Greg Norman has been named chairman of MacGregor Golf. According to an article in Golf Week Business,

The move culminates a leadership change that began in July when Norman and other board members relieved MacGregor CEO and majority shareholder Barry Schneider of his operational duties and began a strategic review of the Albany, Ga.-based clubmaking enterprise.

Norman’s appointment coincides with Schneider’s exit from the company. Schneider has relinquished his remaining roles and “surrendered his ownership share to MacGregor,” according to a company official. In addition, Norman has helped lead a recapitalization of MacGregor along with two existing investors. That effort was designed to strengthen the company’s balance sheet, give MacGregor greater financial flexibility and provide resources for continued growth.

Norman says that he will be involved in every aspect of the business, “from cosmetics of the products to R&D to decisions on marketing and the overall strategy of the company.”

I think MacGregor’s going to come back in a big way.

ESPN is replacing USA as the broadcaster for the early rounds of the Masters starting in 2008.

TNT reportedly also was competing for the contract. USA was not in the market. By ending its deal with the Masters, USA has completed its full-blown retreat from golf. It gave up early round coverage of PGA Tour events this year to the Golf Channel.

Given the secrecy of Augusta, it’s not surprising that terms were not disclosed. It’s fairly certain, however, given past practice, that it’s a one-year deal.

There’s a Pro Golf franchise just up the road from where I work, but I never realized that the parent company also was based in Michigan. Pro Golf has eighty franchise stores in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Ireland. I like my local store a lot—it carries not only the major brands, but also the most amazing and eclectic collection of off-brand equipment and accessories. I can spend hours browsing and not get to the bottom of it.

Now, Crane’s Detroit Business is reporting that Golf Acquisitions L.L.C., a Plymouth-based investment group, has acquired the assets of Pro Golf of America Inc.

The sale apparently was spurred when the majority owner of Pro Golf—Ajay Sports—was forced to file bankruptcy after losing a wrongful termination suit filed against it by its former CEO.

That’s just one more reason why GolfBlogger doesn’t have employees. I can’t fire myself, and if I did, I wouldn’t be able to sue.

The Wall Street Journal has a column on the proceedings in the Bridgestone v Acushnet/Titleist lawsuit. After two years of suit and countersuit, the two companies came to an out-of-court settlement on Monday. Of course, in such a settlement, both sides usually are mum about the results, but it looks to me as though Bridgestone was the winner:

As in most out-of-court settlements, the companies provided scant details about the terms of the deal, but in press releases they did divulge this much: Acushnet, a unit of Fortune Brands, agreed to pay royalties under several Bridgestone’s patents, and the companies will share certain other patents without exchanging royalties.

Bridgestone wasn’t the only one suing Titleist, though. There’s still a suit to settle from Callaway, which is suing Titleist over patents they acquired when they bought Top Flite.

Given that other companies were marketing comparable balls even before the Pro V1 made its debut, it’s not surprising that intellectual property disputes would arise. Acushnet, Bridgestone and Callaway all base their claims on patents dating back to the early 1990s or before. Bridgestone, incidentally, is no bit player. Despite having only an 8% share of the U.S. market, its balls are well-regarded by industry insiders and highly popular in its home base of Japan. The company also manufactures Nike’s balls, including those that Tiger Woods plays.

The article is an interesting read. You also can read more at the Golf Patents Blog.

Nationwide Insurance—sponsors of the PGA Tour’s junior circuit—is branching out. Ad Age is reporting that the Columbus based company will assume title sponsorship of the NASCAR’s minor leagues—the former Busch Series.

The seven year deal is said to be worth between $70 and $80 million. There was no word on whether Nationwide will continue to sponsor golf.

I wonder if there could be two more dissimilar groups of fans. You also have to appreciate the irony of an insurance company sponsoring a sport where the fans root for a wreck.