It has been seven years, tens of thousands of photos, and probably millions of words written since I bought my 2009 Apple Macbook Pro 17 laptop. That’s the single greatest tool I have for blogging, other than the two remaining braincells in my cranium. The machine has been a rock, taken a beating, survived countless spills of wine, hot sauce, feta cheese, olive oil… It’s still rocking, but now has moved on to new horizons in the HOG household.
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Today that amazing 17 was replaced by a shiny new 15 inch Apple Macbook Pro with a Retina display. This machine is a speed demon. It’s smaller and lighter too. I’ve been spending the day getting this mew machine setup with all my apps, tools, audio-streaming, and everything I need to make golf blog posts. She’s ready.
I’m not one to post the same over-hashed topics that most other golf sites post but today I have to. Nike is going to “transition out of equipment – including clubs, balls and bags.”
For many years Nike was a great sponsor to HOG, especially the fantasy golf leagues. They provided some huge prizes. They also sent me a bunch of clubs, bags and balls to test over the years. Some I liked. Some I didn’t like, especially the golf balls. Apparently with no more Tiger Woods fueling sales and buzz, the likes of Rory McIlory and a few others aren’t enough to keep interest at a high enough level to drive sales.
BEAVERTON, Ore. NIKE, Inc. announced today that it will accelerate innovation in its Golf footwear and apparel business and will partner with more of the world’s best golfers. With this new focus, Nike Golf will transition out of equipment – including clubs, balls and bags.
“We’re committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel,” said Trevor Edwards, President, Nike Brand. “We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf.”
“Athletes like Tiger, Rory and Michelle drive tremendous energy for the game and inspire consumers worldwide,” said Daric Ashford, President of Nike Golf. “Over the past year the MM Fly Blade Polo, the Flyknit Chukka and Air Zoom 90 have all connected strongly with golfers. We’ll continue to ignite excitement with our athletes and deliver the best of Nike for the game.”
The golf equipment market is already flooded, so in the long run I think this is good. Sometimes businesses branch out too much and go away from focusing on their strengths. Nike’s apparel sales are so huge, golf equipment was really not worth it. They tried to be groundbreaking and cutting edge with their designs in golf clubs, like the square “Sumo” driver. In the long run those quirky, weird looking clubs just made Nike look bad. The Nike Sumo “Mickey” was one of the worst (pictured).
It’s better not to produce a product than it is to just produce one that makes you look bad, or desperate.
Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Categories: Golf
Following my Scotland trip there has been quite a bit of turmoil in my personal world. I’ve played one round since the trip, a hit-and-giggle charity scramble. That event was actually good timing, as I had no golf swing or feel for the soggy “American” golf style of play. The scramble gave me a chance to shake off the USA golf game rust.
That’s my setup for today’s short announcement. I’m playing in the championship match today at Bonneville golf course. I somehow beat two 1’s and a golf pro to make it there. I’m very proud to have made it to the championship. Guaranteed 2nd is nothing to sneeze at.
My opponent is a guy I’ve played a match against before. He’s a scholarship golfer on the University of Utah golf team. Handicap, a +4.5. The odds of me beating him (I’m a 3 right now), are not high. In our last match I won the 12th hole to extend the match to the 13th, where he closed me out. But he’s a dude. He’s human. So am I. Anything can happen.
I’m very much looking forward to the match and will be enjoying the moment, regardless of outcome. My opponent is a hell of a player and a good guy who I get along with nicely. Who knows, maybe he’ll get a sudden case of diarrhea on the 3rd tee and forfeit… LOL.
I’m still catching up with my daily recaps from the HOG World Tour visit to Scotland 1.5 weeks ago. The last post covered the first half of one of the most epic single golf days in HOG history, with a morning round at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. The second half was an evening tour stop at the stunning Cruden Bay Golf Club. STUNNING.
Cruden Bay is on the northeast coast of Scotland (map below), a couple of hours or so north of St. Andrews. The course is located in the super small and lovely town Cruden Bay, which has an estimated 1,700 residents.
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While documentation shows that golf was played on the land in 1791, the course officially opened in 1899, designed by Old Tom Morris. The course ranks highly (no surprise) in so many publications I can’t mention them all. A couple include #54 in Golf Digest’s Top 100 and #29 in the world by Golf Cours Architecture Magazine. Just wait until the 2016 HOG World Rankings come out… I feel a top five coming.
The course plays to a par value of 70, with a max yardage from the tips of 6,599. The original course in 1899 played to 5,290 yards.
The most unique and memorable aspects of Cruden Bay are its incredible views of the shoreline and the North Sea. From the perch of the 9th tee one can see for miles. It is one of the most amazing views I’ve seen on a golf course, all due respect to Pebble Beach.
The dunes and the way the course winds through them is a bit wild and quirky, with many blind shots and oddball bells to ring or buttons to push to let the group behind know it’s okay to tee off (photos below). The tremendous layout, visuals, dunes, shoreline and vibe make Cruden Bay one of the most memorable golf experiences I’ve ever had.
I’ll go into further detail on Cruden Bay in a forthcoming review. Stay tuned.
Here’s a recap of the first half of perhaps the best single day of golf I’ve ever experienced, the HOG World Tour visit to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. Royal Aberdeen was the morning session on the 2nd day of the tremendous 2016 “Lads in Scotland” tour. The Lads are my group of good friends who get together every two years to golf in Scotland. The evening session was Cruden Bay. Stay tuned on that one.
About Royal Aberdeen
Royal Aberdeen is a fabulous links course located in the northeast of Scotland, about a 2-3 hour drive north of St. Andrews. Golf was first played on the grounds back in 1780, making it the sixth oldest golf club in the world. The clubhouse, staff, and grounds represent great history and a high class club.
In recent history, Royal Aberdeen hosted the 2014 Scottish Open. During the 2014 Scottish open Phil Mickelson was defending his title. Rory McIlory carded the course record, 64. Justin Rose came away with the victory.
My golf experience at Royal Aberdeen was tremendous. I played fairly well, not losing a ball in fairly high winds. The back nine had some serious teeth as we were coming home directly into the wind.
In the photo above I nailed a solid 4-iron to the par-3 17th green, looking out over the North Sea.
I will post a full review of Royal Aberdeen Golf Club down the blog road. Stay tuned.
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