Dan Loman

UPITER, FLORIDA

While increased gas prices are among the most obvious consequences of the current conflict Middle East conflict, the golf industry could see increased prices on everything from golf balls to course maintenance. Our Jim Nugent has the story.

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M y assignment was to cover the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic of New Orleans. But when the plane touched down in the Big Easy on a sunny Tuesday and I

B. Draddy has worked hard to establish its own identity, carving out a niche in the premium golf and lifestyle apparel realm. For the last three years, the Draddy Camper has allowed the company to bring that identity directly to courses and events around the country. Our Everett Munez has the story.

anny Watters’ career as a PGA of America professional is a testament to the mentoring that’s prevalent in the association. Watters grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, playing on a public course. For $5 for the entire summer, he played every day until dark at Irv Warren Memorial Golf Course and became proficient at the game. He eventually enrolled at Arizona State University, not to play competitive golf but to study in the school’s Professional Golf Management program. Right away, he began working in outside operations at what was then called the Golf Club at Johnson Ranch. That led to summer employment at Sunnyside Golf & Country Club back home in Waterloo. When Watters returned to school in the fall of 2003 he began caddying and working in outside operations at the Estancia Club, one Arizona’s top courses. There he met PGA professional Terry Carlson, who took a liking to Watters. One day, Carlson asked Watters what his plan was. Watters didn’t have much of an answer other than he wanted to be like Carlson. Carlson introduced Watters to Bill Reid, the PGA professional who had just been appointed the head pro at Sunset Ridge Country Club in suburban Chicago, and Reid hired Watters as an assistant pro. After Watters spent three years in that role, Reid introduced him to Gary Groh, the head professional at the prestigious Bob O’Link Golf Club in nearby Highland Park. Watters worked as an assistant under Groh for six years until Groh retired in 2015. After an extensive search, the club hired Watters to succeed Groh, giving him a three-year “trial” contract. He is now starting his 11th season as Bob O’Link’s head pro and is one of the most respected club professionals in the Chicago area. Watters’ Best Practice In an effort to mentor

anadian golf developer Ben Cowan-Dewar has sold the crown jewel of his Cabot Collection, Nova Scotia’s Cabot Cape Breton, to Canadian businessman John Bragg. Cabot Cape Breton is home to acclaimed golf courses Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs. Also included in the sale is Cabot Bordeaux, a 36-hole luxury resort in southwest France that Cowan-Dewar purchased in July 2024. A source close to the situation described the transaction as a “necessary cash infusion.” Sources also confirmed that, as part of the deal, Bandon Dunes developer and early Cabot Links investor Mike Keiser sold his interest in the business. Cowan-Dewar did not respond to GGPBiz requests for comment. Bragg, described as one of Canada’s wealthiest men, is the CEO and founder of the Bragg Group. His Nova Scotia-based Oxford Frozen Foods operates one of the largest fruit farms in the world, with more than 12,000 acres dedicated to growing blueberries. He is also developing the River Philip Golf Resort in Nova Scotia, a four-season operation with an 18-hole golf course, hiking trails, and river fishing. Cabot Links, designed by Rod Whitman, opened to rave reviews in 2012. It was joined in 2015 by the Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw-designed Cabot Cliffs. In subsequent years, Cowan-Dewar developed or acquired multiple courses under the Cabot Collection umbrella. The collection includes the Coore and Crenshaw-designed Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia, a 375-acre luxury resort and real-estate development in the Caribbean that opened in December 2023. It is unclear what prompted the Cabot Cape Breton sale, but multiple sources believe that Cabot Saint Lucia has caused financial difficulties for Cowan-Dewar’s enterprise. Real-estate sales have been sluggish in recent years, and home buildout has been problematic on this small island, according to the sources. Thus far, only the Nova Scotia-based news website The

ead professionals at private golf clubs in America perform many functions. They play, teach, merchandise the golf shop, hire and supervise a staff, and sometimes lend a friendly ear to a golfer after a bad day on the course. Occasionally, as in the case of Kyle Bauer, head professional at the Glen View Club in Golf, Illinois, they serve as full-fledged travel planners. Bauer’s journey to the Glen View Club began during his junior year at Illinois State University. He worked two summers in the mid 1990s for Illinois Golf Hall of Fame professional Tim O’Neal at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Illinois. During that time he became intrigued with the business of golf and decided that this would be his career path. Upon graduation, he became a seasonal assistant professional in the Chicago area and in Florida before returning to North Shore in 2001 as the lead assistant to O’Neal. He landed his first head professional job in 2003 at Sand Ridge Golf Club near Cleveland, Ohio, where he stayed for three years. Chicago beckoned him back, and Bauer accepted the head professional job at the prestigious Glen View Club in 2006 and has served that club’s membership ever since. Bauer’s best practice While at Sand Ridge, Bauer organized a member trip to Bandon Dunes. He and a fellow professional from the Chicago area organized a 32-person member trip to the Oregon resort for a Ryder Cup-style competition. The bonds Bauer created with the members who made the trip were a light-bulb moment. After he took the job at Glen View, he elevated his travel planning to a higher level. In even-numbered years, he leads a trip to Bandon Dunes, often using private aircraft to accommodate as many as 64 players. In odd-numbered years, his annual member trip,

A number of factors went into TaylorMade's decision to stop releasing a new drive each year and instead switch to a biennial cadence. Our Jim Nugent has the story.

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