Category Archives: From the Fairway

ceogolfstore is not ceogolfshop

Do not be confused by Ceo golf store. They are not CEOgolfshop.com, the original store catering to CEO’s,  professionals, and celebrities and authorized online reseller for selective major apparel brands including Bugatchi Uomo, Loud Mouth Golf, Ian Poulter Design, ProQuip and Sunderland of Scotland.

After 30 days, CeoGolfStore has not fully complied with our CEASE AND DESIST letter. There is a new web store domain name, but they are still advertising using ceogolfstore.

new name 18holegolf using old ceogolfstore domain for ads

Read the legal letter we sent to them here. CeoGolfStore cease and desist PDF download

Upheaval in the world of Women’s Golf

With the July/August issue, Golf For Women ceased publication and more recently, its web site was incorporated into golfdigest.com. While editors cited a tough economic market, most women found it difficult to understand the failure. The only common agreement in the closing forums was that apparel advertisers were pretty off base with their $1000 outfits, not a typical investment for the average golfer.

Will Golf Digest fill the void? I’ve been receiving it for free for quite a while and I’ve been thinking I’d rather save the trees. Other than the recent addition of an Annika column, it’s missing the appeal of the women’s interest stories and women specific tips. The reaction among women has been overwhelmingly negative and I think we’ll see the emergence a dominant internet site that attempts to fill the void. Why would any advertiser for women’s products want to pay $45,000 for ads in a magazine subscribed to largely by men?

The LPGA announced it will require players to speak English starting in 2009, with players who have been LPGA members for two years facing suspension if they can’t pass an oral evaluation of English skills. There are 121 LPGA Tour international players, 20% of the total which includes 45 from South Korea, and 26 countries overall. After a huge backlash, about national origin discrimination, The LPGA withdrew the requirement.

In both of these cases, you have to wonder, how well did they think this through? Did they talk to the people it would affect and ask for their input? Was there another solution that would have resulted in greater unity and acceptance?

Just like getting out to vote, it’s important to get involved. If you see room for improvement at your golf club or favorite charity tournament- volunteer to help! You may be helping to prevent changes you never wanted.

Christine Speedy is CEO of CEOgolfshop.com and an Executive Women’s Golf Assn. member.

executive gifts

Lately I’ve been fielding calls for executive gift ideas. Some marketing directors are planning now which is an excellent idea. If you want a quantity of shirts in a popular color, plan on 4 month’s advance notice to be sure you can get the sizes, styles, and colors you want.

What are great gifts for CEO’s and executives?

If it’s not the right gift it will be re-gifted in minutes. During the holidays, I know some company President’s that select one item and then everything else is put into a holiday grab bag for employees.

The older the executive the more creative you need to be. If the CEO is a popular business leader, i.e. involved in the community, surely he or she will have received just about everything you can imagine, including lots of plaques and clocks. It helps to know a lot about your recipient and the best place to get that information is the executive assistant.

I’ve found two items that are still working strong. The first is the tour size Windbrella golf umbrella. Some have already received one, but maybe lost it or loaned one to a friend who didn’t return it. We’re planning a charity golf tournament now that we gave away the golf umbrella four years ago to. The committee was unanimous in getting the same umbrella because most no longer had their original. None broke, they just were lost over time. Everyone agreed it was the best umbrella they ever had and they really missed it. This is what you want- people remembering what a great gift it was, and where it came from!

The second item is a high quality shirt, which you have to give with forethought. By that, I mean you need to find out the shirt size, color, and style preferences in advance. Why buy all solid black shirts if most of them wear colorful or pinstripe shirts? What’s the risk of running out of large and having the wrong size left for someone who comes later to the registration table? Observe what your recipient wears when he’s not in the office. Take notes at the next tournament you play in, or simply look through the post- tournament pictures of what the executives you want to reach were wearing. Lastly, be careful about logo placement. Many won’t wear shirts with logos, unless it’s what I call a ‘badge of honor’ logo, such as Dan Marino’s Celebrity Golf Tournament.

If you must have a logo, then I recommend the Bugatchi polo golf shirt. If you’re willing to pass up the logo, or are OK with a subtle tonal logo on the sleeve, then I recommend the Bugatchi ribbed shirt. It’s the kind of shirt they always remember where it came from, because they love the shirt so much. Every time they wear it, they’ll feel good and associate those good feelings with your tournament or your company.

This article is no longer current. Click here to shop online for the latest Bugatchi Uomo men’s shirts.

Is your child golfing this summer?

From the Fairway, By Christine Speedy published in print July 2008.

Is your child golfing this summer?

Don’t miss Take Your Daughter to the Course Week, July 7 – 13, 2008. My daughter and I played in this event in NY last year. Free golf, free food, the kids can drive the golf carts, and it’s very low key. It’s a great experience to build your daughters interest in golf. Also, they are usually flexible if an adult outside the family takes the young girl. The main objective is to get the girls out to play.

How do you evaluate golf camps? Please don’t just put your child in any camp without first finding out the certifications of those who are teaching. A child can be molded to swing the club in just about any fashion. And just like adults, it’s can be very hard to change their swing after it has been developed. If your child shows an interest in learning the game after a few times practicing with the family, and maybe even a few clinics at the local muni, I recommend investing in some more serious training if you can afford it. Again, it’s much better to build on a good foundation, than spend years fixing what they initially learned. Kids have exceptional swing memory.

I don’t know anything at all about this group- United States Golf Teachers Federation- but I do know they offer a home certification course that can be done in a weekend. PGA Golf Instructors have to undergo a more rigorous program, including rules of the game certification, and that should be your starting place.

Local recommendations:
Delray Beach Golf Club – BEST VALUE- Low to Moderate- specializes in kids http://sandra-lpga.com/
Heron Bay Golf Club*- moderate to expensive.
Inverrary Golf Club*- Barry Goldstein-expensive- I’ve seen the results – his young students include scratch players!
The Deer Creek Golf Club*
* Lessons include video analysis

Look up the nearest event near you at
Jr golf Links American Jr. Golf Assn.
LPGA-USGA Girls Golf

Christine Speedy is CEO of CEOgolfshop.com and an Executive Women’s Golf Assn. member.