PLD Anser Patent 55 Copper Putter Drops September 26; Only 55 Available

(PHOENIX) – The PLD Anser Patent 55 in copper, the third of four fully machined collector’s models being offered as part of a year-long celebration acknowledging the issuance of the Anser putter patent 55 years ago, is available exclusively through pingpld.com beginning Monday at 2 pm ET. 

Only 55 of the precision-milled, handcrafted putters, which are made in the USA and serialized, will be available via the website for $790 (limit one per customer).

The choice of copper as the material is a tribute to Arizona and its rich tradition as the country’s leading producer of copper. Arizona has also been the home of PING for more than 60 years and it’s where founder Karsten Solheim first sketched the Anser design on a 78-rpm record sleeve in 1966.

“The celebration of the Anser patent’s 55th anniversary through our PLD program has been very exciting and rewarding,” said PING Executive Chairman John A. Solheim. “It’s generated renewed interest in the Anser story and shed deserving light on its game-changing role in putter engineering and the continued influence it has on putter designs today.” 

“The first two versions of the PLD Anser Patent 55 sold out in less than three minutes, so we’re encouraging those interested to be ready promptly when we make them available on Monday,” he said. “Several golfers have acquired the first two versions and we expect they’ll be ready on Monday to add to their collection in hopes of collecting all four.”

The Anser Story

Granted on March 21,1967, by the U.S. Patent office and assigned the number D207-227, the game-changing Anser patent set the standard in putter design that still dominates the winner’s circle today. More than 700 Anser victories are represented in the PING Gold Putter Vault, including the 1969 Masters, the first of 20 major victories for PING’s most iconic design.  

The history of the famous design is well-chronicled, from it first being sketched by Karsten Solheim on a 78-rpm record sleeve to his wife Louise’s idea to name the putter Anser, cleverly suggesting Karsten leave out the letter “w” in the word answer to ensure the name would fit on the back of the putter. Earning its first PGA Tour win at the 1966 Florida Citrus Open, just over a month after its introduction at the Phoenix Open, the Anser’s instant popularity changed the trajectory of the company practically overnight as demand grew so quickly it necessitated a move out of the family’s Scottsdale, Ariz., garage and into a small building in north Phoenix to keep up with production. The original building still stands at the company’s 50-acre headquarters. 

The Anser is also famous for its influence on other putter designers in the golf industry, many of whom celebrated the day the patent expired.

“A lot of time has passed since the invention of the Anser putter,” said John A. Solheim, the youngest son of Karsten and Louise. “We think it’s important to remind the golf industry and some of the younger golfers that the familiar putter design they see with other brands’ name on it was created by Karsten in his garage in the mid-1960s. I was fortunate to be at his side building the first Ansers and continued to do so for many years. It was among Karsten’s many contributions to the game that eventually earned him induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the only manufacturer to be so honored. We’re flattered that the design has had such a significant influence on putter design for the last 55 years and we think this is a great time to celebrate its continuing success by offering golfers a piece of PING history with the introduction of the PLD Anser Patent 55 model.”

The final PLD Anser Patent 55 is gold plated and milled from stainless steel. It will be available on December 12.

San Francisco Pride announces 4th annual SF Pride Pro Am Golf Tournament and reception, October 7-8 at TPC Harding Park

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Over 150 LGBTQ+ golfers and allies will tee up this year to compete at the 4th annual SF Pride Pro Am Golf Tournament. Presented by Topgolf and Mastercard, the event will gather golfers onto the greens starting at 11a.m. on Saturday, October 8, 2022, with a special kickoff celebration on Friday night, October 7. 

Held at San Francisco’s world-renowned TPC Harding Park — home to the 2020 PGA Championship — this tournament is the first-ever LGBTQ+ sporting event to be endorsed by the PGA. Since its inception in 2019, it has been a potent symbol of increased LGBTQ+ representation in the realm of professional athletics. Over the years, the event has drawn hundreds of pro and amateur golfers from across the country and beyond for a great day of golf, fun and fundraising. To date, the annual event has raised more than $145,000 in support of local non-profit LGBTQ+ organizations, along with organizations working on issues such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness and animal welfare.

While registration for the October 8 golf event is currently sold out, there are still tickets available for SF Pride's kickoff celebration of the tournament on Friday night, October 7, in San Francisco's iconic Fairmont Hotel with a reception featuring hors d'oeuvres and libations sponsored by Newfront Insurance and La Crema Wines. Click here for tickets to the reception to toast to and celebrate golfer and trans activist Hailey Davidson as she receives the Prism Award, honoring leadership in the LBGTQ+ sports community. Among Davidson’s many accomplishments, she received national recognition for her valiant attempts to become the first transgender woman to earn a LPGA tour card. She also faced down media backlash and showed tremendous resilience and poise in the face of adversity, exemplifying the values SF Pride represents.

“Breaking barriers in sports has been a point of focus for SF Pride and we felt it was important to recognize Hailey's courage in the game of golf from an LGBTQ+ perspective. And what better place than TPC Harding Park, the only city-owned public course managed by the PGA TOUR, to be the site of this trailblazing tournament,” said Suzanne Ford, interim executive director of SF Pride. “We are also honored to have the sponsorship of the iconic Fairmont Hotel here in San Francisco, which will host several events related to the tournament.” 

Hailey Davidson’s aim is to inspire transgender kids to challenge themselves on and off the course — and Harding Park holds a special place in her heart. “It's such a welcoming environment and experience that doesn't always happen in this traditionally conservative sport,” Davidson said. “ I absolutely love the San Francisco area in general. And it has been a beautiful thing to feel so welcome, not just in a place or even on the course, but also to feel the sport of golf opening up to be a more inclusive space for everyone.”

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the SF Pride Celebration Committee, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit. SF Pride is also a grant-giving organization through its Community Partners Program. For more information on the San Francisco Pride Pro-Am Golf Tournament or to make a donation to San Francisco Pride, click here.

About San Francisco Pride

The San Francisco Pride Celebration Committee is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded to produce the SF Pride Celebration and Parade. The mission of the organization is to educate the world on LGBTQ issues, as well as commemorate the heritage, celebrate the culture, and liberate the people of all LGBTQ communities. A world leader in the Pride movement, SF Pride is also a grant-giving organization through its Community Partners Program. Since 1997, SF Pride has granted over $3 million dollars in proceeds to local nonprofit LGBTQIA organizations and organizations working on issues related to HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness, housing rights, and animal welfare.

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Desert Mountain Club to Host Two USGA Championships

Arizona club awarded 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball 

(LIBERTY CORNER, N.J.) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Desert Mountain Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz., will host the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championships. These will be the second and third USGA championships held at Desert Mountain.

“We’re thrilled to bring both of our four-ball championships to Desert Mountain and the state of Arizona for the first time,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, Championships. “The variety of risk-reward options throughout the club’s signature golf courses will allow for exciting and dramatic team competition, while providing a comprehensive test that will produce worthy champions.”

Located in North Scottsdale and established in 1986, Desert Mountain features six Jack Nicklaus-designed championship courses, plus a par-54, 18-hole seventh course. The private club and community extends across 8,300 acres of Sonoran Desert terrain set at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. Its unique collection of courses offers landscapes that range from dramatic elevation changes to rolling fairways reminiscent of Scottish links.

“All of us at Desert Mountain Club are honored to host the 11th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and the 14th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball,” said Chris Storbeck, championship chair. “Our membership believes strongly in supporting competitive amateur golf, and we look forward to partnering with the USGA to showcase our community and deliver two first-class championships.”

The Cochise Course at Desert Mountain played host to the 1999 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship won by Carol Semple Thompson. It was the first of four consecutive titles for the Sewickley, Pa., resident.

The PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship was held at the venue four times between 2012 and 2016, and is a former site of the Regions Tradition, one of five senior major championships, which it hosted from 1989 to 2001. Nicklaus won four of his eight senior major titles on the Cochise Course during that stretch. The club has also hosted several collegiate and amateur events, including the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate and the Southwestern Amateur, which has been played on four different Desert Mountain courses since 2013.

The 11th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, with a starting field of 128 sides (264 players), will be played May 16-20, 2026. The 14th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, with a starting field of 64 sides (128 players), will be held May 12-16, 2029. The USGA will name competition courses for both championships at a later date.

These will be the 19th and 20th USGA championships held in Arizona, respectively. The Grand Canyon State most recently hosted the 2019 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, won by Ina Kim-Schaad, and is slated to host the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale.

The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball debuted in 2015 and are open to two-player sides (or teams) of amateur golfers of all ages with individual Handicap Indexes not exceeding 5.4 for men and 14.4 for women. Partners comprising teams or sides are not required to be from the same club, state or country.

The 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, which will be played at Kiawah Island Club (S.C.) on its Cassique and River courses, recently set a championship record with 2,551 entries accepted by the Aug. 10 deadline. Qualifying for the event began on Aug. 25 and concludes on Dec. 12. The 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will be held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., with qualifying having begun on Aug. 22 and continuing through Dec. 7.

To learn more, visit usga.org. 

New RTJ II Course in Grenada Now Under Construction

(Palo Alto, California) – Initial golf construction is under way for the new Mulan Golf Club located on the island of Grenada, West Indies, in the Caribbean Sea. The course is part of the extensive Grenada National Resort project, which will include a five-star hotel and other resort amenities. Feature shaping is expected to start later this year, while the hotel will break ground next year.

The rugged, natural setting is dotted with beautiful, extinct volcanoes rising out of both land and water. The routing starts high above the sea and plays through three types of landforms—jungle ridgelines, valley bowls, and seaside bluffs—with 180-degree Caribbean Sea views on nearly every hole. The final three holes play along the beach.

“We are working with an unparalleled natural canvas that will serve as a setting for a course that will blend into the beautiful terrain,” said Mike Gorman, Senior Project Architect for Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II). “Mulan Golf Club will be another must play golf course in the Caribbean. Grenada has long been considered a great sailing destination and now golf will become part of this storied island. Guests will appreciate that this is a ‘golf first’ core layout that works to preserve and emphasize the natural terrain.”

Grenada National Resort project is developed by San Francisco Bay Area-based Hengsheng Group, with approval and support of the Grenada government.

“We’re thrilled to be building the first 18-holer on the beautiful island of Grenada,” said Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Founder and CEO of RTJ II.  “We’re committed to helping bring more guests to enjoy the natural beauty, with spectacular views from most of the golf holes and strategic options to match.  We’re all very excited to see the project come to fruition and start a new chapter in Grenada’s golf history.”

Grenada is actually made up of several small islands, located southwest of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and northeast of Trinidad and Tobago. It’s known as “The Spice Isle” for the many spices produced there, including nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, and cloves. The island is accessible with flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and New York, as well as direct flights from London.

For more information and details about RTJ II courses, award-winning sustainable designs, visionary water conservation, and world-class tournament venues, visit the company’s website at www.rtj2.com.

Dunlop Sports Americas Returns to 2023 PGA Show

(HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.) — Dunlop Sports Americas® announced today plans to return to the PGA Show in Orlando, FL., Jan. 24-27, 2023. 

Debuting their new global brand structure for the first time on the Orlando showroom floor, Dunlop Sports Americas plans to highlight their international scope and freshly united family of golf brands at the 2023 PGA Show. The Show will serve as a critical opportunity to display how revamped branding under the Dunlop umbrella has coalesced and magnified the moment of the growing Srixon, Cleveland Golf, XXIO, and ASICS platforms.

As a longstanding anchor in the Equipment Hall of the global golf industry’s annual PGA Show, Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO/ASICS will engage thousands of PGA Professionals and golf retailers across multiple exhibit, demonstration, and product testing areas inside the Orange County Convention Center. Their equipment will also be on display and available for use at the hitting bays and the short game practice facilities of the annual PGA Show Demo & Fitting Day at Orange County National Golf Center. 

“We are excited to return to the PGA Show in 2023 to show support for the PGA of America and the thousands of PGA Professionals who help make the business of golf what is it today,” said Mike Powell, President and COO of Dunlop Sports Americas. “All of our staff looks forward to showcasing our brands in person, while highlighting the new and exciting things we have planned for the upcoming year.”

Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO/ASICS are longtime supporters of the PGA of America and its more than 28,000 PGA Professionals as a PGA of America Golf Retirement Plus Supporting Partner, a sponsor of the national PGA Assistant Championship and 41 PGA Section Assistant Championships, the PGA Assistant of the Year award in all 41 PGA Sections, and a new supporting sponsor of the PGA Golf Management University Championship.  During the 2023 PGA Show, Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO/ASICS will again host a PGA Assistants Reception to foster networking and professional development among the next generation of PGA Professionals.

“We are excited for the return of Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO/ASICS to the PGA Show,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson. “Their ongoing support of our Professionals, especially up-and-coming PGA Assistants and Associates, has been important to the career journey of many PGA Members. We appreciate their participation in the PGA Show and know that PGA Professionals value the opportunity to personally source and test their products and meet with their company leaders.”

“The family of Srixon/Cleveland Golf/XXIO/ASICS brands has consistently offered a valued engagement for PGA Professionals and golf retailers at the PGA Show and we look forward to welcoming these important brands back to event,” said PGA Golf Exhibitions Vice President Marc Simon. “Their activation plans for the 2023 PGA Show will showcase their latest technologies, innovations, and premium products, while connecting company leadership in person with industry professionals at all levels.”

The PGA Show, organized in partnership by the PGA of America and PGA Golf Exhibitions, will reunite the golf industry for the 70th edition of golf’s longest running and largest global business gathering. Thousands of attending PGA Professionals, golf leaders, industry executives and retailers from around the world will source new products from nearly 1,000 golf and golf lifestyle brands while attending high-level industry presentations, participating in education and career workshops, and connecting in person with peers and golf leaders to drive continued growth of the sport and the business of golf.

TRUE linkswear Announces Future Staples Line Debut

New Men’s, Women’s FS-01 Available for ‘Early Access’ Preorder Starting Sept. 27th   

(TACOMA, Wash.) – TRUE linkswear (TRUE) announces the upcoming debut of its Future Staples line with the new men’s and women’s FS-01 available for “early access” preorder during a 72-hour window from Tuesday, Sept. 27th to midnight (PDT) on Friday, Sept. 30th at www.truelinkswear.com. All footwear ordered during this time will have a target ship date of mid-October (a month ahead of the official release date).

Regular preorders will start Oct. 1st with shoes arriving directly to customers in mid-November. All customers reserving their pair during either early access period will receive 20% off. Following the preorder periods, the FS-01 will be offered at the TRUE website via a soon-to-be-launched experiential landing page. Select golf shop and specialty store availability will be announced later this year and in 2023.

A classic sneaker silhouette brought to life with TRUE fit, feel and technology, the FS-01 keeps golfers moving on any terrain and in all conditions. The 100% Eco-Genuine Leather Upper is hand-crafted for a polished look on the outside - while inside, TRUE’s new proprietary Ultra Plush Insole System offers unrivaled comfort, fit, and performance both on and off the links. The shoe’s construction is innovative and durable while maintaining a timeless minimalist aesthetic that looks just as good on the golf course as off it.

“The FS-01 is the embodiment of our ‘All Day’ design philosophy and an unrelenting dedication to creating shoes that golfers are proud and excited to wear anywhere,” says TRUE President Jason Moore. “The Future Staples line pays homage to the classic sneaker silhouettes we grew up with while featuring the most advanced technology and comfort-driven innovation of any TRUE to date. We love this duality and believe the TRUE community will, too.”

Golfers can choose from three exciting colors made with sustainable, recycled leather: White, Black and Walnut, as well as three limited colorways, Fog, Soft Rose and Seafoam. All FS-01s are offered in men’s sizes 7-11.5, 12, 13, 14 and 15, and women’s sizes 5.5-11 with an MSRP of $175. TRUE offers free shipping on orders of $100 or more with shoes delivered in a signature reusable shoe bag (in lieu of cardboard). FS-01 design highlights include: 

-Ultra-Plush Insole System allows the foot to sit directly atop the cushioned midsole, forgoing the hardened, dead feel that a traditional lasting board and cement glue create.

-Eco-Genuine Leather offers a soft luxury hand feel, a consistent matte pebbled finish, and is a genuine leather product that’s highly scratch resistant, odor free, strong, flexible, and easy to clean while utilizing pre- and post-consumer recycled leather.

-Achilles Heel Pad is your heel’s new best friend, providing instant comfort. The heel pad provides a plush cushion and locks in your heel for a blister-free walking experience.

-1-Piece Rubber Stitched Outsole provides incredible durability, stability, and longevity, providing the structure for a wrinkle-free midsole that’s easy to clean and looks great.

The introduction of the Future Staples line caps a busy fall for TRUE, which also saw the launch of Second Chance Footwear for overstocked, discontinued, or former limited-edition styles, Curated by TRUE – a handpicked collection of accessories that perform extremely well while looking insanely good, and the addition of several new styles and limited editions of existing best sellers.

For more information: www.truelinkswear.com; @truelinkswear.