By Brian Falla/Daily News staff
GHS
Thu May 17, 2007, 02:32 AM EDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Norwood - Jon Mason never imagined he would be in the sports/energy drink market one day. But as an avid golfer, Mason is the first to know the ball, like life, can bounce in funny ways.
Mason, a Norwood native, was in Real Estate and getting ready to go golfing with some friends in August 2004 when his life hooked off the proverbial fairway and he was on the way to the sports/energy drink business.
"One of my buddies said he was going to go get some swing juice," said Mason, a 1992 Norwood High graduate and baseball player for the Mustangs. "Instantly, bells and whistles went off."
Mason's realized at that moment that he was about to tee off on a new career.
Mason began researching how to go about producing and developing a golf energy drink, which he admitted he knew nothing about.
Mason does not have a science background and is not one to sequester himself in the basement mixing crazy concoctions. While he came up with the concept, he hired a company to develop the actual formula.
And the idea has worked.
Today, Mason is at it full time as president of SwingJuice. But lest the title conjure up images of leisurely days on the golf course, Mason is very much involved in the day-to-day operations of the company.
"I sort of wear all hats - from delivery guy to marketing and sales," said Mason, who now lives in Rhode Island. "It's an 80-hour-a-week thing now - at first it wasn't, but now it's full time."
After getting the inspiration for SwingJuice, Mason spent the better portion of two years trying to make the product a reality.
He started by buying every sports and energy drink he could find, plopping himself down at the kitchen table and looking over the ingredient lists.
"I knew I wanted it to be a hybrid drink - between a sports drink and an energy drink," said Mason. "I didn't want it loaded with caffeine and sugar in some drinks, and I didn't want the preservatives and sodium in other drinks."
Slowly, Mason developed the plan and found a company that, in 2005, began making samples for him.
"I wanted to find a perfect mix," said Mason.
Mason said he and his wife would again sit at the kitchen table going through the samples to find the right flavor and mix. He eventually settled on a drink containing vitamins D, B6 and B12 as well as gingko biloba, guarana, ginseng, taurine, and caffeine.
In January of last year, he launched the product at the Sony Open in Hawaii and said he got positive feedback from players and fans.
He has since signed deals with Roche Bros. and Whole Foods as well as a company in Asia to sell the product.
He also has a sponsorship deal with the Sony Open in Hawaii.
"We've carved out a little niche for ourselves, and we want to expand on that as much as we can," Mason said.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
New Swing Juice review!
April 23rd review on the following website:
http://energy-drink-ratings.blogspot.com/
http://energy-drink-ratings.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
"Memory" herb ginkgo may boost survival
Mon Apr 16, 4:26 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study conducted in France provides preliminary evidence that older people who take Ginkgo biloba may be extending their lives, but are not reducing their risk of dementia
Among 3,534 men and women 65 and older, those who used the herb were 24 percent less likely to die over a 13-year period than their peers who didn't take ginkgo, Dr. Jean-Francois Dartigues at the University of Bordeaux and colleagues found.
Dartigues and his team note that Ginkgo biloba extract has been sold in France for more than three decades to enhance memory. To date, they add, most studies have focused on whether the herb prevents dementia, but because older people have a much
greater risk of dying, dementia-free survival should also be included as an outcome.
The researchers looked at the effect of several different dementia prevention treatments on the study participants, collecting data when the study began, in 1988, and every 2 years thereafter.
At the start of the study, 6.4 percent of the participants were taking Ginkgo biloba extract, while 25.1 percent were taking some other type of memory enhancing treatment. After 13 years, 53.1 percent had died and 17.6 percent had developed dementia.
About half of people who took no memory enhancing treatment died, compared with 46.7 percent of those taking Gingko biloba and 62.1 percent of those taking some other type of memory-boosting drug. Among those on Gingko biloba, 21.4 percent developed dementia, compared with 22.4 percent of those on other memory treatments and 15.5 percent of those who were not taking memory enhancers.
The researchers found that while the effect of the herb on mortality risk remained significant, it had no effect on the likelihood of developing dementia. People taking other memory treatments were actually at increased risk of dementia, but did not have a greater risk of dying.
These results should be interpreted carefully, the researchers note, because people taking Gingko or other memory enhancers at the beginning of the study may have been at greater risk of dementia than those who weren't taking such treatment.
"Nevertheless, it cannot be excluded that Ginkgo biloba may have a beneficial effect on survival in the elderly population," they write.
The results must be confirmed in randomized, prospective clinical trials in which people taking the extract are compared to those who aren't, the researchers add. They point out that there are currently over 5,800 people taking part in such studies in the US and Europe, with results expected in 2010.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, March 2007.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A study conducted in France provides preliminary evidence that older people who take Ginkgo biloba may be extending their lives, but are not reducing their risk of dementia
Among 3,534 men and women 65 and older, those who used the herb were 24 percent less likely to die over a 13-year period than their peers who didn't take ginkgo, Dr. Jean-Francois Dartigues at the University of Bordeaux and colleagues found.
Dartigues and his team note that Ginkgo biloba extract has been sold in France for more than three decades to enhance memory. To date, they add, most studies have focused on whether the herb prevents dementia, but because older people have a much
greater risk of dying, dementia-free survival should also be included as an outcome.
The researchers looked at the effect of several different dementia prevention treatments on the study participants, collecting data when the study began, in 1988, and every 2 years thereafter.
At the start of the study, 6.4 percent of the participants were taking Ginkgo biloba extract, while 25.1 percent were taking some other type of memory enhancing treatment. After 13 years, 53.1 percent had died and 17.6 percent had developed dementia.
About half of people who took no memory enhancing treatment died, compared with 46.7 percent of those taking Gingko biloba and 62.1 percent of those taking some other type of memory-boosting drug. Among those on Gingko biloba, 21.4 percent developed dementia, compared with 22.4 percent of those on other memory treatments and 15.5 percent of those who were not taking memory enhancers.
The researchers found that while the effect of the herb on mortality risk remained significant, it had no effect on the likelihood of developing dementia. People taking other memory treatments were actually at increased risk of dementia, but did not have a greater risk of dying.
These results should be interpreted carefully, the researchers note, because people taking Gingko or other memory enhancers at the beginning of the study may have been at greater risk of dementia than those who weren't taking such treatment.
"Nevertheless, it cannot be excluded that Ginkgo biloba may have a beneficial effect on survival in the elderly population," they write.
The results must be confirmed in randomized, prospective clinical trials in which people taking the extract are compared to those who aren't, the researchers add. They point out that there are currently over 5,800 people taking part in such studies in the US and Europe, with results expected in 2010.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, March 2007.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Now available at Whole Foods Markets!
Swing Juice Energy Drink is now available at select Whole Foods Markets in the Northeast. Visit your local store and look for us!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Environmental Institue for Golf
A portion on the proceeds from the sale of Swing Juice is donated to the Environmental Institute for Golf www.EIFG.org
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
News & Notes
Annika Sorenstam said a Swedish newspaper took out of context her plans to quit golf and have children. The 36-year-old Sorenstam is dating Mike McGee, a golf agent and son of former PGA Tour player Jerry McGee. She divorced David Esch two years ago.
-- PGA.com
Tom Watson apparently will take a trip down memory lane ? he will play in next month's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. According to tournament director Ollie Nutt, Watson wrote a letter to tournament officials last summer asking to play the event with his son, Michael, as his amateur partner.
-- Kansas City Star
The idea that you can't win while playing with the celebrities is perhaps the biggest myth floating around the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. The thinking behind the myth is that celebrity golfers are either A) so bad, B) so caught up in entertaining the crowd, C) so slow or D) all of the above, that a pro stuck in the celebrity group just can't overcome the distractions.
-- The Desert Sun
Padraig Harrington is undisturbed at having come in second 30 times as a professional and unconcerned at falling from overnight leader after 54 holes of his first tournament of the year to joint-fifth after 72.
-- The Times
Phil Mickelson announced he is designing a course at RiverRock, a private golf and residential community in Cashiers, about 50 miles southwest of Asheville, N.C. Mickelson's friend and swing instructor, Rick Smith, will design a par-3 course at RiverRock.
-- Charlotte Observer
The Wachovia Championship is nearly four months away, but the tournament has received official commitments from two top stars -- John Daly and Ernie Els.
Daly has accepted a sponsor's exemption to play at Quail Hollow Club from May 3-6, and Els is among the first players to officially commit.
-- Charlotte Observer
-- PGA.com
Tom Watson apparently will take a trip down memory lane ? he will play in next month's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. According to tournament director Ollie Nutt, Watson wrote a letter to tournament officials last summer asking to play the event with his son, Michael, as his amateur partner.
-- Kansas City Star
The idea that you can't win while playing with the celebrities is perhaps the biggest myth floating around the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. The thinking behind the myth is that celebrity golfers are either A) so bad, B) so caught up in entertaining the crowd, C) so slow or D) all of the above, that a pro stuck in the celebrity group just can't overcome the distractions.
-- The Desert Sun
Padraig Harrington is undisturbed at having come in second 30 times as a professional and unconcerned at falling from overnight leader after 54 holes of his first tournament of the year to joint-fifth after 72.
-- The Times
Phil Mickelson announced he is designing a course at RiverRock, a private golf and residential community in Cashiers, about 50 miles southwest of Asheville, N.C. Mickelson's friend and swing instructor, Rick Smith, will design a par-3 course at RiverRock.
-- Charlotte Observer
The Wachovia Championship is nearly four months away, but the tournament has received official commitments from two top stars -- John Daly and Ernie Els.
Daly has accepted a sponsor's exemption to play at Quail Hollow Club from May 3-6, and Els is among the first players to officially commit.
-- Charlotte Observer
Monday, January 22, 2007
Hoffman overcomes wind, Rollins in playoff
Associated Press
THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (AP) - Charley Hoffman was the last man standing on a wind-swept day in the desert.
Heavy winds blew off Charley Hoffman's cap, but couldn't keep him from claiming his first PGA Tour victory. (Don Ryan / Associated Press)
At the end of a long, gusty Sunday in the weather-plagued Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Hoffman won his first PGA Tour title by ramming in a 4-foot birdie putt to beat John Rollins on the first playoff hole.
"Definitely the survivor. It was brutal out there, probably the hardest conditions I've played in, for sure," Hoffman said after playing 91 holes over a five-day stretch.
The 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff. He closed with a 1-under 71 on The Classic Club course to match Rollins (73) at 17-under 343.
Others had their problems on a day when the wind gusted to 40 mph. Phil Mickelson hit three balls into the water in a three-hole stretch. With two double bogeys, five bogeys and three birdies on his card, the two-time Masters champion, 2005 PGA winner and two-time Hope winner finished with a 78 that left him tied for 45th at 7 under.
Rollins tied Hoffman with a birdie on the final hole of regulation, then his shot into a fairway bunker on the extra hole cost him.
His third shot left him 30 feet from the pin, with Hoffman 37 feet away in two. Hoffman lagged up short, Rollins' try for birdie was left of the cup, then Hoffman sank his to end it.
Although the wind calmed a bit late in the day, it made club selection a guessing game and merely standing over putts a challenge for most of the round. Players' pant legs whipped back and forth and they tried to steady themselves, and sometimes the gusts even rocked the ball on the green.
The wind churned the small lakes around the course, stirred up grit from the adjacent desert and sent it swirling over much of the course.
Asked if he had ever played in similar conditions, Hoffman grinned and said, "Usually I go inside when it's blowing this hard."
Rollins, who spent some 6 hours, 20 minutes on the course during the final round, said, "It feels like we played 36 today. It seems forever ago that we teed off."
The players spent a lot of time setting up for shots, then backing off.
"You're standing over putts and the wind is blowing and you're worried about the ball moving, or you're not quite steady over a shot," Rollins said. "Or you doubt your yardage or what kind of club you're going to use. So you just take your time and make sure you're hitting the right shot, and you just have to back off."
Hoffman, in the next-to-last group, put the pressure on when he hit his second shot within 11 feet of the pin on the par-5, 564-yard 18th, then rolled in the putt for an eagle to take the lead.
With Hoffman waiting and watching, Rollins, in the last threesome with Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, missed a long try for eagle but made the short birdie putt to tie.
Rose, meanwhile, hit into a bunker off the tee on 18, then ran a long birdie try past the cup before sinking the par putt that left him at 16 under and a shot behind. The Englishman, tied with Glover at the top heading into the final 18 holes, was shaky on the greens and finished with a 76.
He thought the round should have been called because of the wind. He said the forecast had predicted 15-mph winds.
"But when it blows 40, it's a whole different kettle of fish. It becomes survival more than anything," Rose said after his finish left him still looking for his first tour win.
Jeff Quinney, whose ace on the 176-yard 17th put him at 15 under, finished with a 73 to tie for fourth with Heath Slocum (72). Glover had an 80 that dropped him into a tie for 13th.
Mickelson wasn't discouraged despite his high score.
"The bright thing was that I drove the ball very well the last three days, and I was very pleased about it," he said, alluding to his problems off the tee late last year.
"This isn't really a barometer to see where your game is, so I won't really know until next week."
On the ninth green, Mickelson's cap blew off, sailed off the green and rapidly tumbled end over end for some 20 yards down a bank, finally chased down by a photographer.
Weather for the tournament in the desert resort area usually is sunny and mild, but this year's Hope had the start of play delayed by a half-hour to an hour two days because of frost on the courses, and Friday's round was cold and wind-blown, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.
Divots: The relatively easy desert courses usually yield extremely low scores, but the conditions changed that. The Hope record total is 324 by Joe Durant in 2001. ... The 17-under winning total was least under par for the tournament since Steve Jones also won at 17 under in 1989.
THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (AP) - Charley Hoffman was the last man standing on a wind-swept day in the desert.
Heavy winds blew off Charley Hoffman's cap, but couldn't keep him from claiming his first PGA Tour victory. (Don Ryan / Associated Press)
At the end of a long, gusty Sunday in the weather-plagued Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Hoffman won his first PGA Tour title by ramming in a 4-foot birdie putt to beat John Rollins on the first playoff hole.
"Definitely the survivor. It was brutal out there, probably the hardest conditions I've played in, for sure," Hoffman said after playing 91 holes over a five-day stretch.
The 30-year-old Hoffman birdied No. 17, eagled the 18th in regulation, then birdied the 18th in the playoff. He closed with a 1-under 71 on The Classic Club course to match Rollins (73) at 17-under 343.
Others had their problems on a day when the wind gusted to 40 mph. Phil Mickelson hit three balls into the water in a three-hole stretch. With two double bogeys, five bogeys and three birdies on his card, the two-time Masters champion, 2005 PGA winner and two-time Hope winner finished with a 78 that left him tied for 45th at 7 under.
Rollins tied Hoffman with a birdie on the final hole of regulation, then his shot into a fairway bunker on the extra hole cost him.
His third shot left him 30 feet from the pin, with Hoffman 37 feet away in two. Hoffman lagged up short, Rollins' try for birdie was left of the cup, then Hoffman sank his to end it.
Although the wind calmed a bit late in the day, it made club selection a guessing game and merely standing over putts a challenge for most of the round. Players' pant legs whipped back and forth and they tried to steady themselves, and sometimes the gusts even rocked the ball on the green.
The wind churned the small lakes around the course, stirred up grit from the adjacent desert and sent it swirling over much of the course.
Asked if he had ever played in similar conditions, Hoffman grinned and said, "Usually I go inside when it's blowing this hard."
Rollins, who spent some 6 hours, 20 minutes on the course during the final round, said, "It feels like we played 36 today. It seems forever ago that we teed off."
The players spent a lot of time setting up for shots, then backing off.
"You're standing over putts and the wind is blowing and you're worried about the ball moving, or you're not quite steady over a shot," Rollins said. "Or you doubt your yardage or what kind of club you're going to use. So you just take your time and make sure you're hitting the right shot, and you just have to back off."
Hoffman, in the next-to-last group, put the pressure on when he hit his second shot within 11 feet of the pin on the par-5, 564-yard 18th, then rolled in the putt for an eagle to take the lead.
With Hoffman waiting and watching, Rollins, in the last threesome with Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, missed a long try for eagle but made the short birdie putt to tie.
Rose, meanwhile, hit into a bunker off the tee on 18, then ran a long birdie try past the cup before sinking the par putt that left him at 16 under and a shot behind. The Englishman, tied with Glover at the top heading into the final 18 holes, was shaky on the greens and finished with a 76.
He thought the round should have been called because of the wind. He said the forecast had predicted 15-mph winds.
"But when it blows 40, it's a whole different kettle of fish. It becomes survival more than anything," Rose said after his finish left him still looking for his first tour win.
Jeff Quinney, whose ace on the 176-yard 17th put him at 15 under, finished with a 73 to tie for fourth with Heath Slocum (72). Glover had an 80 that dropped him into a tie for 13th.
Mickelson wasn't discouraged despite his high score.
"The bright thing was that I drove the ball very well the last three days, and I was very pleased about it," he said, alluding to his problems off the tee late last year.
"This isn't really a barometer to see where your game is, so I won't really know until next week."
On the ninth green, Mickelson's cap blew off, sailed off the green and rapidly tumbled end over end for some 20 yards down a bank, finally chased down by a photographer.
Weather for the tournament in the desert resort area usually is sunny and mild, but this year's Hope had the start of play delayed by a half-hour to an hour two days because of frost on the courses, and Friday's round was cold and wind-blown, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.
Divots: The relatively easy desert courses usually yield extremely low scores, but the conditions changed that. The Hope record total is 324 by Joe Durant in 2001. ... The 17-under winning total was least under par for the tournament since Steve Jones also won at 17 under in 1989.
Comcast embarks on 15-year PGA partnership
Comcast embarks on 15-year PGA partnership
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Comcast Corp. is making a big bet on golf, hoping to transform its little-watched Golf Channel network into a household name.
The Golf Channel is exclusively carrying every round of the first three PGA Tour events of 2007. So for the first time in four decades, this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic will not be shown on network television.
The coverage is part of the Golf Channel's unprecedented 15-year partnership with the tour that kicked off this month. The deal gives the channel early round coverage of every regular PGA Tour event, and every round at 13 PGA Tour tournaments. NBC and CBS pick up the weekend coverage for 31 tournaments.
The contract substantially boosts the channel's tournament programming and for the first time gives considerable heft to a network co-founded by Arnold Palmer 12 years ago. But it's also likely to generate big losses in the early years for parent company Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator.
Last year, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and ESPN walked away from negotiations with the tour, saying they can't generate enough advertising revenue to offset the broadcast rights fees. In addition, the Golf Channel is shut out of the five most lucrative events in golf - the Masters, the U.S. and British opens, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup - that are not owned or run by the PGA Tour. Those have separate broadcast deals for the weekend with the networks and for early round coverage with USA Network, ESPN and TNT.
Comcast - whose Chief Executive Brian Roberts is an avid golfer - is taking a longer view. With more than $22 billion in overall annual revenue, distribution into 24 million homes and deals with other cable and satellite TV operators to carry the Golf Channel, Comcast is gambling that it can build ratings for the network that will allow it to charge advertisers ever-higher rates.
"If we don't generate enough ad revenue but it helps us grow our brand and grow our distribution ... (we hope the result will be similar to) what football did for Fox," said Dave Manougian, president of the Golf Channel.
News Corp.'s Fox television network's successful $1.6 billion bid in 1993 to broadcast the NFL's NFC games pitched the network for the first time into the same echelon as the three major networks. What helped was the financial backing of Rupert Murdoch's empire.
Comcast first invested in the Golf Channel in 1994, along with five other cable operators. It began increasing its stake and in 2003, acquired the final 8.6 percent stake for $100 million.
With the PGA Tour deal, ad revenues are "up, well in double digits," Manougian said. He added that the channel should generate enough ad revenue to offset rights fees midway through the contract.
Gil Kerr, PGA Tour's senior vice president of broadcasting, programming and productions, said the tour has had a relationship with the Golf Channel since its inception. The channel is the exclusive carrier of the Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.
"They weren't in enough homes at the time to do a deal with them on their own," Kerr said. But "their distribution has grown a lot in the last six years. We knew going into the TV negotiations that they wanted to be aggressive in acquiring the PGA Tour."
The Golf Channel is available in 75 million homes compared with 92 million homes for ESPN. Manougian said the channel currently is in at least 85 percent of basic video tiers. The Golf Channel is part of the digital package of Cox Communications and Cablevision.
In 2012, when the tour's contracts with NBC and CBS lapse, Manougian believes the Golf Channel will be able to pick up more weekend coverage.
Kerr won't say what the Golf Channel deal is worth, only noting that the total value of all current contracts has increased. He also won't comment on whether there's any revenue sharing. Comcast and Golf Channel executives also declined to discuss contract terms.
Asked whether the contract has an exit clause, Manougian would only say that "any contract has disaster clauses, whether it's a one-year deal or a 20-year deal. There's nothing out of ordinary about this contract."
It helps that Comcast isn't only counting on ad revenue to offset the Tour's rights fees. It charges cable and satellite providers 21 cents per subscriber per month, a fraction of ESPN's average monthly fee of $2.60. And Golf Channel officials say they aren't planning an immediate increase to offset the costs of the PGA Tour contract - another bet that in doing so, they will be able to get picked up on more cable systems.
In 2005, 63 percent of the Golf Channel's $267.5 million in revenue came from license fees, according to Kagan Research in Monterey, Calif. Cash flow was $116.7 million. For 2006, Kagan is projecting a 13 percent increase in revenues to $302.5 million and cash flow of $139 million.
For now, viewership of the final rounds for the first two PGA championships on the Golf Channel has come in far lower than last year, when they were on ESPN.
Still, boosting viewership takes time, said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now a TV consultant in Chappaqua, N.Y.
"Even down the road, I don't know if viewing levels on the Golf Channel will equal the levels that golf was achieving on ESPN," Pilson said. "But I think what they will have is a very strong golf audience that is saleable (to advertisers) and it will be a permanent home for PGA Tour, which they have not had in the past."
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Comcast Corp. is making a big bet on golf, hoping to transform its little-watched Golf Channel network into a household name.
The Golf Channel is exclusively carrying every round of the first three PGA Tour events of 2007. So for the first time in four decades, this week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic will not be shown on network television.
The coverage is part of the Golf Channel's unprecedented 15-year partnership with the tour that kicked off this month. The deal gives the channel early round coverage of every regular PGA Tour event, and every round at 13 PGA Tour tournaments. NBC and CBS pick up the weekend coverage for 31 tournaments.
The contract substantially boosts the channel's tournament programming and for the first time gives considerable heft to a network co-founded by Arnold Palmer 12 years ago. But it's also likely to generate big losses in the early years for parent company Comcast, the nation's largest cable operator.
Last year, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and ESPN walked away from negotiations with the tour, saying they can't generate enough advertising revenue to offset the broadcast rights fees. In addition, the Golf Channel is shut out of the five most lucrative events in golf - the Masters, the U.S. and British opens, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup - that are not owned or run by the PGA Tour. Those have separate broadcast deals for the weekend with the networks and for early round coverage with USA Network, ESPN and TNT.
Comcast - whose Chief Executive Brian Roberts is an avid golfer - is taking a longer view. With more than $22 billion in overall annual revenue, distribution into 24 million homes and deals with other cable and satellite TV operators to carry the Golf Channel, Comcast is gambling that it can build ratings for the network that will allow it to charge advertisers ever-higher rates.
"If we don't generate enough ad revenue but it helps us grow our brand and grow our distribution ... (we hope the result will be similar to) what football did for Fox," said Dave Manougian, president of the Golf Channel.
News Corp.'s Fox television network's successful $1.6 billion bid in 1993 to broadcast the NFL's NFC games pitched the network for the first time into the same echelon as the three major networks. What helped was the financial backing of Rupert Murdoch's empire.
Comcast first invested in the Golf Channel in 1994, along with five other cable operators. It began increasing its stake and in 2003, acquired the final 8.6 percent stake for $100 million.
With the PGA Tour deal, ad revenues are "up, well in double digits," Manougian said. He added that the channel should generate enough ad revenue to offset rights fees midway through the contract.
Gil Kerr, PGA Tour's senior vice president of broadcasting, programming and productions, said the tour has had a relationship with the Golf Channel since its inception. The channel is the exclusive carrier of the Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.
"They weren't in enough homes at the time to do a deal with them on their own," Kerr said. But "their distribution has grown a lot in the last six years. We knew going into the TV negotiations that they wanted to be aggressive in acquiring the PGA Tour."
The Golf Channel is available in 75 million homes compared with 92 million homes for ESPN. Manougian said the channel currently is in at least 85 percent of basic video tiers. The Golf Channel is part of the digital package of Cox Communications and Cablevision.
In 2012, when the tour's contracts with NBC and CBS lapse, Manougian believes the Golf Channel will be able to pick up more weekend coverage.
Kerr won't say what the Golf Channel deal is worth, only noting that the total value of all current contracts has increased. He also won't comment on whether there's any revenue sharing. Comcast and Golf Channel executives also declined to discuss contract terms.
Asked whether the contract has an exit clause, Manougian would only say that "any contract has disaster clauses, whether it's a one-year deal or a 20-year deal. There's nothing out of ordinary about this contract."
It helps that Comcast isn't only counting on ad revenue to offset the Tour's rights fees. It charges cable and satellite providers 21 cents per subscriber per month, a fraction of ESPN's average monthly fee of $2.60. And Golf Channel officials say they aren't planning an immediate increase to offset the costs of the PGA Tour contract - another bet that in doing so, they will be able to get picked up on more cable systems.
In 2005, 63 percent of the Golf Channel's $267.5 million in revenue came from license fees, according to Kagan Research in Monterey, Calif. Cash flow was $116.7 million. For 2006, Kagan is projecting a 13 percent increase in revenues to $302.5 million and cash flow of $139 million.
For now, viewership of the final rounds for the first two PGA championships on the Golf Channel has come in far lower than last year, when they were on ESPN.
Still, boosting viewership takes time, said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now a TV consultant in Chappaqua, N.Y.
"Even down the road, I don't know if viewing levels on the Golf Channel will equal the levels that golf was achieving on ESPN," Pilson said. "But I think what they will have is a very strong golf audience that is saleable (to advertisers) and it will be a permanent home for PGA Tour, which they have not had in the past."
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
World Golf Hall of Fame realeases 2007 TOUR and International ballots
World Golf Hall of Fame realeases 2007 TOUR and International ballots
Jan. 16, 2007
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The World Golf Hall of Fame has released the 2007 PGA TOUR and International ballots to the respective voting bodies comprised of golf journalists, historians and dignitaries from around the globe. The ballots are due Friday, March 2 and announcements for the 2007 Class will be made later this Spring.
Of the 20 candidates on the PGA TOUR ballot, the top returning finishers from 2006 include Curtis Strange (50 percent), Craig Wood (37 percent) and Hubert Green (36 percent). The International ballot, which has 11 candidates, will again include last year's vote leaders Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki (46 percent), Jose Maria Olazabal (32 percent) and Sandy Lyle (30 percent). The complete list of 2007 PGA TOUR and International candidates is below, as are the percentages from the 2006 ballot results.
"Each year we look forward to releasing the ballots as it signals the first step in determining new members of the World Golf Hall of Fame," said Jack E. Peter, the Hall of Fame's senior vice president and COO. "We appreciate the voting bodies' participation in this important process."
David Toms is the only new addition to the PGA TOUR ballot. Toms, who turned 40 earlier this month, qualified for the ballot with his 12 PGA TOUR victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship. There were no new additions to the 2007 International ballot.
The Class of 2007 is expected to include Se Ri Pak, who has met the LPGA points criteria and is scheduled to fulfill the final requirement for Induction?10 years on the LPGA Tour ? when she plays in her 10th event this season.
International ballot voters have the ability to nominate candidates for the Lifetime Achievement category and the World Golf Hall of Fame Advisory Board can nominate for the Veteran's category. Both discretionary categories will be determined by the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors Selection Committee.
The 2007 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 12 at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.
PGA TOUR Ballot
2007 Candidates 2006 Results
Miller Barber Larry Nelson 65%
Bob Charles Henry Picard 53%
Fred Couples Curtis Strange 50%
John Daly Craig Wood 37%
Doug Ford Hubert Green 36%
Hubert Green Lanny Wadkins 34%
Don January Denny Shute 30%
Tony Lema Doug Ford 22%
Davis Love III Bob Charles 21%
Harold McSpaden Fred Couples 18%
Mark OMeara Tony Lema 18%
Denny Shute Mark O'Meara 16%
Macdonald Smith Davis Love III 15%
Dave Stockton Ken Venturi 15%
Curtis Strange Don January 13%
David Toms Macdonald Smith 12%
Ken Venturi Fuzzy Zoeller 10%
Lanny Wadkins Harold McSpaden 6%
Craig Wood Dave Stockton 6%
Fuzzy Zoeller Miller Barber 4%
John Daly 3%
International Ballot
2007 Candidates 2006 Results
Peter Alliss, England Masashi Jumbo Ozaki 46%
Max Faulkner, England Jose Maria Olazabal 32%
Sandy Lyle, Scotland Sandy Lyle 30%
Graham Marsh, Australia Kel Nagle 29%
Colin Montgomerie, Scotland Christy OConnor, Sr. 26%
Kel Nagle, Australia Graham Marsh 24%
Christy OConnor Sr., Ireland Ian Woosnam 21%
Jose Maria Olazabal, Spain Colin Montgomerie 16%
Masashi Jumbo Ozaki, Japan Peter Alliss 13%
Norman Von Nida, Australia Norman Von Nida 10%
Ian Woosnam, Wales Max Faulkner 7%
.
Jan. 16, 2007
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The World Golf Hall of Fame has released the 2007 PGA TOUR and International ballots to the respective voting bodies comprised of golf journalists, historians and dignitaries from around the globe. The ballots are due Friday, March 2 and announcements for the 2007 Class will be made later this Spring.
Of the 20 candidates on the PGA TOUR ballot, the top returning finishers from 2006 include Curtis Strange (50 percent), Craig Wood (37 percent) and Hubert Green (36 percent). The International ballot, which has 11 candidates, will again include last year's vote leaders Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki (46 percent), Jose Maria Olazabal (32 percent) and Sandy Lyle (30 percent). The complete list of 2007 PGA TOUR and International candidates is below, as are the percentages from the 2006 ballot results.
"Each year we look forward to releasing the ballots as it signals the first step in determining new members of the World Golf Hall of Fame," said Jack E. Peter, the Hall of Fame's senior vice president and COO. "We appreciate the voting bodies' participation in this important process."
David Toms is the only new addition to the PGA TOUR ballot. Toms, who turned 40 earlier this month, qualified for the ballot with his 12 PGA TOUR victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship. There were no new additions to the 2007 International ballot.
The Class of 2007 is expected to include Se Ri Pak, who has met the LPGA points criteria and is scheduled to fulfill the final requirement for Induction?10 years on the LPGA Tour ? when she plays in her 10th event this season.
International ballot voters have the ability to nominate candidates for the Lifetime Achievement category and the World Golf Hall of Fame Advisory Board can nominate for the Veteran's category. Both discretionary categories will be determined by the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors Selection Committee.
The 2007 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 12 at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla.
PGA TOUR Ballot
2007 Candidates 2006 Results
Miller Barber Larry Nelson 65%
Bob Charles Henry Picard 53%
Fred Couples Curtis Strange 50%
John Daly Craig Wood 37%
Doug Ford Hubert Green 36%
Hubert Green Lanny Wadkins 34%
Don January Denny Shute 30%
Tony Lema Doug Ford 22%
Davis Love III Bob Charles 21%
Harold McSpaden Fred Couples 18%
Mark OMeara Tony Lema 18%
Denny Shute Mark O'Meara 16%
Macdonald Smith Davis Love III 15%
Dave Stockton Ken Venturi 15%
Curtis Strange Don January 13%
David Toms Macdonald Smith 12%
Ken Venturi Fuzzy Zoeller 10%
Lanny Wadkins Harold McSpaden 6%
Craig Wood Dave Stockton 6%
Fuzzy Zoeller Miller Barber 4%
John Daly 3%
International Ballot
2007 Candidates 2006 Results
Peter Alliss, England Masashi Jumbo Ozaki 46%
Max Faulkner, England Jose Maria Olazabal 32%
Sandy Lyle, Scotland Sandy Lyle 30%
Graham Marsh, Australia Kel Nagle 29%
Colin Montgomerie, Scotland Christy OConnor, Sr. 26%
Kel Nagle, Australia Graham Marsh 24%
Christy OConnor Sr., Ireland Ian Woosnam 21%
Jose Maria Olazabal, Spain Colin Montgomerie 16%
Masashi Jumbo Ozaki, Japan Peter Alliss 13%
Norman Von Nida, Australia Norman Von Nida 10%
Ian Woosnam, Wales Max Faulkner 7%
.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the new Swing Juice website!!! Our New Years resolution for 2007 was to pump up the Swing Juice brand so we hired the sports package/branding/website guys at Englund Studio to work on a brand new concept and culture for Swing Juice, what they conceived is nothing short of exhilarating! From the logo to the inspiring package design and all marketing materials that followed, Englund Studio continued building the brand into the website. We're grateful for their imput and will continue to partner with them in the future. We believe that in 2007 more and more athletes will trust the delicious tastes of Swing Juice energy drinks for the Mind, Body and Game. Check back often for more Swing News!
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