Why world's largest golf retailer has gone bust

FROM GOLF DIGEST.COM
The ripples of last week’s bankruptcy filing of Golfsmith International, the largest golf retailer in the world, will continue to play out over the next few months, even years. But really what went wrong, and what happens next?

To the first point, it’s clear from a read of the Golfsmith bankruptcy filing and those familiar with the company both internally and externally that Golfsmith expanded to its current 109 stores in the U.S. too aggressively, in the wrong way (as far as store formats go) and most likely without proper capital to support such expansion.

Said a source close to the situation, “Golfsmith has markets where there are simply far too many stores where the coverage is too great, and in other markets there might be the right number of stores but perhaps the size of the stores was larger than they needed to be. That over-investment in bricks and mortar costs quite a bit of capital.

“Golfsmith has a cost structure with its store base that is far too great and also a debt load as a result of some of those investments that is too high.”

How high? The bankruptcy filing indicates nearly $200 million in outstanding loans or credit facilities. In addition, Golfsmith’s list of its 30 largest individual creditors, including major equipment companies, totals more than $33 million. For example, Callaway is owed nearly $5.5 million, TaylorMade $5.1 million, Nike $3.5 million, Acushnet (parent of Titleist and FootJoy) $3.9 million and Ping $2.3 million.

2020 World Amateur Team Championships to be played at Hong Kong GC

The International Golf Federation announced today that the 2020 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy will be held at Hong Kong Golf Club’s Old and New courses, and the 2020 Men's World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy will take place at Hong Kong Golf Club (composite course) and The Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club.

Teenager Thomas shares lead at Els Club, 

Dubai with flawless five-under 67

DUBAI — Teenager Rayhan Thomas continued his red-hot form as he carded a flawless five-under 67 to join Englishman Craig Hinton and Shahid Javed of Pakistan atop the leaderboard on the opening day of the MENA Golf Tour’s Golf Citizen Classic at the Els Club Dubai

Thomas and Javed went bogey free while Hinton countered an early bogey on the second with three birdies in a row and then picked up three more shots as the trio moved one clear at the top.

Morocco’s Ahmed Marjan, Spain’s Carlos Balmaseda, Luke Joy of England, Per Barth of Sweden and rising Scottish star Daniel Hendry were tightly grouped in the chasing pack one shot adrfit. 

Defending champion Clarke Lutton from Aberdeen was in a four-man group a further shot back on three-under 69 alongside Wira Salleh of Brunei, Scott Campbell of England and Alex Messiqua of Switzerland as 26 players broke par on day one.

England’s Hinton, who won the Johannesburg City Masters earlier this season, said: “The course is playing long, but it offers plenty of scoring opportunities as greens are rolling nicely.

“Very happy with the way I played,” said the 27-year-old Englishman from Thame, who also boasts four runner-up finishes on the MENA Golf Tour.

Thomas, a 16-year-old Dubai-based prodigy from India, was equally pleased with his day’s work. “Played very solid golf throughout again. Hope I can keep the momentum going. So far so good,” said Thomas, who boasts a second, third, first and ninth in his last four events on the tour and won the Scottish boys' open stroke-play championship earlier this year.

Going forward, Thomas can expect a strong challenge from Hendry, who, like him, learned the basic rudiments of the game at the Junior Development Programme while growing up in Dubai. 

“I think I hit all the fairways and didn’t make any major mistake out there. I felt my iron game was pretty good which led to aggression,” said Daniel, who won the prestigious Shaikh Rashid Trophy in 2011.

“Making a birdie on the long par-3, 17th was the highlight of my round. I hit my four iron to within six feet and holed the ensuing birdie putt which was quite pleasing,” said the 22-year-old amateur.

FIRST-ROUND LEADERBOARD
par 72
67 S Javed (Pakistan), R Thomas (India) (am), C Hinton (England).
68 A Marjan (Morocco), C Balmaseda (Spain), L Joy (England), P Barth (Sweden), D Hendry (Scotland) (am).

SELECTED SCORES
69 C Lutton (Sco) (T9)
70 P Doherty (Sco) (T12)
73 D Kay (Sco) (T40)

Mixed fortunes for Renfrewshire Golf Union

RENFREWSHIRE GOLF UNIONPRESS RELEASE

kgmcgee@hotmail.com

Sunday, September 18 was a busy day for the Renfrewshire Golf Union.

At Stranraer Golf Club the RGU were represented by the team from The Old Course Ranfurly in the Scottish Club Team Championship by Stewart Watt, Jamie Stewart and Steven Renfrew where they turned in a very creditable performance in finishing tied in 4^th position behind the winners Balmore from Dunbartonshire.

Best individual performance for the RGU came from Boys Scotland and British International Jamie Stewart who finished as the 8^th best individual.

Meanwhile the Men’s “A” and Youth teams were in action against Stirlingshire.

The Youths played away at Kilsyth Lennox Golf Club and ran out winners by a comfortable 7-1 margin, where they were in charge throughout in most of the games.

The 3 Renfrewshire Boys Team players selected, Jack Currie - Greenock, Ibrahim Hussain - Eastwood and Euan English – Erskine, all won by 4-3, while Team Leader Alex Ferguson – Paisley led from the front with a solid 5-3 victory.

They were ably supported by Stuart Thomas -Erskine, the newly crowned RGU Mens Match Play Champion with a good 2-1 victory and Graham Barr – Gleddoch, where he is the Men’s Champion also winning by2-1.

Possibly the best performance, came from Andrew Guthrie – Erskine, drafted in at the last minute following a late call off from one of his former Erskine team mates, he won by 6-5.

Unfortunately, usually someone has to lose, and despite the best performance from any RGU player in the Glasgow Youths Championship the previous day at Ralston Golf Club, Sean Burns – Caldwell suffered a rare defeat against an opponent who “holed everything”.

The Men’s “A” team were in action at the Earl of Mar Golf Course at Mar Hall, a new venue for County matches.

The courtesy of the course afforded to the RGU was much appreciated, but the result unfortunately did not go in their favour losing by 4.5 to 3.5.

In the earlier exchanges there was nothing much between the 2 teams with the RGU looking to have the upper hand earlier on, and again at the turn.

However as the matches progressed, the last 6 holes were proving difficult for the home players with only Craig Pirie – Renfrew and Craig Thomson – Paisley managing to win, both on the last green, while Chris Conroy – Paisley, Willie McMillan and David Sibbald –both  Bonnyton, failed to hold on to earlier leads and they finished all square. Losing players were David Dickson – Eastwood, Paul Dorrian – Greenock and Michael Daily – Erskine.

Next Sunday, both teams play Lanarkshire with the Youths at home at The Old Course Ranfurly while the Men’s “A” team is away at East Kilbride.

Finishing off the week-end, 6 members of the RGU Under 14 coaching squad were playing in the Stanley Morrison Memorial Junior Team Championship at Dumfries and County Golf Club where they were accompanied by Mark Loftus and Gordon Urquhart.

The boys finished 3^rd in the Team Championship and in the individual Championship Alexander Farmer – Kilmacolm won the Bronze medal, a chip off the old block former Mid-Amateur Champion Andrew Farmer.

Other boys who made up the teams were Ewan McGeoch and Euan Urquhart – both Paisley, Harry McFarlane – Whitecraigs, Scott Newman – Greenock and Mackenzie Holmes - Kilmacolm

Graham McGee – Press Officer

LADIES GOLF UNION CORONATION FOURSOMES GRAND FINAL AT ST ANDREWS
Sponsored by Peugeot

One for the scrapbook, the qualifiers for the LGU's Coronation Foursomes Grand Final with LGU president Diane Bailey at the Swilken Bridge on the Old Course, St Andrews. 

LEEDS PAIR BY FIVE WITH GRAND 

STABLEFORD TOTAL OF 44pts

The winners of the Ladies Golf Union's Coronation Foursomes Grand Final, sponsored by Peugeot, over the Eden Course, St Andrews today come from Yorkshire. Leeds to be precise.
Enid Gott and Karen Hughes, from the Wike Ridge Golf Centre, had a splendid Stableford total of 44pt, the equivalent of an eight-under-par round under handicap.
They won by five points from two pairs who scored 39pts.
Officially placed second were Max Bourne and Josie Brown (Arkley Golf Club, Barnet) who won a card countback against the Scottish pair of Christina MacPherson and Maggie Weston (Hilton Park GC, Glasgow).
Sixteen pairs from all over the United Kingdom qualified for the Grand Final, having won their way through club and regional qualifiying competitions.


FINAL STABLEFORD POINTS TOTALS
44 Enid Gott and Karen Hughes (Wike Ridge Golf Centre, Leeds).

39 Max Bourne and Josie Brown (Arkley Golf Club, Barnet) (bih), Christine MacPherson and Maggie Weston (Hilton Park Golf Club, Glasgow).

OTHER TOTALS
38 Rosie Gerrard and Michele Rea (Hale Golf Club, Altrincham).

37 Louise McKee and Andrew Hutter (South Herts Golf Club).

36 Denise Christopherson and Varole Rayer (Vale Resort, Glamorgan), Sally Kay and Fiona Woolley (Wilmslow Golf Club), Helen Gott and Theresa Noblett (Shaw Hill Golf Club, Chorley).

35 June Rody and Pauline Wright (Berkhamsted Golf Club), Jane Hackett and Jenny Nunneley (Tadmarton Heath Golf Club, Banbury).

34 Stephanie Curnoe and Karen Langford (Tehidy Park Golf Club, Camborne), Jenny Martin and Julie Morrison (Belvoir Park Golf Club, Belfast).

33 Maria Downey and Helen Dunn (Castlecomer Golf Club, Co Kilkenny, Ireland)

32 Irene Cowper and Gillian Harrison (Murrayfield Golf Club, Edinburgh).

31 Catherine Mallins and Margaret Swatman (Cottesmore Golf Club, Crawley).

27 Jan Balfour and Vicky Peterkin (Forfar Golf Club).

   Winners Karen Hughes (left) and Enid Gott (right) on the Swilken Bridge after their victory. 

Munro wins Sandy Pipey Young Masters by two 

strokes at Royal Dornoch 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Duddingston's Ross Munro made all the running to win the £12,000 Sandy Pipey Young Masters 36-hole tournament by a comfortable two strokes at Royal Dornoch Golf Club today (MONDAY).

Munro had rounds of 65 and 69 for a six-under-par total of 134, which earned him £1,659

In the second round, Munro reached the rutn in one-under 34, birdies at the eighth and long ninth having cancelled out a bogey at the third.

He also bogeyed the short 10th but back to back birdies at the 14th and 15th steadied the ship and he had enough in hand to bogey the 17th in 35 home, and still win by two.

Cameron Marr (Musselburgh) shot the best second-round of four-under 66, four better than his opening effort, and an inward half of four-under 31 enabled him to climb into second place and earn £1,300.

His run of five birdies actually started with a 4 at the long ninth before he birdied the 11th, long 12th, 13th and 18th.

Paul O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure), bidding to win the tournament for the fourth time in a row, had to settle for fifth place on 139 with scores of 71 and 68. He had a bogey-free second round, highlighted by birdies at the third and 13th. Paul earned £696.

The O'Hara brothers both finished in the top 10 with Steven, the elder, also having a second-round 69 for 142 and a £455 payslip.

O'Hara was heading for the score of the day when he birdied the first, third, 11th, 13th and 15th to be five under par on the 17th tee.

Then a disastrous finish for Steven - a double bogey 6 at the 17th and a bogey at the 18th. Had he parred these two holes instead of dropping three shots, Steven would have finished alongside his kid brother on 139.

FINAL TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
134 R Munro (Duddingston) 65 69 (£1,650).
136 C Marr (Musselburgh) 70 66 (£1,300).
137 G Forbes (Mar Hall) 71 66, A Welsh (Cathkin Braes) 71 66 (£994 each).    
139 P O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) 71 68 (£696)         
140 S Maxwell (Eastwood) 69 71 (£535).
142 M Owenson (Gullane) 75 67, S O'Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure) 72 68 (£455 each).
143 J Gallagher (Westernwood) 74 69, E MacDonald (Musselburgh) 73 70 (£364 each).
144 R Clarke (Golf Dedication Centre) 74 70 (£332).
145 G Hay (Grantown on Spey) 75 70, C Billows (Gleneagles) 72 73 (£302 each).
146 S Binning (Mearns Castle) 74 72, S Speirs (Swanston New) 71 75 (£270 each).
147 C Adam (unatt) 72 75, R Tinker (Piperdam) 72 75 (£241 each).
148 S Ross (Aberdour) 73 75, J Bell (Lanark) 72 76 (£219 each).
149 I Anderson (Colville Park) 79 70, C Goodwin (Duff House Royal) 75 74 (£198 each).
150 J Treasurer (Loch Ness) 74 76, R Black (Inverness) 74 76 (£177 each).
152 C Porciani (Trump Turnberry) 77 75, M O'Donnell (unatt) 75 77, D Stein (Ranfurly) 75 77, K Zeynalov (Portlethen) 74 78 (£158 each).
153 G McDougall (Elie Links) 79 74, J Fraser (unatt) 79 74, C Robinson (Elderslie) 77 76, P Mitchell (Stirling) 76 77, O Robertson (Panmure) 75 78 (£83 each).    
154 A Hutchison (Douglas Park) 77 77.
155 S Milne (Balbirnie Park) 77 78.
156 A Pillans (unatt) 79 77, D Ramsay (Moray) 77 79.
157 C Beveridge (Gailes Golf) 82 75, N Gardiner (Kilmacolm) 77 80, S Gillies (Craigielaw) 76 81, T Ogilvie (Duke's) 75 82.
158 P McKenna (Paul Lawrie GC) 82 76, C Nairn (unatt) 81 77, G Foley (Royal Troon) 77 81, C Farrell (Cardross) 77 81, R McKen (Trump International 76 82, E Bowden (North Berwick) 76 82.
159 D Lee (unatt) 83 76, S Watters (Balbirnie Park) 80 79.
160 K McNiven (Gleneagles) 82 78, K Moran (Balbirnie Park) 80 80, D Grindell (Inverness) 79 81.
161 S Rose (Aberdour) 83 78
163 S Smith (Loretto School) 81 82
164 A Todd (Downfield) 82 82
166 R Delaney (Ladybank) 84 82, S Wilson (Carrick on Loch Lomond) 83 83
168 Linzi Allan (West Kilbride) 88 80
169 J Ferrie (Hilton Park) 80 89.
178 D Flannery (Caldwell) 92 86.
186 Jennifer Potter (Cawder) 96 90.

JENNIFER BRYANS FOILS SHEENA WOOD BID TO WIN VETS' TITLE TWO YEARS IN A ROW

Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies and North) failed in her bid to win the Scottish Veteran Ladies Golf Association match-play championship for the second year in a row - but she went as far as the final again before losing over the Blairgowrie Lansdowne course this afternoon.

Sheena was beaten 4 and 2 by the East of Scotland Vets' champion Jennifer Bryans (Harburn) in the final.
In this morning's semi-finals, Sheena beat Gillian Kyle (West) at the 20th while Jennifer beat Fiona Hunter (Galloway) 3 and 2 in the other semi-final.

Jennifer Bryans (left) and Sheena Woods (right) pictured before their final match at

Blairgowrie this afternoon

NORTH-EAST SENIORS BID TO RETAIN 

AREA TEAM TITLE AT LARGS

 By GORDON THOMSON

The Scottish Seniors Golfing Society season draws to a conclusion on Thursday when the  Inter-Area Team championship ( sponsored by McCrea Financial Services) takes place at Largs.

Ten areas each fielding a team of six players are chasing the title which North-East won last year at Montrose Links in convincing fashion. The strength of the field is weakened by the absence of the senior international team who are on duty at the Home Internationals in Wales but there are still some very strong teams in action. 

Predicting a winner in this form of golf is always difficult with the best five scores count out of six and the sixth score only counting in the event of a tie. North-East led by Nick Robson (Meldrum House) have only one change from last year’s winning team and will fancy their chances of retaining the title but Stirlingshire, Lothians, the South and Glasgow have all won before and will push them hard.

England's Andrew Johnston makes his mark on America. (Getty Images)

  ‘Beef’ Johnston clinches US PGA Tour card

By Golfweek Staff

Andrew “Beef” Johnston is headed to the US PGA Tour.
The Englishman secured his PGA Tour card with a solo fourth-place finish at the Albertsons Boise Open.
Johnston, who instantly became a sensation after his first win on the European Tour for saying his celebration plans were to “get hammered,” had the perfect response for how he planned to celebrate locking up his US  PGA Tour card.
“A few sodas,” he said. “Yeah, I think there will be a Coke or a Fanta or something like that. Nah, there’s going to be a few beers, man!”
Michael Thompson clinched the victory by three shots over Miguel Angel Carballo after his final-round 7-under 64. Grayson Murray took third at 18 under, one shot ahead of Johnston.
Johnston, who had a frustrating round on Thursday, closed a successful week with a 3-under 68.
“It’s big. I would have liked to have been a few shots better and been in the last group now coming up there, but so be it,” Johnston said. “I tried my best and that’s what I did, man.”
Johnston had already secured his European Tour card for next season, and he made his plans clear that he will be splitting time between both tours, but didn’t yet know what the schedule was going to be.
“I’m going to wait and have a look at the schedule and kind of weigh it up and try to try get that schedule right for next year with Europe and America,” Johnston said.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

Paul Broadhurst (Getty Images)

Broadhurst holds off  Langer to win US Senior Tour event  at Pebble Beach

By Kevin Casey

GOLFWEEK.COM

Thanks to a closing birdie, Paul Broadhurst scored another win.
The Englishman birdied the final hole Sunday at the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach to win the tournament by a single shot over Bernhard Langer.
For a guy who had yet to win on the US PGA Tour Champions before the summer, it’s been quite a recent haul. Broadhurst, 51, captured the Senior British Open in July before putting himself in position for another first at Pebble Beach.
He ran his eagle putt 6 feet by on the par-5 18th Sunday but coaxed in the comebacker for 4-under 68, 11-under finish and the win by one.
With the victory, the Englishman jumps from 39th to 23rd in the Charles Schwab Cup money list. Langer, No. 1 in the standings, closed in 4-under 32 for a 66 that gave him a good shot at his fifth win of the season.
Overnight leader Kevin Sutherland put himself in too much of a hole for the majority of the round, opening with 13 pars and a bogey. Three later birdies moved him to 10 under, but his closing 70 would leave him one short.

TO VIEW ALL THE FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE