Two of golf’s biggest names are planning on going their separate ways just three years after joining forces. Sports Business Journal reported on the announcement that Topgolf Callaway Brands is planning on spinning off Topgolf into its own publicly traded company. Callaway had initially invested in Topgolf in 2016, and the two companies merged in 2021. The split is expected to be final by next July, with Chip Brewer remaining in charge of Callaway and Artie Starrs continuing to lead Topgolf. Callaway will retain Toptracer ball tracking technology and its golf equipment and lifestyle holdings, and will remain the exclusive equipment supplier to Topgolf facilities.
link: https://bit.ly/4eEnbd9
In other golf retail news, Yahoo!Finance and AfroTech recently ran a story on the new collaboration between Eastside Golf and Nike. Eastside Golf co-founder Earl Cooper is a PGA of America Golf Professional, and the company has raised capital through EP Golf Ventures, a partnership between the PGA of America and Elysian Park Ventures. The story discusses the seven collaborations between Eastside Golf and Nike’s Jordan Brand that led to a broader relationship with Nike on additional footwear offerings like versions of the iconic Nike Air Zoom Victory 3, which is Eastside’s first performance golf shoe. “When the opportunity presented itself, we just certainly jumped on it and took full advantage of it,” Cooper says in the story. “To now be working with Nike on collaborative products … to be able to kind of bring our first performance golf shoe, with it being a Victory Tour – it’s going to be incredible, and we get the opportunity to also make our mark.”
link: https://yhoo.it/4d6Iano
This month’s PGA Magazine cover story takes a look at the state of golf travel. Another recently published story by Community Impact newspapers in Texas looks at the state of the economy in Frisco, Texas, since the Home of the PGA of America and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort opened. The story quotes Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney as saying the PGA of America’s presence is responsible for a “halo effect” that put the Frisco area’s development 20 years ahead of what it might have otherwise been. The story also points out the additional projects set for the area as a result of the PGA of America’s presence, such as an upcoming Universal Kids Resort, and quotes local business owners about the positive impact of having the Association and its many visitors at the Fields Ranch golf courses nearby.
link: https://bit.ly/3ZlHbMW
The PGA of America is also boosting the profile of a venerable Midwest golf facility. The Lafayette Journal & Courier recently ran a story about the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Indiana, hosting the 2025 Junior PGA Championship next July 29–Aug. 1. The story includes Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex PGA of America Head Professional Dan Ross explaining why the facility was chosen as host, and how area golfers can get involved as volunteers. This will be the first time the Junior PGA Championship is being played at Birck Boilermaker, which has hosted many collegiate and regional golf championships.
link: https://bit.ly/4ggZvgt
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