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Is it really the biggest of 'its kind'? by Tim Trower If you label something to be the largest of them all, you should be prepared to quantify the statement. This comes up because the Southern Oregon Golf Tournament - the biggest of its kind in the United States - is under way at Rogue Valley Country Club. Is it the biggest? And, what does "its kind" mean? We've known it to be the biggest mostly because tournament officials have said so, based on their research. But when a caller claimed there is an even larger tournament in Utah, we didn't have the facts to dispute him. We still don't because those numbers don't seem to exist, according to Walt Galanty, executive director of the National Association of Golf Tournament Directors. "We don't really keep that many records," Galanty said from his Alexandria, Va., office. "That's part of the problem with the golf tournament industry. There aren't really a tremendous amount of facts available." This is not to douse the glowing pride of the folks who do such a wonderful job of putting on the Southern Oregon. There aren't hard, fast numbers to back up their contention that it's the grandest tourney of its kind, but Galanty and others whose business it is to deal with such matters think it must be. This is where "its kind" comes into play. We are talking about match-play tournaments at a single site. The Utah tournament in question is said to stretch over four courses, so that's a different animal altogether. Another event that comes to mind, the U.S. Amateur, doesn't qualify for the same reason. By the time it gets to match play, there are only about half the number of players as in the 416-strong Southern Oregon. At most sites, a full field is 144 players, with 18 foursomes teeing off in the morning and another 18 in the afternoon. Rogue Valley is able to accommodate more players because of its 27-hole configuration. "I haven't heard of anything that large at a single site," said Galanty. "That's pretty huge. There are a lot of dynamics to make something like that operate smoothly and efficiently." He then politely asked about safety concerns of spectators, noting the "diversity of athletic ability in a tournament that big." He was relieved to hear wayward shots aren't thinning the population in these parts. Jim Wise, head professional at Rogue Valley, does not take lightly the distinction of being the largest. "That's a pretty prestigious thing," he said. He enlisted the services of one of his members, Peter Kirkpatrick, to research the matter a couple of years ago. Kirkpatrick, who works out of the garage of his Ashland home, is an independent seller of magazine advertising space. Among the publications he works with are Golf Week, and an editor there ushered him in the direction of the tournament directors group. After talking with then-executive director and current board member Amanda Flangas, Kirkpatrick issued a press release that included support from her and the NAGTD: "This excellent tournament has come to our attention," said Flangas. "To our knowledge, and after research, we believe the Southern Oregon to be the largest match-play tournament in the country played on one site." There is, after all, no evidence to the contrary. * * * A soft market in the golf equipment industry is forcing the closure today of Golf Headquarters on Crater Lake Avenue. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, then close its doors. Inventory will be packed next week for shipping to other stores. Owner Jerry Offerdahl, who also has two stores in Portland and one in Boise, Idaho, says he hates to leave the Rogue Valley but has little choice. "It's draining the profits of the other three stores I have," he said from his Portland office. "It's a good market and a good golfing community, but with the recession and a soft industry, I really don't have a lot of choices." Figures from the National Golf Foundation indicate golf participation has leveled off over the past three years, he said. "It's not unhealthy, it's just not jumping in leaps and bounds," says Offerdahl, who has been in the golf retail business since 1983. Few innovations in equipment, skyrocketing prices for clubs and construction of high-end courses rather than those affordable to the masses have all contributed to the stagnant market, says Offerdahl. Golf Headquarters, formerly Nevada Bob's, first opened in the Medford Center in February 1998. It moved to the new location this past February. Offerdahl maintains it was a good move. "We went from having 30 cars drive by our door to 30,000 on a daily basis," he says. The store will honor all outstanding gift certificates and credits, says Offerdahl. Contact information will be posted on the store windows and its Web site: www.nevadabobsgolfhq.com This is the final Tee Talk of the year. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.