The Evolution of the Golf Magazine. From Eh? to Yech!!

[C. Squier]

Wait a second.  My dad has STACKS of old magazines (golf ones, you perverts) and they're all filled with 1 page tips, equipment and course/resort ads.  If you're going to blame something, blame the equipment companies, because the only difference is that back in the 1980's they would advertise the same clubs for 5 years (I can probably recite that old bright yellow Ping ad) and now they have something new coming out every 6 months.  Weekly for Taylor Made.  

And ball companies have always had premium and low priced offerings, that's nothing new.  As for Consumer Reports, if I remember correctly, they hit balls with a robot.  Last time I checked, I can't wheel my Iron Byron out on the course to play with me.  Their conclusions are incomplete because golfers sometimes prefer "imperfect" results, namely feel and ballflight height.  

I'll do my own Consumer Reporting if I can get dad to bring over a few magazines.....a side by side count between today's rag and one from a few decades ago.  

[Lynn_Shackelford]

I always thought my time spent reading Golf Journal was time well spent.
Too bad USGA doesn't have the money to still produce it!

[wsmorrison]

Richard is right.  The Nike Power Distance Soft at $15.99 is a marvelous ball.  As good as just about any ball on the market.  I still buy Pro V1x but only for special rounds.  My typical round is with the Nike.  Try it.  I think you'll like it.  I know a few people don't like the feel off the putter.  I don't understand that (I use a YES Tracy II).

[Eric_Terhorst]

I bet these hacks at Golf Odessey have one great time at the resorts that they hawk books about.  I'm still pissed that they promise no ads and then flash six banners in one page at me to buy their book when I take them up on their free offer.  Then what do you know...when I get to the free offer the time has expired and I am too late.  If I was them I wouldn't admit I work there either.

John, I find their free e-mails are sometimes useful.  I forwarded one to your e-mail address.  There's a link there for "e-mail this to a friend" that you may find easier to navigate.  

Uh, but don't blame me if it continues to irritate you!

I also find T&L Golf to be the best of the golf mags.  Good taste in courses.

[John Kavanaugh]

I bet these hacks at Golf Odessey have one great time at the resorts that they hawk books about.  I'm still pissed that they promise no ads and then flash six banners in one page at me to buy their book when I take them up on their free offer.  Then what do you know...when I get to the free offer the time has expired and I am too late.  If I was them I wouldn't admit I work there either.

John, I find their free e-mails are sometimes useful.  I forwarded one to your e-mail address.  There's a link there for "e-mail this to a friend" that you may find easier to navigate.  

Uh, but don't blame me if it continues to irritate you!

I also find T&L Golf to be the best of the golf mags.  Good taste in courses.

Eric,

Thanks for the link...What you sent me did not stink.

[cary lichtenstein]

John:

What if your business required a marketing budget in order to be successful? Would you not properly market your product?

Your vision here is a bit myopic

Cary

[John Kavanaugh]

John:

What if your business required a marketing budget in order to be successful? Would you not properly market your product?

Your vision here is a bit myopic

Cary

Cary,

Who are you talking about.  The magazines or the products?  Road contractors use to have to market and the money ended up in shoe boxes.  I see the magazines as fuel for the corruptors much like crooked politicians were at one time.  I do not blame the products for taking advantage of a corrupt system and passing the cost onto the consumer.

[James Bennett]

One thing any ad based magazine will not do is a blind study like Consumer Reports did just last year showing a $14 ball is as good as a $48 ball.  I have recently been conned by the graphs on the side of the Callaway boxes.  According to the graph the HX is not only longer than the Hot but also longer than the HX Tour.  Maybe so, but the graphs are incredibly out of scale.  Something needs to be done to protect us from ourselves.  There must be no truth in advertising in golf.  The magazines need to step up and get some credibility.

What is the difference between a $3 ball and a $5 Ball?


$2!


And, from the same genius (Lesley Nielsen),

when playing over water, use one more club, or two more balls.

 

James B

[Bill Gayne]

I subscribe to GolfWeek and Golf Digest. In GD, I enjoy reading Dan Jenkins and Dave Kindred.

I really like GolfWeek. Brad Klein provides a great focus on architecture. No publication is better for following tournament golf.

[Jim Nugent]

 Has a private club ever sold a membership through advertising?

 

Maybe not through advertising, but I bet lots of memberships have been sold because golf magazines ran articles about courses and got people excited about them.  They certainly have millions of golfers dreaming about joining certain clubs.  Places like Bandon have greatly benefited from golf mag coverage.  

Has a player ever improved his game through reading a one page tip?

I'd be amazed if that is not the case.  And anyone who has improved has gotten his money's worth many times over.

 Do we need to be "sold" on new equipment every month?

No one or next to no one buys new equipment every month.  But readers do learn what that new equipment is, and what it might do for them.  When it is time to buy, they are better informed.

How much of the cost of balls and clubs are there to buy more ads?

In 1998 over a billion golf balls were produced.  (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_1999_Nov/ai_56917785)  While I don't know how much ball manufacturers spend on advertising, I guessing it's less than $100 million.  Lets use that as our figure anyway.  That comes to under $.10 a ball.

If they spend around $30 million, which is my uneducated guess, about 3 cents per ball goes to advertising.  

Are you entertained by the wit and insight of the writers?

Sometimes.  Just as I enjoy some of the wit and insights here on GCA.com.  Often yours, for example.  

What good are the magazines and would the game be better off without them?

Golf magazines perform a simple function.  Information.  They help us, the consumers, learn more about this game we enjoy.  Both in their articles and their advertising.  

Classic economic models assume all consumers have perfect information.  In the real world that is not true.  Mags help fill the information gap.  

Would the game be better off without magazines?  I think it would be worse.  

[John Kavanaugh]

 Has a private club ever sold a membership through advertising?

 

Maybe not through advertising, but I bet lots of memberships have been sold because golf magazines ran articles about courses and got people excited about them.  They certainly have millions of golfers dreaming about joining certain clubs.  Places like Bandon have greatly benefited from golf mag coverage.  

Jim,

Thanks for the specific replies.  Taking this one first I had an interesting experience already this morning.  On the way to taking my son to school I heard an ad for Queens Gap by Nicklaus offering no intitiation memberships for the first 400 or so people to sign up.  Limited time only of course.  I took the bait and first visited the web site and then because of no mention I called the number also given.  Ding, ding, ding...No initiation fee with purchase of land.  Another advertising con job and the course is not slated to be completed until 2009.  

Perhaps I was wrong and people do join private clubs when they hear ads...Has anyone been to Eric Estrada's Angel Fire? http://www.angelfirehomesites.com/ The free trip looks great!!!

[John Kavanaugh]

Has a player ever improved his game through reading a one page tip?

I'd be amazed if that is not the case.  And anyone who has improved has gotten his money's worth many times over.

I think one page tips are worse for a golfers game than nothing at all.  Can anyone give an example of a tip from a magazine that has made you a better golfer?

[John_Cullum]

Has a player ever improved his game through reading a one page tip?

I'd be amazed if that is not the case.  And anyone who has improved has gotten his money's worth many times over.

I think one page tips are worse for a golfers game than nothing at all.  Can anyone give an example of a tip from a magazine that has made you a better golfer?

I agree they do more harm than good. I quit reading the tips around 1976. I quit reading the magazines about 1986. I got a free subscription to Golf magazine a few months ago, I look through it for about 90 seconds and toss it

[Phil McDade]

Golf Digest:

Corey Pavin -- take very short backswings on putts of 4 feet or less. Helps keep the putter on line.

Numerous times: With an iron in your hand on the fairway, hit down on the ball to make it go up.

Maybe that's see-Jane-run kind of advice, but I've never understood any of this stuff about swing planes, V-shapes, wrist-cocks, and all the other pseudo-kineseology stuff. But simple lessons like that have stayed with me, and have helped my admittedly marginal game from being even worse.

[John Kavanaugh]

Golf Digest:

Corey Pavin -- take very short backswings on putts of 4 feet or less. Helps keep the putter on line.

Numerous times: With an iron in your hand on the fairway, hit down on the ball to make it go up.

Just reading the above shoots any chance of me making a short putt all weekend.  I have heard the ole hit down to make it go up routine but can not imagine that swing thought when required to hit the ball over a tree.

[Phil McDade]

John:

If you need to clear a tree with a shot from the fairway, you're playing a crappy, tree-infested course. Does VN have those kind of shots from the fairway? If so, remind me not to head down to Indiana.......

[John Kavanaugh]

John:

If you need to clear a tree with a shot from the fairway, you're playing a crappy, tree-infested course. Does VN have those kind of shots from the fairway? If so, remind me not to head down to Indiana.......

Have you ever heard of a dog-leg or blind shot.  Sometimes a guy needs to hit a ball high for more reasons than clearing the dew.

[Dan Kelly]

"Hit solid to make the ball go up" is more apt.

Eureka!

And all it took you was one line!

See how helpful quick advice can be?

[Tommy Williamsen]

I'm not sure anyone has to subscribe to golf magazines.  How many of your clubs have them sitting around in the locker room, grill room, etc.?

[John Kavanaugh]

I want to know why you can't buy a Golfweek at a Barnes and Noble or any airport in the country.  If this or that is done to sell mags then tell me where to buy one.