All the latest news and stories from the world of golf, Ernie Els Design, Ernie Els Wines, and across Ernie’s various philanthropic interests.
1. Ernie joins XXI0 as Global Ambassador
Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO, sports brands of Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), are pleased to announce the addition of Ernie Els as Global Ambassador for XXIO. Nicknamed “The Big Easy,” Els’ smooth, easy swing perfectly represents the easier distance, accuracy and golf that XXIO delivers to its customers. “I’m proud to be on board as XXIO’s new Global Ambassador,” said Ernie. “Srixon and Cleveland are successful brands in golf, with a proven track record, and I’m familiar with the company’s products so that’s an easy fit for me. In fact, I won both my US Opens using Cleveland wedges and I’ve always loved those clubs.
“XXIO is perhaps a less familiar name in certain parts of the world…but trust me, this company is really going places! They’ve been the No.1 equipment company in Japan over the past 17 years, now the market leader in Korea and New Zealand, and the growth has been dramatic. I’ve been talking to the guys there a lot over the past few months. They have a range of high-end, high quality products and some innovative technologies that help the average golfer get more out of their game. I’m all for that. And they have big ambitions, too.
“Actually one of the things I’m looking forward to is being able to assist in their product development and obviously, with me playing an international schedule, help create an uplift in brand awareness as the company expands around the world. These are the kind of multi-dimensional, professional partnerships that really interest me. Honestly, it’s exciting to be part of the team.”
“As one of golf’s most respected and influential athletes, we’re thrilled to welcome Ernie as our Global Ambassador for XXIO,” said Scott Carlyle, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing. “It is a rare and special opportunity to work alongside someone of Ernie’s caliber, whose efforts on and off the course have been simply astounding. We are looking forward to many years of great work together.”
For additional information on Srixon / Cleveland Golf / XXIO products and staff players, please visit the following sites: www.srixon.com, www.clevelandgolf.com, and www.xxiousa.com.
2. Bloodline Golf announces Ernie Els as an investor and brand ambassador
Ernie has become the first high-profile investor in the company and he will also be a brand ambassador over the coming years. Bloodline has developed a premium putter line of CNC-milled heads which include a high-performance graphite shaft that contributes to the putter’s unique capability to stand up by itself on the green.
Els has played Bloodline’s R1-J blade putter since May of 2017 and he finished 4th on the PGA TOUR in the Total Putting category last year. Co-founder Brad Adams said, “Seeing Ernie have such amazing results with the putter has been extremely rewarding. The idea that he has decided to be involved with Bloodline as an owner/investor is a dream come true. We will be able to draw on Ernie’s expertise and insight as we expand our product line which will be a huge help in maintaining a leadership role in advancing putter technology.”
Bloodline was first released on the PGA TOUR less than one year ago and Els was the first player to use Bloodline in a major championship when he played it in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. “I fell in love with the feel and roll the first time I used the putter,” said Els. “Then, the more I worked with the Bloodline technology, the more I felt like it was helping my confidence and also my consistency. I wanted to be involved with Bloodline because products that can make this kind of an impact on people’s games don’t come around very often.”
About Bloodline Golf
Bloodline Golf designs putters that have set a new standard in performance thanks to an innovative carbon fiber shaft/grip combination that enables the putters to stand alone on the green. This pioneering technology was introduced in the spring of 2017 and was used in tournament play soon after by players who have won multiple majors on the PGA TOUR. The Bloodline brand is rooted in three generations of golf industry excellence and is committed to making a lasting impact on the game of golf. The company’s name pays tribute to a golf “bloodline” that includes Vale Adams, an extremely well-respected club professional from Illinois, his son Gary Adams, the founder of Taylor Made Golf, and his grandson Brad Adams, one of the founding members of Odyssey Golf. The legacy continues with Larry Bischmann, who built the team and strategy that launched the super-premium driver shaft, Diamana, which became the winningest driver shaft on the PGA TOUR. Adams and Bischmann joined forces to create the ultimate fusion of design, function, performance and heritage: Bloodline Golf. For more information, visit www.bloodline.golf
For Media Information, Contact:
Tracy Nackel, TEN Marketing & PR, 760-420-1602 or tnackel@cox.net
3. Els Iced Coffee now available to order online in the US
Els Iced Coffee, which launched in three flavours – original, chocolate and mint chocolate – during the summer of 2017, is now available to order online. “For now, this is a US-based service only,” commented Ernie, “but we hope to be in a position before too long to roll this out internationally. That’s the goal.”
Please click here to place an order: http://www.internetwines.com/48702.html.
The key ingredients of Els Iced Coffee are fresh cream from a dairy in Wisconsin, a blend of coffee flavours and, of course, alcohol. Indeed, it is the first such product available in the US with a 12.5% ABV content, which partly helps explain its unique taste.
“In that sense, we’re first to the market with this product,” explains the brand’s co-founder Cayce Kerr, “and that’s obviously very exciting for us. The taste profile is extremely distinctive and it has tested favourably against a number of competitor products. We’ve had very positive responses; people describing it as light, clean, refreshing, smooth and well-balanced. It’s extremely drinkable and there’s really no ambiguity; we find people tend to love it straight away.”
Cayce Kerr first met Ernie Els on the range at Royal Birkdale in 1989, just before Ernie turned professional. They’ve been friends ever since, often paired together on the golf course during Cayce’s tenure on the bag with other top players. Then, in the spring of 2016, Cayce began caddying for Ernie. It was this latest chapter in their friendship that provided the catalyst for Els Iced Coffee.
“Ernie was in a meeting in Florida with his management team at the start of 2017,” recalls Cayce. “I’d already got to the stage where we’d created samples of the iced coffee and I was excited about the product, so I brought a few bottles into the office for everyone to try. They all loved it. In fact, Ernie loved it so much that he said he wanted to put his name to it. That’s how Els Iced Coffee was born and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Ernie himself has, of course, proved in recent years that his entrepreneurial skills are as potent as his silky-smooth golf swing. He is the figure-head and driving force behind a diverse range of endeavours such as international golf course design, wines, restaurants, residential property, golf academies and a partnership in an athletic scholarship agency. In particular, Ernie’s knowledge of wine production and international sales and distribution, will have many shared synergies in terms of growing the Els Iced Coffee brand.
Indeed, building a successful business from scratch is a well-trodden path for Ernie. When discussing the commonalities of high-achievement in business and in sport, he believes there are a lot of parallels. “You need to be dedicated, you have to work hard and be extremely focused on your goals,” says Ernie. “You can’t live a regular 9-5 life if you want to get to the top either in sport or in business. You have to make sacrifices and that was something that I learnt at the start of my career. I’ve also since learnt that you need to surround yourself with a great team. And obviously you need a great product.”
On that criteria, Els Iced Coffee has all the right ingredients for success!
Order Els Iced Coffee
Visit the website: http://www.internetwines.com/48702.html
For more information
Telephone Cayce Kerr, (001) 714 612 3204, or email caycekerr@yahoo.com.
Visit the website: www.elsicedcoffee.com.
4. Els for Autism Foundation launches 8th Annual Golf Challenge
Registration is now open for the eighth-annual Els for Autism Golf Challenge, supported by organising sponsors SAP and Wine Spectator. It remains one of the largest international charity-driven amateur golf tournaments in history, having raised more than $18 million since its inception in 2011.
The Golf Challenge is an event series held between April and October at more than 15 of North America’s finest golf courses. In this event series, a team’s fundraising ability is valued as much as their performance on the golf course. Teams compete in a combined low-net event for a selection of first class regional prizes and all teams that fundraise $13,000 or more will join Ernie at the Grand Finale in Palm Beach, FL at The Breakers Hotel on October 28-29.
Each team registers online at www.e4aGolf.com and is encouraged to choose an “Honorary Captain”, an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teams are assigned their own fundraising page and may share it with friends, family and colleagues soliciting donations for their team. Non-golfers and those unable to play in a regional event are invited to participate in the fundraising drive by creating their own ‘Affiliate Event’. Affiliate Events that raise $13,000 or more earn the chance to travel to Palm Beach and participate in the Grand Finale.
Els for Autism is proud to announce that a family of highly-respected global brands are supporting Ernie in his philanthropic efforts through the 2018 Golf Challenge. Sponsors include Presenting Sponsor, SAP and the Organizing Sponsor, Wine Spectator. Proceeds from the Golf Challenge benefit Els for Autism in the U.S. and Canada. Proceeds from the Canadian events are used to disseminate Els for Autism programs and are also granted to a variety of autism-focused, non-profit organizations in the territory or province in which they are raised. Proceeds from the U.S. events predominantly fund the build-out and programs of The Els Center of Excellence.
“As we kick-off the eighth year of the Golf Challenge, I extend a wholehearted thank you to our family of dedicated sponsors, players and donors”, Liezl Els, Els for Autism Founder and Managing Director, said. “Because of your support, we have a beautiful campus to serve individuals with autism spectrum disorder from around the world. For the second year, we are excited to be welcoming our top fund raisers to Palm Beach this October.”
For more information on the Golf Challenge and to register, visit: www.e4aGolf.com.
5. Ernie receives 2018 Old Tom Morris Award from GCSAA
The award, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s highest honour, was presented to Ernie for his charitable work in co-founding with his wife Liezl, The Els for Autism Foundation and also in 1999 establishing The Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation based in his homeland of South Africa.
The OTM Award has been presented annually since 1983 to an individual, who through a lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mould the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris, a four-time Open Championship winner and long-time superintendent at St Andrews until his death in 1908. Past winners of the award include Arnold Palmer, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Byron Nelson, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Ben Crenshaw, Ken Venturi, Nancy Lopez, Peter Jacobsen and Annika Sorenstam.
“I am honored and humbled to be asked to receive the Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association,” said Els. “As I have grown in my involvement with the game of golf, from professional golfer to golf course designer, I have come to value more and more the role of golf course superintendents. They are as vital to this game as ever, and as vital to this game as anyone.”
Commenting on the work at Els for Autism, Ernie said, “Years from now people may remember me as a golfer and a major champion. But I’d like to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of autism and did something with it. This is a lifelong pursuit, to help individuals on the spectrum realize their full potential while helping them to lead positive, productive and rewarding lives. It’s something that Liezl and I are truly passionate about and will be devoted to for many, many years to come.”
Els has rallied his business partners and everyday golfers to the cause since 2010, introducing a Golf Challenge series where fundraising is as important as a team’s final score. Els and his wife, Liezl, have also donated millions of their own money to the cause.
“He’s got his head screwed on right,” his long-time friend and fellow World Golf Hall-of-Famer Nick Price once said.
Els has generously given of his time, and it has been noticed. He was named one of the Top 5 Most Positive Athletes in the World in 2010 by the United Nations NGO Voting Academy, which comprises a panel from national groups such as Rotary International and Pathways to Peace. Els also received a Jefferson Foundation Award the following year as a professional athlete in service.
In the world of golf, his list of humanitarian honors is even longer. He received the Charles Bartlett Award in 2010 from the Golf Writers Association of America for unselfish contributions to society, the Winnie Palmer Award from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association for unselfishly giving to those less fortunate through his work on behalf of autism, and the Payne Steward Award in 2015 from the PGA Tour in recognition of his character, charity and sportsmanship.
“By any measure, Ernie Els is one of the greats of the game, and it is the distinct privilege and honor of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America to recognize this industry giant for all he has accomplished on and off the golf course,” said Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “He elevates the human spirit in all of us to be better people and a more compassionate society.”
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter. Visit our industry-leading magazine at GCMonline.com. The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org. or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
