The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti‐Counterfeiting Working Group, comprised
of Acushnet Company, Callaway Golf, Cleveland Golf/Srixon, Nike Golf, PING and TaylorMade,
reports that on May 20, 2010, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security  Bureau (PSB) issued formal arrest warrants charging two shop owners with selling counterfeit golf equipment at the Shanghai Longhua Apparel Market.

PSB officers conducted simultaneous raids of three golf stores, A Liang Golf, Hao Bei Golf and Orient Golf, and seized more than 630 counterfeit golf clubs, 1,540 counterfeit golf balls, and a number of counterfeit accessories from the golf stores and the shop owners' residences. The seized goods were illegal copies of authentic products made by all of the Group's members.

According to information provided to the PSB by the Anti‐Counterfeiting Group, the retail stores also conducted online sales of golf equipment through Taobao.com. In an attempt to retrieve the sales records of the online stores, PSB officers visited Taobao headquarters in Hangzhou shortly after the retail store raids. Records indicate that since the opening of the three online stores one year ago, sales of counterfeit golf equipment totaled approximately $30,000.

The PSB has now frozen the accounts of the three "online" shops. This enforcement action was conducted after complaints were filed with PSB by the Anti‐ Counterfeiting Group. The Anti‐ Counterfeiting Group was formed in 2004 to petition governments to enforce their country's laws against counterfeiters of golf equipment products. As a result of the Anti‐Counterfeiting Group's petitioning efforts, dozens of successful raids of manufacturing, warehouse, assembly and retail facilities have been executed by Chinese law enforcement and civil enforcement authorities over the past five years.

Many business operators have been arrested and have now been prosecuted and sentenced in the Chinese courts. The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti‐Counterfeiting Working Group consists of the worlds' leading golf equipment manufacturers. Its members and brands include Acushnet Company, which is comprised of the Titleist and FootJoy brands; Callaway Golf, including the Odyssey, Top‐Flite and Ben Hogan brands; Cleveland Golf/Srixon; Nike Golf; PING; and TaylorMade‐adidas Golf and Ashworth.

Everyone from professional athletes competing before huge stadium crowds to people taking a jog around the park rely on Under Armour products to keep them dry and cool. As the company continues to develop and enhance its athletic gear, the Under Armour mission statement is always at play: To make all athletes better through passion, science and the relentless pursuit of innovation.

The company's growth rate has been phenomenal since its inception in 1996, so much so that it had outgrown the processes that managed its footwear and athletic apparel distribution centers (DCs) for the previous ten years. This tremendous growth also underscored the need for improved inventory visibility and enhanced vendor communication to help prepare Under Armour for future growth.

"We were simply bursting at the seams and had to upgrade our information systems," said Eric Olsson, director of distribution systems for Under Armour Inc. "Not only were we challenged to keep pace with our current distribution levels, we had to scale for the future growth we expect."

Under Armour selected Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution (WMS) to manage processes in its footwear and apparel DCs, and leveraged Manhattan's Slotting Optimization to help the company make smart decisions about where products should be placed in the warehouse, based on demand. Under Armour also implemented Manhattan's Extended Enterprise Management (EEM) to provide automatic inventory updates that the company can communicate to its vendor network.

Manhattan's WMS has helped Under Armour save costs by reducing the need for overtime while improving the overall accuracy of its warehouse efforts. The company has used EEM to direct ship to more than 15 million units thus far, and estimates that number will climb several million more by year's end.

"We achieved record levels of product shipments from our warehouses during the first September we were fully up and running, and EEM has enabled us to deliver on our available-to-promise with customers," said Olsson. "It's the difference between making an accurate commitment or not. With automatic updates, we can know exactly what we have available and when it will ship. Our customers rely on that."

Alexis “Lexi” Thompson, 15, has become the youngest female golfer to turn professional. The announcement comes on the heels of a U.S. Curtis Cup victory, where Lexi posted a 4-0-1 record. She’s currently the No. 1 women’s amateur in the world. Three years ago at age 12, she was the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. Now in her pivotal first year as a pro, she won’t be alone on the course: COBRA-PUMA GOLF has become the rising star’s official equipment, footwear and apparel sponsor, making Lexi its first athlete signed under both the Cobra and PUMA Golf brands that joined forces earlier this spring.

“Lexi’s style and groundbreaking performance on the course make her the perfect Cobra and PUMA Golf representative,” said Bob Philion, President of COBRA-PUMA GOLF. “Our brands are well suited to her game right now and are poised to progress with her career in the future, while she develops as a professional golfer.”

Lexi’s youthfulness, commitment to the sport, and drive for performance makes her an ideal athlete for COBRA-PUMA GOLF. She joins the company’s current world-class roster that includes PUMA Golf’s Rickie Fowler, Johan Edfors, and Anna Nordqvist, and Cobra’s Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas and J.B. Holmes. Lexi, however, will be the first professional representing both brands on the course. As part of this long-term partnership, she will wear PUMA Golf shoes featuring Smart Quill technology, and PUMA’s performance golf apparel. She will also play the Cobra S2 Driver (8.5°), Cobra S2 Fairway (3-wood), Baffler Rail Hybrid (2/H) and Cobra S2 Forged irons (3-PW), and will be featured in upcoming marketing campaigns, consumer and trade events.

“I am proud to represent Cobra and PUMA Golf,” she said. “Not only do both brands make great, technically advanced products that will help me play better on the course, but I’ve always loved them both for their edge and style. In my last amateur event, I played a Cobra S2 Driver and S2 Forged irons, and look forward to wearing my new PUMA gear at my first professional event in June. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to having fun and excelling on the course during my first few years as a professional golfer, with the support of COBRA-PUMA GOLF.”

The Coral Springs, Florida native comes from a lineage of golfers that includes older brothers Nick, a 27-year old PGA Tour pro, and Curtis, 17, who will play golf at Louisiana State University this fall. Parents Judy and Scott also enjoy the game. Scott will caddie for Lexi during her first professional year. While on tour, Lexi will continue her education through home schooling by her parents and under close supervision from educational professionals.

Known for her independent spirit and drive for success, Lexi’s life off the course is focused around family and fun. An avid music and reality television fan, she also likes to relax by listening to music and bowling with friends.

She debuts with COBRA-PUMA GOLF at the 2010 LPGA ShopRite Classic in New Jersey June 18-20, followed by the 2010 Women’s U.S. Open in July. At last week’s Curtis Cup, Lexi won four matches, including a 6-and-5 win on Sunday. Earlier this year, she was runner-up at the 2010 Harder Hall Invitational and Dixie Amateur. She’s played in three consecutive U.S. Women’s Opens (2007-2009), captured both the 2008 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and 2009 Junior PGA Championship, and successfully represented the U.S. in the 2009 Junior Solheim Cup.
COBRA-PUMA GOLF is a corporate division of PUMA North America and combines two strong brands that provide a full range of offerings to the golf industry. COBRA-PUMA GOLF is an inclusive company for golfers of all abilities, attitudes and styles who enjoy the game. The portfolio includes Cobra Golf’s high performance drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons, as well as PUMA Golf’s sport and lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories for both men and women. Fusing performance and style, COBRA-PUMA GOLF brings a focus on innovation, technology, compelling design and superior performance with an edge to the global golf marketplace. COBRA-PUMA GOLF is a part of PUMA AG, one of the world’s leading sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories.

From the New ED: Brad Kitschke

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Executive Director for ASGA. I have joined ASGA after working as the Director of Government Relations and Media with Teach for Australia, an education not-for-profit, and prior to that I worked as a Ministerial Advisor in the South Australian Government.

As part of the budget the Federal Minister for Sport, The Hon Kate Ellis M.P., released the long awaited response to the Independent Sport Panel Report, (the Crawford report).

The Government has backed the recommendation for a clear and definitive whole of Government strategy for sports policy. The creation of a sports strategy will be key to the implementation of the recommendations.

The recent 2010/11 budget saw an injection of funds for sport in Australia. Specifically $195.2m worth of new money was allocated in this budget, making it one of the most significant budgets for sport in recent history.  The Government says it will invest $1.2b in sport over the next four years.

After more than ten years of successful implementation of its social and environmental standards

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