GOLFWEEK's Beth Ann Nichols reports golfer Brooke Pancake has "announced Waffle House as her newest sponsor." Pancake, who is entering her third year on the LPGA, will "visit Waffle House restaurants throughout the country while traveling ... and carry the chain's logo on her bag." She also will be "serving waffle samples" tomorrow morning at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/20).
BEAR MARKET: GOLF WORLD MONDAY's Jaime Diaz noted the business of Jack Nicklaus "has been on a steady upswing" since '98. Since selling a minority share of his Nicklaus Cos. to New York Private Bank & Trust Chair, President & CEO Howard Milstein in '06 for $145M, Nicklaus "has concentrated more on marketing, licensing and endorsement deals to compensate for the downturn in demand for golf-course architecture projects." Nicklaus "has deals involving golf balls, apparel, headwear, wine, lemonade and, later this year" will begin selling a "Nicklaus brand of ice cream" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 1/19 issue).
KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES? The BBC's Iain Carter reported HSBC Head of Sponsorship & Events Giles Morgan is concerned that golf "is not moving with the times." Morgan said, "It's a crossroads moment. I think that we will look back over this period and see where golf has gone." He added, "There are lots of positives about golf but the world, particularly with digital communications and people's time, has changed in the last 15 years beyond anybody's wildest dreams. I'm not sure that golf has kept up with that change." Carter noted HSBC sponsors several major global tournaments, including the British Open and the WGC event in Shanghai. All of the bank's golf deals "are up for renewal in 2015" (BBC.com, 1/19).
