CARLSBAD, Calif. – PUMA Golf, a leader in golf apparel innovation, design and style, introduced today its Autumn Winter 2018 apparel and accessories collection.  AW ‘18 showcases fresh, on-trend designs and color stories, combined with cutting-edge technical elements, including the all new FUSIONYARN fabric, designed to provide the ultimate in comfort, performance and style. The eye-catching designs and first-class materials make the collection ideal for golfers wanting to look their best on and off the greens this Fall.

The high-quality FUSIONYARN fabric blends the buttery softness and breathability of cotton with the moisture-wicking properties and high durability of polyester, delivering a high-performance fusion of synthetic and natural fibers that dries fast, looks stylish and is sure to keep golfers extremely comfortable in any setting. FUSIONYARN fabric is utilized in three polos in the men’s collection this Fall, The Crossings Polo, the Local Pro Polo and the Sundays Polo; and in this season’s women’s collection the Road Map Polo, the Sleeveless Road Map Polo and the Sundays Polo each benefit from the Fusion Yarn innovation. All six styles are designed to seamlessly transition from the office, to the golf course and everywhere in between, while providing premium comfort and feel every step of the way.

“With each new collection from PUMA Golf we work hard to surpass our previous best-in-class standards of comfort, style and performance, and our AW ’18 collection certainly achieves that goal,” said Kristin Hinze, Global Head of Golf Apparel, PUMA Golf. “FUSIONYARN is the most comfortable and versatile fabric we’ve introduced, and, along with on-trend prints and colorways, our popular bottoms for men and PWRSHAPE for women, this is by far our most premium, performance-ready collection to date, with styles that go far beyond the fairways.”

Beyond FUSIONYARN, AW ’18 will also expand PUMA’s Evoknit offering, with innovative, stylish pieces available for men and women. Evoknit is a knitted design that utilizes body mapped ventilation and seamless engineering for unrestricted range of motion. The moisture-wicking, highly breathable fabric provides extreme comfort and breathability. For this season, Evoknit technology is used in two updated short-sleeve options – the Evoknit Camo Polo, which offers a subtle, tonal camo pattern throughout, and the Evoknit Dassler Polo, part of the brands Throwback Collection (more details coming soon).  Rounding out the men’s new Evoknit offering is the Evoknit Performance ¼ Zip with long sleeves – ideally suited for layering when the weather cools. For women, Evoknit will be present in the Evoknit Camo Polo and the Evoknit Seamless ¼ zip, two striking and fun designs sure to turn heads all the way from the 1^st tee to the 19^th Hole.

The AW’18 assortment will continue to feature PUMA Golf’s popular men’s bottoms. The popular Essential Pounce Shorts, a perennial customer favorite, will be available in 10 eye-catching hues, including four new colors, offering the perfect complement to PUMA’s new polos. The collection will also continue to offer the popular 6-pocket pants, including an all new Corduroy version, part of the Throwback Collection, that is perfect for beating the Fall early morning chill.  PUMA Golf’s entire range of AW ‘18 pants & shorts offer excellent moisture management, new, improved fit, a rebalanced pattern and a curved stretch waistband featuring PWRSTRETCH for comfort and mechanical stretch for maximum range of motion.

PUMA’s new line will continue to focus on the ladies, as the fastest growing segment of the golf population. The new collection will provide additional colors and styles to the brand’s popular women’s bottoms that incorporate PWRSHAPE^TM Technology, engineered to provide a smooth, slimming effect and the ultimate support.  Four-way stretch fabric is soft, breathable, and provides unrestricted range of motion, while the bonded waistband and flatlock seam construction deliver maximum comfort.

The AW ’18 collection, which is available starting today, will be worn by the likes of Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Graham DeLaet, Jesper Parnevik and Lexi Thompson throughout the latter half of the golf season. For more information on the entire collection visit pumagolf.com

Every year, there are about 37,000 charitable golf tournaments in Canada, raising about half a billion dollars for worthwhile causes. There are also innumerable corporate tournaments that entertain clients and customers, many with a charitable aspect.

Congratulations to all involved.

But, as the old saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished.”

As much as those tournaments and their philanthropic results make for feel-good headlines, there are thousands of volunteers who devote countless hours to making sure these events come off as planned. It’s a largely thankless and, in many cases, frustrating task. It can be punishing.

I speak from experience.

Next month, the 15^th annual Mikey’s Tournament for Autism will take place at Midland Golf and Country Club in Ontario. As a co-founder, even with my background in golf, I can attest to the many hours it takes to pull off a successful event. Kudos to our volunteer committee which knocks on doors, literally, for sponsors, repeatedly phones and emails potential players, puts up posters, and tries to keep track manually of registrations, donations and more.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when tournament day arrives.

Where was TournamentCaddie 15 years ago?

After a few years of sharing his technological and marketing expertise working with Golf Canada, Donal Byrne turned his focus towards creating, with the help of a talented team, the TournamentCaddie software.

For those of us far less technically adept, let’s call it “tournament in a (virtual) box.”

“There are lots of other platforms out there but our goal was to simplify the process,” says Byrne. “This is a made-in-Canada, responsive, customizable, intuitive and mobile-friendly solution that is perfect for anyone who wants to raise funds through a golf tournament but doesn’t know where to start.

“You’re good at your day job, no doubt, but when it comes to organizing a golf tournament you have to accept just what you are good at and what you’re not. We’re good at this. This is our day job. We are here to help.”

Click on the website and the first thing you see is, “Sign up for free and create your event website in about 90 seconds!”

It’s not false advertising. I ran through the process during a conversation with Byrne and it takes care of every detail “auto-magically,” as he likes to say.

We will be using TournamentCaddie for Mikey’s. Our fee is $150 but we will bump that to $155 to cover Tournament Caddie’s $4 per-player charge (plus HST). It’s well worth it.

Why? It’s a no-brainer, even for a techno-dummy like me.

Using TournamentCaddie streamlines the entire process, from effortlessly building a great-looking, interactive web site to collecting registration payments and even printing tee and cart signs and scorecards. Organizers can arrange and rearrange foursomes, starting times and formats. Their partnership with Aviva Canada makes arranging hole-in-one insurance a breeze.

If you’re an event organizer, take a run through the set-up process. If you’re a golf course, do the same and look into TournamentCaddie’s “Club Affiliate Program” with its marketing benefits.

Stop punishing yourself for a good cause!

Vancouver – The  Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) presented by Boston Pizza has announced former Golf Canada staff member Russell MacKay as their new Operations Manager.

MacKay, a graduate in Recreation and Sport Business from the University of Waterloo where he was a member of the University’s Men’s Golf Team, spent three co-op terms with Golf Canada after which he joined the Association full-time to work in Amateur and Professional Championships.

MacKay relocated to British Columbia in 2016 to undertake the role of Membership and Events Manager for the PGA of BC, and has now transitioned to a national role with Canada’s most-played Junior Golf Tour.

“I am excited to apply the knowledge and experiences gained in many different facets of the golf industry to help the MJT continue its growth,” said MacKay, who will be working with MJT National Operations Director, Trent Matson and MJT Director of Marketing and Administration, Elaine Denton.

The MJT aims to develop champions, in golf and in life, promoting the game from grassroots through to provincial, national, university and professional levels. Registration for tournaments is ongoing and the full MJT National schedule is available online at www.maplejt.com.

East Gwillimbury, ON – The breakthrough performance of Titleist AVX – a new high performance golf ball providing remarkable distance and exceptionally soft feel through proprietary core, cover and aerodynamic technologies – will now be available to golfers everywhere.

A comprehensive test market conducted in Arizona, California and Florida from October 2017 to January 2018 resulted in the resounding validation of AVX, particularly among golfers who prioritize distance and extremely soft feel.

Beginning today, Titleist AVX is available in golf shops across the U.S.  AVX will be available in Canada starting May 2. The precision manufacturing of AVX at Titleist Ball Plant 3 in New Bedford, Mass. – also home to the industry-leading Pro V1 and Pro V1x models – has been accelerated in order to meet golfer demand and the worldwide launch of AVX in the coming months.

“Golfers have spoken loud and clear about the performance of AVX,” said Michael Mahoney, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “While our R&D team is constantly exploring new golf ball technologies, only a limited number of prototypes ever make it past the initial machine and player testing phases. AVX stood out from the beginning. Ultimately, it was important to let golfers decide whether this golf ball had a place in our line and the results of our test market were emphatic. Many golfers were waiting for a product like AVX – our lowest flying, lowest spinning and softest feeling high performance golf ball – to help them play their best.”

Featuring a proprietary multi-component construction, AVX delivers remarkable distance and penetrating flight, very low long game and iron spin, exceptionally soft feel and premium scoring control through the following new technologies:

• An innovative high speed, low compression core technology results in a powerful engine to drive remarkable distance with exceptionally soft feel.
• The invention of a new high flex casing layer enhances speed and controls spin to promote even greater distance.
•  The proprietary GRN41 thermoset cast urethane elastomer cover has been specifically formulated by Titleist Golf Ball R&D to deliver premium scoring control with exceptionally soft feel and long lasting durability.
• A unique catenary aerodynamic design delivers a piercing, low trajectory while providing a consistent ball flight on all shots.
• AVX is made by Titleist associates in the company’s state-of-the-art Ball Plant 3 manufacturing facility to the highest performance and quality specifications in the industry, ensuring the most consistent performance ball to ball, and dozen to dozen.
• AVX is offered in both white and high-optic yellow.

“During the test market, we heard from a lot of golfers playing competitive models who realized they had been giving up performance in order to play a softer feeling golf ball,” Mahoney said. “With AVX, not only were they getting the feel that they love, they were also getting longer distance with great performance in the short game – and they were playing better. That’s the reason so many golfers are talking about this golf ball.”

New Titleist AVX golf balls are available in the Canada beginning May 2, 2018. For more information, www.titleist.ca/golf-balls/avx.

Coming off her four-stroke victory at the Lotte Championship, Canada’s Brooke Henderson shares a laugh with the LPGA Tour’s Amy Rogers in the Emoji Challenge.

The stars of men’s golf take centre stage this week as the first men’s major of 2018 gets underway at Augusta National.

To help tee up the Masters, actor/comedian/impressionist Conor Moore took to Twitter with a hilarious video, nailing hilarious impersonations of the game’s biggest names, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and reigning Masters champ Sergio Garcia.

Well done, Conor. We’d love to see some Canadian flavour! How about adding Mike Weir or Graham DeLaet into the mix next time?

GOLF WEEK*** US Masters – Heres what Sergio, Rory, Poults and Co are saying!! pic.twitter.com/ar7Atb1qwy

— Conor Moore (@ConorSketches) April 2, 2018

Conor’s impressions earned praise from several big name golfers, including a few who were featured in the video.

Very funny! Well done!?? https://t.co/9YINndxiGY

— Sergio Garcia (@TheSergioGarcia) April 3, 2018

Just watch it ? https://t.co/r0g4nRfIuh

— Andrew’BEEF’Johnston (@BeefGolf) April 3, 2018

So good https://t.co/rXwl10NeEd

— Hank Haney (@HankHaney) April 2, 2018

While spring represents the beginning of a new season and warmer weather, it also represents an exciting time of the year for many across the country.

First, there’s the NHL playoffs which are just about to begin. Then, there’s the Juno Awards – which honours the best in Canadian music.  And of course, the warmer weather also means a new golf season is approaching.

With some of Canada’s top musicians and athletes hitting the ice for a friendly shiny hockey game at the annual Juno Cup this weekend, a number of the participants are self-described golfers; and speak with excitement about the upcoming golf season.

BURNABY, BC – MARCH 22: Singer Shawn Hook attends the Juno Cup Practice at Bill Copeland Sports Centre on March 23, 2018 in Burnaby, Canada. (Photo by Phillip Chin/Getty Images)

“I’m super excited about spring and the upcoming golf season,” said 2018 Juno Award nominee, Shawn Hook. “I feel pretty good about my driving and my irons, but I really need to tighten up my short game.”

The “Reminding Me” singer, who spends half his time out in Los Angeles, says he gets out on the golf course more often than he gets on the ice.

“I would say my golf game is a bit better just because out in L.A. there’s no snow, so I do get out on the golf course during the winter as well; and I’m excited to say that I’m going to be playing at Pinehurst in a tournament for the first time in May,” he said with a grin.

This year’s host of the Juno Awards, Michael Bublé, is also known to be an avid golfer.

“Golf is a fun sport and it’s also very challenging. So it’s easy to see why it’s a sport enjoyed by so many,” added Hook.

While the talented Canadian musician has enjoyed steady success on the charts over the past couple of years, Hook says he’s looking forward to continuing that upward trend in the years to come.

Hook is quick to point out that someone he’s looking forward to seeing continued success from on the golf course is Smith Falls’ Brooke Henderson.

“I’m a big fan of Brooke. I think she’s incredible and I’m looking forward to seeing her win more big tournaments this year,” he said about the 2017 Canadian Press Female Athlete of the Year.

Henderson also has another fan and supporter in 2014 Lou Marsh Award winner, Kaillie Humphries.

“I hear a lot about Brooke and I know she’s been having a lot of success on the golf course; so I’m definitely rooting for her this year,” said the two-time Olympic gold medallist.

Similar to Hook, Humphries ranks her golf game slightly ahead of her hockey game.

“I must admit that my golf game is a little better than my hockey game,” noted Humphries with a smile.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the ice, so my skating skills might not be up to the same level as the other participants,” she explained

Humphries will be joined by a group of former NHL greats, members of the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey squad, and musicians – including Hook – in the Juno Cup.

The event has raised over $700,000 in support of the Canadian music industry since 2004; and will be contested tonight at the Bill Copeland Sports Complex in Burnaby, British Columbia.

“Canada’s got so many talented musicans – ones already established, and many rising up through the ranks.  So it’s just great to be able to play in this shiny hockey game which supports our Canadian musicians,” said Humphries.

“It’s also going to be amazing playing alongside with some of the Canadian Olympians this weekend, such as Natalie Spooner, and the other women from the Canadian Olympic team.”

The well-spoken and thoughtful bobsledding legend points out that it’s definitely a noble Canadian trait to be supportive of other Canadians across all industries and sports.

“Having just competed at the Olympics, it was a great feeling to be able to cheer on and support the other Canadian athletes, and that’s something that’s sort of stayed with me,” she noted.

“And at the end of the day, I grew up in Canada and I’m a proud Canadian; so I’m going to root for Canadians across all professions and support them however I can.”

The R&A and the USGA have completed the annual review of driving distance in golf, producing a research report that documents and evaluates important findings from the 2017 season.

Introduced in 2015, the annual report examines driving distance data from seven of the major worldwide professional golf tours, based on nearly 300,000 drives per year. The data from studies of male and female amateur golfers is also included.

The 2015 and 2016 editions of the distance report presented the increases in driving distance since 2003 as a slow creep of around 0.2 yards per year. The 2017 data shows a deviation from this trend. The average distance gain across the seven worldwide tours was more than 3 yards since 2016.

As noted in previous annual reports, variability in driving distance of 4 or more yards from season to season on any one tour is not uncommon. However, this level of increase across so many tours in a single season is unusual and concerning and requires closer inspection and monitoring to fully understand the causes and effects.

As the review of this issue progresses, The R&A and the USGA remain committed to the spirit of the 2002 Joint Statement of Principles which recognise that distance impacts many aspects of golf and that any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable.

Increases in distance can contribute to demands for longer, tougher and more resource-intensive golf courses at all levels of the game. These trends can impact the costs to operate golf courses and put additional pressures on golf courses in their local environmental landscape. The effect of increasing distance on the balance between skill and technology is also a key consideration. Maintaining this balance is paramount to preserving the integrity of golf.

Building on the extensive research we have undertaken in recent years, we will conduct a thoughtful conversation about the effects of distance prior to making any specific proposals. We remain open-minded and our absolute priority is to ensure that all key stakeholders are involved in an open and inclusive process and that we move forward together in the best interests of golf at all levels. There is no fixed timetable but we will commence this process immediately and endeavour to reach a conclusion as promptly as possible.

In conjunction with the publication of the 2017 distance research report, The R&A and USGA are carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of increased distance on both the playing and overall health of golf.

The R&A and the USGA intend to consolidate previous work conducted by the two organisations, as well as others in the golf industry, regarding the effect of distance on the footprint and playing of the game, conduct new research on these same topics to augment the current state of knowledge of the issues, and, most importantly, in the coming months, engage with stakeholders throughout the golf industry to develop a comprehensive understanding of perspectives on distance. Additional information on this stakeholder engagement will be made available in due course.

Ultimately, The R&A and the USGA remain steadfastly committed to ensuring a sustainable and enjoyable future for golf.

Download the 2017 Distance Report.

COBRA Golf today introduced its KING Forged TEC Black irons with softer feel, improved power and a new, dark finish, now available in a traditional variable or ONE length set make-up. Utilizing a dynamic combination of cutting-edge face, finish and feel technologies, the KING Forged TEC Black irons provide golfers with the ideal balance of form, function, distance and feel.

Like all 2018 COBRA KING equipment introductions, the KING Forged TEC Black will feature the innovative COBRA CONNECT™ Powered by Arccos System providing Tour level analytics that help players gain insight into their game so they can make smarter, data-driven decisions and improve faster.  Electronically embedded sensors in the grip automatically record the distance and accuracy of every shot so golfers can track their improvements round-to-round. The fully connected set works in conjunction with the award-winning Arccos 360 smartphone application, which provides advanced rangefinder GPS distances for more than 40,000 courses.

Consumers who purchase a standard 7-piece set of KING Forged TEC Black irons in any configuration (Variable and ONE Length) will also receive additional Arccos 360 screw-in sensors to round out their 14-club set, ensuring that consumers have a fully connected experience.

“Better players are going to love the combination of soft feel, tour-level precision and maximum playability that the KING Forged TEC Black irons provide,” said Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D for COBRA Golf.  “With some incredible new innovations, these irons will allow golfers to get dialed-in for more greens-in-regulation and better scoring, while maintaining their sleek look round-after-round.”

Both the KING Forged TEC Black and KING Forged TEC Black ONE Length irons feature an all-new Forged 4140 Stainless Steel face that is thinner and stronger to provide improved deflection and increased ball speed across the face.  In addition, the all new Technology Enhanced Cavity (TEC) utilizes a 100% carbon fiber medallion that damps vibrations to provide a softer, yet more solid feel during impact.  The handsome new Dimonized Black Metal (DBM) Matte Finish boasts the industry’s most durable satin black finish ever, reducing glare and providing extreme wear resistance while maintaining the look and feel of a classic forged iron.

Ensuring maximum playability, the KING Forged TEC Black irons utilize high-density Tungsten weights that are strategically placed on the heel and toe of the clubhead to lower and center CG for improved forgiveness and precision.

The KING Forged TEC Black ONE Length irons offer an added dimension of consistency, as COBRA engineers have manipulated the design of each iron to match the weight and length of a 7-iron, allowing for one simple, repeatable swing throughout the set. This is primarily achieved through Progressive Tungsten sole weights in the mid and long irons to deliver matching 7-iron head weights for each iron in the set.  In addition, lie angles have been adjusted to optimize ball flight in a ONE Length set configuration.  Long irons have a more upright lie angle, while the short irons and wedges have a slightly flatter lie angle delivering more consistent trajectory and ball flights.

Finally, the KING Forged TEC Black ONE Length irons feature a true after-market True Temper AMT Tour White steel shaft, which has been powder coated black to match the finish of the matte black iron head. Progressive weighting in the shafts (shaft weights increase in 3g increments thrhoughout the set), with lighter shaft weights in the long irons promote higher launch and more speed, while the heavier shaft weights in the short irons and wedges promote more accuracy and control.

Both the new KING Forged TEC Black variable length irons and KING Forged TEC Black ONE Length irons are available through stock in a 7-piece (5-GW) set in both right and left-hand versions. The steel True Temper AMT Tour White shaft features a black powder coating and is offered in both regular (R300) and stiff (S300) flexes.  A graphite offering in the UST Recoil 760 ES SmacWrap (in lite flex) and a 780 ES SmacWrap in regular and stiff flex is available through custom only.  Both sets of irons come standard with Lamkin ACE Crossline COBRA CONNECT grips, featured in a Black colorway for the variable length sets and a Blue/Red colorway for the ONE Length sets, and will be available at retail beginning April 6, 2018.

For more information on the entire KING family of products, visit cobragolf.com.

Titleist Velocity

The new Titleist Velocity golf balls are designed with proprietary high-speed technology to deliver even more distance on every shot. With the introduction of new high-visibility color options – VISI-White, Velocity Orange and Velocity Pink – the power of Velocity is also packed with personality.

Available in golf shops worldwide, the 2018 Velocity has been reengineered with a softer high-speed core and Titleist’s fastest cover blend to deliver extremely low spin and fast ball speed off the tee for increased distance. Velocity’s advanced aerodynamics produce a high flight on all shots to enhance distance and help golfers stop the ball closer to the hole.

“Everything we do with Velocity is to generate speed and distance,” said Michael Mahoney, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “When we spoke to Velocity golfers at the beginning of the development process, they told us they wanted even more distance, especially off the tee. Our R&D team responded with new core technology and the fastest cover of any Titleist golf ball on the market to give them that added advantage.”

Titleist Velocity is now offered in four color and preference options: standard White plus three new high-visibility colors – VISI-White, Velocity Orange and Velocity Pink.

VISI-White also features an orange sidestamp and double-digit play numbers (00, 22, 77, 99). The double-digit play numbers were selected based on their popularity among members of Team Titleist.

“We’ve seen an increasing preference among golfers in general to play products that they truly identify with and color is a big part of that,” said Michael Fish, Titleist Golf Ball Product Manager. “We’re confident the improved performance of Velocity with new color options will only make the game more enjoyable for these golfers.”

New Titleist Velocity golf balls (White, VISI-White, Velocity Orange and Velocity Pink) are available in golf shops worldwide beginning Jan. 24, 2018.

Titleist Tour Soft

The continued pursuit of breakthrough technology and performance by Titleist golf ball engineers has resulted in the all-new Titleist Tour Soft golf balls, now available in golf shops worldwide.

For golfers demanding better feel, the invention of Titleist Tour Soft – the softest-feeling golf ball in its category – delivers a better performance experience. Tour Soft’s innovative design combines the largest core ever engineered into a Titleist golf ball with ultra-thin cover technology to provide responsive feel, very fast speed for commanding distance and excellent short game performance.

“We knew based on breakthroughs being made in R&D that there was an opportunity to deliver a brand new high-performance golf ball that would lead the category in terms of soft compression feel,” said Michael Mahoney, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “Ultimately, because of our exhaustive and iterative prototyping process, we were able to deliver everything we wanted in Tour Soft – and more. It’s not only the softest ball in the category. It’s better and longer than Chrome Soft, TP5 and Tour B RXS.”

More than 19,000 golfers participated in the white box testing and validation process for the new Titleist Tour Soft, with golfers receiving prototype golf balls for on-course evaluation. Player feedback was then gathered through Team Titleist and shared with Titleist R&D. This included a three-ball blind prototype test in January 2017 that led to some key insights toward the Tour Soft development.

New Titleist Tour Soft golf balls are available in golf shops worldwide beginning Jan. 24, 2018.