Learn about RapidTee Golf, for access to millions of tee times across more than 1,200 U.S. golf courses.
We here at Golfweek are always trying to help our audience discover new and helpful ways to improve their golf life.
Are you sick and tired of calling a dozen courses on a Friday afternoon trying to set up a weekend tee time for you and your buddies? Are online tee time services frustrating you with their fees and tough-to-navigate websites? Well, we have a potential solution for you.
RapidTee Golf is here to revolutionize the way you book tee times with its all-in-one platform that makes browsing and confirming your spot on the tee sheet as easy as one-two-three.
You’re able to filter by when and where you want to play and you’ll have access to millions of tee times across more than 1,200 of the country’s best courses.
One of the best parts about RapidTee is the real-time notifications that will alert you to available tee times and last-minute cancellations.
While browsing RapidTee is free, you can join as a member and unlock benefits that include discounts on equipment and apparel, personal tee time concierge services, early access to exclusive events and more.
Golfweek readers can use an exclusive coupon code, GOLFWEEK25, to save 25 percent off a RapidTee Golf Premium Annual or Basic Annual plan.
Check out these 7 new golf equipment products at Golf Galaxy.
Once the calendar flipped to 2024, brands across golf began to release their newest gear. Whether it was drivers, irons sets, wedges, balls or something in between, it seemed like every equipment manufacturer had new offerings.
Well, thanks to our friends at Golf Galaxy, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite recent releases including drivers, irons and golf balls.
Some of the brands on the list below include Callaway, Cobra, Ping and more.
Most of the equipment below can be found on David Dusek’s best golf equipment lists for 2024 including best drivers, best irons, best golf balls and more.
Adidas’ updated 2023 Go-To Collection delivers on both style and function
Adidas is one of the biggest sports apparel brands, and not just in golf.
The newest line update, the Go-To collection, combines both style and function for one incredible apparel item after another.
Products in the Go-To Collection were designed with a wear-anywhere mentality, while still performing the way a golfer would expect.
Built for wherever life takes you, the Go-To range is made with at least 70 percent recycled materials representing just one of adidas’ solutions to help End Plastic Waste.
U.S. online sports betting just got a lot more interesting
The idea of “playing with house money” has been a longtime dream scenario in the sports betting world, where bettors could place a wager on a favorite team or big-time game without concerns of taking a hit to the bank account if it misses.
It’s the ultimate risk-free perk, although highly unlikely of ever materializing in the actual gaming world.
But…what if that dream scenario did become a reality? And all it took was signing up with a global sports betting leader that has arrived in the U.S. market just in time for best of the NFL, NBA, NCAA, and more.
U.S. online sports betting just got a lot more interesting
The idea of “playing with house money” has been a longtime dream scenario in the sports betting world, where bettors could place a wager on a favorite team or big-time game without concerns of taking a hit to the bank account if it misses.
It’s the ultimate risk-free perk, although highly unlikely of ever materializing in the actual gaming world.
But…what if that dream scenario did become a reality? And all it took was signing up with a global sports betting leader that has arrived in the U.S. market just in time for best of the NFL, NBA, NCAA, and more.
From the moment we first glimpsed PGA WEST at the “Skins Game” 35 years ago, we all knew that we had witnessed something transformative. Viewers couldn’t help but marvel at how land so rugged and unforgiving could be transformed into something so …
From the moment we first glimpsed PGA WEST at the “Skins Game” 35 years ago, we all knew that we had witnessed something transformative. Viewers couldn’t help but marvel at how land so rugged and unforgiving could be transformed into something so beautiful and seductive, ultimately luring an untold number of golfers from around the world to California’s Coachella Valley over the past 35 years.
PGA WEST quickly earned a moniker – “The Western Home of Golf in America” – that reflected the fact that all of the major professional tours and the NCAA regularly visited, allowing the game’s best players to test themselves against some of the stiffest designs of Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, and Greg Norman. It also became a bucket-list destination for avid golfers and an attractive landing spot for couples looking to enjoy the good life in the desert.
Last year Century Golf Partners, an established operator of high-end clubs and resorts, teamed with Hankuk Industry, which owns courses in the U.S. and Japan, to acquire PGA WEST and The Citrus Club, including the Mountain and Dunes golf courses. That set off a whirlwind of activity, with the new ownership pouring resources into course improvements on all nine PGA WEST courses. The goal of this long-term project is three-fold: provide tournament conditions daily; bring more big tournaments to the property; re-establish PGA WEST as a must-visit destination with courses that are fixtures on top-100 lists.
photo by Evan Schiller
“We want to secure our position in the top five of U.S. club resorts in the U.S.,” said Ben Dobbs, PGA WEST’s Executive Director. “We have the architects, the properties and the location to achieve this. Having iconic golf courses and great architects were just the beginning. Now we must be innovative, relevant and provide exceptional experiences.”
That attitude is reflected in the recently completed work on the Greg Norman Course, which opened in 1999. Greens were restored to their original sizes, and the TifDwarf Bermuda grass was replaced with TifEagle, which eventually will be installed at each course, creating optimal year-round conditions. In addition, more than 100 bunkers were rebuilt, the expansive native areas were restored, and turf was added to enhance playability on the brutal target-golf layout.
PGA WEST has also made a major commitment to deep-tine aerification equipment, ensuring healthier turf conditions. Each course is being aerified twice annually.
“Ultimately, we’ll have firmer greens and the ability to mow them lower,” said Chris May, Director of Agronomy, who will guide the eventual restoration of all nine courses. “We want tournament conditions on all of these courses before and after overseeding. The benefit of doing all of this work is they get in really good shape in the summer as well.”
The work on the Norman Course follows the restoration last year to the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course – which pairs with PGA WEST Pete Dye Stadium when the PGA TOUR visits each January to play The American Express – and work this year on the Arnold Palmer Private Course.
The latter, with its finishing holes sculpted along the rugged Santa Rosa Mountains, produced some of the most memorable moments of the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing, including David Duval’s closing eagle in 1999 to shoot 59 and win the tournament. The course has never been in better shape. May’s team installed TifEagle putting surfaces over new greens irrigation, restored all greenside bunkers to original specifications, and replaced all of the bunker sand.
Brandon Johnson, the long-time senior architect for Arnold Palmer Design, returned to La Quinta to revitalize the picturesque finishing holes along the All-American Canal. Johnson put in new bunkering on Nos. 14 and 16 to create more differentiation between those approaches and added a knob on the back of the par-5 14th that presents a new risk-reward scenario for players trying to reach in two. “It definitely has a par-5 green now,” May said.
Johnson restored the other greens to their original contours, recapturing Palmer’s original vision.
“He tied together the whole course with one type of look,” May said.
PGA WEST’s executive team will face interesting choices on the Pete Dye Stadium Course, unquestionably one of Dye’s masterpieces. May guarantees “a restoration, not a renovation,” including recapturing the original green shapes and sizes.
“Every idea that Pete had is on this golf course,” May said. “It’s remarkably untouched – partly because it’s always been so busy that they weren’t able to do the work. We want to bring it back to what it once was.”
While May’s team is busy on the course upgrades, Dobbs also is overseeing enhancements to the five clubhouses and amenities. Those amenities include a recently opened $10 million Sports Club.
“Our owners have committed to owning us for generations, so that helps our team make long-term decisions,” Dobbs said. “I’m super-excited to be able to share everything that we are doing with golfers from around the world.”
Escalante Golf and renowned architect Tripp Davis unveil a restoration to one of the most recognizable layouts in the Boston region.
Touted as an activity that complements the need for social distancing, golf is growing at a pace not seen since Tiger Woods won his first Masters in 1997. In 2020 24.8 million people played golf, according to the National Golf Foundation, and that momentum spilled over into the months that followed. With the number of golfers increasing, there has been a heightened focus from clubs on creating better experiences for their members and guests. An example of this can be found at one of the most storied clubs in New England.
Members at The International Golf Club in suburban Boston were promised a reimagined experience from Escalante Golf when the Texas-based boutique owner and operator of unique golf assets purchased the club earlier this year. So far, Escalante Golf has delivered on that promise, revamping many aspects of The International, including one of its two golf courses, The Oaks Course, which is now open to members and their guests.
Originally designed and built by Tom Fazio in 2000, the Oaks Course features distinctive waste areas that make it one of the most recognizable layouts in the region. Renowned architect Tripp Davis and his team began work this summer to restore the Oaks to its original glory. In addition to being lengthened, changes made by Davis and his team included laser-leveling and re-grassing each tee box on the course. So as players make their way off the tee, they will be welcomed by renovated bunkers featuring Davis’ signature dripping lines.
“The International team’s golf-first approach freed us up to implement the signature aspects our group has developed over the years,” says Tripp Davis, Principal at Tripp Davis and Associates. “Our foremost goal was to modernize the golf course. The concepts that started out on a piece of paper have come to life and are ready for members and their guests to enjoy.”
Combined with the natural topography of the course, these changes have resulted in stunning visuals and a challenge that will force players to think strategically on every shot. And, with some time for improved irrigation and drainage to take effect, the Oaks will soon be playing the way it was intended – firm and fast.
“Golf in its purest form has been the guiding light for the renovations to the Oaks Course,” says David McDonald, President of Escalante Golf. “In working with Tripp and his team, we are proud to deliver a first-class experience on the Oaks Course that will be felt from the opening tee shot to the final putt.”
Not far away from The International, the 6-time Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, and 17-time NBA Champion Celtics compete at the hallowed TD Garden. Iconic Fenway Park brims with history as the Green Monster watches over the Red Sox each year. And, of course, no organization has enjoyed more success over the past two decades than the New England Patriots, winners of six Super Bowls. Safe to say that Boston has a rich history of sporting excellence to enjoy.
The International has its own rich history dating back 120 years and, like the great championship teams that it neighbors, honors that history while setting the standard for years to come.
The 43rd Ryder Cup is in the books. Congratulations to both teams for a terrific show! The biennial competition pitting the United States team against their European counterparts continues to be one of the marquis events in sports. But it wasn’t …
The 43rd Ryder Cup is in the books. Congratulations to both teams for a terrific show! The biennial competition pitting the United States team against their European counterparts continues to be one of the marquis events in sports. But it wasn’t always that way.
Following World War II, the American squad was victorious in 10 of 11 encounters leading up to the 1969 matches at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. That year, Ryder Cup rookie Jack Nicklaus battled Tony Jacklin in the final singles match. Coming to the 18th green, their mano-a-mano duel was deadlocked, and the overall team competition was tied at 15.5-points apiece. Nicklaus sank a 4½-foot putt to save par. Without hesitation, he picked up Jacklin’s coin (ball marker) and conceded the two-foot par putt. Nicklaus uttered the now-famous words, “Tony, I know you’d never miss this putt, but I’m not going to ever give you the chance.” The “Concession” led to the first tie in Ryder Cup history. (The Americans retained the Cup as a result of winning the matches in 1967.)
To commemorate the seminal moment, the PGA of America, Ryder Cup Europe and Aon established the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon. “Since Aon became a worldwide partner of the Ryder Cup, we’ve been working together to create an award that would be innovative and authentic to the event, while bringing Aon’s purpose and values to life,” said Carlo Clavarino, Executive Chairman, International, Aon. “This decision by Jack was made with a clarity and confidence that reflects everything the Ryder Cup embodies and how our colleagues work on a daily basis to enable businesses to make better decisions.”
The Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon recognizes one player from each team who embodies the spirit of the Ryder Cup and displays decision-making prowess that raises the level of sportsmanship, teamwork, and performance. The selection committee includes four former Ryder Cup captains and players—Nicklaus, Jacklin, Paul Azinger and Paul McGinley—as well as Jim Richerson, President of the PGA of America, Alan White, Chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, and Aon’s Carlo Clavarino. The committee members coupled their experience and expertise with supporting data (captured real-time during the event) to determine the award recipients. “Obviously, a lot of big decisions have to be made within the cauldron and pressure of the Ryder Cup,” said McGinley, who was on the winning team in all six Ryder Cups that he was involved in. “Making the right decisions at the right time and, most importantly, for the right reasons is what this award is about.”
The inaugural winners, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, exhibited character, leadership, rock-solid decision making and dazzling play at Whistling Straits. “There’s immense pressure in playing for your teammates, and representing your country,” said Azinger, who had a front-row seat to the matches as the television analyst for NBC/Golf Channel. “Every decision is scrutinized and second-guessed. Both DJ and Sergio played awesome golf. And let’s not lose sight of the tremendous impact they had on their playing partners and all their teammates.”
At Whistling Straits, Johnson and Garcia delivered record-setting performances. DJ tallied a perfect 5-0-0 record, becoming the first U.S. Team member to do so in 42 years and only the fifth player ever. Sergio went 3-1-0 and was one of only two European team members with a winning record.
Now 41-years old, he’s brought his best stuff to the Ryder Cup (10 appearances in all) since he was a teenager. In the process, Sergio’s built a legendary résumé—most matches won (25) and the all-time points leader (28.5).
Their influence went well beyond the wins and losses, though. Johnson, 37, was the elder statesman of the youngest-ever United States squad. Captain Steve Stricker paired him with a couple of Ryder Cup rookies, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, in the Fourball and Foursomes matches. Morikawa was effusive in his praise: “DJ’s an amazing player and he’s a great guy. He really made the first two days a little easier on me.” Morikawa added, “He’s the oldest guy on our team, and it’s a very quiet leadership, but he makes his presence known. When he needs to say something, he says something. He’s going to be there when you really need it. And if you don’t, he’s going to let you do your thing.” Johnson, of course, was quick to deflect the plaudits. “For the first four matches, I had great partners… we played great together and gelled really well… all 12 of us showed great teamwork and came together as a team.”
Garcia sees the bigger picture as well and displays a wonderful appreciation for the spirit of the Ryder Cup matches. “I just love it. I love being next to my partner. I love hugging him. I love pushing him. I love cheering for him and I love him cheering for me,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to do it for many years and I’m so proud to be a part of Team Europe.” Sergio’s most impactful moment? It might’ve been the show of support for teammate Rory McIlroy, who struggled to find his game. “I told him that not only me but the whole team is proud of him no matter if he goes 5-0 or 0-5; that we love him and that we are always proud of the effort that he makes and the heart that he puts into his golf and into the team.”
Two of the game’s fine ambassadors. The outwardly quiet one and the player who wears his emotions on his sleeve. Both epitomize what the Ryder Cup stands for and richly deserve the inaugural Nicklaus-Jacklin Award presented by Aon.
If you’re on an e-commerce quest of your own, here’s where it all begins.
Every e-commerce success story started as an idea and came to life as founders chipped away at their checklist over time. It might sound oversimplified, but as any e-commerce leader can attest, there is a list of essentials for every e-commerce development process, big or small.
The question is, what does this list include, and what factors are non-negotiable when starting an e-commerce operation from scratch?
With the help of real e-commerce pioneers, we compiled the ultimate development checklist for up-and-coming web-based retailers. If you’re on an e-commerce quest of your own, here’s where it all begins.
