Tom, I know you commented on the "History in the Making" article in GD's Golf for Women. Have you seen the new Callaway GES clubs? What can you tell us about the design? Do you think the component companies will have new designed heads for women?
Thanks George Huson ByGeorge Custom Clubs --- Tom Wishon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Harry and Bernie: > > You guys are both aware that any magazine, > regardless of its subject > area is somewhat to sort of to very much handcuffed > by its advertisers. > In the magazine business there is an old adage that > is often tossed > around that goes, "does advertising breed > editorial, or does editorial > breed advertising". And the only industry in which > I have seen > magazines basically stick their noses up to their > advertisers are some > of the computer magazines, when I have seen reviews > of computers or > peripherals or software that make negative comments > once in a while. > > > > I can tell you that over the years in my career > going back to the 80s I > have written as a guest or regular contributor for > Golf World, Golfweek, > Golf Shop Operations, GOLF, Golf Digest, Golf > Illustrated and others. > In every case except for Golf Digest, I have been > either kicked out or > told to tone it down, when something I wrote about > the truth of golf > equipment incurred the wrath of an advertiser. The > funniest one I > remember was when I wrote an article on forgings for > Golf World long > before the Golf Digest people bought the magazine. > Something in the > article upset the then president of Ben Hogan > company and I was asked to > fly down to Ft Worth where Hogan used to be HQ'd, to > explain my piece to > the president and their officers. The meeting > started with the > president literally throwing the issue at me that > had my article in it, > using what I considered to be a very childish manner > of letting me know > what he thought about my writing. Well, I got up to > walk out because I > don't ever need to have to deal with people like > that, but then he > cooled down. Net result is that there are a lot of > people in the > industry who believe that their ad dollars bring > with it a right to tell > a magazine what to write, and whether the magazine > listens or not is > simply a matter of how much they need the ad > dollars. > > > > In Golf Digest's case, I have worked with them for > now nine years, much > in the capacity of what you, Bernie, mentioned about > your father's role. > Their equipment editors will call me for ideas, or > run statements made > by this or that golf equipment company by me to see > what is fact or > fiction, or ask me to write articles once in a while > when their editors > do not feel they want to or are qualified to do. > Each of the three > equipment editors I have served under in the past 9 > yrs with GD have > been superb guys who desperately want to write the > facts about > equipment. But they too have some handcuffs on in > terms of putting > pictures or comments of clubs in there that are a > balance between those > made by their bigger advertisers and some from > companies who don't > advertise as much. I think from what I have seen, > they do that in a > decent balance. And they usually go to the OEMs for > "quotes" because > they believe that the readers would listen to a name > from a big company > - but then they have used my quotes a lot over the > years too, so that > does not say that they only go to OEM people for a > comment. Then too, > the big equipment companies are calling these guys > almost daily to keep > up the pressure for more mentions of their > equipment. That part often > really tires them out because it is so fraught with > politics and > pressure. > > > > I can tell you that off the record, the equipment > editors do respect the > better clubmakers, but for them to really write > about this side of the > industry, they need some groundswell of interest so > that they can > justify the interest from their readers to the big > cheese editors. That > was why I suggested to GD that since they know > people do buy custom > clubs, just like they know people take lessons, why > not do a list of top > custom clubmakers like they do a list of top swing > teachers. It made > sense to the equipment editor so he and I are slowly > starting to lobby > the big cheeses there to consider it. No doubt such > a list would have > to include pros or clubmakers who fit with OEM carts > too, but anything > that would publicize custom clubmaking would help. > And that is the > approach that I am trying to take on this or always > try to help, so you > see in the end, I politic them too for my preferred > side of the > industry!! Only not with as much ego as the OEMs > are known to use when > they do it. But I do have to qualify that and say > that some of the OEM > equipment guys are decent people who don't always > think that they need > to be first in line all the time. To dream of a > golf industry where > everyone is a truly nice person is probably a little > too unrealistic, > but I can say that the majority of the equipment > editors for the various > magazines like Mike Stachura at GD, Mike Johnson at > Golf World, Jim > Achenbach at Golf Week, Laurie Dovey at Golf > Illustrated - these are > some of the best and most well rounded and open > minded for sure. > > > > TOM W > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Harry F. Schiestel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 10:06 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: ShopTalk: Top Clubmakers / GD / Dr. Loft > > > > Hi Tom > > > > My son and I cancelled our 3 year subscription to > GD, due to the > conflicting instructional coverage, and some > teachers are mere hacks. > > I do intend to purchase the Nov. 2003 issue, just to > read your published > article, unless its posted in full on the internet. > > > > Regarding the Top Clubmaker List, great idea if you > could ever get a > major magazine to support your concept. > > "Now my next project with GD is to convince them > they need to publish a > booklet and side article on top clubmakers just like > they do for top > teachers of the golf swing every year." What > criteria and process > would you recommend, to select clubmakers worthy of > such honourable > distinction? > > I get the feeling that 1 of the 2 awards processes > now is based almost > solely on how many dollars you spend with the parent > company. > > How would Golf Digest / yourself make such a > clubmaker list creditable, > for our industry at large? I do very much like this > idea. > === message truncated ===
