Golf Range Times Magazine September–October 2004 'Tee Time' Reference Article

Golf Range Times Buyers' Guide and Directory

September–October 2004
Tee Time: Industry News

Top-Flite Announces New Hires, Promotions
The Top-Flite Golf Co. announced a number of personnel changes in July. James L. “Jamie” Bosworth, who was hired in May to oversee the company’s sales activities, has been promoted to vice president of U.S. sales and marketing. Reid Gorman joins Top-Flite’s sales team as director of key accounts/sales operations; he has spent 17 years in the golf industry in a variety of sales and retail roles. Mike McAuliffe has been promoted to senior director of marketing. He has been with the company for more than 20 years in a variety of operations and marketing positions.
In other personnel news, Andrew Kelleher has been promoted to vice president of finance and administration, and Tom Fry has been named vice president of manufacturing operations. Hired in December as vice president of finance, Kelleher previously served as vice president, controller, for Babcock Bosig Machinery Co. Inc. Fry joined Top-Flite in January as senior director of operations after spending nearly five years at Callaway Golf.

Sell Your Used Equipment in Golf Range Times
Want to profit from your used equipment? Sell it in the Golf Range Times Range Owners’ Marketplace—a new service for readers beginning in the January/ February 2005 issue. For a special low rate of $50, range owners can buy a classified ad to sell ball pickers, washers, range balls, golf mats and more. Classifieds also will be posted online at www.golfrangetimes.com. For more information or to place a classified ad, call Betty Jo Bass at 804-360-3158. Classifieds are sold on a prepaid basis only.

Las Vegas Hosts Range Developer’s ‘Boot Camp’
Forecast Golf Group will present its “Ultimate Golf Range Developer’s Boot Camp” Oct. 2 in Las Vegas. Combining interactive classroom instruction with a behind-the-scenes tour of a high-volume operating facility, the one-day camp provides range developers with the tools they need to design and operate a profitable golf practice facility. For more details and to register, call Forecast Golf Group at 804-379-5760 or visit www.forecastgolf.com.

Best New Range Award Entries Due Oct. 5
Applications to be considered for the 2004 Best New Range Award are due Oct. 5. Ranges that opened or underwent major renovations after Sept. 1, 2003, and that operate as the primary business (revenue generator) of the facility are eligible to enter the competition. All candidates must complete an entry form and submit photographs and other materials to illustrate the achievements of the new facility. Entry forms are available online, or by calling 804-379-5760. The Best New Range of 2004 will be announced in the January/February 2005 issue of the magazine and on www.golfrangetimes.com.

Range-Play Launches U.S. Tour
Late this summer Range-Play Entertainment Corp. set out on a three-month U.S. road show to demonstrate its family of interactive targets and game systems to range owners. The company stopped in more than 10 major metropolitan areas, including St. Louis, Chicago and Phoenix in August, with plans to visit Las Vegas Sept. 20-24 during the PGA Fall Expo, Dallas/Fort Worth Oct. 2-4 and cities in Florida Oct. 7-16. To schedule a visit at your range, contact Range-Play at 303-442-9993, www.range-play.com.

New Service Company Manages Pro Shop Sales
John Embree Diversified Enterprises, a sports management company based in Chicago, has launched Golf Pro Shop Supply LLC, a service company for golf course retailers. Created to assist golf club pro shops with soft goods merchandising and inventory, GPSS will select the apparel, place the order, offer display training and provide a software package with scanning devices so that the shop can run daily inventory reports. At the end of every season, leftover merchandise will be sold by GPSS at tent sales across the country, allowing the shop to make money on the unsold product. For more information on the program, contact John Embree at 847-729-2497 or jrembree@comcast.net.

Industry Gears Up for PGA Fall Expo
Attendance figures six weeks out from the 2004 PGA Fall Expo were 20 percent higher than those for the 2003 show at the same time last year, according to PGA Golf Exhibitions. The increase is attributed to “new participation options, special events and education programs,” says Ed Several, PGA Golf Exhibitions vice president and show manager.

An education conference featuring six professional tracks of more than 40 seminars will kick off the expo Sept. 20, with the trade show opening the following day. The equipment, apparel, accessories and services of 300 golf-related exhibitors will be on display, and an indoor Equipment Testing Center will give attendees an opportunity to test manufacturers’ equipment in a driving range-type environment. Attendees can field test products from equipment and training aid manufacturers during Demo Night, which will be held Sept. 21 at the nearby Callaway Golf Center.

Details on these and other show events are available at www.pgafallexpo.com, or by calling 800-840-5628.

Range Servant Signs on as SofTee Manufacturing Distributor
SofTee Manufacturing LLC has announced that Range Servant will distribute its artificial turf golf mats in the U.S. and Europe. Range Servant USA is based Norcross, Ga., with offices in Sweden and the U.K.

School Golf Program Joins First Tee Fold
Piloted under Golf 20/20, the National School Golf Program has become an initiative of the First Tee. Offered at 133 elementary schools in 2003, the program introduces school-age children to the basics in golf skills, etiquette and play. This school year, the program will expand to 400 schools, growing its presence within existing school districts and tapping new locations. In addition, SNAG Golf, which offers introductory golf equipment, has partnered with the program, and as part of this relationship, the First Tee will distribute SNAG First Touch Equipment.

New Products

Printer Inks Membership Cards
Zebra Technologies introduces the Zebra P205 card printer. Compact and user-friendly, the P205 is a single-sided monochrome plastic card printer designed for businesses looking to create personalized identification, membership and guest or loyalty cards. The P205 printer can be used on blank cards or cards pre-printed with color logos and images. The printer can add information such as a customer’s name, black-and-white photo, account number and length of affiliation to the front or back of a card. A magnetic stripe encoder is available as a factory-installed option, allowing owners to include additional customer information, such as account balance or membership renewal date, in the form of a bar code.
The Zebra P205 uses a drop-in ribbon cartridge for easy loading, with a design that fits only one way in the printer for mistake-proof ribbon replacement. The detachable, reusable card feeder and output hopper are located on the front of the printer for space savings and added convenience. Contact Zebra Technologies Corp., www.zebracard.com.

LeveLift Levels Sprinkler Heads
The LeveLift Co. introduces its patented system for raising and realigning out-of-alignment sprinkler heads in a fraction of the time required by traditional means. Developed by Steve Glidewell, a former golf course superintendent, the LeveLift uses water pressure at the sprinkler head to develop hydraulic pressure in the system’s actuator assembly. After the sprinkler head is pressurized, the actuator pulls the sprinkler bucket up into ground-level position. What used to take an hour of manual digging now can be accomplished in five minutes, according to the company, and without damaging turf. The LeveLift can be used with any irrigation system and is equipped with PVC swing joints. Specially engineered brass connection “pucks” provide for industry-wide sprinkler head compatibility. Contact the LeveLift Co., 877-465-3835, vesagolfer@earthlink.net.

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