NATION’S FIRST-EVER ARNOLD PALMER-DESIGNED PARK TO BE BUILT AT THE VILLAGE AT PENN STATE

Arnold Palmer is accustomed to being first. With 92 professional wins, the American sports icon is scoring another career victory with the development of the country’s first Palmer Park that will serve the health and recreational needs of residents at The Village at Penn State (VPS), a university-based, non-profit retirement community in State College, Pa.

The non-profit human services organization, which owns and operates VPS, Liberty Lutheran, and the Arnold Palmer Design Company, which has built more than 200 golf courses around the world, have teamed up to develop Palmer Park, an innovative new amenity on the grounds of VPS. This multi-purpose, outdoor park represents the culmination of expertise in landscape design and golf course architecture with a deep understanding of the needs and desires of older adults. A signature feature of Palmer Park incorporates areas for active and passive activities to create a unique gathering place for residents. 

Request For Proposal Golf Professional Management Services

Request for Proposal Golf Professional Management Services For the City of Dayton, Ohio Municipal Golf Courses:  The City of Dayton, Ohio is seeking proposals from highly experienced, motivated and professional golf management professionals interested in performing golf shop management services at Madden Golf Course (18 Hole, public golf course) located at 2100 Nicholas Road, Dayton, Ohio 45418.  Course is open year round, weather permitting. Successful prosper will be offered a three year contract with options to renew. Please visit http://www.daytonohio.gov/bid for complete bidding information.  http://ow.ly/i/3qVzK

The PGA of America and NBC Sports Group Reach Historic Agreement

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – In an unprecedented agreement, The PGA of America and NBC Sports Group today unveiled a historic partnership to further raise the profile of the Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, and PGA Professionals across the networks of NBC and Golf Channel beginning in 2015. The partnership, which extends through 2030, and includes eight additional Ryder Cups on NBC, was announced today by PGA of America President Ted Bishop and CEO Pete Bevacqua, and NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus. The agreement also includes all-language and simultaneous streaming rights for NBC’s Ryder Cup coverage.

The Ryder Cup, one of the most prestigious events in all of sports, has been televised by NBC since 1991. In 2012, the Ryder Cup was televised to nearly one-half billion households globally.

This agreement features a wave of new programming and special coverage of the Ryder Cup including: regular Ryder Cup preview shows, vignettes, features, reports and points updates on NBC and Golf Channel; a Ryder Cup Documentary Series on both networks; live coverage of practice rounds (for the first time ever) and the Ryder Cup Captain Selection Show on Golf Channel; and new Ryder Cup highlight programming on Telemundo and Mun2 to expand Hispanic viewership opportunities.

With this agreement, the Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid will also continue to air live on

Golf Channel (weekday coverage) and NBC (weekend coverage) through 2030. Additionally, Golf Channel will continue live coverage of all four rounds of the PGA Professional National Championship.

 

The relationship between The PGA of America and NBC Sports Group expands a powerful partnership that is designed to grow the game of golf and celebrate the PGA Professional by:

•             Expanding the relationship of the Ryder Cup beyond the week of the biennial event

•             Growing participation in the game of golf, especially with new golfers (both adult and youth)

•             Elevating the stature of PGA Professionals in their leadership role of growing the game

This agreement will showcase the important role that PGA Professionals serve in instruction, equipment selection and Rules knowledge, all of which will benefit golf fans and golfers. New instructional programming and original series will be developed in conjunction with the PGA of America featuring PGA Professionals. Host PGA Professionals also will be featured during Golf Channel’s weekly coverage of PGA Tour, Champions Tour and LPGA Tour events.

“In many ways, this is a transformational deal for The PGA of America,” said Bevacqua. “We are not only excited about the continued excellent coverage and treatment of the Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and other PGA of America events by the NBC Sports Group, but we are eager to work with the networks of NBC, including Golf Channel, on celebrating the unique role of the PGA Professional in the game. Golf Channel is the daily voice of golf in this country. There are wonderful synergies that will be explored between that voice and The PGA of America, as we work together to honor PGA Professionals, draw upon their expertise and expand their relevance among those who already play the game and those who aspire to play.”

Programming will also be designed to promote growth-of-the-game initiatives, such as Get Golf Ready, where a PGA Professional will appear on a regular basis on Golf Channel and NBC’s regional sports networks, offering advice on how beginning golfers can experience the game in a variety of ways.

“We’re excited to continue our longstanding relationship with The PGA of America and renew the Ryder Cup, one of the most prestigious properties in sports, through 2030,” said Lazarus. “This multi-platform agreement allows our broadcast, cable, digital and regional platforms to work with The PGA on their prestigious events and important initiatives.”

The PGA of America has partnered with Golf Channel since the network’s founding in 1995, to promote the expertise of PGA Professionals, including shows featuring top PGA instructors, such as Michael Breed and Martin Hall. This expanded agreement provides an avenue for Golf Channel to extend its reach through innovative new programming and events.

The partnership also will include a series of historical highlights of The PGA of America, which will be produced

in conjunction with The PGA’s Centennial Celebration in 2016.

The PGA of America was advised by Evolution Media Capital, a leading sports and media investment bank.

2013 Presidents Cup Drives Live Streaming Record – Golf Live Extra is available online and via a mobile app:

Ø  Thursday’s live stream of the opening day of the Presidents Cup 2013 was the highest single-day authenticated stream ever for Golf Channel (4.2 million minutes watched)

Ø  Friday’s live stream surpassed Thursday to become the highest single-day authenticated stream for Golf Channel in live starts with 114K (Thursday held previous record at 113K live starts)

How Can We Grow The Game Of Golf?

The National Golf Foundation has a new idea for growing the game, one that has a familiar ring to it. The trade group is encouraging our industry to tap “latent” demand – that is, people who have some desire to play golf but haven’t yet acted on the impulse. There are something like 25 million Americans who are either “very” or “somewhat” interested in giving the game a try, the NGF has determined, a number large enough that even a 20 percent slice of it would have a salutary effect on our fiscal health. “They are fresh, optimistic prospects who, if welcomed to the game properly, can become committed golfers on some level,” the NGF believes. The trouble is, golf has never had a problem finding qualified prospects. Our problem is the “welcoming” part, especially as it applies to women and minorities. That’s the one we need to solve.