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The Demise of Golf for Women Magazine

On its own, Golf for Women is a great publication and it covers the world of women’s golf better than anyone else. It is actually shocking that there hasn’t been an immediate backlash in the golf world, especially from women, that their magazine is being killed off.

How then does a publication that is the largest player in its niche and has 600,000 subscribers, end up on the magazine scrapheap? Was it bad management? Poor editorial? The economy?

I’m sure it might have been some of those factors, but on its surface it seems like a boneheaded move. I understand the economics of magazine publishing; ad sales support the editorial. That’s been a reality since magazines were invented. Conde’ Nast owns some major titles like Vogue, GQ, Architectural Digest, Gourmet, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and the list goes on and on. They also own the two largest golf publications Golf Magazine and Golf Digest.

What I don’t understand is why they wouldn’t sell off a title that had 600,000 readers? So it doesn’t fit into their strategic plan, but wouldn’t it fit into someone else’s? There must be value in a publication that’s been around for 20 years.

Conde’ Nast is getting the brunt of the bad press on this, but it is really the S.I. Newhouse family that has controlling interest in the holding company Advance Publications that ultimately owns Golf for Women. Clearly they’d rather kill off the magazine than have someone else try to run it.

Let’s look at the economics. According to the Magazine Publishers of America, Golf for Women’s sales in the 1st Quarter of 2008 were down 26.4% and the ad page count was down 34.9%. Not very pretty. Golf World, a similar publication is down 9.3%. Golf Digest is up 4.6% and Golf Magazine is up 0.3%.

Across the board, magazines are down a modest 0.4% and ad page count is down 6.3%. Some publications with sales drops of more than 20% are Yachting, US News and World Report, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, Cycle World, Coastal Living, Autoweek and the ABA Journal . So it isn’t exclusively a Golf for Women problem. Then why sacrifice it?

For a couple of reasons. Conde’ Nast didn’t have an effective online strategy and doesn’t know how to leverage it’s titles on the Web. A recent New York Times article said as much.

“Analysts and competing publishers say that Condé Nast under-uses extremely well-known brands that could draw more Web traffic. Some executives have argued that the company should invest more online and move faster. One of those was Mitchell B. Fox, a former senior executive at Condé whose concerns about the company’s Internet strategy contributed to his departure earlier this year.”

Another reason it folded is that the publishers didn’t understand the female golfer. They know the fashion-conscious female, but not the female golfer. Complaints about the magazine were that it was too focused on fashion and spas and not enough on basic golf (tips, technique and training). In spite of having a female editor, it seemed that it was really being run by men. It was treated like a sport-specific Vogue, or a Golf Digest with more photos of women, than a unique standalone title.

Third, Golf for Women was a drop in Conde’ Nast’s golf ad sales. Combined, Golf Digest and Golf Magazine pull in $74 million in ad revenue; Golf for Women a mere $2.7 million. It was continually propped up by it’s bigger brothers in a similar fashion as the NBA supports it’s little sister WNBA.

Ultimately, Conde’ Nast used the economic downturn as an excuse to throw in the towel. The publication has always struggled, but Golf for Women is a different magazine than it’s larger siblings. It’s readers don’t want to be constantly bombarded by ads and articles about sinking more putts, driving it farther and a fixation on the latest PGA stars. Also, running ads that might be appropriate in Golf Digest, are not going to interest the female golfer.

According to the National Golf Foundation, female golfers are one of the few growing segment of the golf population and represent approximately 24% of golfers. That’s more than 6 MILLION golfers out there that aren’t being adequately served by the current crop of golf magazines.

Conde’ Nast’s closure of Golf for Women is a loss to golf, and female golfers. Clearly a monotonous stream of articles on equipment, playing techniques and fashion isn’t what the female golfers wants to read about. Golf for Women’s demise leaves a big hole in the market that should be filled by another company that better understands the female golfer.

Is there a savvy publishing company out there willing to take a chance on women’s golf again?

Golf Gear News Ranked #11 on Podcast Alley in Sports Category

Wow, Golf Gear News on July 16, 2008 was ranked as the eleventh most popular sports show (out of #1309) and the #426 ranked (out of #43,323) podcast on Podcast Alley. Yikes, even I am surprised we are ranked so high. Amazingly, we rank ahead of some pretty impressive podcasts like ESPN Radio Podcast (#1280), Golf Tips Video (#1282), Golf for Beginners (#1721) and Travelgolf This Week (#4866). Your can check us out here: Podcast Alley Ranking.

ClubMaxx Golf Bags Interview

Scott Gordon, President
www.clubmaxxgolfbags.com

Clubmaxx Golf Bags was started in 1998 to produce high-quality golf bags systems. Their precision club handling system (PCH) is the latest and most functional club management system in golf today. Unlike typical organizer bags and accessories, the PCH System is designed to control the whole club, not just the head or shaft. Its precision club handling structure holds the each club in place preventing interaction of the clubs both inside or outside the bag.

Click the play button below to listen to the interview.

Chicks That Caddy Have a Home Online

Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m a prude. Maybe I just don’t understand, but during my daily web surfing, I tripped over a website called Caddychicks.com that claims to be a site launched to help those women that want to learn more about the game of golf through the eyes of a caddy. The site banner says that I’m about to join 100,000 golfers and 4,500 caddies if I just sign up. Cool.

The site also claims that it helps these ladies with training and support to learn and appreciate the game. They even offer a scholarship fund for those women wanting to become professional golf caddies? Searching everywhere, none of this is explained anywhere on the site.

Now I’ll give the site some credit. A few of these women have played golf before, but most seem to be part-time college students and models, most with little or no experience. I was under the impression that a caddie was supposed to know something about golf, help make suggestions while you play (if asked) and carry and clean your golf clubs after each shot.

What I found when visiting is a sudo-escort service with listings of women, some vital stats (age, height, weight) and lots of nicely shot professional pinup photos. They also list their rates: $30/round, $18/hour, $400/day, etc. to carry your bags.

If I’m paying $75 for a round, what do I get for my $400? It better be a round of par or below.

What I really don’t get is that these women willingly make themselves available for this type of thing. Yet, this isn’t the only place that women allow themselves to be exploited when golf is concerned. The Golf Punk Online, a favorite of mine across the pond, has its Bunker Babes. There is also a blog called Golf Babes that collects pictures of LPGA players. Even Worldgolf.com joins the exploitation party and sinks to a new low by linking to Caddychicks.com.

Call it soft porn with golf equipment.

My favorite line is from Chicago native, green-eyed Tanya T: “I’ve been a part of several golf tournaments including the Playboy Girls of Golf. I’m a fun, outgoing person that loves to meet new people.”

What a skill set. I’m sure she’ll do wonders for my game. At $40/hour, she’d better.

What’s Happening to ESPN?

First there was ESPN, then ESPN2, then ESPN Classics now ESPN Deportes. Through the years, to fill airtime, they have added rodeo, tractor pulls, swimming, billards, and volleyball to supplement the standard fare of football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

Now they’ve sunk too low. I read an article written by Cara Buckley of the Miami Herald entitled ESPN on Hand for Miami Domino Tournament. The network sponsored a dominoes championship tournament last fall that will be broadcast, in seven parts, on ESPN Deportes and ESPN2.

Trying to target a largely Hispanic audience, ESPN Deportes attended the Calle Ocho Festival in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. There, 150 players competed for the $25,000 prize. The players, most from the Cuban neighborhoods in Miami were Viejitos (older people), with the final four players being 77, 56, 65, and 61.

Some snobs think that golf isn’t a sport. Others can’t understand why they televise pool tourneys or poker. If they don’t think golf is a sport, then what is the game of dominoes? If you think the Champions Tour is old, the senior tour players are spring chickens next to these guys.

Imagine the suspense when, in a heated dominoes match, the score tied, the final tile lays on the table facedown. Suddenly, a player turns over a tile to reveal nine dots and………wake me up when it’s over.

Insurance….for Your Game

I just had to comment on this. I recently bought a copy of Today’s Golfer (the largest golf pub in the UK) and it contained an insert for golf insurance. Now, I didn’t know there was such a thing as golf insurance. Travel insurance from the Mutual of Omaha airport kiosk, yes. Golf insurance, no.

This insurance coverage is offered by Entertainment & Leisure Insurance Services (E & L) of York, England. The policy will cover a golfer for lost or stolen golf clubs, tournament entry fees, will pay your club membership fee if you are unable to do so, gives you dental coverage for that errant tee shot and will spring for your celebratory bash if you get a hole-in-one. On page 78, a second company called Golfguard Worldwide Golf Insurance offers a policy for only $34.95 (USD $62.00/month) that will even cover the loss of your golfing trophies. For as little as 8 pence/day (that’s only USD $0.14), you can have the piece of mind that even if you’re a menace on the course, you’ll be covered. Isn’t it just like the golf-mad Brits to come up with something like this.

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