SGB Golf

Titleist wins decision in patent row with Callaway

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The epic lawsuit being contested between Titleist and Callaway over golf ball patents continues to trundle along, with the latest court decision being made in favour of Acushnet-owned Titleist. Acushnet has won a jury verdict in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, which decided that Callaway�s claim - that Acushnet infringed four patents in manufacturing a past generation of the ProV1 � is invalid.

�We are extremely pleased with the court�s decision, and we hope that this finally brings this long standing dispute to a close,� said Joe Nauman, executive vice president of Corporate and Legal for Acushnet. �We have explained throughout this process that Acushnet independently developed the technology in question.

Spread the word

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The internet hasn�t just brought golfers closer to you. You now have almost instant access to the in-boxes and mobile phones of your club or facility management and owners, and your supplier management and staff.

The battle to communicate and illustrate your value as a PGA professional has never been easier, but how often does the industry hear your success stories?

BGIA Grow Golf nurtures Roots

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The British Golf Industry Association�s Grow Golf initiative has awarded a grant of �120,000 to the Golf Foundation, to be provided in three �40,000 instalments over three years.

The grant will be utilised by the Golf Foundation�s Golf Roots programme in particular, which is working towards establishing golf development programmes in every county in the form of community projects, festivals and Golf Roots Centres. The Golf Foundation has a set a target to reach one million children a year by 2013.

Patriot Games

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Hi-Tec is launching the new Patriot golf shoe for the UK market this spring, sporting the Scottish Saltire. The Scotland shoe has been created with a view to this year�s 150th anniversary of the Open, to be celebrated at St Andrews on Scotland�s east coast.

�Scots are also always proud to don their national flag, and with the Open being held at St Andrews, visitors from all over the globe will flock to the �Home of Golf�,� Keith Dicker, Hi-Tec�s European golf sales manager, tells SGB Golf. �With consumers in this buoyant mood, this gives retailers a pocket of opportunity to pick up incremental business, something they could all do with given the economic climate recently.�

New range from Spherical Blade

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Spherical Blade, the putter company that specialises in �curved face� technology, has released six new models for 2010.

Each of the new putters is made from stainless steel with a milled clubface and gunmetal finish, and they come with the Spherical Blade eye-shaped logo positioned on the sweetspot.

Designed for golfers seeking maximum forgiveness for off-centre strikes, the twin-pronged BlackEye 2010 is one of the new models. It is made with a �bear claw� design, with a view to providing increased lateral balance and weight distribution, and the 400-gram putter is fitted with an offset steel shaft.

Taking hold

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

A sense of perspective of the UK�s glove market is provided by Golf Datatech figures. For market share in terms of unit sales, FootJoy accounted for 47% of gloves sold in 2009; the three best selling models in the UK were all FootJoy products, led by the WeatherSof with 15.3% of the market; and just to confirm the gloom for FootJoy�s rivals in the glove category, the nearest rival brand recorded a total market share of 7.6%. In terms of market value FootJoy was even less relenting, with a 49.4% share.

Keeping profit wheels in motion

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The lingering recession and January�s cold, snowy conditions may have led to a slow start to the year, but there is every reason to believe the 2010 golf season will be a very healthy one � especially in the powered trolley market.

In recent years, sales of motorised trolleys have grown and grown thanks to continued product innovation and excellent product reliability. And the market has also expanded to encompass a much wider, younger demographic than the traditional profile of trolley users.

Thinking about through-bores

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The Golfsmith repairs department receives countless through-bore drivers for re-shafting. This is usually because the pro doesn�t realise how easy the repair really is.

The first step is to remove the existing shaft by using a decent shaft extractor (if you�re looking to save and reuse the shaft) or simply by drilling it out. The new shaft then has to be prepped by removing the paint right down to the graphite. The edge of a Stanley knife blade does the job, and scraping away from you ensures the graphite fibres don�t get damaged. It is essential that the paint be removed from the whole length of the insertion depth, as failure to do this may result in shaft �creaking�.

Strength in numbers

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Why was Foremost�s participation in the new Harrogate trade show with the PGA and TGI announced four months after the show itself was launched?

The idea of this show was originally something Foremost voiced to TGI five years ago. At the time TGI were not ready for the idea, and then about a year ago discussions started again. Unfortunately as the announcement approached there were still two or three key issues to resolve, and we ran out of time. We now have confirmation on those key points and we are very happy to agree the partnership and to move forward.