Are you an American Express cardmember? Have you and your golf buddy been talking about getting some tips on your game but just haven’t done anything about it yet? Has your son/daughter/niece/nephew recently shown an interest in golf? Is your significant other talking about taking a golf lesson trying to figure out what you see in the game? How about a private golf lesson for the two of you?
American Express and The PGA of America are offering a private lesson from a PGA Professional where you can bring a friend along at no extra charge. Just find your nearest PGA professional, set up a time and pay with your American Express card. Get help with that slice or hook. Improve your tee shots or your putts. If you or your regular golf buddy spends more time in the trees or the sand than on the fairway, this is your chance to reduce the time you spend looking for the ball so you can spend more time enjoying the game!
Or choose to introduce your son/daughter/niece/nephew/significant other to the game you love, they learn the basics while the PGA professional helps you build on your existing knowledge.
The following Golf Wish partners around the country are participating in the Friend of a Cardmember promotion:
ARIZONA: Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa.
ILLINOIS: Chalet Hills Golf Club in Cary, Cog Hill Golf in Lemont, Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort in Galena and Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago.
KENTUCKY: Lafayette Golf Club At Green Farm Resort in Falls of Rough.
MICHIGAN: Black Bear Golf Club in Vanderbilt, Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville, Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee, The Highlands Golf Club in Grand Rapids and The Otsego Club – The Tribute in Gaylord.
WASHINGTON: Carnation Golf Course in Carnation.
WISCONSIN: Abbey Springs Golf Course in Fontana and Morningstar Golfers Club in Waukesha.
Or find a participating PGA Professional by going to:
http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=foc and schedule your ‘Friend of a Cardmember’ lesson today!
Is your schedule too busy that you don’t have time for a full lesson, or maybe a lesson for everyone in the family won’t work with the budget? May is PGA Free lesson month, when you can get a free 10-minute lesson and/or family clinic designed to help golfers improve their games. Head to one of these Golf Wish partners:
ARIZONA: Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa
FLORIDA: Winter Park Country Club in Winter Park.
ILLINOIS: Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva.
MICHIGAN: Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville and Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee.
Or find a participating PGA/LPGA professional near you by going to: http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=flm. Schedule your free 10-minute lesson or family clinic today and play better golf this summer.
Yesterday in North America, EA Sports released their newest golf game ‘Tiger Woods 12: The Masters’. For the first time, players can virtually play this famous Augusta course and see if their skills are up to par (pun intended). You can go directly to play the Masters course, but if you want to work for it, there’s a Career Mode option where you can earn your green jacket by playing through amateur tournaments, the Nationwide Tour, Q-School and the PGA Tour to the title of Masters Champion. And something new for this game … you have a caddie to provide help in deciding which club to use and how to play your stroke.
Golfweek gives this game ‘A solid 9 out of 10’ and notes that if you overplay your shot and hit a spectator, they now react to having a small white ball whack them in the head.
The golf industry continues to look for ways to attract more golfers to the sport. Over the years programs such as U.S. Kids Golf and the First Tee have been established to teach our youth the game of golf. Our golf industry leaders continue to emphasize the importance of getting kids involved in the game of golf as today’s kids are the lifeline to growing the game of golf throughout the world.
So what can be done to attact more and more kids to the game? As we all know, in order to maintain the interest of kids, they need to first and foremost have fun. Now, if taking them out to golf on a traditional par 72 golf course is to be considered fun, think again. For kids, golf needs to be “easy” as well as fun. For a kid, a par 3 hole at 120+ yards over the hazards just does not equate to fun and ease! A 6,679 yard course is way too much of a challenge for a kid to really expect them to get hooked on the game. So, what’s the alternative? How about this little par 3 gem of a course….Boyne Rapids Adventure Golf Course in Boyne City, Michigan.
The folks at Boyne Rapids have designed a “pint” size course that is perfect for our future golfers. This course is all of 701 yards long with all the traditional features of a regulation course except for the hole distances. With its well-maintained Blue Grass tees and fairways and Bent Grass greens, the longest hole is only 95 yards and shortest two are 12 yards each! Imagine, your little one being able to par a hole or two! Now, that would get them hooked on the game. Remember, kids want fun and ease as well as a sense of accomplishment.
Perhaps short par 3 courses populated all over the world is the answer to get our kids getting hooked on golf. Not only will it hook the kids but might very well hook the adults too…..imagine, playing 18 holes in an hour and a half versus the traditional four or four and a half…. sounds pretty enticing to me!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
China is becoming a golf mecca in its own right and is now positioned to experience a 50% growth rate over the next 10 years. China is now in their 26th year of developing golf as a sport; all in all, still in the infancy stages of growing the game. There are currently approximately 4 million golfers in China and about 400 golf clubs. Each year they experience about 50% growth in golf. With those numbers, it is projected that China will overtake the United States with the largest population of golfers by 2020!
The average greens fees in China are between $150 to $200 a round. One of the neat things that the Chinese can do is go golfing anytime of day or night. Yep, that’s right….at night. The last tee time being midnight; therefore allowing one to golf until 2 in the morning! This certainly caters to those night owls out there and all those folks that work all day and want to play a round on a nice evening.
When it comes to player expectations…. for the Chinese culture, service and hospitality are in the forefront. A lesson our American culture should certainly take more to heart! As the United States continues to look for ways to grow the game of golf through junior programs, the We Are Golf efforts, special women initiatives, family golf events, and creative pricing options, we might think about the roots of the game and refocus efforts on the core values that made this sport so special. Remembering that exceptional customer service throughout the entire golf experience is what keeps bringing that golfer back time and time again.
The game of golf is an addictive sport and one that many truly enjoy. It creates character and integrity and offers unique challenges all with a nice walk in the park. Let’s all take a few lessons from the Chinese culture on service and hospitality and work on our own turf to grow the game of golf as well!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
The Golf Wish Team is so excited! We just learned that the Midwest Golfing Magazine wrote a feature article about our expansion in the Midwest Region of the United States! How cool is that?
Glen Turk, Senior Writer/Editor, highlighted some of the great golf courses, such as Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa and Cog Hill in Illinois, The Bog and The Orchards at Egg Harbor in Wisconsin, and TreeTops Resort, The Otsego Club, and A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort in Michigan, that are partnered with The Golf Wish, demonstrating the vast list of choices for Golf Wish Gift Card holders.
Our Gift Cards can be used at partner golf courses, businesses and teaching professionals redeemable at golf courses and golf businesses within the United States for rounds of golf, lessons, golf equipment, and golf apparel. It makes the perfect birthday, holiday, or special occassion gift. A special thanks to the Midwest Golfing Magazine!
Posted by: Marilyn Harris
The month of July is dedicated as Family Golf Month by Play Golf America. During the month, golf courses throughout the country are offering special promotions and events to encourage families to play the game of golf. Golfing is a great way to gather the family, enjoy some quality time, exercise, great conversation, and nature at its finest.
Many of The Golf Wish partner courses are sponsoring family specials throughout the month. For example, Crane’s Landing has a great discount for kids and parents, “Your child under the age of 15 plays for free with a full paying parent or adult, every day of the week after 3 p.m.” Pine Meadow is offering these great deals: “Family Golf – after 4pm any day of the week, with paid parent, child is free” and “Special Family Golf Days every Saturday and Sunday night at 5:30 for $10.00 green fees with one person under the age of 12.”
The week of July 6 – 12 is “take your daughter to the course week.” During this week, you can enjoy a round of golf with your daughter through great specials such as Pine Meadow’s “any day after 4 p.m., your daughter plays free” offer or Cog Hill’s “Take Your Daughter Group Clinic” on July 12 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
So folks, gather the family and hit the course for some great fun!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
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