And The Putter Went…PING Book Available May 1

(PHOENIX) – PING’s new book, And The Putter Went…PING, an inspiring and comprehensive look inside the family owned company that revolutionized the way golf equipment was designed and manufactured, will be available for purchase beginning May 1.

The book chronicles PING’s heritage and its on-going efforts to advance golf technology for the benefit of golfers of all skill levels. It takes readers behind the scenes of a genuine American success story that began in the family garage of Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian immigrant and mechanical engineer who invented the PING putter in 1959.

And The Putter Went…PING will be available at authorized PING retailers and through www.ping-shop.com. Visitors to PING’s headquarters in Phoenix will also be able to purchase the book. U.S. MSRP is $100. A limited edition with padded leather binding and gilded edges will be available for a U.S. MSRP of $300.

It is written by Jeffery B. Ellis, the author of numerous golf books, including the critically acclaimed The Clubmaker’s Art: Antique Golf Clubs and Their History. Nearly 1,000 pictures, many never-before published, provide a visual history of the brand and Ellis’ insightful writing reveals several heart-warming and humorous stories for the first time. More than 70 people were interviewed and thousands of hours were spent researching the company archives and industry periodicals to help illustrate the rich and influential history of the brand named for the sound made by its first product – the PING 1A putter.

“And The Putter Went…PING represents a 4½ -year effort with contributions by several current and former PING employees, friends of the company, golf professionals and industry leaders who shared their memories and insights into what has made PING such a special company with millions of loyal customers all over the world,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO.

“We’ve shared a lot of personal stories and recalled many special memories dating back to the early days in our garage and leading up to the company we are today,” Solheim continued. “Our family and employees have been very fortunate to be part of the golf industry for nearly 60 years. The book is a reflection of our never-ending commitment to making golf more enjoyable, and a tribute to all the golfers who have relied on PING products to play their best. We wouldn’t have a story like this without their belief in our products and processes.”

The 530-page, 16-chapter book captures Karsten’s pioneering spirit and his amazing ability to solve problems through innovative solutions that set industry standards still in effect today. You’ll learn about the early obstacles the company faced and the Solheims’ determination to overcome them while staying true to the principles that still guide the family owned company today. Two chapters are devoted to the highly publicized and vigorously debated “square groove” controversy of the late 1980s, in more depth than ever reported.

For fans of PING’s extensive product line, the book documents the evolution of PING’s innovative and game-changing products and the inspiration behind them, including the story of the legendary PING EYE2 iron and its impact on golfers around the world. The unmatched success of the Anser putter and its continued influence on putter design more than 50 years after its invention is covered in detail.

Karsten’s pioneering role in custom fitting and the impact of tour professionals on his fitting process is documented in a chapter that takes readers inside the logic of the iconic PING Color Code Chart and the science behind the company’s top-rated fitting systems.

John A. Solheim, the youngest child of Karsten and Louise, wrote the foreword. The afterword is authored by John K. Solheim, John A.’s oldest son, who was recently named PING president.

The book is published by Zephyr Productions, Inc.

All-Star Team of Top Golf Executives Join Big Cedar Lodge to Lead Next Great Golf Destination

Veteran of Pelican Hill, Kohler, Doral, Stephen Friedlander to Lead Golf Operations and PGA Master Professional, Mark Lammi to Serve as Director of Golf

(RIDGEDALE, Mo.) – Noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris announced that golf industry leader Stephen Friedlander will join Big Cedar Lodge as Vice President of Golf, and PGA Master Professional Mark Lammi will lead as Director of Golf.

A veteran in managing world class golf resort properties, Friedlander has led internationally-known luxury golf properties that have hosted Major championships both in the United States and Scotland. Friedlander will join Big Cedar Lodge from

The Resort at Pelican Hill, previously leading golf operations at Kohler Company in Kohler, Wisconsin, and Doral Golf Resort in Miami.

A PGA Master Professional since 2005, Lammi brings a wide range of experience in leading the way at top-tier courses across the country. The former Vice President of Golf Operations at The Ritz Carlton-Reynolds Plantation, Lake Oconee course,

Lammi has served on the PGA of America’s Master Professional Education Board, and currently as a PGA Magazine Ambassador and staff member of the TaylorMadeAdidas Golf National Advisory.

“I can speak for both Mark and myself when I say that we have the utmost respect for the vision that Johnny has created for golf at Big Cedar Lodge,” said Friedlander. “The beauty of the Ozarks, the quality of the golf and vision for connecting people with nature by showcasing this incredible landscape are reasons that we are proud and honored to join this team and grow the reputation for golf in the Ozarks. We have experienced golf around the world and we have never seen anything like Big Cedar Lodge and what is being created here. We are confident this will become one of the great golf destinations in the world.”

“During their careers, Steve and Mark have both demonstrated an ability to deliver quality at every turn – quality in experience, product and in building strong operational teams,” said Morris. “We are delighted to welcome them to Big Cedar Lodge and look forward to them teaming with the existing all-star team of Todd Bohn, Greg Thomas, Toby Burkhart, Curtis Keller, Juan Barragan, and Stephen Johnson to create an extraordinary golf and outdoor-themed destination.”

The team’s vast experience in the industry will serve them well with the diverse and growing golf experience at Big Cedar Lodge. The property has recently announced the addition of two new courses, Mountain Top Course designed by Gary Player set to open this spring, and a Coore & Crenshawdesigned 18-hole course that will open in 2018. These new courses will join Big Cedar Lodge’s existing golf offerings, the 9-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus, Top of the Rock, and the championship course, Buffalo Ridge Springs, designed by Tom Fazio. Buffalo Ridge Springs has been rated the #1 Public Access Course in Missouri by GOLF Magazine and has been named one of the Top 10 Missouri Courses by Golf Digest since 2001. Both courses will play host to the annual Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf on April 19-23, 2017.

To learn more about golf at Big Cedar Lodge, or to make a tee time, please call the golf shop at 417-339- 5430 or visit www.bigcedar.com.

Bobby Weed Golf Design Completes Renovation of Pleasant Valley Country Club

(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida) – Bobby Weed Golf Design (www.bobbyweed.com) has completed its renovation of the golf course and practice facilities at Pleasant Valley Country Club, thus concluding its five-year relationship with the private member-owned club in Little Rock, Ark. The project was part of a long-range master plan developed by the design firm in 2011. The 27-hole layout, which opened in 1968, was designed by Joe Finger, with Jimmy Demaret and Byron Nelson as consultants. Weed’s renovation represents the only significant update of the golf course through the years.

“The renovation has enhanced this distinctive course’s exceptional aesthetic appeal,” said Bobby Weed, president & CEO of Bobby Weed Golf Design. “Players will appreciate the parkland appeal and rolling topography of the layout while using discerning, interesting strategy on every hole.”

All three sets of nine holes on this challenging layout converge at the clubhouse. Weed and Chris Monti, his design partner, and their team worked on each nine through the winter, completing the third nine earlier this spring.

Significant components of the overall renovation included: updating the strategy and placement while reconstructing all bunkers, drainage improvements, tree removal and re-grassing of perimeter roughs. In addition, Weed rehabilitated a number of open water channels, adding river rock lining to produce greater aesthetic value while enhancing the practical value for conveying storm water.

Significant redesign of the practice facility also was implemented, including tee expansion improvements to target definition down range and a new short game chipping and bunker green. A separate wedge area with pancake target greens also was constructed. Allowing practice of shots from 35-85 yards, it has a dedicated 10,000-square-foot tee. Said Monti, “The updated practice facilities are the most complete in the Little Rock area. Current members can fully calibrate their games and new members might join on the basis of the new practice area alone.”

In conjunction with the overall renovation project, the club also installed a new state-of-the-art irrigation system for all 27 holes. Contractors on the project included Lepanto Golf Construction of Pomona Park, Fla., and Nutt Irrigation of Tullahoma, Tenn.

For more information on Bobby Weed Golf Design, see www.bobbyweed.com.

Introducing Morsh Golf

(PRODUCT) - It all began two years ago. The central figure, Žiga Mlakar from Slovenia (23 years old and a golfer for more than 10 years), had been thinking about how to enable golfers to hit longer shots when they cannot find sufficient accuracy with the driver. He began to notice that many amateur golfers do not even carry a driver, but use woods and hybrids instead. There would be nothing questionable about that, if the first stroke wouldn’t put them so far from the green that their making par seems highly unlikely from the start. Žiga had a clear vision of how to help golfers with this problematic part of the game, which is why he decided to find some answers and got the idea that brought us to this point.

In golf, the precision of the tee shots is incredibly important, but so is their length. The simple fact is that greater distance and accuracy grants us a better starting position for the next shot. This also presents the greatest challenge – the further we want to hit, the less accurate we are, mostly due to the difficulty of using the driver. Drivers are designed to maximize distance, but do so at a high potential loss of accuracy. With the use of a slightly modified club, however, we could achieve a much improved accuracy at only a minimal cost to distance.

This is the purpose of the Morsh 2 wood, the club designed for all golfers. As stated above, many golfers don’t want to use the driver because of its inaccuracy. Every one of us was in this position once, when you simply don’t hit precisely enough with the driver to opt for it or you feel more confident with another club. This is precisely why Morsh carefully designed and crafted the club that enables shots nearly as long as those made with a driver, while being far more accurate. It’s also very playable from the fairway.

2 wood specifications
- The clubhead is made out of stainless steel measuring 190cc, 205g- The shaft is graphite with low bend point/flex point so the ball trajectory is high enough
- Available stiffness is Regular, Stiff and X-stiff. The club is 44” or 43.5” long and has D2 swingweight
- The grip is 45g regular thickness

Benefits 
- Better accuracy than with a driver with minimum loss of distance.
- Distance from the fairway with only 10 degrees of loft.
- Better feel and control because of only 190cc club head

Learn more at www.morshgolf.com.

Pick the Titleist That Is Best for Your Game - Pro V1 or Pro V1x

There’s a popular belief in business ... If you’re not evolving, you’re dying. Perhaps that explains why Titleist makes changes to the ever-popular Pro V1 and Pro V1x models every two years.

And the 2017 balls may be them most improved in recent memory. What’s new?

The Pro V1 has a “Next Generation 2.0 ZG Process Core,” which adds distance over the 2015 model through lower spin and faster ball speed.

The dimple design is new, as well. The spherically-tiled 352 tetrahedral dimple design provides a more consistent flight. As amateurs, most of us won’t necessarily see the consistency on every shot, but it’s nice to know that when you hit the shot you want, the ball will react the way you expect.

The thin ionomeric casing layer that enhances speed and controls spin on full shots remains the same, as does the soft Urethane Elastomer cover. Titleist refers to this system as “Drop-and-Stop greenside control” and nobody who has played these balls can debate that.

The former beef with the Pro V family was the balls getting easily scuffed and beat up throughout a round. The company addressed that several years ago and today’s generation continues to boast long-lasting durability.

As with the Pro V1, the Pro V1x also has an improved cover system. The new spherically-tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design gives the Pro V1x its most consistent flight to date.

There are two misconceptions that should be discussed:
- The Pro V1 and Pro V1x are for low-handicap golfers only; and
- You need a swing speed in excess of 100 mph to reap the rewards of these balls.

Both are false. Any golfer who wants a long, responsive golf ball will benefit, regardless of swing speed and ability. That said, these balls retail for $47.99, so high-handicappers who are prone to losing quite a few balls throughout a round may want to find a lower-price option.

So you’ve decided to try the 2017 version of Titleist’s flagship ball, but don’t know which one is right for you. Here’s the basic difference: Pro V1 flies lower with a penetrating trajectory and feels softer. Pro V1x flies higher, has a slightly firmer feel, and spins more on iron shots. I already hit a high ball and prefer feel over distance, which is why I play the Pro V1. You may value shots differently.

Learn more at www.titleist.com.

Tagmarshal Adds Weather Analysis with New Partnership

(Las Vegas, NV) – Tagmarshal – the pace-of-play and revenue-optimizing system used globally by golf courses, country clubs and resorts – has partnered with Golf Weather to integrate climate conditions into real-time and historical analysis.

Working with golf’s most accurate forecast resource, Tagmarshal adds another informative data layer to their software by framing player movement in the context of weather. A new module will allow course management to set round times and interval goals in line with expected conditions.    

“Hours of sunlight, wind and rain all impact the flow of golfers, and now that information is reflected and enables more informed courses of action.” says Bodo Sieber, Chief Executive Officer of Tagmarshal. “In our quest to deliver the most data-driven tool possible, it was essential that these contextual variables be factored into the equation.”

Other benefits of the Golf Weather addition include: recommended geofences to protect sensitive areas in wet settings, refined golfer capacity reporting, adjusted player profiles and preemptive severe weather alerts. Nearly 40,000 global courses already have an hourly hyper-local detailed forecast live-updating on GolfWeather.com.

“We strive to deliver data that is accessible, precise and actionable,” says Moshe Adir, CEO of Golf Weather. “Tagmarshal shares those values, as well as a mission to help players and courses improve every golf experience.”

Utilized at 2017 U.S. Open host Erin Hills and Ryder Cup and PGA Championship hosts Whistling Straits, Valhalla and others, Tagmarshal’s small data-transmitting tags track walking and cart rounds. Partner courses routinely improve their efficiencies, goal times, staffing and processes while adding capacity and generating revenue.

“Tagmarshal has already helped us optimize our efficiency during peak season,” says Whistling Straits Head Golf Professional Mike O’Reilly, PGA. “Being able to compare pace-of-play statistics on days when weather is a factor will give us an even more in-depth perspective.”

A recent USGA survey shows 74% of golfers believe pace is “critical” to their enjoyment of rounds. Fittingly, the Tagmarshal solution improves average round times, reduces slow play and enables courses to optimize on-course experiences and income opportunities. Superintendents use Tagmarshal pace data to better manage pin placements and hole set ups which lead to less golfer stress, better scores and repeat play.

More information: tagmarshal.com, 725.333.7354.

Titleist: The No. 1 Ball at the Valero Texas Open

(RELEASE) - It’s back to the Lone Star state for the PGA TOUR and this week TPC San Antonio is once again playing host to the Valero Texas Open. With roots firmly planted in San Antonio, the event's hometown since it was first played in 1922, it seems fitting that the champion will be slipping on a pair of custom cowboy boots instead of donning one of the jackets given to the winner's of the last two events.

 And as players look to take on the Par-72, 7,435 yard Oaks Course, Titleist is the overwhelming golf ball of choice with 116 players teeing up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball. That’s more than seven times the nearest competitor with 15 and more than all competitors combined.

Titleist is also the top choice of players in the hybrids (30) and irons (47) categories. Vokey Design Wedges topped the approach, sand and lob wedge (215) category. Scotty Cameron putters were the top choice in the putter (65) category.

FAST FACTS:
- Dating to 1922, the Valero Texas Open is the third-oldest non-major on the PGA TOUR calendar behind only the BMW Championship (1899) and RBC Canadian Open (1904). It’s also the longest-running event on the PGA TOUR to be held in the same city.
- This will be the eighth consecutive year that TPC San Antonio plays host to the Valero Texas Open. The event debuted at this location in 2010 where Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott claimed top honors.
- Titleist Brand Ambassador Charley Hoffman will be looking to defend his title this week at TPC San Antonio where he has never missed a cut and has finished in the top-15 a total of nine times.
- 2015 Valero Texas Open champion, reigning PGA Championship winner and nearby Boerne resident Titleist Brand Ambassador Jimmy Walker will be making his 12th start in the 2017 Valero Texas Open.