TW The Man, TW The Brand

(warning - this is just a rant on the PR and marketing side of the recent Tiger Woods car accident and spin mill that is flying, still out of control after 3-4 days)

Perhaps the deepest lasting impact of the Tiger crash news explosion is that we've lost trust in Tiger Woods the brand. I remain an enormous fan of his golf ability. I can't imagine that ever changing. But TW the brand has been severely damaged by his lack of talent in how he's communicated to his fanbase.

Tiger the man is entitled to all the privacy he wants, demands, and that the constitution will allow him. We all have the power of free will, of choice, and we live with the consequences of those decisions.

Tiger the brand had another mis-hit with today's poorly worded statement. A combo of bad timing and off center messaging produced more bad results. The 3 main constituents for TW the brand are his fanbase, his sponsors, and the media. This 3 some creates an ecosystem that drives that part of his business and rev streams. The ecosystem wants to know "why" and "how" and until we do this story will just not go away.

We want to know this, and feel we deserve it because what has transpired so clearly does not fit the brand we've been overtly sold and bought into all these years.

This incident has peeled back the curtain on how little respect and affection the brand of Tiger has for his audience ecosystem. That surprises the hell out of me and that makes me a little angry at him and at me. I may be even more surprised that I am this surprised.

When a brand loses respect for its fans, and shows it so clearly it puts all its equity at risk. That's just horrific business management.

Its a shame really. A little humility, transparency, and authenticity would go so far in a time like this. This ain't rocket science. And we don't expect to hear all the details. But when TW clamps down and goes into the control defense the full ecosystem smells blood and reacts, careening into assumptions and innuendo. We lose trust.

We lose trust. You lose credibility. That's huge. That costs a lot of money.

Important sidenote: This event caused me to really internalize his quote about why he loves to go scuba diving: "because the fish don't ask for autographs". When I first heard that I figured he was kidding and being flippant and yet now I pretty much believe that this sums it up. TW has an astonishing lack of respect and affection for the engine that drives his brand: his fans, his sponsors, and the media. He doesn't get it.

Get with it TW. You went to Stanford. You're supposed to be smart. We feel a little bit like you hoodwinked us and we hate that. It isn't too late. Time to get a few new caddies on the biz front and open up a bit. Communicate to your fans with some level of apparent sincerity. Punch it back in the fairway and grind it out, take the medicine.

this could be a great opportunity

Confessions of a TV Golf Addict - WSJ.com

Check out this great article from a fellow addict at the Wall Street Journal

Confessions of a TV Golf Addict - WSJ.com

Cape Bretton Nova Scotia and PEI Golf

(Cape Bretton Island - Nova Scotia)

We had the great fortune to meet up with some Canadian friends in Halifax, Nova Scotia a few years back for a golf trip. I highly recommend you seriously look into this area for a pretty amazing golf experience.

We were lucky in that our friends were all in the golf business in Canada, had competed professionally on various tours in their youth, knew their way around, and had connections at all the places we played. That helped for sure, but Canadians and Nova Scotians are so friendly and quality golf wasy to spot we really didn't need the insider help to have a great time.

anyway, i ramble.

We flew into Halifax which is a way cooler city then I had imagined at the time. It has a bustling downtown with a lot of great restaurants, pubs, and a remarkable amount of high quality music clubs. There's a casino downtown and multiple hotels choices of all strata. A room downtown makes for a great home base to have fun at night after playing some of the Halifax local tasty treats.

The epic part is further north.....

The Halifax golf was great and had that been it we would've had a great time but our hosts had a few special treats in mind for us.

Highlands Links in Ingonish is a very special golf experience (see images below). 'Rates have gone up in recent years bit it remains a high quality/high value play

Here's an exceprt of the course history found on the official site:
"In 1939 when the National Park Service hired Stanley Thompson to design and build what he later called "the mountains and ocean" course, he told friends that it was the best contract he ever had. He was given one of the country's most scenic and awe inspiring national parks, and had just one mandate: take advantage of it. The result is an inspired piece of architecture that has proved to be one of Thompson's finest design achievements."



We totally agree and I can't wait to get back up there and play it again.





After the round at Highland Links we drove back to Antigonish, stayed overnight and got up early to take the ferry to Prince Edward Island to play the Links At Crowbush Cove.


Crowbush was opened in 1993 and very quickly became famous as a beautiful and demanding championship caliber track. When the wind is blowing, and that's just about always, you'll need all your skills and patience to make a good score.

When we approached the par 3, 188 yard 8th hole my friend Terry, an ex pro golfer and still negative handicap at that time, picked up driver, stuck it in my face, grinned at me and hit driver to the middle of the green. The wind was into us about 30-40 miles and hour at the time and it was his way of non-verbally communicating "you're frickin screwed buddy if i'm hitting driver here. You see the hole is all carry over water and there's very few if any places to bail out. He made his three and I made a regulation 8 and was thrilled. We were counting every stroke on the bet and with that wind and nowhere to bail or drop it could've turned tin cup.


Crowbush is a must play. In recent years they've done a great job marketing the area as a golf destination so most of you have already heard about this place if you're an addict. Prince Edward Island golf was featured in the Golf Channel's Big Break. Crowbush Cove has been featured on multiple televised star matchups as well.

This is another place that lives up to the hype and you really should play ut. Great value as well

Check the Canadian Tourism board video (except for the music making me throw up in my mouth it gives a nice overview):

The Quad Cities 50 within 50

We think this likely a great example of a market to do a quick hit, off the beaten path, high value 2-4 night golf trip. I visited my brother here years ago and played a few courses there and really enjoyed it.

We're not talking glamour coastal golf here. We're talking about great golf in the heartland of the Midwest. We love going places we don't know much about, discovering new, and getting a taste of the local flavor. In and out quick tho 3-4 nights max.

Googled "Quad Cities Golf" today and found this site All Golf QC . The site design is pretty rough but the info seems very current and here's their quick summary of the area:

"The Quad Cities is the "Golf Mecca" of the Midwest. In this area alone, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, and Moline, there are over 50 golf courses to play that will challenge even the most seasoned golfer."

I haven't done the research yet for the best tracks, but I remember playing some really nice daily fees, munis. and the PGA Tour John Deere TPC course Deere Run is right there as well.

If you're used to the really nice daily fee courses priced high like I am in NYC, the greens fees in the Quad Cities will feel like a total steal. Here's a local CVB listing of courses as well

How Many Holes Can You go? The 3 Night Trip

I know what my ideal is but I'm trying to get a sense of of what the rest of the addicts think. Of course this sort of polling will work a lot better when/if there is anyone actually reading this blog :)

How many holes do you want to play on a 3 night golf trip?

Here's a typical run for us addicts:

Day 1:
Coordinate arrival times, land, 1st guy down grabs the car, and hit the best course that is reasonably close to the airport, stretch, warm up, play 18, check-in to hotel after the round. food, chillax. 36 tomorrow

Day 2
play 36, ideally at a great facility with 2 or more courses, Or could play a double at a great track, or if possible play 2nd 18 at a course within an hour's drive. Of course replay rates make for great amortized value! and doing the double makes the trip easier . . .

Day 3
36 more holes on same strategy, multiple Advil hits, starting to feel the swing or the body ache, depending on how prepared you were for this agenda.

Day 4
wake up, play 18, shower, hit the airport. If you don't shower be really nice to whomever sits next to you on the plane home.

If you're like us and typically want to play great tracks twice to get another shot at them, this means you could have a fabulous golf trip to any town that has at least 3 quality courses.

Think about that, it opens up a world of possibilities for high value, super fun golf trips.

That world of possibilities is what we plan on writing the bulk of our posts about. Hope you enjoy.

===

A Hidden Benefit of The Off the Beaten track Golf Trip

Here at Golf Trip Addiction we're watching our pennies closely these days. Who isn't? Even when we were rolling in it and flush we were watching where, when, and how we spent our hard earned dollars. The economic meltdown has definitely done a reset on consumerism in general and the types of greens fees, hotels, booze, and food, most of us are willing to pay for.






Deserted Main Street, Anywhere USA

Picking a lesser known, or even "unknown" destination for your next golf trip can have some obvious benefits:

• lower costs across the board: greens fees, car rentals, rooms, food, booze, everything, etc.
• less crowded usually means easier & cheaper access to the highest quality courses, hotels, restaurants, etc etc
  
• potentially friendlier, more grateful, less snooty service culture
• the course construction boom of recent decades means there are usually a few great tracks near any reasonably sized town
• smaller airport is an easy in, easy out scenario. LOVE this part. don't love the likely connecting flight to get there but you can't have it all always.
• we pick offpeak times of year for ridiculous, exponential value
  
• we're sure there's more.... thoughts?
  

Obviously this strategy works best when the whole crew is more concentrated on playing golf at great courses than with hitting the bar scene later in the night. Although, some of the best times come when you have no expectations. Thats part of the fun of discovery.

I live in New York City in Manhattan. It's a fairly big town :) I grew up in Chicago, another one.

For me that means I occasionally love getting away from the hustle and bustle and experiencing something very different from my regular surroundings. It also means I don't need a ton of nightlife options when I go away on a golf trip. If wanted nightlife I'd choose to stay home! If I wanted the company of a hottie I would have brought my wife along.

On these trips it's about finding amazing golf and the hole in the wall bar with a great bartender serving killer drinks and amazing pulled pork BBQ sandwiches etc etc. Local flavor that I can't get at home.

So here's the moral of the story: the hidden benefit of the lowbrow, offpeak golf trip:

When you go to Maui or Kauai or "Famous Golf Resort X" on a luxury golf trip it can be truly fantastic. We love that luxury like the next guy. But when you're packing up to leave, you're bummed out. You don't want to go home. You want to find a way to stay there forever and ever.

When you go to away to Biloxi on a golf trip you can't wait to come home :)

You're so ready! Coming home never looked so good after 3 nights and 108 golf holes on a white trash adventure to the hill country with the boyz. :) You're so glad you did it, you'd do it again, but you're so glad its over as well.

Everything is relative. Pull out the map and plot your next trip to Duluth, Minnesota, The Quad Cities, or somewhere in Kansas. Try it. Your wife will think you cheated when you hug her tight upon your homecoming but your new found appreciation for home is a wonderful hidden benefit. :)

===
(ps: the author's tongue is just a little in cheek and I actually love golf in Biloxi and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and would go back any day. In fact, I'm planning a trip for the fall now if i can swing it. A post on the Dixie Mob: Biloxi's Best Courses & Casinos is in the que now)

Take Your Game On The Road: This Is How We (want to) Roll

Rock bands, hip hop, country, and bubbling up pop stars do it. We can do it too. Here's how to roll in a macked out, poker game ready, luxury RV or tour bus.

In this day and age the luxury RV market is hurting. Hurting Bad. Sales & rentals are way way down. That presents a real opportunity to take your home poker game and your 4/8/12 some on the road in style for your next golf road trip at a great value.

Consider renting a luxury RV/tour bus for your next golf trip. It's a simple math equation really and once you apply your skills you can figure out its sometimes cheaper to roll and stay in one of these with a driver than to hit even moderate hotels as singles. Think of the stories you'll have when this one is over.

You best choose your mates well.

You walk off the course, climb aboard, throw on sportscenter, shuffle the cards, and shout "giddieup" to the driver as you roll to the next 18 laughin' and scratchin', not a care in the world.

In the pre-meltdown economy, a 12 bunk tour bus with lounge went for between 1-3k a day. In today's world it can go for %40 less.

Check the promo copy from BusBank, a network of multiple owner/operators and a good 1st call to get a baseline:

"An Entertainer/Sleeper Coach is ideal when you’re touring over-the-road and overnight. With bunks for 10-12 your group will arrive at your next stop refreshed and ready to go. You’ll have the convenience of a kitchen and shower and time will fly with the distraction of an entertainment center and lounge area. Each coach is custom made. Floor plans, amenities and levels of luxury vary widely...."

imagine that: bunks for all, kitchen, shower, lounge with entertainment center (satellite TV & wifi an option), etc. I think this would be awesome for 2-4 night trip. Any more than that and I'd be ready for an asylum. It's perfect for the RTJ Trail in Alabama where a common complaint from non addicts is that the courses are too far apart (they clearly did no prior research)

I bet if you called ahead, some courses may let you park in their lot? hmmmm not sure on that.

These below are from a variety of different sites - and these nicer than your average indy band tour bus with bunks for sure (read higher end $$). but this is a really good idea to try out. I'm glad I thought of it. I'm in.

12 bunk sleepers plus lounges. hmmmm

Bandon Oregon: An Epic Must Play

It is not often in life that our already high expectations are not only met, but exceeded by a large margin. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort knocks a quadruple grand slam out of the park in this regard. I know a lot has been written about Bandon so I'm not here to recap all that. If you're reading this, you've already read about Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, and (soon to open) Old McDonald.

I'm here to tell you that the facility is better than the hype. It is truly amazing. Start figuring out when, not if, you're going to take a trip there. Start now. Go On. Just do it.

We did a quick hit back in late spring 09. I popped my Bandon cherry 4 months ago and I'm still gushing. Arrived in the afternoon, got settled in and practiced at the great range and par three course. GREAT place to practice. Dinner in town at a cool local spot. not touristy. chill.

Woke up early to tee it up at Pacific Dunes after dawn and then Bandon Dunes after lunch. The courses are everything they're cracked up to be and way more. You can't really understand it until you play them. I certainly don't have the skill to describe it properly. Pacific Dunes is the most notable. The most scenic. It also felt the most alien at times as I had never ever played golf in surroundings like that before. It is one amazing look after another and never feels like a novelty. Bandon Dunes looks easy after Pacific and will still kick your ass. It looks short on the card but the wind was howling and it was playing really tough. Exactly what we came for.

Our experience was completely enhanced by the fact that we had at least 8 different types of wild weather from intense rain and cold to sunny and calm to crazy wind with and without rain. We had it all in a day. Over 36 incredibly beautiful holes. Just awesome.

Dinner on site at the pub. Food was really tasty, then hit the cigar bar for a few bevvies and a puff. Crash early.

Played Bandon Trails early the next day and the weather was just stunning. Sunny and calm. We lucked out and it was needed after the epic weather day we had just experienced. Trails is a really fun course and is filled with a ton of eye candy. I want to move into the clubhouse, a beautiful yet simple design.

Our group played on a deal secured by the golf pro at my friend's home course. That's a good way to approach the mega resorts these days for getting a value rate, get a pro to bundle it up. I know that in this economic climate there are deals to be had with or without the help of a PGA Professional. Check around on the web for pricing as a baseline and then just call the course/resort up and ask nicely. If you're polite and persistent you'll get the best deal possible.

pacific dunes 8am

bandon dunes bandon trails 18 green and clubhouse^
you're allowed/invited to roll golf carts onto greens at all courses

all shots taken from the courses
(all images copyright jon vanhala 2009)

24 Hours: The Very Best Public Golf Experience In The USA. Ever.

(Let's start out bold and confident with that subject line!)

It all starts in the very belly of the beast:

Step One: The Night Before. Meet In New York City.
That’s right. Manhattan. The Big Apple. Surprised? Just wait. Eat a big steak or something hearty. Have a little fun but crash early. You’re going to need some fuel & rest for tomorrow. It's gonna be an epic day.

Step Two: The Morning Of, Meet In Times Square Before Dawn!
The next morning have your golf group meetup, ready to play with sticks, at Times Square Hot Bagels (200 West 44th St) just before dawn. Grab a coffee and breakfast and wander 1/2 bock east to the heart of Times Square to see the sunrise and munch fresh bagels.

Sit back and let that sink in a bit. Visualize the shot. You are standing in the middle of Times Square with your golf clubs on your back. The streets are quiet with very few souls in sight. The sun is just starting to shine thru the skyscrapers and you, my friend, are about to play G in the urban kingdom. . . .

Step 3: Take the Subway to Van Cortlandt Park. The Bronx.
Thats right. The Subway. At Dawn. With Your Sticks.

Hop on the 1 and 9 subway train and ride it all the way to the end of the line in the Bronx. You've got a tee time at Van Cortlandt. "Vannie" is the oldest public course in the United States opening on July 6th 1895. It hosted the very first public tournament in the USA in 1896. The golf course is a short 2 block walk from the end of line station. The ride up is a great opportunity to use the straphanger bars for a needed pre-round stretch routine (the train should be lightly populated at that time of day)

VanCortlandt sports 2 big apple sized par 5's, the 625 yard #2, and the 605 yard #12. You will be playing in the footsteps of countless celebs and luminaries including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis, Rudy Giuliani, and . . .wait for it . . . . the Three Stooges made Van Cortlandt their preferred golf course back in the day. Look at the grouse indeed!

Step 4: You’re heading to BethPage Black!
Now the sizzle on top of the steak: We make this best ever, single day, mega public golf experience of all time :) by having a pickup arranged and then heading immediately out to the absolute mecca of US public golf 45-55 minutes away in Long Island: Bethpage State Park. Play your afternoon 18 on the legendary Black Course, host of 2 US Opens and a scary sign at #1 tee:)

The Black Course is one of the best courses on the planet and is a very tough challenge to put up a great score. You need to know that it is also a remarkably fun course to play no matter how you are scoring. It is that good and that beautiful. The Black is a very special course period. It has everything. It's wonders are better documented elsewhere by pro writers.

** Please do everyone and yourself a favor and make sure you rake your bunkers and fix ballmarks on the greens. Its the right thing to do everywhere but especially here.

As the Black is a long, hilly, walking only course, I'd recommend only doing 9 holes at Van Cortlandt. You'll be beat at the end of this epic day but you'll be smiling at that very best type of tiredness. (and the french dip on the back patio of BethPage's clubhouse is so frickin tasty).

Step 5: Back to Manhattan for a Night On The Town
The golf may be over , but the fun is still rolling. Scoot back to the city, have a shower and hit the town for a great meal and beyond. Anything you can imagine, you can do in Manhattan.

Every golf trip addict should have this day once in their life. It will be an experience that you and your pals will relive till your dying days . . . .or until you do it again.

Note: I honestly don't know anyone (including me) who has has done this yet. In fact, I'm the only guy I've ever heard talk about it. I'm plotting out my timing and crew now and will likely do this before end of year. Post 2 with pics will arrive here after that. Its the kind of day that is destined to turn into an annual event.

welcome to the golf trip addict's journal

Ok, so maybe we really should see a doctor about this obsession:) A shrink maybe , maybe I'll call Bob Rotella . . . .

We're the guys who get obsessed with finding all the right courses to play on the golf trip. we ended up being this way by default: no one else was doing it and we simply wanted to make sure we hit the places WE wanted to play.

For us the quality of the golf is always the #1 priority. The fun challenge is find the very best golf courses and experiences at the very best prices. We don't mind paying top dollar for a great track, but we have to feel like we got value at the end of the day.

We've been around long enough to know that high greens fees, best mktg budget, a big clubhouse, and gps etc doesn't necessarily mean the golf is great.

We've been lucky in our lives and have had a chance to play many of the very best from Pebble Beach to Bandon Dunes, from Torrey Pines to Bethpage Black and many many courses of all strata in between.

There's only a few things we love more than playing world class golf courses:

1. playing them at a discount
2. finding the unknown, unheralded, unique experience that is dirt cheap yet fantastic quality golf.
   

If we're spending big bucks on a vacation then that's a vacation with our significant others. Golf trips are about great golf with the crew at best value possible. I'm looking for the very best golf courses and a deal on everything.

After spending countless hours online looking at the many sites on golf we decided to create this blog and share some of our experiences. Hopefully we can impart some knowledge and levity build up a community here that makes it worthwhile to all. Hopefully you can help us as much as we help you. We're always lookin.

again, we're obsessed with finding great ideas so you don't have to be! Feel free to join in the brainstorm anytime.

Welcome.