‘Fore Words’ from the Inbox …

Sean Foley to coach PGA Tour Up & Comers Hunter Mahan & Parker McLachlin

GolfScene Magazine contributor Sean Foley’s coaching accolades continue to add up. Sean recently reached agreements to coach PGA Tour players Hunter Mahan and Parker McLachlin.

“I am delighted to enter into coaching relationships with Hunter and Parker, both of whom are great young players with plenty of talent, smarts and heart, and they are terrific people too,” said Foley, who also coaches PGA Tour players Stephen Ames and Sean O’Hair, the Nationwide Tour’s Greg Owen, and LPGA Tour player Jessica Shepley.

Mahan, 26, is one of the tour’s strong young players, having won the 2007 Travelers Championship for his first PGA Tour victory. One of the stars on the American team in the recent Ryder Cup, Mahan played brilliantly and with passion in going undefeated with a 2-0-3 record as a captain’s pick in his first Ryder Cup. In his 5th year on the PGA Tour, Mahan has notched five top-10 finishes so far this season and sits 29th on the money list with US$2.208 million in earnings. Mahan, winner of the 1999 U.S. Junior Amateur, was also one of Jack Nicklaus’s captain’s picks for the victorious American squad in the 2007 Presidents Cup. He lives in Plano, Texas.

In just his second year on the PGA Tour, McLachlin, 29, broke through this season for his first victory at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. The win is one of the three top-10 finishes to date this season among 17 cuts made by the resident of Scottsdale, Arizona. He sits at 78th on the money list with US$1.31 million. McLachlin played the Nationwide Tour for two years before earning his 2007 PGA Tour card at Q school.

A number of Foley’s students have won championships this summer:
Danny King (see profile in our Fall magazine) won his third Ontario PGA Championship, Jennifer Kirby and Nicole Vandermade finished 1-2 in the Ontario Junior Girls, and Vandermade won the Ontario Women’s Amateur.

Foley is one of three PGA Tour coaches on the Core Golf Junior Academy team that includes Neale Smith, Performance Enhancement Consultant, and Dr. Craig Davies, Director of Fitness and Nutrition. Mahan works with both Smith and Davies.

Sean was also recently named the Ontario PGA’s Teacher of the Year. >>

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NAGA LAUNCHES ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY OF GOLF

The National Allied Golf Associations announced recently that it has launched an economic impact study of the game of golf in Canada. The results from this study will be used to fill-in the research gap on the impact of golf to the Canadian and provincial economies.

NAGA selected Strategic Networks Group (SNG) as the winning consulting firm to conduct an economic impact study for golf in Canada. The study will quantify golf’s “Gross National Product” as well as estimate the economic impact of golf nationally and for each province.

“SNG is pleased to have been selected out of field of international competitors to undertake this important and landmark study of the game and business of golf in Canada. This is the first time there has ever been a Canada-wide study of the impact of golf and our team is looking forward to assessing the impacts of this sport which involves as many as 5.95 million Canadian golfers,” said SNG President Michael Curri.

Background

In June 2007, key representatives of the Canadian golf industry gathered for the “NAGA Research Summit” to review the current state of golf in Canada and determined that one of the key priorities was to conduct an economic analysis of golf in Canada because of the information and research needs of the golf industry.

The National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) represents the seven major national golf associations in Canada;

• Canadian Golf Industry Association (CGIA)
• Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA)
• Canadian Professional Golfers Association  (CPGA)
• Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM)
• Canadian Professional Golf Tour
• National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada)
• Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA)

“This study is the first of its kind in Canada and will fill a significant gap in research available in this country that will provide us with a much broader and more accurate picture of the economic impact of golf that includes elements related to tourism, real estate, contributions to charity, etc.” says NAGA Chairman, Elizabeth DiChiara, CSCM Executive Director. “This is one of the most important initiatives undertaken by NAGA to support the game of golf in Canada and further demonstrates the value of collaboration among the leaders within the golf industry.”

About The Study

SNG’s approach to analyzing the economic impacts of golf in Canada will involve collecting impact data directly from stakeholders in the golf industry (golf facility operators, individual golfers, etc.) to quantify golf’s direct impacts to the Canadian economy. Existing secondary information will be referenced to help complement our assessment of direct impacts. This combined research will be used to construct an economic model that maps-out the economic impact relationships of the golf industry and its related industry verticals in order to estimate the economic impact of golf beyond the immediate stakeholders in the golf industry.

The SNG team has extensive experience with community and regional economic development policy and strategy, which will be applied to the research results and economic impact findings to assess the role and importance of golf to Canada’s economic context at a National and Provincial level.

Study Outcomes

The Final Report, to be delivered to NAGA in February 2009, will be an independent assessment of the impacts of the Canadian Golf industry on employment, taxes, GDP, household income, and consumer spending, across Canada and within each province. In addition, this study will provide a more complete understanding of the economic dimension of golf to supporting industries, consumers and the public, and government at local, provincial and national levels.

ABOUT NAGA (National Allied Golf Associations)

NAGA is a national golf organization comprised of the Canadian Golf Industry Association, Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Canadian Professional Golfers Association, Canadian Society of Club Managers, Canadian Professional Golf Tour, National Golf Course Owners Association Canada and the Royal Canadian Golf Association, dedicated to improving all sectors of golf in Canada. Formed in 1999, NAGA’s objective is to work cooperatively together as industry leaders ensuring a strong future for golf in Canada.

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Old Course to Crumble into the Sea?

Have you seen the email going around claiming that the Old Course at St. Andrews is in danger of “crumbling into the sea?” Well, don’t call off your Scotland golf vacation plans just yet.

The rumors are based on a recent speech made by the head of a St. Andrews environmental group. Specifically, the part about how the most famous St. Andrews golf course and “the Home of Golf” could be completely destroyed by 2050 if the effects of climate change continue or intensify.

From the UK’s Daily Telegraph, about University of St. Andrews’ Jan Bebbington, professor of accounting and director of the St. Andrews Sustainability Institute:

“She said the old course, which is right on the sea, could be destroyed by strong storm surges caused by climate change unless protection is put in place. ‘There is a lot of coastal erosion going on already because of stronger storms,’ she said. ‘I wanted to use something iconic to demonstrate what we stand to lose.’”

Did you catch that last line? “I wanted to use something…”

It turns out, professor Bebbington’s comments about the beloved St. Andrews golf course were merely part of a made-up scenario of what could happen, and, seemingly, used to create maximum shock value.

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The Canadian Tour is proud to announce its list of award winners for the 2008 season.

ROLEX Player of the Year – John Ellis

John Ellis won the Stockton Sports Commission Classic in a playoff over Tommy Barber for his first Canadian Tour title. He followed it up with a win the next week at the Mexican PGA Championship where his five stroke lead after the first round set a Tour record.

In July, Ellis won the TELUS Edmonton Open and finished second at the Players Cup the next week in Winnipeg.
Overall, Ellis made 11 of 12 cuts in his 2008 season, won the Order of Merit with $113, 315 and finished outside the top ten just once. He also qualified for both the U.S. Open and the RBC Canadian Open.

International Rookie of the Year – Daniel Im

Daniel Im made an immediate impact on the 2008 Canadian Tour. The Irvine, Calif., resident earned his card at the Florida Q-School and won the Riviera Maya Classic in his first Canadian Tour start. After a T-13 at La Loma, Im took the Times Colonist Open in a playoff over James Lepp.

Im also finished 2nd at the Seaforth Country Classic and lost a playoff to Graham DeLaet at the Desjardins Montreal Open. He finished third on the Order of Merit with $82, 954 and qualified for the RBC Canadian Open.

Canadian Rookie of the Year – Kent Eger

Eger, who joined the Tour at the California Q-School, had just one top-ten coming into the Seaforth Country Classic and had missed three of his last four cuts. However, everything fell into place at Seaforth. Rounds of 65-64-65-64 gave him not only a Tour record for lowest cumulative score but also his first Canadian Tour title and a two year exemption.

Most Improved Canadian – Andrew Parr and Dale Vallely (tie)

Andrew Parr joined the Canadian Tour at the Spring 2007 Q-School but finished 121st on the Order of Merit, necessitating a trip to the Fall School. Having regained his card, Parr finished second at both Modesto and Edmonton and picked up additional top tens in Montreal and Seaforth. He also earned a berth in the RBC Canadian Open and Monday Qualified for the Houston Open and finished ninth on the Order of Merit.

Fighting injuries in 2007, Dale Vallely slid to 150th on the money list but returned with a vengeance in 2008. Starting the year on a partial medical exemption, Vallely finished 4th at the Saskatchewan Open where he opened with a 62 and he also earned a T-6 at the Tour Championship. His consistent play saw him jump 129 spots on the Order of Merit to 21st.

May Also be of Interest:

• Golf’s Impact on the Economy – Results are In
• Golf Needs Your Help
• ‘Fore Words’ From the Inbox …
• ‘Fore Words’ from the Inbox …
• ‘Fore Words’ from the Inbox …