pros and instructors were afraid of sending a mixed message when flattening the curve was the thing to do, but we can only watch our government officials give daily briefings for so long.

The industry whiffed during quarantine, but this game is far from over. Let’s not sit back and let marble racing become the new national pastime.

[jwplayer Zmk6chRu-vgFm21H3]

[lawrence-related id=778043193,778043088,778042705]

Social distancing key to golf’s safe return according to new industry initiative Back2Golf

Working with the CDC, golf industry leaders suggest a three-phased approach for sport’s return to normal after coronavirus

Bobby Jones once described the most important part of golf to be those nearly six inches between a player’s ears. These days, even more important is that six feet be maintained between players, as effective social distancing is the best way to keep golfers and course employees safe as the sport attempts a return to normal.

That was the finding of a golf industry collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that resulted in a newly compiled set of guidelines for golf’s return. The effort included the U.S. Golf Association, the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, the LPGA, the National Golf Course Owners Association, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Club Management Association of America.

The specific actions issued as part of those groups’ Back2Golf initiative are not brand new in relation to the timeline of the pandemic – most courses that have reopened or that never ceased play already have touted many of the same efforts to keep players and staff safe. But the Back2Golf recommendations are the first time the industry has compiled a list of best practices into one set of guidelines.

Seth Waugh

“It lays out a path to full recovery, whatever that looks like in the new world,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said Tuesday during the initiative’s launch. “It lays out the three phases that are important. … This is meant to be a roadmap. A lot of this has already been implemented, and that’s the good news. We’re not trying to be prescriptive and to say this is the only way to do things. What we’re saying is we … believe this is a safe way to do it.”

The three phases should be implemented based on the status of the pandemic in any given locale. They are described as:

Phase 1: Gatherings of no more than 10 people; strict social distancing; walking the course or single riders in a cart; restricted course setup such as preventing balls from falling too deeply in the hole, no touching the flagstick and removing rakes from bunkers; and avoiding clubhouses, golf shops and other amenities.

Phase 2: Gatherings of no more than 50 people; social distancing maintained; normal groups of golfers may play together; restricted course setup maintained; limited clubhouse operations; and restrictions on leagues, events and youth activities.

Phase 3: Unrestricted gatherings; comprehensive sanitation procedures; normal golf operations and maintenance; full clubhouse operations and events; and unrestricted leagues and youth activities.

If these sound very similar to general safety guidelines that have been suggested by government agencies for the past two months, it’s because the Back2Golf organizers consulted with the CDC for best practices. The CDC reviewed the golf guidelines and made several recommendations.

As an example, Jeff Morgan, CEO of the Club Management Association of America, said the first draft of guidelines recommended that workers wear masks and gloves.

“They were really particular that masks were for frontline workers and responders and that we should be referring to cloth facial coverings in the workplace, and that’s what they’re recommending overall,” Morgan said. “Similarly, unless the worker is normally wearing gloves, they recommend not wearing gloves because it creates a false sense of security when it should be a no-touch environment with social distancing.

“In each industry, they want to see social distancing described very particularly. … Their point in golf was you need to be careful that people don’t become complacent and let their guard down. So, thinking about how to describe social distancing in golf and the specific practices, (it is things such as) making sure you have clearly identified your ball when you start play so you’re not picking up the wrong ball and creating a touch point that would not be safe.”

Waugh called the suggestions a “living document.”

“As has been said, we’re kind of flying this airplane as we’re building it,” said Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. “We’re all learning as we go through this global pandemic. We’ll continue to update these practices as we go through and learn more about what works and what doesn’t work.”

While the Back2Golf initiative has no power of enforcement over the 16,000-plus golf facilities in the U.S., the groups hope that course operators will comply with the suggestions and with all local, state and national guidelines.

USGA CEO Mike Davis said golfers have a responsibility to behave in a safe fashion in accordance with best practices. (Golfweek archives)

“Part of the operators’ responsibility, once they put those rules in place, is to make sure the players are operating by it,” Morgan said. “It’s not only about their safety, it’s about the staff safety and everyone else that is playing. I would hope that operators are aware of the entire experience and have an obligation to make sure that everybody is abiding by the rules that that facility sets up.”

Mike Davis, CEO of the USGA, said that while it’s difficult to find many positives in the midst of a crisis, golf has an opportunity to showcase itself as a model of how people can begin a return to normal life while safely getting outside for some exercise and camaraderie.

“We’re fortunate to have an opportunity to start playing again that really is dependent on our collective ability to follow social distancing guidelines and to make the right choices when we’re out on the golf courses,” Davis said. “We’re all in this together, so be responsible.”

[jwplayer VF5W2xKm-vgFm21H3]

[lawrence-related id=778043144,778034627,778043109]

PGA of America offer millions of dollars in cash grants to help industry workers

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund will help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The PGA of America announced on Monday that it has developed the Golf Emergency Relief Fund to help individuals who work in the golf industry weather the storm caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Golf Emergency Relief Fund started with a $5 million pledge by the PGA of America with a matching fund for gifts by third parties of up to $2.5 million, raising the total to as much or more than $10 million. That money will be made available in direct payments to a wide range of the golf industry’s 1.8 million workers, not just the 29,000 PGA of America professionals. Those impacted financially by COVID-19 can apply for a share of these funds as early as Thursday.

“This is all going to individuals,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “We tried to design it in a way that makes the most sense and gets it to the people in the most need.”

The fund will be administered by E4E Relief, an independent third-party public charity. There will be two phases, the first supplying grants of $500 to $1,500 for people in the most immediate need, then transitioning several weeks later into a second phase with grants topping out at $3,500.

Qualified applicants will include Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members, caddies who are employed through a handful of caddie companies, Association of Golf Merchandisers members, players on developmental tours and more (see the complete list of possible candidates at the bottom of this story).

The initial funding includes direct contributions from PGA of America board members and executives, and Waugh said those contributions are not yet fully determined but will reach into the high six figures. The effort also is being supported in various ways by a number of industry organizations, including the GCSAA, PGA Tour, LPGA, U.S. Golf Association, the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Association of Golf Merchandisers.

“We’ve added the Relief Fund as a next layer of defense, to pump a little adrenaline into the system in the form of cash,” Waugh said. “We’re just thinking about how to get everybody to the other side, so that’s our approach.”

Seth Waugh (Photo by Montana Pritchard/PGA of America)

Waugh estimated that with outside contributions, the fund could grow to as much as $20 million. He said the PGA of America has not been able to fully audit how much of the golf industry has been impacted by COVID-19 or to what degree, but he said “it’s a bunch of small businesses that are getting crushed” as more than half the golf courses in the U.S. are closed with 16 states banning golf altogether during the pandemic, based on a recent National Golf Foundation report.

“You go to any business with a zero-revenue model, that’s pretty hard to model, right?” Waugh said. The full impact on the golf industry “obviously depends on how long it lasts. … This is an event-driven crisis. Everything was going well. If this is a two- to three-month crisis, we probably can come back pretty much as business as usual. If it goes longer than that, there will be some failures and there will be some consolidations.”

Hence the relief fund, Waugh said, as well as delaying PGA of America membership dues and working directly with all 41 PGA sections to help them survive the pandemic.

“We’re put on earth to serve our members and the game, and what more important moment to do it than now?” said Waugh, the former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas who took his role with the PGA of America in 2018. “You wake up every morning trying to figure out how to be smart and to be human, and the most important part is how can you be the most human. If you can do that, and prove that you have a brain as well as soul, you can come out of these things better than you went in.”

Below is the complete list of industry employees who may apply for a grant at https://relief.golf:

  • PGA of America professionals (includes members, students and associates)
  • LPGA professionals (includes members and students/apprentices)
  • Golf Course Superintendents Association of America members
  • Employed or contracted as a caddie of one of the following caddie companies (qualifying employers and their subsidiaries): Caddienow, Caddiemaster, 4C Caddies, Premier Caddies, ClubUp, CaddieU, Circuit Caddie and Caddy King
  • Association of Golf Merchandisers members
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the PGA Tour (Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour China Series)
  • Players in developmental tours operated by the LPGA (Symetra Tour)
  • Employees of United States Golf Association authorized allied golf associations
  • Employees of PGA of America sections
  • National Golf Course Owners Association members

[lawrence-related id=778035753,778035644]

How PGA CEO Seth Waugh became a force with Justin Rose at the Seminole Pro-Member

PGA CEO Seth Waugh explains how he and Justin Rose became a dynamic duo and three-time winners at the Seminole Pro-Member

At a time when most people his age are eyeing retirement, Seth Waugh, 61, is as busy as ever as CEO of the PGA of America, but not too busy to participate in the best-attended Monday pro-am in golf.

It’s the Seminole Pro-Member at the 1929 Donald Ross masterpiece in Juno Beach, Florida, site of the 2021 Walker Cup and ranked No. 13 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list, where past champions of this one-of-a-kind event dating to 1937 include Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. It has been played the Monday after the Honda Classic since 2017. (From 2004-16, it was held the Monday after the World Golf Championship at Trump Doral Resort.)

Look to the wall of champions on the mahogany board in the northeast corner of the Seminole Golf Club locker room in gold lettering for Waugh’s name alongside his partner Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner and Olympic gold medalist.

Webb Simpson, right, and CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas Seth Waugh pose with the trophy after the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament at TPC Boston.
Webb Simpson, right, receives the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship trophy from then-CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas Seth Waugh

At the PGA Merchandise Show in January, Waugh, a former executive with Deutsche Bank, who has teamed with Rose to win the Pro-Member three times (2012, ’16-17), proved he knows his numbers and has his sights set on hoisting another trophy.

“Four is more than three, right?” he said with a wink.

The Waugh-Rose bond runs deeper than a glorified one-day pro-am. It dates to 2003, when Waugh green-lighted his then tournament director Jay Monahan – yes, the PGA Tour Commish once ran the Deutsche Bank Championship near Boston – to offer Rose a sponsor’s exemption via the foreign-player exemption category.

“It was the first year of the tournament and we were at the governor’s state house for the pro-am draw party and Mitt Romney was governor,” Waugh says, setting the scene for a well-practiced story.

“I see this young man nibbling on shrimp cocktail at the seafood bar. I went up to him and asked if he was Justin Rose. He said he was. I said, ‘Well, what are you doing here?’ He said he got an exemption from Deutsche Bank and thought he should thank somebody. I said, ‘That was very nice. Did your agent suggest it?’ He said, ‘I don’t have an agent, I just thought it was the right thing to do.’

“He was staying out in Providence like 90 minutes away. I said, ‘I’m Seth Waugh and you just thanked me. Go home and get some rest and win this thing.’ He finished third and got in the next week’s tournament and got his (PGA Tour) card and was on his way. In a world of entitled folks, he got in his rental car, drove up to Boston and was looking for someone to thank from Deutsche Bank.”

Seth Waugh knocks knuckles with partner Richard Bland at the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

A friendship took root and before long, Rose was staying at Waugh’s home whenever he competed at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For the longest time, Waugh played in Seminole’s Pro-Member with New England’s favorite son, Brad Faxon, until Faxon got hurt in 2011 and Waugh invited Rose to fill his shoes.

“We had a good time,” Waugh said. “The next year Fax was good to go, but we were short on players, if you can believe that. I called Justin and asked if he could play and he said sure. I hung up and realized I think he thought I had invited him to play with me. So, I called Fax and told him I screwed up. How about you play with Tom Ryan (CEO of CVS) and we’ll play in the same group? Fax agreed but before he hangs up he says, ‘It’s all good as long as neither of us wins,’ and we both giggled. Backstory: we had finished second two or three times as a team and we always screwed up 18.”

But not this time with Rose.

“We were in the last group, and both birdie 17 and (Seminole head professional) Bob Ford comes out to tell us we need one more. I hit a wedge to 15 feet and made it for a 3 for 2 and we ended up winning by one stroke. Even before I said anything to Justin, I turned to Fax and said, ‘Sorry! I absolutely threw up with you, but with Justin I got it done.’ ”

Three wins at the Seminole Pro-Member is no fluke and Waugh, an 8.4 handicap, is quick to point out that he did help a little, though one year Rose shot 63 and they won both net and gross.

“He’s a baller,” Rose says of his pards. “When he’s got a stroke hole, he has this amazing knack to make the putts for net birdie. Seth’s a competitor and that’s why I love playing with him.”

If any further confirmation of the depth of their friendship is needed there is this: When Rose’s daughter Charlotte was born in 2012, he asked Waugh to be her godfather.

“I think he’s godfather to about 20 kids, to be honest with you, because he’s such a cool guy. But having just one son (aspiring tour pro Clancy) I thought a baby girl would be fun for him, and it’s a great excuse for us as a family to stay in touch,” Rose says.

“I was flattered and honored,” Waugh says. “What I love about Justin is he’s never changed. He’s always on point. To watch him mature over the past 16-17 years has been a real joy.”

As for their annual date in the Seminole Pro-Member, Waugh says, “For us, it’s become a chance to catch up.”

And chase another title. After all, four is more than three.

[jwplayer INANcwZ4-9JtFt04J]

[opinary poll=”what-are-your-thoughts-on-the-proposed-p-rHaSoW” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778029096,778028623,778029002]

Forecaddie: Is the PGA Merchandise Show’s days numbered in Orlando?

The PGA Merchandise Show has been in Florida for 67 years, but could it be headed to Frisco, Texas, when the PGA moves its headquarters?

[jwplayer Jo6gOkSL-9JtFt04J]

ORLANDO – Ever since the PGA of America announced it was moving its headquarters to Frisco, Texas, rumors have swirled that the PGA Merchandise Show wouldn’t be far behind in packing its bag for the suburb of ‘Big D.’

Not so fast my friends – at least that’s what leadership at the PGA and Reed Exhibitions, the operator of the Show, will have you believe.

A spokesperson for Reed Exhibitions tells The Forecaddie that the PGA contract with the Orlando County Convention Center runs through 2028, and dates are reserved until 2050, said Marc Simon, Reed Exhibitions event vice president.

“It’s not on the radar for us,” said Jeff Price, PGA’s chief commercial officer. “Frisco doesn’t have the space (for the 10 miles of exhibit aisles), not sure if Dallas does, but it has a future plan for expansion.”

Price added, “We think of the PGA Show as the global golf gathering. We’re open to everything but Orlando has been a really good partner.”

The SiriusXM Town Hall at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

This year marked the 67th annual PGA Show in the Sunshine State and it has set up shop in Orlando since 1985.

The reasons for the “major of golf business” to stay put are plentiful: the Orlando County Convention Center provides 1 million square feet of meeting, floor and special event space, and also hosts the National Golf Course Owners Association and the Racquet & Paddle Sports Show. Orange County National Golf Club is ideal for handling more than 7,000 participants at PGA Demo Day with more than 200 hitting bays. The warm climate, direct flights, nearby attractions and ability to store exhibit booths also make Orlando a perfect fit.

The PGA Merchandise Show, which began in the trunks of cars at a winter golf tournament in 1954, has grown into the world’s largest annual gathering of the golf industry and is organized in partnership by PGA Golf Exhibitions and the PGA of America.

If the PGA Show is to move to Frisco, it is more likely that it will be for the PGA Fall Expo, which has been held in Las Vegas (Sept. 18-19) for years. That contract, Simon said, is on a year-to-year basis and offers more flexibility. The Fall Expo also receives only about 3,000 attendees compared to 40,000 that participate in the three-day January affair to discover the newest trends and technology from some 1,000 exhibiting golf companies and brands.

PGA CEO Seth Waugh provided an update on the development in Frisco, calling the city a Texas miracle.

“They built a highway, they built a practice football field and now it’s the fastest growing city in the country,” he said. “Every time out there the dream gets bigger.”

Waugh detailed how the PGA is targeting to open its new headquarters there in June 2022, which would include the resort hotel, golf operations at the two championship courses and a convention center.

He also addressed the possibility of the AT&T Byron Nelson moving to Frisco after the PGA Tour event ends its run at Trinity Forest later this year, saying everyone is kicking the tires around.

“Are we happy to talk to them about it? We are,” Waugh said. “We’re not pursuing it but if it makes the most sense for the city and for us and our partners and golf we’ll be happy to entertain it and see if it is possible.”

The PGA already has 23 championships, including the PGA and Ryder Cup, scheduled in Frisco in the first 12 years. Waugh confirmed he met with the Salesmanship Club and had discussions with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

So just kicking the tires?

“Well, we don’t have any tires (yet),” Waugh said. “There is no car.”

But soon there will be and whether the PGA Show or the Byron Nelson end up there, Frisco is destined to be on the golf map soon.

[lawrence-related id=778022044,778021739,778021814]