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🏌️ Is LIV here for the long haul?

🏌️ Is LIV here for the long haul?

You tell us

MyGolfSpy
June 06, 2024

Hi Golfer,

I’ve been thinking about the cost of things lately, and as higher prices have long since shifted, in my estimation anyway, from necessity to opportunity, I’m starting to wonder if the golf market is creeping toward a breaking point.

Equipment sales are slowing, and the eyeball test says courses aren’t as busy as they were a year ago—and definitely not two years ago. I’ve noticed a sudden churn in the membership at my club. Another local course just dropped afternoon rates. A sample size of two is all but meaningless, but could it be a sign of things to come?

Of that, I’m not sure, but I do know that history has shown us that golf invariably ebbs and flows.

The Tiger boom didn’t last and I’d wager a hefty sum that the COVID boom won’t last either (check your White Claw sales).

The industry is notoriously slow to adapt, so if we are trending toward decline, it could get messy.

What do you think? What do tee sheets, course memberships, and equipment sales look like 3 years from now?

📰 TODAY’S SPY NEWS

▶️ Is LIV here to stay?
▶️ Throwback Thursday: what went wrong for Wilson
▶️ This equipment brand is changing the game for kids
▶️ What it’s like to play one of the most popular courses in the U.S.
▶️ MAILBAG: The hottest putters in golf

TOUR NEWS & OPINION

Is LIV Here for the Long Haul?

A Framework for Nothing

Today marks one year since the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund entered into a framework agreement that stunned the golf world.

It was a jarring development that blindsided most of golf’s key stakeholders. The sight of Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sitting next to PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan during a TV hit for CNBC felt like a fever dream.

Immediately, grand conclusions and rash generalizations were being made—and justifiably so, given that a partnership between these bitter rivals seemed inconceivable.

But one year later, the framework agreement looks meaningless.

Meanwhile, LIV continues to push forward with no tangible signs of slowing down.

So much remains unanswered. One question I keep coming back to is how many years of unsuccessful business will it take before the Saudis give up on LIV? At some point, even they have to make money to continue.

👀 IS LIV HERE TO STAY?

TOGETHER WITH L.A.B GOLF

Your L.A.B. Golf Questions Answered

The Deep Dive

Today, we are going to dive into the mailbag and answer some of your questions about L.A.B. Golf. L.A.B. Golf is one of the hottest putter companies these days, both on pro tours and at your local course. Every week, you are seeing more L.A.B. Golf putters in professional and amateur bags.

Why are L.A.B. Golf putters such a hot commodity these days?

Let’s explore the phenomenon that is L.A.B. Golf.

⛳ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

🧠 THROWBACK THURSDAY

Rebuilding Wilson Golf: What Went Wrong

Another Shot at Redemption

About a month ago, John Barba wrote an excellent piece on the resurgence of Wilson golf.

Long story short, Wilson is trying to free itself from the past and reestablish itself with a new generation of golfers. To an extent, that means letting go of some of the history that was almost the entirety of the brand’s story for a generation.

Bottom line, it’s a new Wilson Golf.

That said, this isn’t the first time in recent memory that Wilson has attempted to reestablish itself as a serious player in the golf equipment space.

With that in mind, I thought we’d use this Throwback Thursday to look at John Barba’s incredible 3 part series from 2014 on The Fall of Wilson (1), The Reboot (2), and The Future of Wilson Golf (3).

Will history repeat itself, or will things be different for Wilson this time around?

⚙️ GOLF GEAR

All Kids Golf is Outfitting the Next Generation

A Head-to-Toe Golf Store for Kids

Since 1999, All Kids Golf Clubs has been making it easy for kids of all ages to get into golf with equipment that actually suits their needs.

An early adopter of e-commerce, the founders got their start selling custom youth golf sets online after noticing a void in the market. They thought, rightly so, that kids deserved more than an old set of cutdown adult clubs so they took it upon themselves to make it right.

Turns out, kids just needed someone in their corner. After six years, All Kids had custom built more than 40,000 golf clubs. Fast forward to today and All Kids Golf Clubs is the biggest junior golf retailer in the U.S.

🏌️ LET’S GROW THE GAME

✈️ GOLF TRAVEL

MGS Experiences: Pinehurst No. 2

There’s a Reason …

Before we approached the first tee at Pinehurst No. 2, I asked to make a quick pit stop.

I didn’t need to go to the bathroom. I didn’t need to buy a box of balls from the clubhouse—though they definitely would have come in handy that day. I wanted to take a picture.

With putter in hand, I balanced on my left leg, leaned forward and thrust my right fist proudly into the air.

“Kick your back leg up and out a little bit more,” my photographer instructed as he snapped away.

Too stiff from a recent knee injury on this brisk winter morning, I did the best I could to replicate the iconic celebratory pose from 1999 U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart immortalized in bronze approximately 50 yards off the 18th green at Pinehurst No. 2.

Despite lacking both the flexibility and wardrobe of the three-time major champion who tragically passed away months after winning his second U.S. Open, I did my best to channel his passion and excitement for the game as I played the legendary course for the first time.

There’s a reason Pinehurst No. 2, home of this week’s U.S. Open, isn’t just the crown jewel of the Pinehurst Resort family but one of the top courses in the world.

✈️ PLAN YOUR TRIP