GolfStinks

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Closing Deals On The Golf Course? Are You Taking The Tax Write-Off?

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Well, it’s April 16th.  Hopefully, you’ve gotten all of your tax requirements taken care of.  After all, the IRS is probably the last group of people, government employees or otherwise, that you want knocking on your front door.  But if you’re one of those people who uses the golf course to make your business deals, then did you remember to claim everything?

It’s always a question in the back of the mind of everyone who uses the golf course as a tool to “close the deal.”  When the question “Can I write this off?” goes through your mind, especially if you’re not able to seal the deal with your potential client, a quick bit or research can reveal that yes, you can in fact write off that round and meal.  Well, a portion of it anyway.

As with anything involving the government, things are never cut-and-dry.  Everything is always complicated.  After all, they’re certainly not going to let you just get money without making you work for it.  But, do a little bit of that work, and it can do nothing but benefit you.

So, the write-off – as mentioned earlier, yes you can write off your golf as well as your meal and drinks in the 19th hole.  But (there’s always a but), you can’t have it all.  You can write off up to 50% of what you spend.  But hey, half is better than none, right?  Of course, the details go a bit further.  In order for the government to know you are not just taking advantage of the rules, all of the details must be documented.  You know, in case of audit.  Speaking of which, a good piece of info to keep in mind is, the more deductions you take, the better your chance of being audited.

Do you do anything related to golf as a business?  You could have some golf write-offs there as well.  Maybe you’re a golf-blogger.  Maybe you’ve turned it into a business, selling goods, services or something to that effect.  Maybe you have a few partners.  Maybe you have your meetings over dinner, or out on the course followed by some food and drinks in the 19th hole.  Are you writing these things off?

Come to think of it…it seems the crew here at GolfStinks is due for a meeting among it’s partners.  Maybe next Saturday is a good day for a meeting.  The weather is supposed to be nice on Saturday, right?

Swing ’til you’re happy…and be sure to document it!

Has Tiger Become Just An Average Golfer?

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I want to start by giving some praise to ESPN.  I’ve been tuned into Sunday Night Baseball for about 30-40 minutes as of right now, and the only time I’ve seen the word “Tiger” is in reference to Detroit. 

Not for nothing, but when a golfer finishes tied for 40th, fifteen strokes off the lead and doesn’t break par once in four days…that’s the way it should be.  I should see the names Watson and Oosthuizen more than any other name today.  I should see those names so often that I’ll actually learn how to correctly pronounce Oosthuizen! 

But that brings me to my actual point.  Has Tiger fallen far enough that he can now be considered not much more than an average golfer on the tour?  When you really look at it, the stats show exactly that.  Despite a second place finish at the Honda Classic and his win this year at The Arnold Palmer Invitational, that’s his only win since 2009.  Follow his win with a +5 showing at The Masters, and his last win at a major dates back to the 2008 U.S. Open, though he has had some strong showings in between.

Could it be due to the knee injury suffered in 2008?  I think many people would attribute it to exactly that.  Couple that with the distraction of his more recent off-course issues, and you can see an obvious decline.  Even worse is that he is now 36 years old, right around a time when most pro athletes begin, or are already into, a physical break-down.  Obviously though, golfers are in a different category as there is not the same serious physical strain on the body as with some other sports.  But with younger players joining the tour every year, Tiger appears more and more beatable all the time.

I’m certainly not saying that Tiger is done.  I believe he’s far from it.  But what I am saying is, though the media will have you believe we are still watching the Tiger of several years ago, he is no longer the threat to win every time he sets foot on the course as he once was.  But to me, that’s good.  I prefer to see a wide open field in a tournament that anyone can win on any given weekend.  With so many great golfers on the tour, it’s nice to see some attention being given to them rather than the guy who finished so far back that he didn’t even matter.

But I’m sure many will not agree.  Many believe there needs to be one dominant player on the tour for others to gun for.  However, I don’t believe it’s about the other golfers.  It’s about the fans.  The fans need to be introduced to other golfers on the tour.  And by having a field that’s much more open than it may have been in the past, what better time or way to get it done? 

Tiger worked miracles for the PGA and they have reaped the benefits for sixteen years now.  But sooner or later, he’s not going to be there anymore.  So before it’s too late, they may want to take action to promote these many other golfers who have caught, and soon, will surpass the great Tiger.

Swing ’til you’re happy!
                     

Why Does Golf Need Tee It Forward?

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wet and rainy golf
Will Tee It Forward help put folks on the right tee box? (Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

So I’ve been doing a little reading up on this Tee It Forward thing and I’ve gotta tell ya…I wanted so bad to rip it apart.  All that would cross my mind was what pansies we were making out of people.  “Ooooh, the game’s too haaaard…I’m not having any fuuuunnnn…., waaaaa…., waaa….., waaaaa.”

Really, think about it.  What other sport gives you the option to make the game easier?  If basketball is too hard, do they lower the hoop for you?  If baseball is too hard, do they pitch slower?  Of course not!  But in golf, they tell people to just move up and play closer.

Aren’t there enough technological advances in golf designed to make the game easier already?  Specialized balls that are designed to travel straighter or farther.  Drivers with heads the size of a small SUV.  Clubs that make the ball do things that scientists years ago would have considered to be physically impossible.  But none of that is enough?  Now we tell people…”Just move up.”

See, it all sounds so silly doesn’t it?  But I thought about it a little further and realized, maybe this is necessary.  It shouldn’t be…but maybe it is.  What I’m saying is, why aren’t people playing from the correct tees to begin with?  Who taught them the game?  I feel that you should be able to play from whatever tees you choose, but at the same time, it’s a matter of etiquette as well.  And as we all know, etiquette is just as much a part of the game as the act of golf itself.  And I think that’s where Tee It Forward should really come into play.

I may be wrong, and I’m sure many people will argue against my way of thinking, but something in the back of my mind tells me that Tee It Forward was designed with its initial intended purpose to be teaching etiquette and speeding up the game, not trying to get people to have more fun.  But with today’s younger generation, it’s hard to teach golf etiquette to newcomers without sounding like a pompous ass.  So instead, they put the “fun” twist on it to make the game sound less stuffy.  Now, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  As a matter of fact, it’s quite smart.  Look, my opinion is if you want to play from the blues then play from the blues, whether you belong there or not.  I could care less.  But if what you’re doing is holding people up because you stink at golf and you’re only making a hard game that much harder, then you need someone to tell you to tee it forward due to etiquette.

See, the “fun” approach that Tee It Forward takes, in my opinion, is the correct approach that should be taken.  It’s the reason I play.  At the end of the day, I don’t really care what the number is on my scorecard.  I care that I had fun out on the course with my friends.  I try to play well obviously, but if I don’t, who gives a crap?  It’s not my job.  I don’t get paid for it.  I’m not a pro, not trying to be a pro and understand that I never will be a pro.  But I am trying to have fun, and I’m doing exactly that.

Tee It Forward is a step in the right direction.  The more organizations that can stress the fun aspect of the game, the better.  If they can subconsciously teach a little etiquette as well, then they’re really onto something.

My only wish is that, at some point, people will just come out and say that golf (or any sport for that matter) is a tough game.  And rather than put together initiatives and such to make the game easier or more fun, someone will just simply say either “Hey, maybe this game isn’t for you,” or better yet, “Just go have fun.”

Swing ’til you’re happy!

A New Kind of Apparel For the Golf Fan

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When you look at a golf blog and see the name Woods, obviously you think of Tiger.  So when a football jersey sporting the name Woods appears on that golf blog, some confusions likely ensues.  But any NFL fan knows that, pictured to the left, is an Ickey Woods jersey. 

And to prove the NFL’s marketing genius, every NFL fan who sees this jersey instantly recognizes it despite the fact Ickey has been out of the league since 1991 and played a total of only 37 games in his injury-shortened career.  Further, his career numbers have been eclipsed by several players in just a single season!

Jersey sales rake in boatloads of money for the NFL.  You can see them worn everywhere at NFL stadiums as well as just out and about.  I have several myself.  It’s a great way for the NFL to market their teams, as well as the players, at the same time.  This is something that the PGA is sorely lacking.  But because there are no uniforms or teams on the PGA Tour, there really isn’t much that can be done about it.  Or, is there?

The golfers themselves can cash in on numerous sponsorships.  But how much does a BMW logo on a players shirt help the tour?  Take a look at Tiger Woods for instance.  Nike has made it’s own brand out of one player.  What’s to stop Callaway from doing the same for Phil?  Or any apparel company from taking on Rory? 

Better yet, the PGA Tour puts out it’s own apparel line.  I have a white PGA Tour polo shirt, so I know they exist.  They could simply start there.  What if fans could purchase shirts, hats, golf shoes, etc. directly associated with their favorite tour player, much the same as a Patriots fan could purchase a Tom Brady jersey?  This way, the players as well as the tour are getting free advertising as soon as someone walks out their front door wearing one.

I remember back in the 90’s when sports jersey sales were really taking off.  Back then, besides a regular jersey from any sport, you could find lots of cross-promotion between sports going on.  Hockey jersey’s with NBA logos and baseball jersey’s sporting NFL teams were not uncommon.  This is a direction the PGA could choose to go.  Not too mention, most of the fans who would be purchasing something like this would be on the younger side – a demographic that the PGA needs to get more interested in the sport.  

But the problem is, not many others besides me seems to know PGA Tour apparel exists…not even the PGA, or one would think by looking at their apparel website.  This site tells you almost nothing about the actual apparel.  Not too mention, it looks like the PGA doesn’t do anything about it either as there is an advertisement clearly marked ’09, as in 2009, at the bottom of the page.  A three year old advertisement?  Yeah…they’re paying attention.

See, something like this, to me anyway, should be a no-brainer.  But instead, a worthless website that generates little traffic, is simply wasting the PGA’s money rather than doing something to generate revenue as well as the popularity of it’s players and the tour itself.

I know this all sounds a little silly, especially to the purists, snobs or the the fans who, for some strange reason, dress like they are about to step onto the course when they’re doing nothing more than watching a tournament.  But to put all of this in simpler terms, at the next tournament you attend, wouldn’t it be cool to see a baseball-style jersey with the back marked “Lefty 01” rather than just a bunch of polo shirts that all seem to blend together? Well, I think it would. 

Swing ’til you’re happy!           

Know The Next Golf Tournament Winner? Wanna Bet?

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I like betting.  I can’t help it.., it’s just fun for me.  I’m not an addict.  I’m not at the casino every other night.  I haven’t lost my house or my car.  Maybe my shirt, but that’s about it.  I’ll bet on individual games, drop money into fantasy sports and, of course, the brackets going on this time of year.     

The thing about betting is, it just makes the game, or whatever you’re betting on, that much more interesting.  Whether you’re betting on the NCAA Championship game, or the day your co-worker’s baby is born – it makes you care that much more about the result. 

We here at golfstinks have touched on different kinds of betting in the past.  Be it betting while out on the course or creating a bracket in the hopes for a real PGA championship, we’re always looking for a way to put our hard-earned greenbacks on the line.  But let’s be honest, golf isn’t exactly a big-time sport for betting. 

Now we’ve all seen the odds posted for the favorites in golf tournaments – especially the majors.  But golf doesn’t get nearly the betting action that most major sports get, be it legal or illegal.  I think a lot of that has to do with the relative anonymity of the players on the tour.  But what if you found yourself in a golf pool?  What if you were in a Vegas sports book and you saw the odds pop up for The Masters?  What would you do?  Who would you choose?  How much would you bet?

See, you can check just about anywhere for betting assistance on football or basketball – the internet, the newspaper, even the phone!  But golf?  Not so much.  However, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  Sites such as Golf Picks are out there to help you. 

Now, if there was only a way to raise golf into the ranks of the top wager-worthy sports, we could put all of this to better use.  But I guess until the PGA recognizes the opportunity it has at a gold-mine with an actual PGA Championship, the world of golf betting will remain a lesser interesting option. 

But let it be known, golfstinks will do what it can to raise interest in all things golf, including the occasional wager – on-course or off.  You can bet on it.

Swing ’til you’re happy!            

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