In the News

SURREY, England – The World Golf Hall of Fame announced at the BMW PGA Championship that two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal will be part of the 2009 Class of Inductees.
 
Elected on the International Ballot, Olazabal will enter the Hall of Fame along with previously announced inductees Lanny Wadkins and Christy O’Connor at the annual Induction Ceremony on Monday, November 2 in St. Augustine, Florida.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., chief executive officer of the World Golf Foundation's The First Tee organization, has been named "Father of the Year" by the National Father & Son Team Classic, an annual golf tournament celebrating the father-son bond.

"Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. is a dedicated national and community civic leader who has devoted so much of his life in nurturing the youth of this country,” stated Ryan Hart, tournament director. “We are extremely honored to have him as our Father of the Year for the 2009 event.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., – The leaders of 11 of the U.S. golf industry’s most prominent Allied Associations met with members of Congress and their staffs Wednesday, May 13 to highlight and discuss golf’s very significant economic and social contributions.

In a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, golf’s leaders are carrying the message of the industry’s enormous economic impact. A study released last year at the inaugural National Golf Day, the 2005 Golf Economy Report, quantified golf’s annual direct economic impact as $76 billion, and highlighted the fact that the industry provides 2 million jobs and $61 billion in wage income. The study also found that golf generates more than $3.5 billion annually for charities across the country. 

Father's Day is fast approaching, and what would make a better gift than a trip to Myrtle Beach to participate in the largest father-son golf tournament in the world.

This July the "Seaside Golf Capital of the World," Myrtle Beach, will host the 12th annual Martin's PGA Tour Superstore National Father & Son Team Classic, a celebration of the game of golf and its ability to forge lasting family ties.

Eligibility for the tournament isn't just limited to fathers and sons. Other accepted pairs include grandfathers and grandsons, stepfathers and stepsons, fathers and sons in law and uncles and nephews. Golf is the feature attracted, but past participants know the importance of this one-of-kind event extends beyond golf.

Just how nasty is Bethpage State Park's Black Course during a U.S. Open? First, you'll have to consider that golfers are greeted with a warning label that reads, "The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly-skilled golfers." And that's before you factor in graduated rough.

During U.S. Open media day, Tiger Woods called in to share his opinion on the subject.

"If it was set up the way we played the Open everyday, I don't think anybody would play golf anymore," said Woods, who won the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage. "It's brutal the way we play it."

Golf Channel will bolster live tournament broadcasts of The PLAYERS Championship from TPC Sawgrass with Live from the Players news coverage to give the network 35 hours of PLAYERS programming.

Golf Channel's Brian Hammons and Nick Faldo will spearhead 12 hours of live tournament coverage, in HD, airing next Thursday - Friday (May 7-8) at 1 p.m. ET. At 9 p.m. ET, the network will air a condensed three hour prime-time replay that will be infused with topical features.

Put a little spring in your golf swing with a free 10-minute lesson during the 12th annual PGA Free Lesson Month.

Throughout the month of May, PGA/LPGA Professionals nationwide will provide golfers of every age and skill level with the opportunity to learn the basics of the game or improve upon existing skills through this successful initiative, which will reach the one million free lesson mark in 2009. Last year more than 106,600 free 10-minute lessons were giving according to Play Golf America.

A large fire that engulfed part of Horry County on Thursday has spared the Myrtle Beach golf community the worst of its wrath to this point.

The fire ravaged some private homes but the area's tourism infrastructure was unaffected.

Heading into what is expected to be the nicest weekend of the year, only two Myrtle Beach golf courses are expected be closed on Friday as a result of the fire.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Winner of the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach, and a total of 21 PGA Tour events, Lanny Wadkins has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and will be inducted in St. Augustine as part of the Class of 2009 on Nov. 2.

Wadkins received 61 percent of the vote through the PGA Tour Ballot returned by a distinguished group of Hall of Fame members, golf writers, historians and golf dignitaries from around the world.

TURNBERRY, Scotland - In advance of the 2009 Open Championship, Turnberry's Ailsa Course has undergone a number of adjustments designed to ensure that, as one of Britain's finest links, it continues to challenge modern professionals. The most extensive changes are on the 10th, 16th and 17th holes, though most have been enhanced in some way.

"Today's professionals are bigger, stronger, fitter, have more technology at their command, and it's very important that we keep our great links courses relevant to the modern-day professional," explained The R&A's Chief Executive, Peter Dawson. "We've been doing that at every Open venue, with Turnberry having had a considerable number of changes since the 1994 Open Championship."