Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red faces trademark dispute
Tiger Woods, who introduced his Sun Day Red line of apparel in tandem with TaylorMade earlier this year, is facing a trademark challenge.
Tigeraire, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company that launched four years ago to create a cooler helmet for the hometown LSU Tigers football team, claims that Woods’ brand “unlawfully hijacked” its logo design. Both graphic designs show a silhouetted tiger highlighted by lines. In the case of Woods’ Sun Day Red, the 15 lines represent his number of major-championship victories and his signature red shirt during the final round on Sundays.
The opposition filed by Tigeraire with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will halt the application for Woods’ logo, CNBC reported. READ MORE
Since 2012, Golfzon, the world’s leading golf simulator brand, has conducted a professional screen-golf tour in South Korea, where the company is headquartered. During that time, it has staged more than 200 tournaments on what is known as the GTour and meted out nearly $12 million in prize money. The competitions are held in front of live audiences at screen-golf stadia and televised live on the Korean Golf Channel.
Now, Golfzon, which operates some 11,500 simulator locations in 63 countries, is bringing competitive screen-golf to North America and the United Kingdom with the establishment of the Golfzon Tour. Run by the company’s U.S. subsidiary, Golfzon America, it will feature 12 five-person teams in Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Louisville, Kentucky; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York City; Orlando, Florida; and Tulsa, Oklahoma; as well as Toronto, Canada; London, England; and Monterrey, Mexico.
Matches started in late September and are being played on Golfzon TwoVision simulators in those cities. Playoffs begin in November and will be broadcast on the Golfzon YouTube channel, with the tour finals taking place in late January at the 2025 PGA Show in Orlando. The winning team will receive the grand prize of $150,000. READ MORE
Tracy Wilcox, PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Ben Cowan-Dewar continues to add to his portfolio of luxury resort and residential golf destinations, formally known as The Cabot Collection, with what he describes as a “strategic investment” in Lofoten Links, an acclaimed layout that is located above the Arctic Circle in Norway.
Known for its dramatic scenery and remote coastline, the 18-hole course is also regarded among the best on the planet, ranked No. 24 in the world by Golf Digest and No. 88 by Golf Magazine. In addition, it offers players the chance to enjoy a round under the midnight sun in the summer – and with any luck in the fall while the northern lights are shimmering in the sky.
Along with its links, the property boasts several Nordic-style lodges for overnight stays and an onsite restaurant as well as the chance to engage in a number of off-course activities, such as horseback riding, hiking and kayaking. READ MORE
One of the world’s most acclaimed golf resorts, Te Arai Links on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island, is opening four onsite dining options this fall to accompany the two layouts that serve as its centerpiece. A Tom Doak design opened last October, and the other is a Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw creation that came online in the fall of 2022.
At the same time, Te Arai is adding five four-bedroom resort accommodations that heretofore include 19 two-bedroom cottages and 48 suites.
Located near a number of wineries and olive groves and a mere 75 miles north of Auckland, the country’s most populous city, Te Arai is best known for its golf, sand dunes and the sugar-sand beaches that attract beachcombers, sunbathers and surfers alike. Other activities for visitors include pickleball, tennis, hiking, horseback riding, in-villa spa treatments and a variety of water sports. The resort also has a two-acre putting green called the Playground. READ MORE
TAP-INS
U.S. rounds played in August improved 1.9 percent compared with the same month last year, bumping the year-to-date 2024 gain to 1.4 percent versus the first eight months of 2023, according to Golf Datatech’s National Rounds Played Report. READ MORE
More than 3 million new golfers were reported by the R&A in its affiliated areas outside of the U.S. and Mexico in 2023, boosting the total number of on-course players to 42.7 million compared with 2022 as growth in the game continues. READ MORE
Erin Hills will be a popular destination for the U.S. Golf Association in the next 15 years. The USGA will play five amateur championships – 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2030 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, 2033 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2035 U.S. Amateur and 2039 U.S. Junior Amateur – at the daily-fee course in Erin, Wisconsin. The USGA already had scheduled the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open for Erin Hills. The course has hosted four previous USGA championships, notably the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka. READ MORE
The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific will make its debut in Vietnam next year when Hoiana Shores Golf Club hosts the tournament on March 6-9, the R&A announced. Hoiana Shores, just south of Da Nang in Quảng Nam on the South China Sea, READ MORE
Compiled by John Steinbreder and Steve Harmon