Golf News Roundup November 21, 2020

Golf news for this week includes stories from Big Max, Omni Barton Creek Resort, The Capital Long Drive Classic, the International Club of Myrtle Beach, Perfect Motion, Omni La Costa, Puma Golf and Bridgestone Golf

BIG MAX: KEEPING UP WITH THE CART DASH SEASON

Europe’s #1 push cart and golf bag brand BIG MAX is readying itself for golfers’ dash to the stores over the holiday season by taking delivery of a bumper shipment of its award winning products. In a year that has seen unprecedented demand for push carts, and often a shortage, BIG MAX is delighted to report that it will have full availability of the year’s hottest products coming into one of the busiest times of the year.

“The effects of the pandemic alone have put enormous strain on the global supply chain,” explained Rick Oldach, CEO of BIG MAX USA. “Add in the unprecedented demand for push carts, and at times worldwide production hasn’t been able to keep up. At Big Max, we’re the market leader in every territory where the majority of golfers play while walking with a push cart, and that has left us in a great position to cope with demand. Our warehouse in Kansas City is well stocked and we are delighted that Big Max can be on every golfer’s shopping list this Holiday season.”

Demand for push carts in the U.S. has grown exponentially in 2020, with BIG MAX reporting in April that it had sold more carts in Q1 than expected for the whole year. Since that point BIG MAX has expanded its U.S. retailer distribution for both push carts and its new line of water resistant golf bags, with the brand now available in  Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, PGA Tour Superstore, Golf & Ski Warehouse, Golfdom and other select golf specialty retailers. In addition BIG MAX bags and carts are now available in many country clubs and golf courses throughout the U.S. and it’s push cart rental fleets are a permanent fixture at many top venues including Chambers Bay and Pinehurst Resort.

With the holiday buying season about to get into full swing, many golfer’s heads will be turning to the gift they want to find at the bottom of their tree. With BIG MAX fully prepared, they can drop BIG hints with confidence, knowing that however big the dash for carts this season, BIG MAX will be ready. 

Read GolfBlogger’s Big Max Blade IP Push Cart Review and  Big Max Sport Aqua Bag Review at the links.

Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa To Host 2022 PGA Professional Championship

The Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, will host the PGA Professional Championship presented by Cadillac, Club Car and OMEGA, the world’s largest all-professional event, on its Fazio Foothills (primary) and Coore-Crenshaw Courses in April of 2022.

The 54th PGA Professional Championship will feature a 312-Member nationwide field.

Begun in 1968, the PGA Professional Championship is the showcase event for PGA Professionals and offers a $675,000 purse. The field includes players advancing from Sectional Championships, past Champions and the top 20 players and ties from the previous year’s Championship. The low 20 scorers in 2022 at Barton Creek earn a berth in the 2022 PGA Championship.

You can read The GolfBlogger’s Omni Barton Creek Resort Golf Course Reviews at the link.

International Club of Myrtle Beach Purchased by Chris Manning Communities

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. — International Club of Myrtle Beach, long regarded as one of the Grand Strand’s hidden gems, has been purchased by Chris Manning Communities, a premier lifestyle and residential community developer.

In concert with the purchase, Manning entered into a long-term agreement with East Coast Golf to manage all club operations, ensuring International Club continues to deliver the quality and value players have come to expect from the Willard Byrd design.

International Club opened in 2000 and the 6,857-yard layout features a series of finger lakes, natural wetlands, and a mixture of hardwood and pine tree-lined fairways.

For more information on International Club and the Myrtle Beach golf community, visit www.PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com.

PerfectMotion® Welcomes Top Instructor Jake Thurm to its Innovative AI Coaching Platform

BOSTON, MASS. – Golf Digest Top Young Instructor Jake Thurm, Director of Instruction at Fresh Meadow Learning Center and Ruffled Feathers Golf Club (both in the Chicago area), has joined the growing roster of elite golf coaches on the PerfectMotion® mobile app teaching platform. The PerfectMotion® app is a uniquely-personalized golf training system that allows golfers to train anywhere, anytime, with or without a ball, while receiving expert guidance on every swing and putt. 

PerfectMotion® uses proprietary artificial intelligence to track the golfer’s body motion and instantly determine their key swing issue – and then calls up professional video instruction that addresses the golfer’s specific issue to help eliminate it.

“What PerfectMotion® accomplishes is basically marker-less 3D analysis of a golfer’s motion. When I tell a student they can get instant feedback on every swing and they don’t have to put on a suit to capture body motion analysis, they’re fascinated,” Thurm says. “Diagnosing what’s really wrong with someone’s swing can be a process of elimination. PerfectMotion® helps expedite the teaching process by pinpointing those specific body movements that an expert instructor can use to teach more effectively.”

For more information, visit PerfectMotion.io and jakethurm.com/perfectmotion.

Omni La Costa Resort & Spa Will Host D1 Golf Championshiops

The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees has selected Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Southern California’s premier golf and luxury resort destination, as the host site for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. Play will be conducted on the resort’s famed Champions Course following a planned 2022 renovation by acclaimed golf course architect Gil Hanse.

The event’s debut at Omni La Costa will mark the Division I Women’s Golf Championship’s return, after a 28-year absence, to Southern California. The Division I Men’s Golf Championship was last played in the region (at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades) in 2012.

The Men’s and Women’s Championships will be contested over consecutive weeks starting in 2024, the first year each culminating national championship will be played in combination at a neutral site. While the University of Texas will serve as the official host institution for all three sets of championships, no players – outside of those teams and individuals who advance each year to the championship – will be permitted to play Omni La Costa’s Champions Course during that season.

Omni La Costa boasts a rich history of stars and professional golf events. In 1965, shortly after La Costa opened, the original Dick Wilson designed course hosted the made-for-TV CBS Golf Classic. The PGA TOUR’s Tournament of Champions (later called the Mercedes Championship and the Sentry Tournament of Champions) was hosted from 1969 until 1998 with a parade of Hall of Famers, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods further cementing their winning legacies at Omni La Costa. In 1999, the WGC Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship was played on the original course layout.

For more information, visit omnilacosta.com.

Srixon Introduces the All-New ZX Irons

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Nov. 16, 2020 — SRIXON announces the launch of the new ZX Irons which will officially launch in North America on January 15, 2021.

ZX Irons

“While the new ZX Irons are gorgeous to look down at, it’s the technology inside that’s even more exciting,” said Jeff Brunski, Vice President of Research and Development. “Hotter faces designed using AI optimization delivers more speed. Meanwhile, varying grooves throughout the iron set gives golfers consistent distance control, and forged construction helps them feel incredible at impact.”

Created with human intelligence yet perfected by the artificial kind, MainFrame is a one-of-a-kind face design that increases ball speed on every shot. Milled into the backside of every iron face, MainFrame is a variable thickness pattern made up of grooves, channels, and cavities.

After two years of learning and refining, these final faces offer greatly improved COR because they maximize flex at impact for more ball speed on every strike.

Srixon’s ZX5 irons combine pioneering ball speed technology with premium forged feel and delivers all of it in a forgiving yet workable profile that’s razor sharp at address.

Meanwhile, Srixon’s ZX7 irons provide a compact blade shape, slim topline, and narrow sole that delivers the workability, feel, and aesthetics of a world-class players iron.

Both irons offer an updated Tour V.T. Sole that glides smoothly through the turf, progressive grooves to improve consistency, and forged construction from a soft 1020 carbon steel body that absorbs vibrations for an extremely soft feel.

ZX Utility Irons are smaller and more compact than previous generations, delivering a more blade-like address profile that blends seamlessly with any set. ZX Utility Irons deliver Srixon’s MainFrame technology, along with a hollow design and multi-piece construction. All of these powerful technologies come together in a smaller profile, with all the same forgiveness that is expected from a utility iron.

Key Innovations Inside ZX Irons:

• MainFrame – A milled pattern on the backside of each ZX5 Iron face optimizes COR for more ball speed and more distance on every shot.
• Tour Cavity – Mass repositioned to ZX7’s sweet spot and perimeter provide a remarkably soft feel at impact and increased workability.
• Progressive Grooves – Grooves in the 8i through PW on the ZX5 and ZX7 irons are sharper, narrower, and deeper for more spin and stopping power on approach shots into the green.
• Tour V.T. Sole – V-Shaped soles glide smoothly through the turf, while the ZX5 and ZX7 irons also feature the resurgence of our popular sole notches.

Puma Golf Welcomes New Cleated Version To Its Crafted Footwear Family

CARLSBAD, Calif. (Nov. 17, 2020) – Today, PUMA Golf unveiled its new IGNITE CAGED CRAFTED footwear, building on its popular Crafted Collection, encompassing elegance and peak performance.

Building off the success of the popular IGNITE CAGED family, CAGED CRAFTED is a premium take on the design, utilizing a natural leather saddle in various colors delivering a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind look. 

The IGNITE CAGED CRAFTED shoes have a premium full grain leather PWRCAGE Saddle that wraps around the medial and lateral sides of the shoe providing unmatched stability throughout the swing and an elevated aesthetic.  In addition, the layered Adaptive Fit System provides 360-degree support through the internal bootie, while the forefoot is also made with a supple full-grain leather that gives a clean look, and 1-year waterproof performance.  The full-length IGNITE foam cushioning and PWRADAPT Technology sole provide responsive comfort and 3-dimensional traction that adapts to the way a golfer moves.  

The IGNITE CAGED CRAFTED is available in the golfer’s choice of four stylish colorways (White/Leather Brown/Team Gold; Black/Leather Brown/Team Gold; White/High Rise and Peacoat/Leather Brown/Team Gold). Featuring a retail price of $170, these shoes are available today through select retailers and at pumagolf.com. 

Bridgestone Re-signs Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau to Long-term Contracts

The game’s two biggest stars commit to helping Bridgestone win on the course and in the R&D lab for years to come

Bridgestone Golf has re-signed two of the biggest stars in the game, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau, to long-term contract extensions. Both players have won major championships with Bridgestone TOUR B golf balls (Tiger at the ’19 Masters with TOUR B XS, Bryson at the ’20 US Open with TOUR B X) and will continue to play their respective models of choice and contribute to the development of new designs for the foreseeable future. 

“I love experimentation and research and Bridgestone’s engineers and designers are incredible to work with,” said DeChambeau. “I love the process and look forward to helping them develop new and superior products for many years.”   

For more information on Bridgestone Golf’s award-winning TOUR B family of golf balls and the entire Tour team that relies upon them, visit www.bridgestonegolf.com. 

Capital Long Drive Classic Dec. 17 and 20 On GOLF

Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for Washington, DC, has announced the dates for the first annual Capital Long Drive Classic, airing December 17 at 11:00 am EST and December 20 at 5:00 pm EST on Golf Channel.   

The event was hosted by Events DC and My Brother’s Birdies on October 24 in our nation’s capital with commentary provided by notable sportscaster, Chick Hernandez and World Long Drive competitor, Troy Mullins. The live event transformed West Potomac Park into a professional golf long drive “arena” for a first-ever exhibition of its kind on the National Mall and Memorial Parks area. The Capital Long Drive Classic featured eight top professional men’s and women’s long drivers, in a unique co-ed format showcasing racial and gender diversity.  

For more details: http://www.capitallongdriveclassic.com/