ORLANDO, FL. — The biggest show in golf started on a sobering note Thursday, and it was offered by the game’s greatest player.

Jack Nicklaus gave the keynote address as the 59th PGA Merchandise Show opened its three-day run at the Orange County Convention Center. In it he voiced concerns about the game’s future, then expanded on his thoughts in a press conference with other industry leaders.

“Our game is at a crossroads,’’ Nicklaus told a standing-room-only, early-morning gathering of show-goers, who are expected to number over 42,000 before the show ends on Saturday. “We need to think outside the box if we’re to help the game we love grow.’’

No doubt the economic downturns of the past few years have adversely impacted the golf industry, just has they have impacted virtually every other business. But in golf it goes deeper than economics.

“We’ve lost 23 percent of the women and 36 percent of the kids in the game since 2006,’’ said Nicklaus. “Those are not good stats.’’

Even growing up a Nicklaus didn’t help boost golf’s numbers. The Golden Bear, winner of a record 18 major championships, plays once a month now. His wife Barbara plays less than that. So do 21 of their 22 grandchildren. Only one grandchild, a 9-year old boy, is considered a regular player.

Nicklaus cites the time demands that golf requires for the dropoff in popularity.

“Other sports are grabbing attention time from our kids,’’ he said. “Their parents don’t have time to play golf, and the kids aren’t being introduced to it.’’

But, at least, the PGA of America has come up with a possible solution, called the PGA Certified Professional Program 2.0, as the centerpiece for advanced training and education curriculum for those in the industry — not just club professionals. Nicklaus calls it “the most comprehensive and complete, well-thought out program’’ to get golf growing again.

While PGA executive director Joe Steranka calls the initiative “an alliance of the industry,’’ it represents a multi-million dollar investment by the PGA to educate its members on how to grow the game.

Chicago is one of nine targeted markets where the all-digital 2.0 initiative will be put in place first. Four of the markets have regional managers selected, and Chicago’s is Frank Chieppa. He’s a former officer in the Illinois PGA Section and the head professional at Randall Oaks in Dundee Twp. for 15 seasons. He left Randall Oaks last year for a head job at The Legends in Franklin, Ind., but is returning to Chicago to spearhead the golf growth effort here.

While specifics on how the program will work affect present and perhpas future players was limited, the announcement of the 2.0 initiative was well-received by the turnout that included over 1,000 vendors, 30 more than last year. The closed-to-the-public event takes up about one million square feet of showroom floorspace.

ORLANDO, FL. — Getting to the Demo Day kickoff of the 59th PGA Merchandise Show wasn’t easy. There were traffic jams and long lines at the check-in points — even when the gates opened at the Orange County National Golf Center.

The Demo Day was closed to the public and required a 45-minute shuttle bus ride from the Orange County Convention Center, the site of the last three days of the massive show — the biggest in golf. The PGA expected about 7,000 visitors to Demo Day, and attendees figured to hit about 100,000 shots on the 100-station range. Wednesday’s turnout, though, certainly exceeded that.

One veteran PGA staffer, sitting with me on the early-morning bus ride, called the scene “amazing….bigger than I ever dreamed of.’’ And things got more hectic as the sunny day worn on, but there was plenty to see.

Some bordered on the ridiculous. One company was offering a variety of multi-colored mouthwear. I didn’t realize your teeth needed protection in golf, did you?

The bright colors, though, were eye-catching, and they weren’t limited to the mouthwear. ClubCrown by Vive showed off some dazzling covers that can be installed on the heads of drivers in 7-15 minutes. If your clubhead shows signs of wear or — if you just want it to look distinctive — try one of these covers. Anther company had club shafts in bright orange and lime green, and orange grips were available through another manufacturer. I also found a table-full of all-red golf shoes.

The colors added to the festive atmosphere of the Demo Day, the ideal place for new companies to make a bang with their products. That’s really what that event is all about, though all the major manufacturers were out in full force to encourage the testing of their equipment on the big, circular range.

Two products stuck out, as far as I was concerned. Ernst Sports displayed its ES12 portable launch monitor that provides video swing analysis, weather data, scoring details and even input for club selection. That handy little gadget will sell for about $225 when it hits the stores.

I was most interested, however, in the Heavy Putter put out by Boccieri Golf. Anything goes with putters, it seems, but the mindset in the production of this one is intriguing. I tested one of the many versions, and it was notably heavier than any putter I’d ever tried.

“Most putters are 290 to 310 grams,’’ said Steve Boccieri, inventor of this line of blades. “Our putters are up to 550 grams. That’s the heaviest we can make a putter head. If it goes beyond that, it’s too cumbersome.’’

The extra weight isn’t all in the head, either. It’s added to the handle of the club, as well, and Boccieri putters come in both standard and belly versions. The latter can range in length from 40 to 46 inches.

“What’s unique about us is that every putter we make can be made into a belly putter, because belly putters always have heavier heads,’’ Boccieri said. “Other manufacturers here — Odyssey, Ping — have two styles of belly putters, two head designs. I have 30 head designs because any of my head designs can be converted to a belly putter. Every head I make is heavier.’’

Boccieri has been making putters for eight years, and belly models were among his original ones.
“There was a trend where belly putters got hot, then they went very cold,” said Boccieri. “Some stores called their inventory of them poison, because they wouldn’t sell.’’

Well, belly putters are selling now, though — in my book — their long-range future remains uncertain. And, there are plenty of other new golf products coming out that will challenge for attention.

ORLANDO, FL. — Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods may have the richest heritage in golf. More major championships have been won by players using the company’s irons than any other, the majors number won now at 62 and counting.

Still, Wilson won’t be stuck in its past at this week’s 59th annual PGA Merchandise Show. Among its new line of products to be introduced will be the Vizor belly putter.

Wilson, with a belly putter? Seriously?

Seriously!

The company’s Seriously advertising campaign, which features Padraig Harrington, Ricky Barnes and Kevi n Streelman, was well-received last year and that same theme seems appropriate to launch the belly.

“One thing for sure in golf is that trends come fast, and they’re usually product-linked,’’ said Tim Clarke, general manager of Wilson’s golf division. “Some trends are fads, but I’ve tried ours (belly putter). It does feel somewhat like cheating — and I’m not a great putter.’’

Who knows the future for the belly putter, and not just Wilson’s version? They — along with all sorts of other new equipment from a wide variety of manufacturers — will be on display at the Orange County Convention Center.

“The show is the ultimate kickoff to the season. There’s a mystique about it. People get excited,’’ said Clarke. “It’s an optimistic time.’’

Nearly 1,000 manufacturers and brands will be on hand at the show, and I’ll be joining the more than 40,000 PGA professionals and industry executives checking them out. There’ll be an outdoor Demo Day, at which new products can be tested at the Orange Country National Golf Center, on Wednesday and then show visitors will have nearly 10 miles of aisles to cover when the scene shifts for three days to the Orange County Convention Center proper. Jack Nicklaus and baseball great Ken Griffey will headline Thursday’s opening ceremonies.

As for Wilson, the company will be showing much more than the belly putter. The company will be introducing two sets of irons, a metal wood and a ball that the company calls “revolutionary’’ and Clarke says is “amazingly long.’’

Those products will soon be promoted again by Guy Johnson (not his real name), the same guy who downplayed Wilson’s equipment in such a funny way as part of last year’s ad campaign. This year “Johnson” is all on board, and even boasting that he’s playing Wilson clubs.

“Our marketing department developed it to re-introduce ourselves to the serious player,’’ said Clarke. “It focused on country club elitist players who didn’t give us that much consideration.’’

Now “Johnson’’ and the three Wilson touring pros will present a different approach. The new ad campaign has just started and the final segment, featuring Harrington, will be filmed on Feb. 13 and hit the airwaves around the Masters.

I’ll be checking out more than the Wilson equipment this week, of course. I’ll be focusing on the New Product Zones, always the most popular areas of the show, as well as the Inventors’ Spotlight. My reports will be made via both websites and podcasts throughout the show.

This “Big Three” may not be anything like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, but we feel we can make a positive impact on golf — especially in the Chicago area.

We are three golf reporters with a combined 102 years of experience covering the sport we love. We’re kicking off 2012 by announcing an affiliation agreement in which we’ll spotlight the lead stories on each other’s websites. We see this as a means of staying ahead of the rapidly changing media changes within the golf industry.

While there will inevitably some overlap in the subjects we cover, our websites are each a bit different. Rory Spears (www.golfersongolf.com), the best golfer in our trio, is a rater for GolfWeek magazine. He’s worked in a variety of positions during his 27 years in the golf industry. In addition to writing The Gog Blog, he is co-host of Golfers on Golf which is in its 10 season as Chicago’s longest-running golf radio show.

Tim Cronin, for 33 years the golf writer and columnist for the Daily Southtown/Star, has established himself as the premier Chicago golf historian. He’s written four books on the histories of Chicago clubs. He’ll be offering his unique perspectives on the golf news of the day on his website, www.illinoisgolfer.net.

My lenziehmongolf.com will continue to focus on golf travel destinations and tournament reports. If one of us doesn’t provide what you’re looking for, chances are good that one of the other two will.

The affiliations with Rory and Tim means that Len Ziehm on Golf is now connected with three other websites. We earlier reached agreement with Cheryl Justak’s “Golf Now! Chicago,’’ the premier travel destination guide. My travel stories will run on her www.golfnowchicago.com.

On Sunday Luke Donald finished third in the Dubai World Championship and became the first golfer to win money titles on both the U.S. and European PIA Tours while holding membership in both.

This is something for the history books, and the feat hasn’t gotten the attention it should have from the sports media both in and away from Chicago. When you factor in what went on both on and off the course I believe Donald’s 2011 topped the accomplishments of all athletes, in all sports.

First he rises to No. 1 in the world, then pads his lead. When Webb Simpson threatened to claim the money title on the PGA Tour Donald added a late-season tournament and won it. When Rory McIlroy had a chance (however slim) to get the European money title Donald responded with a solid third-place showing with all that historical significance on the line.

He may still be without a major championship, but Luke was consistently good and at his best when the going was toughest.

All that success on the course came with two life-changing developments off the course — the birth of a daughter and the death of his father. It wasn’t so long ago, either, that Donald made a difficult decision — parting company with his brother as his caddie — that also factored into his extraordinary 2011 season.

Personally I feel an attachment to the Donald saga because I’ve seen a lot of it develop from up close. He was the leader of a Northwestern golf team that brought the Wildcats national prominence. I’ll also recall his victory in the Chicago Open at Beverly Country Club in the midst of the 9/11 tragedy. Luke was just an amateur playing against regional pros then, and I’m not sure the event should even have been held, given the circumstances facing the entire country at the time, but Donald emerged the champion and gave an early hint about where his golf career was headed.

Not long after that I had a lengthy sitdown with Luke and his brother in their Evanston apartment for a golf magazine profile on golfers with promise. Luke certainly fulfilled his, and remained an extraordinarily strong supporter of the NU program while doing it.

In the near future Donald will like learn if he gets his wish from the Western Golf Assn. He has made it known that he’d like the BMW Championship be moved to Conway Farms, his home course in Chicago, in 2013. I’m not so sure he’ll get his wish on that one. The WGA has been mum on that subject, though Conway would make a viable venue for that tournament.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. and Western Golf Assn. have made major announcements in their tournament sites just a few days apart.
In announcing its tournament slate for 2012 the CDGA revealed that Cantigny, the 27-hole public layout in Wheaton, will host the concluding four-day match play portion of the CDGA Amateur. That’s significant because the finals haven’t been held on a public course since 1991. Last year the prestigious tourney wrapped up at Medinah, with the final on that club’s No. 3 course that will host the 2012 Ryder Cup matches.
Kokopelli, in Marion, will host the CDGA’s biggest tourney of the season — the 82nd Illinois State Amateur. That site marks a milestone as well, since Kokopelli will be the southern-most course to ever host the tourney. It’s about 25 miles further south than Rend Lake, in Whittington — the site of the 1998 championship.
“This is only the second time ever that the Illinois State Amateur has ventured to the southern portion of the state, and we couldn’t have found a better course,’’ said Nick Scillia, the CDGA manager of competitions and rules.
Rend Lake was the host venue when current PGA Tour player D.A. Points won the second of his three Illinois Am titles.
The WGA made a schedule switch for the 2013 season, dropping Olympia Fields as the site of the Western Amateur and moving the event to The Alotian Club in Arkansas.
After ending a 28-year run at Point O’Woods in Benton Harbor, MIch., the WGA had planned to base the tourney in the Chicago area and the first three tourneys in that run — Conway Farms in 2009, Skokie in 2010 and North Shore in 2011 — were successful. The year’s Western Am will be at Exmoor, a tradition-rich private club in Highland Park.
The Chicago run, though, will end with the move to The Alotian Club, a Tom Fazio design that is owned by Augusta National member Warren Stephens. Alotian Club has been well-received since its opening in 2004 and its two Evans Scholars, Joe and Kevin Evans, are Northwestern students.
The Chicago run is scheduled to resume in 2014 at Beverly and is targeted for Rich Harvest Farms in 2015 and Knollwood in 2016.
Olympia Fields has been Chicago’s busiest tournament site in recent years, the highlight coming when it hosted the 2003 U.S. Open. Olympia also hosted the U.S. Girls Junior in 2011 and is gearing up for the U.S. Amateur in 2015, which will highlight the club’s centennial celebration.
Vince Pellegrino, tournament director for the WGA, said the decision to end the Chicago run came after the invitation from The Alotian Club.
“We discussed a possible change with Olympia Fields officials, and we then made a joint decision to move the championship,’’ said Pellegrino. “We appreciate the club’s flexibility in agreeing to the move, which will allow us to broaden our reach and mission to other markets, particularly to a venue that also has been very supportive of our Evans Scholars program.’’
With the WGA still without a site for its biggest event, the BMW Championship, in 2013, there was speculation that Olympia Fields might host that event, but that isn’t expected to happen now. The WGA is focusing on courses in the northern suburbs for that event, though a return to Cog Hill in Lemont is still a possibility.

Sure, Medinah’s week to host the 39th Ryder Cup is still a year away. Still, the task of getting ready for the biggest team event in golf is a major undertaking.
Michael Belot, the tournament director, and five staffers have been working feverishly from Medinah and report making great progress. Belot should know, becuase he is in his 10th year working for the PGA of America and was the tournament director for the 2006 PGA Championship, which was also held at Medinah, as well as the 2009 PGA at Hazeltine in Minnesota.
The Ryder Cup, though, is a different animal.
“With all the rich history that the club has, this will stand out as Medinah’s crowned jewel,’’ Belot said. “It’ll be the biggest golf event ever in Illinois.’’
Medinah hosted U.S. Opens in 1949, 1975 and 1990, PGA Championships in 1999 and 2006 and the U.S. Senior Open in 1988. Those were big events — but the battle between the U.S. and Europe on Sept. 25-30, 2012, will be notably bigger.
“Chicago is known for big events,’’ said Belot, “and this market has embraced this Ryder Cup.’’
Here is some evidence of that:
As of this printing 60 corporate hospitality chalets, costing between $235,00 and $500,000, have been sold.
“We started out offering 59 chalets, so now we’re adding chalets that we hadn’t expected to add,’’ said Belot. “We’ve added a village we had not expected to add, and we’re exploring whether to add more.’’
While that sales process is going on Belot’s staffers have been bidding out what’s needed for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the Ryder Cup gala, which will be held the Wednesday of tournament week.
Public ticket sales to the competition will begin at 8 a.m. on June 20 — the day after the U.S. Open concludes at Congressional. That’s when people can sign up for the random draw for tickets. That’ signup will continue for about two months. Crowds will be limited to about 25,000 per day. (For more details on the ticket situation check out the rydercup.com website).
Tickets will range from $35 for a daily ticket to $680 for the premium weekly offering. All youngsters 17 and under will get complimentary admission on the three practice days if they’re accompanied by a ticketed adult. Such a practice has never been done at a Ryder Cup.
About 3,500 volunteers will be needed to stage the competition, and Belot said about 5,000 have already called in to request assignments. Medinah members will have first crack at the voluntary positions, then what remains will be offered to the general public on July 11. A volunteer package costs $235, which includes a tournament badge, uniforms, meals, programs and other perks.
Already there’s been some notable preliminary events, and more will be forthcoming as the next Ryder Cup closes in. Biggest so far was the press conference announcing Davis Love III as U.S. captain on Jan. 20. Love and European captain Jose Maria Olazabal will have a joint press event at Medinah on Sept. 26, as the one-year to Ryder week countdown begins.
As for Medinah members, they were already treated to the unveiling of a Leroy Neiman painting that the famed artist created to commemorate this Ryder Cup.
Meanwhile, Medinah’s No. 3 course that will be used for the matches will continue to mature after its reopening last year. As part of a major renovation famed architect Rees Jones designed a new 15th hole, adding a pond to create a driveable par-4. That was the major change, but all of the tees and greens were regrassed to conform to U.S. Golf Association specifications. There won’t be any big events on No. 3 this summer to allow the latest renovation to settle in.
“This will be the first time in a long time that no bulldozers are on the golf course, and that’s a good thing,’’ said Don Larson, Medinah’s chairman for the Ryder Cup.
Larson has one concern that he wants to pass on.
“Beware of pirate hospitality groups that are billing themselves as official,’’ said Larson. “Already people are on eBay selling tickets.’’

The Western Golf Association’s decision to move the BMW Championship out of Chicago again wasn’t a surprise. After all, the event did very well at Bellerive in St. Louis in 2008 and the PGA Tour players’ response to Cog Hill’s Dubsdread course during the 2010 tournament was less than enthusiastic.

Still, going to Cherry Hills in Denver in 2014 is hard for this Chicago golf devotee to swallow.

When the WGA took the tournament to Bellerive it was understandable. Cog Hill was undergoing a renovation.

When the WGA announced that the BMW would be played at Crooked Stick in Indianapolis in 2012 that was understandable, too. After all, the Ryder Cup matches were coming to Medinah, and that event would surely take the spotlight over an annual PGA Tour event.

In going to Cherry Hills, though, the WGA is clearly indicating its PGA Tour event will be a roving tournament again — just like it was from 1899 to 1962. The decision to base the tournament at Chicago courses then made sense and — much as I hate to admit it — the WGA’s decision to move the event around again is based in logic, too.

The WGA’s role is to raise money for the Evans Scholars Foundation and its scholarships for caddies. The PGA Tour stop does a good job of that, wherever the event is held, but it might do better with visits to more golf-starved locations. The WGA was delighted with the staging in Bellerive and expects similarly warm responses in Indianapolis and Denver.

Unfortunately, what’s good for the WGA won’t be so good for Chicago area golf fans. We’ve grown accustomed to having an annual visit from the PGA Tour, and that doesn’t figure to continue. Cog Hill has the BMW tourney this September, then who knows?

The Jemsek family had hoped to keep the event at its Cog Hill facility in 2013, and even made the effort of hiring well-respected young course superintendent Scott Pavalko during the winter to encourage a contract renewal. Whether Cog Hill, a PGA Tour stop since 1991, is under consideration for 2013 will certainly depend on how the course is received by the BMW field in September.

Frankly, when it comes to golf I’m a selfish guy. I want to see a big tourney close to home. And I remember when the WGA was forced to pull the Western Open out of Butler National after 17 good tournaments because of that club’s refusal to have women as members. No suitable course stepped forward to keep the Western in Chicago then except for Cog Hill and, last year aside, Dubsdread has been a good tournament venue.

Perhaps, if not Cog Hill, the WGA will find another Chicago course to host the BMW in 2013. That might rekindle crowd support that has admittedly lagged after the tourney dates shifted from July to September. There are plenty of course possibilities, and perhaps alternating sites from one side of the city to another (say, Olympia Fields to Conway Farms) would perk things up.

I still fondly remember the Western Open, an event I covered non-stop from 1971 to 2006. I wish it had never gone away, but it did. Now the next chapter in Chicago’s rich golf history is about to be written. Let’s hope it’s as good as the last one.

Just qualifying for the U.S. Open is a big deal. This year 8,300 tried, and only 156 will tee off in the first round on Thursday at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
One of them will be Bennett Blakeman, who isn’t exactly a household name in golf circles yet — but he is a U.S. Open veteran. He made it to last year’s U.S. Open as well but finished dead last among those 156 who qualified to play at Pebble Beach in California.
On both occasions Blakeman, a former Illinois Wesleyan golfer who lives in Burr Ridge, survived the rugged local and sectional eliminations to get to the big show. This time, though, it’ll be a wiser and more experienced Blakeman who tees off Congressional’s No. 10 tee at 2:41 p.m.
Last year Blakeman was an amateur finishing up coursework at Loyola University for a master’s degree in business and health care management. For this U.S. Open Blakeman, 24, is a golf professional with a new caddie, a new swing instructor and more preparation time. After finishing up at Loyola he moved into his family’s vacation home in Scottsdale, Ariz., and spent the winter playing on the Gateway Tour, a long-time proving ground for PGA Tour hopefuls.
“The Gateway left a lot to be desired,’’ said Blakeman, “but I also made a rather significant swing change and wanted to make a strong effort to keep things in perspective. It’s all part of a process.’’
Dale Abraham became his swing coach in Arizona. Ryan Dorner, a former teammate at Illinois Wesleyan, will become his caddie.
“I’ll also have him for (PGA) Tour School and hopefully beyond,’’ said Blakeman, whose brother Brenten was on his bag at Pebble Beach and his father Brad handled that job during this year’s Open qualifiers.
Blakeman arrived at Congressional on Sunday, a day earlier than he checked in at Pebble Beach.
“I felt I was a little late last year. This year I wanted to take care of all the administrative stuff right away,’’ said Blakeman. “Last year I got a good taste of (the Open). Now I’ll know a lot more in terms of the circus atmosphere surrounding it.’’
In addition to PGA Tour regulars Kevin Streelman, Mark Wilson and D.A. Points, other Illinois qualifiers in the field at Congressional include amateur Brad Benjamin, the former U.S. Amateur Public LInks champion from Rockford and University of Illinois golfer Chris DeForest.

Surviving a rookie season on the PGA Tour is hard enough, but for Crystal Lake’s Joe Affrunti went through a nightmare in his first four months on golf’s premier circuit.
Affrunti qualified for his PGA Tour card by finishing in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list last season, but that status didn’t assure him many tournament appearances. In fact, he’s played just six times. And, when he has played, he’s struggled.
In those six tournaments Affrunti survived the 36-hole cut only twice. His earnings entering this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans is just $18,837. To say he’ll have to step it up if he’s to keep his card is putting it mildly.
For Affrunti, though, the problem has been as much his health as the stern competition he’s now facing.
Five weeks ago Affrunti entered the Nationwide Tour’s Louisiana Open to get himself some competition. He felt tightness in his left shoulder, and daily massages didn’t improve the situation. That led to Affrunti withdrawing after his Saturday round — even though a paycheck would have been assured had he played on Sunday.
“I went home to see an orthopedic guy at Rush Hospital,’’ said Affrunti. “He said I had rotator cuff tendinitis, and I didn’t touch a club for three weeks.’’
Along with the rest Affrunti was given cortisone pills and an exercise program. He returned to the PGA Tour at the Valero Texas Open, shot 72-79, missed the cut again and realized his health problems weren’t over quite yet.
“I tried, but my should was super, super stiff — more of a throbbing pain,’’ he said.
At least Affrunti feels he’s now able to play, and his season could be revived over the next few weeks when he has a steady diet of tournaments.
“I’ll just suck it up,’’ he said. “I’ll play five of the next six weeks, either on the Nationwide or PGA Tour, and I hope to get things going. Then after that come the qualifiers for the U.S. Open and British Open. I’m better the more I play — hopefully.’’
The only week that Affrunti won’t be playing over the next six is The Players Championship, considered the “fifth major’’ on the PGA circuit.
“I’d be in that if I win at New Orleans,’’ said Affrunti, who starred at Illinois and won the Illinois Open in 2004. “If I do that no one will know I had a bad start to the year.’’