Site Leverages SI Golf Plus’ News & Analysis and GOLF’s Equipment, Instruction & Travel Coverage; GOLF Magazine Columnist David Feherty Debuts Original Video Segment
New York, March 19, 2007 – Sports Illustrated Golf Group relaunched an all-new GOLF.com today showcasing a cleaner design, powerful interactive services for golfers and the editorial power of GOLF Magazine and Sports Illustrated’s Golf Plus. The news, in-depth analysis and photography of SI and GOLF’s unmatched coverage of equipment, travel and instruction make this the most powerful digital property for golf fans, players and marketers alike.
GOLF.com, which will reach more than three million unique users and is now the dedicated golf channel on SI.com, has five major section headers that leverage the respective strengths of SI and GOLF:
· Tours & News: Exclusive stories & columns, breaking news and photography from award-winning writers at SI and GOLF. Fans can enhance their online experience with customizable leaderboards from the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours, player profiles and in-depth statistics.
· Instruction: Using hundreds of free hours of broadband video and photography, GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers and editorial experts help readers fix whatever’s wrong with their game.
· Equipment: Unrivaled coverage of the latest in golf technology through GOLF’s renowned ClubTest. Users can research the best in drivers, irons, wedges, putters and hybrids.
· Courses & Travel: Close to home or far, users can sort information on more than 20,000 courses by geography, greens fees and difficulty. Reviews, maps, photos and driving directions are also available. Exclusive rankings include GOLF’s Top 100 Course You Can Play franchise.
· Handicap Tracker: Allows golfers the chance to register their scores and maintain an official USGA handicap.
· In addition, GOLF Magazine columnist and CBS Sports golf commentator David Feherty is featured on the site in his own original video segment, Fly on the Ball. Feherty regularly delivers his take on the golf news of the week with his trademark wit and irreverence.
"We’ve done the most comprehensive research on the online habits of the avid golfer," said GOLF Magazine Editor David Clarke. "The result is the powerful tools we introduce today. Our users can search video instruction from GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers through Lesson Finder; research the right equipment for their game, complete with user reviews and GOLF’s ClubTest, through Equipment Finder; and locate a course using GOLF’s Top 100 You Can Play and a 20,000 golf course database."
"When we combine these interactive tools from GOLF with the breaking news of SI Golf Plus and the speed and breadth of SI.com, it’s a user experience that can’t be matched anywhere on the Web," said Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell. "It’s gratifying to bring everything a golfer or fan of the game would need onto one platform."
Advertiser interest in the relaunch has been strong. Official launch partners for GOLF.com include Titleist, Cobra Golf and Footjoy.
"The SI Golf Group delivers an audience of more than 13 million passionate fans and players that love the game of golf – almost twice as many as our closest competitor," said SI President Mark Ford, who oversees the group. "No one else can offer golf advertisers the integrated, cross-platform solutions or the monthly, weekly and daily frequency that we can."
About GOLF.com
GOLF.com, the digital home of GOLF Magazine and Sports Illustrated’s Golf Plus, is the ultimate online destination for the avid golfer and golf fan. It delivers 24/7 news & analysis, the industry’s best coverage of equipment, courses & travel and free broadband video segments highlighting instruction from GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers. The url GOLF.com was acquired by Time Inc. in January 2006.
About SI Golf Group
The SI Golf Group, which is driven by the editorial and marketing resources of GOLF Magazine & Sports Illustrated, reaches an unduplicated monthly audience of more than 13 million avid golfers and fans. It is unmatched in its delivery of the best monthly, weekly and daily golf coverage.
About Time Inc.
Time Inc., a Time Warner company, is one of the largest content companies in the world. With approximately 130 magazines, it is the largest magazine publisher in the U.S. and U.K. Each month, one of out every two American adults reads a Time Inc. magazine, and one out of every 10 visits a company web site (more than 19 million unique visitors). Time Inc.’s popular brands and successful franchises extend to online, television, cable VOD, satellite radio, mobile devices, events and branded products.
Contact:
Rick McCabe/SIGG
212.522.1375
rick_mccabe@timeinc.com
