Bill Murray’s humor has long had a widespread appeal. That’s carried over to his unique golf clothing brand, where William Murray Golf raised more than $1 million through an initial round of funding with investors that range from Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and former tennis star Andy Roddick to actors Ed Norton, Mark Paul-Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer.
The diverse group of backers, which also includes real estate magnate Mike Meldman, actress/model Brooklyn Decker and country music star Jake Owen, speaks to the influence the decidedly non-traditional Murray has had in the traditional world of golf. Murray’s irreverence with his apparel brand – his logo is styled after his casual club toss at the 2011 Pebble Beach Pro-Am – was a major part of the appeal for investors like Owen.
“They want to have fun with the game of golf while making it more appealing to a wider audience,” says Owen, who like Murray has been a staple among the celebrities playing alongside the pros at the annual Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
The investment coincides with the release of the brand’s new fall collection and will allow William Murray Golf to continue its “rapid growth and disruption” of the golf apparel market, said CEO Joel Murray, one of six Murray brothers involved in the business, which launched in the fall of 2016. Murray, who has been an icon in the golf world since starring as bumbling greenskeeper Carl Spackler in the movie “Caddyshack,” grew up caddying and playing golf with his brothers in the suburbs of Chicago.
PGA TOUR PRIZE MONEY HITS RECORD
The PGA Tour released its full schedule for the 2017-18 season, with a lineup of 49 FedExCup tournaments and a record $363 million in prize money.
The number of events on the schedule has increased by two, with the addition of The CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges at Jeju Island in South Korea and the elevation of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Domincan Republic, which had been a Web.com tournament. With the addition of the two new international tournaments, the 2017-18 PGA Tour schedule includes nine events in eight countries outside the U.S.
Two FedExCup playoff events will change courses, with the Northern Trust returning to The Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey (Aug. 23-26) and the BMW Championship moving to Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia (Sept. 6-9) for the first time. For a visual overview of the schedule, click here.
PRESIDENT'S CUP ECONOMIC IMPACT
The last time the Presidents Cup was contested in the U.S., it resulted in approximately $40 million to $50 million in economic impact for the Columbus, Ohio, area. The biennial team tournament between the U.S. and a team of golfers from outside Europe is expected to have a similar impact on the New York area this week as it’s contested at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.
The Presidents Cup has helped donate more than $37 million to various charities since it was first held in 1994. The tournament raised a record $6.1 million for charity in 2015.
NEW, SOFTER, TITLEIST BALLS
Titleist this week also introduced its new Titleist DT TruSoft, which the company says is its softest golf ball, designed for golfers who prefer a very soft compression feel. It was available at retail starting Sept. 21.
Titleist is apparently also rolling out a new ball called the AVX that will only be sold in three states: the golf hot-beds of California, Arizona and Florida, according to MyGolfSpy. The soft, yet tour-quality ball will hit stores sometime around Oct. 6, but how long it hangs around will be determined by how its received.
While the golf ball market has shifted toward softer, low compression offerings, MyGolfSpy says this is a market test to see how consumers react to the AVX (which costs the same as the popular Pro-V and Pro-V1, by the way).
NEW ADDITION FOR REYNOLDS LAKE OCONEE
Reynolds Lake Oconee this fall will open the Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds, the latest amenity added to the Georgia resort and community, which boasts 117 holes of golf and is located midway between Atlanta and Augusta.
The Sporting Grounds complex encompasses almost 100 acres and features a 20-station sporting clays course that’s laid out much like a golf course and embraces the natural topography of the land. The series of stations offers a mix of shot selections, offering a variety of length, angle and trajectory. There will also be a five-stand shooting range and air rifle facility, archery and a hiking course.
PXG PARTNERS WITH SIX COLLEGES
#PXG has expanded its interest in elite players to include top student-athletes & coaches at 6 NCAA D1 universities. https://t.co/jj3UDxPrMM
— Parsons Xtreme Golf (@pxg) September 20, 2017
The University of Oklahoma, which won the men’s golf national championship this year, is among six schools to sign a partnership with PXG for tour-level fittings and golf equipment.
In addition to OU, Parsons Xtreme Golf has also teamed up with California, Duke, Oregon, Southern Methodist and Vanderbilt. The relationship provides equal support for both the men’s and women’s programs at the schools, allowing for up to 10 full sets of golf clubs to be custom fitted for each.
“PXG’s master fitter was awesome and meticulous in getting the right equipment into our players' hands,” says SMU women’s golf coach Jeanne Sutherland. “That might not seem unusual, but in all my years of coaching women's golf, it's an honor my teams haven't been afforded prior to now.”
While PXG currently has a roster of 18 tour pros, the PXG University Program further solidifies the high-end equipment company’s commitment to support golfers at all levels.
TOPGOLF IS COMING TO MINNEAPOLIS
Another week, another new location for Topgolf. The global sports entertainment leader announced this week that it will open a 65,000-square foot venue about a 10-minute drive north of downtown Minneapolis in winter of 2018.
It will be the company’s first location in Minnesota and is expected to draw approximately 450,000 visitors in its first year of operation.
JULIE’S REAL FUELS U.S. PRESIDENTS CUP TEAM
Julie's Real, a paleo snack company that's developed a following on the PGA Tour and in the golf community, will have a visible presence with the U.S. team at this week's Presidents Cup.
The upstart business was founded by Julie Fox in 2015 after a health scare for her husband, Mike, and makes all its products with all-natural and whole food ingredients, including an assortment of nut butters and grain-free granola. Julie’s Real products will be in the team cabin and ferry for the home squad at the Presidents Cup in Jersey City, New Jersey. It’s a significant score for an up-and-coming business with roots in golf.
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