What a year 2009 was on the Champions Tour and what a year 2010 is shaping up to be. We just completed what I believe is the most important event on our schedule and it is probably not the event that you would think. The Tour saw an influx of younger, tough talent, a resurgence of older players, the loss of some familiar events but the advent of new ones. Could this be a sign of the times?

We started the year in beautiful Hawaii at The Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hualalai. There was not a better place to start our year and everyone was excited and ready to start. Bernard Langer was the most ready as he won that event as well as three others through three quarters of the season.

As we crisscrossed the country from Boca Raton and Naples, Florida to Newport Beach and Valencia, California and back to Florida, one thing stood out, the Champions Tour players were not just window dressing. Competitive events with household names as winners and the occasional “feel good” story winner was a headline every week. The Tour lost an event in April, but that didn’t put a damper on the attitude that the Champions Tour field brings every week.

Every tournament brings entertainment, quality golf and most of all enjoyment for the whole family to enjoy. In this day and age where, according to our esteemed Congress, it’s not cool to sponsor events, all we see is joy and appreciation by not only the fans, but the sponsors as well. Econ 101 taught me that business is built around client appreciation, corporate entertainment and long lasting business relationships. The Champions Tour has exhibited all of that and more. Personal interaction with the clients is a huge part of any pro-am and there are two pro-ams each week on the Champions Tour.

During this season, we played our Senior PGA at Canterbury in Cleveland, our Senior British Open at Sunningdale Golf Club in London, which was immediately followed by the Senior US Open at Crooked Stick in Indianapolis. We enjoyed a week off and then went to Sunriver in Oregon for the Jeld-Wen Tradition. These tournaments are the four majors on our tour. Another very important event on our schedule is the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship which is played in October.

But now, back to what I consider to be the Tour’s most important event. We just completed the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach with Jeff Sluman defending his win from last year. For those unfamiliar with the format, each Champions Tour player is paired with a junior from the First Tee program and two different amateur teams that consist of two players. If you think that is confusing, try keeping score with a gross best ball and a net best ball! We keep the junior for two days but change teams from Friday to Saturday. The juniors have developed through the First Tee Program and by qualifying, earned their way into the event. Oh, I didn’t mention that each junior goes through a written and an oral exam as well. The First Tee Program is not just about golf, it is about learning the qualities of life just as we learned many, many years ago. These kids are very accomplished players, not quite the best of the best of the best, but some will be recruited to represent Division 1 universities and others will attend universities to become student/athletes.

I was paired with an 18-year-old boy, Jeff Cockerham from Akron, Ohio. This was an interesting connection for me as I spent some time in Akron as a young boy at Firestone CC. Jeff was looking at a few schools to continue his higher education and by NCAA regulations I cannot mention them, but I can tell you that any institution that has Jeff Cockerham enrolled at their school will be a better school. His demeanor and interaction with our four amateur partners was nothing short of amazing. An 18-year-old, engaged in conversation with any adult is something, but to talk the talk with the finest business minds in our great country is truly breathtaking. While Jeff is a fine player, he did birdie the 18th hole all three days on television. Our amateur partners were blown away by Jeff and the experience of the whole event.

The Wal-Mart First Tee Open IS the most important event that we play on the Champions Tour. Lessons are learned not only by the junior golfers but by the amateurs and professionals as well. The interaction of professional fields with the presence of young adults was truly enlightening.

As things stand now, it looks as if the Champions Tour is going to lose one event but gain two to four events for the 2010 season. We are in a very good position offering quality events and pro-am experience for one-third the price of a regular tour event. Like all business, you weather this storm and with good business practices, you can succeed from there.