2013 Golfweek Rankings Now Available...

[Jim Colton]

To digital subscribers. You can buy the current issue for $1.99.

http://golfweek.com/portal/subscribe/

Let's see if we can collectively wait until the list is publicly available on the golfweek.com website before broadcasting to the world here or on some blog post.

[Bill McKinley]

Too late now, right???

[John Kavanaugh]

To digital subscribers. You can buy the current issue for $1.99.

http://golfweek.com/portal/subscribe/

Let's see if we can collectively wait until the list is publicly available on the golfweek.com website before broadcasting to the world here or on some blog post.

Doesn't Golfweek get enough revenue from charging their raters yearly dues?  $300,000 in revenue from the raters and now they want $2 for the results?!?  Robbing graves in a dead industry.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Maybe the smores at rater camp cost a lot to make?

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe the smores at rater camp cost a lot to make?

The $300,000 is just from the dues payed by raters. I forgot about the other $500,000 cleared from the camps. My mistake.

[Jim Colton]

They charge their raters every year?

[John Kavanaugh]

They charge their raters every year?

Sure due.

[Jim Colton]

Too late now, right???

Somebody posted it?

[Bill McKinley]

Too late now, right???

Somebody posted it?

No not yet. But my point was that if you wanted everyone to wait until it's publicly released then why post a link to the subscription page for someone to do so? Just sayin.

[Jim Colton]

Bill,

It doesn't have to be a foregone conclusion that somebody posts the full list before it's available online.

[Bill McKinley]

Jim,

I understand. But why bring attention to it if you don't want someone to post it? No big deal either way. As I said before, just sayin.

[Jud_T]

Seriously,

Who here honestly prefers Whistling Straights to Old Mac and/or Ballyneal?

[Andy Troeger]

Seriously,

Who here honestly prefers Whistling Straights to Old Mac and/or Ballyneal?

I think I'm probably the only one...but somebody had to volunteer.

[Paul Jones]

I got my digital subscription yesterday.  Both Streamsong Courses made the Top 40 Modern List.

[Howard Riefs]

I got my digital subscription yesterday.  Both Streamsong Courses made the Top 40 Modern List.

Courses have to be in operation for a minimum of two years for them to qualify to appear on Golf Digest's list. Hence the reason that Old Mac didn't make the list in 2011. Interesting to see that Golfweek doesn't have such parameters.

[John Kavanaugh]

Maybe the smores at rater camp cost a lot to make?

The $300,000 is just from the dues payed by raters. I forgot about the other $500,000 cleared from the camps. My mistake.

John, it's $250 per rater/year now.  At 800 raters (which they certainly don't have because quite a few long time raters dropped this year, rather than pay), that's $200K.  $200 of that is a credit toward rater camp.  You also get your Golfweek sent to you and you get a free rater shirt.  I'm not smart enough to figure out the true extent of the margins on the camps because to do that, you'd have to determine the group rate discount they get, and that takes too much time and effort to be worth it. 

The $200 credit towards rater camp is genius.  I'm sure the vig on the camp fees is more than covered.  I'll stand by my figure of this being an $800,000 nut for Golfweek.  No doubt that the raters get value for their dues.  It's a win/win.

Golfweek's primary responsibility is to their bottom line and the security of its fine employees.  They should have been selling these raterships a long time ago.

[Ronald Montesano]

Bill, et al.

It's obvious and logical why Jimbo did it. We always have one guy who wants to be the cool kid (or dick, whichever way you look at it) that posts the rankings. Jimbo was heading off the urge at the pass by saying have a little class and don't post it. Bravo to him for this thread and his intuition.

[Bill McKinley]

Ron,

I'll buy that.  And Jim's track record also helps that he wasn't looking to be "that guy".  As a former GM of mine once said, in his wonderful southern drawl, "Everybody loves everybody"

[Anthony_Nysse]

Maybe the smores at rater camp cost a lot to make?

The $300,000 is just from the dues payed by raters. I forgot about the other $500,000 cleared from the camps. My mistake.

John, it's $250 per rater/year now.  At 800 raters (which they certainly don't have because quite a few long time raters dropped this year, rather than pay), that's $200K.  $200 of that is a credit toward rater camp.  You also get your Golfweek sent to you and you get a free rater shirt.  I'm not smart enough to figure out the true extent of the margins on the camps because to do that, you'd have to determine the group rate discount they get, and that takes too much time and effort to be worth it.  

I have been a rater for 7 years and have had a pay a dime to be rater. Not sure where this is coming.

[JR Potts]

Maybe the smores at rater camp cost a lot to make?

The $300,000 is just from the dues payed by raters. I forgot about the other $500,000 cleared from the camps. My mistake.

John, it's $250 per rater/year now.  At 800 raters (which they certainly don't have because quite a few long time raters dropped this year, rather than pay), that's $200K.  $200 of that is a credit toward rater camp.  You also get your Golfweek sent to you and you get a free rater shirt.  I'm not smart enough to figure out the true extent of the margins on the camps because to do that, you'd have to determine the group rate discount they get, and that takes too much time and effort to be worth it.  

I have been a rater for 7 years and have had a pay a dime to be rater. Not sure where this is coming.

Maybe I got a raw deal but I had to pay during my short two year stint as a Golfweek rater.  I wonder if they disqualified my Medinah rating?

[John Kavanaugh]

It wouldn't be right to charge working superintendents.  Anthony, do you go to any camps?

[Anthony_Nysse]

JK-I have not been to any camps. There was a retreat at Long Cove 5-6 years ago that I played in, along with Colleton River. I was working at LC at the time, so I didn't have to travel. Otherwise, its hard to be gone for the time frames needed.

[jim_lewis]

I am one of the original GOLFWEEK raters. Been one for about 20 years. Want to know how much I have paid?
None of your damned business!  How many rater outings have I attended? Same answer.

As always...Crusty Jim

[PCCraig]

Golfweek doesn't charge all of it's raters, yet. After I resigned from Golfweek's panel, I received a note from it's administration which served as a bill for annual "dues" of $250. With it was an explanation that they have traditionally grandfathered in older raters who didn't knowingly sign up for the dues program, unlike newer raters who have been charged $250 every year from inception. Not every GW rater has gotten a bill yet, but I believe they are working their way backwards through the roster. And yes, the $250 is in addition to "mandatory" rater camps/retreats/golf trips which GW raters are supposed to attend every other year.

So instead of endless speculation, that's the deal.

[PCCraig]

That's the thing (and Brad, I hope you are reading this, because I don't envy the position you're in and I'm certain this was not ultimately your decision):  the GW panel used to be a bunch of guys with their own access who didn't need or in many cases (including mine) even want to be a panelist.  It was formerly a bunch of guys who had played a lot of golf at a lot of cool places on their own, had a good eye, certainly had opinions, and were willing to spend a few minutes to boil those opinions down into numbers.  That was cool and fine and dandy. But now it appears to be turning into a bunch of guys who need or want GW for their access so badly that they're actually willing to pay for it.  Count me out on that.  That'll bring with it, to say the least, a host of new challenges and pressures.  It's not my purview to get into what all those challenges may be, nor do I believe that I'm qualified to speak to how this is going to affect the ratings or GW or the Raters.  

You are right on.